《Rise of The Living Enchantment [LITRPG REGRESSION]》 Prologue: Prisoner #234502385739 ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too much.¡± Aiden turned away from the crowd to give Zen his attention. ¡°Don¡¯t think about what too much?¡± ¡°The jester,¡± Zen said, inclining his head towards the center of the ball where a man in a clown costume flipped and vaulted and performed tricks amidst rhymed jokes. ¡°He¡¯s designed to be off putting, yet entertaining.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve asked what would lead a man to become a jester in the king¡¯s court, but he didn¡¯t. In fact, that sounded like a question he would¡¯ve asked eight years ago. Now, the answer was easy. It was the class he had gotten and that was it. Most people in Nastild picked the path that suited their classes. [Knights] tried to be knights and [Jesters] tried to be jesters. Aiden and Zen were at a ball being hosted by the king of Daltan in celebration of the defeat of the Demon King. All the nobles from around the world who could attend had come for the very celebration. It filled the hall with beautiful women as well as aging ones, and handsome young men as well as old ones. It was an odd thing to see as far as Aiden was concerned. An audience of old and new all clad in the finest clothes and the most dazzling jewelry. His eyes panned towards the direction of four men in a conversation. Two were old men who stood with younger men. Despite the age gap, the resemblances were there. Fathers and their sons standing in conversation. His guess was that they were introducing one to the other, continuing the possibly amicable relationship between their fiefdoms and kingdoms. Like looking into the future, he thought before moving his attention along. Even dwarves and elves were present. There was a Dryad, too. Their presence was as impressive as it was rare. The races rarely if not never interacted with each other. Until the Demon King. From how thick the mana in the air was Aiden could guess at least eighty percent of the jewelries currently in the room were enchanted in one way or the other. This wasn''t something everybody could tell. At least not people below level 200. Auras were a different form of magic, and anyone could sense auras. But the actual mana in the air wasn¡¯t something just anyone could sense, at least not the one from enchanted items that were yet to be activated. No. Understanding the strength of a dormant enchanted item without touching it was something only [Enchanters] could do. ¡°Still sure you want to do this?¡± Zen asked, drawing Aiden''s attention. Aiden found Zen''s leg bouncing. It was only the left leg. It was a nervous tick, one Aiden had told Zen countless times that he had to learn to control. ¡°Forging invites wasn¡¯t the easiest thing,¡± Zen continued, his attention everywhere but on Aiden. ¡°I know you got it because you¡¯re an [Enchanter], but we could¡¯ve easily been caught. And are you sure the illusory enchantment will work that long? If anything goes wrong everyone will see your face. You''re still kinda wanted.¡± ¡°I''m sure of what I''m about to do,¡± Aiden told him. ¡°Haven¡¯t been surer of anything in my entire life." Then he tapped the earring dangling from his ear. "And yes, the illusory enchantment still works." The part about him being sure was a lie. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure at all. In fact, every aspect of his being and his knowledge from the last five years of being in the Order told him to turn and storm out of the palace. Right now he was breaking one major law of the kingdom of Daltan, and was about to do something that would brand him an enemy of the entire world. But he had to do it. He couldn¡¯t not. ¡°Alright,¡± Zen said, his voice dropping into a lower whisper than the one they were already using. Aiden had a solitude orb in his pocket, designed to keep the sound of activities happening within it from leaking out, but he knew it was considered discourteous to use one in the palace. What the instrument did was create a bubble around the user that kept all sound within. In a palace ball with at least three kings present, that was all the suspicion a person needed to draw attention to themselves. After all, what could be so secretive that you needed to say it in a solitude bubble during a ball with kings present? And if they drew attention to themselves, then there would be questions. Questions were never a good thing in Aiden¡¯s line of work. ¡°Remember the plan?¡± he muttered, checking his belt and confirming his enchanted dagger was still there. It was a force of habit, not like it was likely to fall off. Enchanted items didn¡¯t just fall off their owners. Zen nodded to Aiden''s question. ¡°I play the distraction while you sneak off and find the Demon King.¡± ¡°Good.¡± They both fell silent as a server walked past them. He wore a simple white shirt with a velvet vest and carried a tray with glass cups balanced on it. Aiden snagged one as the waiter passed and downed it in one go. ¡°Have I told you how much I enjoy your world¡¯s wine, Z?¡± Zen rolled his eyes. ¡°Countless times. Also, are you sure you should be drinking right about now?¡± ¡°Calms the nerves.¡± Aiden dropped the empty cup on the table next to him. ¡°I¡¯m about to be the second most wanted man in the human kingdoms. Again. Maybe even the world. I think a drink or two wouldn¡¯t be so bad.¡± ¡°Second?¡± Zen asked. ¡°I take it I¡¯ll be the first since I¡¯m going to be causing the distraction that leads to the escape of the Demon King, right?¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t help the smile that crossed his lips. Despite that fear, Zen was still here. The members of his team that were present were still here. ¡°Well," he said with an exaggerated nonchalance. "I was thinking more along the lines of the Demon King being the first. You can be the third.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get why the gods led us to meet,¡± Zen snorted. ¡°I also don¡¯t get why the Hero was asked not to kill the Demon King. You¡¯d think everyone would want him dead.¡± Aiden frowned at his friend¡¯s words. Zen noticed it and grimaced. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± Aiden knew Zen meant it exactly how he¡¯d said it. Chances were that apart from whatever demons were still left alive, summoned from their demonic world by the Demon King, he was probably the only person alive that was happy the Demon King wasn¡¯t dead. Him and maybe whoever had truly passed the instruction that the Demon King not be killed. Zen didn¡¯t know why Aiden cared about the Demon King and he didn¡¯t need to. All he needed to know was that he cared. ¡°Apology accepted,¡± he told Zen, standing up from his chair. ¡°And the gods aren¡¯t real, Zen. How many times do I have to tell you that? They are like the gods back in my world. You hear of them from their priests but you don¡¯t see them.¡± ¡°Odd." Zen scratched the back of his head. "I remember hearing that you belonged to a religion that believed in only one god back in your world.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Aiden stretched like someone tired, hands over head, eyes scanning the ball. His long coat hid the weapons he kept on his person. ¡°Coming to this world changed that. Also, whatever distraction you choose, stay away from the jester.¡± Zen cocked a brow. ¡°The jester? Why?¡± ¡°He gives me a bad vibe.¡± At the center of the ballroom, to everyone¡¯s entertainment, the jester was busy balancing three glass cups on top of each other at the tip of a longsword balanced on his nose. He was spindly and looked healthily malnourished. It was one of the greatest oxymoron Aiden had ever seen. Aiden couldn¡¯t sense a spot of enchantment on the fragile looking man and the man wasn¡¯t using any active skills that he could sense, which told him the entire feat of balance was entirely of the man''s own achievement. ¡°Jesters give everyone a bad vibe, Aiden. It¡¯s how their class works. They are entertaining but somehow odd. I¡¯ll be more worried about the Sage.¡± Aiden was in agreement. Everyone did their best to stay away from the Sage of King Brandis of Bandiv. No one had seen him in a battle, but he had a history. It was also funny to know that a lot of people didn¡¯t even know that he was a Sage. Rumors had it that magic was useless in his presence. Aiden had never fought him or seen him fight, so he couldn¡¯t confirm the rumors. But if even the Order was wary of the man, then there had to be some truth to his strength. ¡°You do not want to face him,¡± Zen added. ¡°True,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°But I¡¯d still stay away from the Jester if I were you. And I¡¯ll avoid the Sage to the best of my ability. Anyway,¡± he tugged on his gloves, ¡°hopefully, I¡¯ll see you on the other side in a day or two.¡± ¡°Is there a reason I can¡¯t come?¡± Zen asked, stopping Aiden¡¯s departure. ¡°You won¡¯t even let me know the layout of the palace.¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t need to know the layout. And you can¡¯t come so that if anyone gets a glimpse of me, you can at least go back to the Order without any serious punishment.¡± Zen sighed. ¡°It feels like the time chamber missions all over again.¡± Aiden remembered the time chambers. It was one of the Order¡¯s training methods for promising recruits. During the training, a recruit or a group of them would be given a task to accomplish within the chamber. Then a recruit would be marked and the time chamber set. The time period was never over two hours. Failure of the mission would reset the time until the recruits learned to accomplish the mission. That level of time magic was supposed to be a taboo, but the Order answered to no one and worked in secrecy. Aiden never understood just how time reset in a confined space worked. In fact, he didn¡¯t understand how time reset worked at all. ¡°Not like the time chamber,¡± Aiden corrected Zen. ¡°If I fail this one, there¡¯s no do over.¡± With that, Aiden walked away. He¡¯d barely taken ten steps when the commotion began. From the chaotic sound he could hear behind him, Zen had all but run himself into someone. There were one or two complaints about him being an oaf and Aiden could swear he heard a noble demand to know who had invited Zen. Aiden allowed none of it to distract him. He had a mission and intended to see it to the end. ¡­¡­¡­ The stairs to the dungeons of the king of Daltan were as clean as Aiden remembered them the last time he was here. He had only seen them once before, and not in any good condition. But life on Nastild had sharpened his mind in the time he''d been here. He was no longer the simple and weak young man who''d been summoned here eleven years ago. How time flies, he thought as he strolled casually down the winding stairs. The staircase was lit by orbs that housed tongues of fire that shined brightly. Each one, equidistant from the other, hanging from the walls, was bright enough that he didn¡¯t even have to look down so that he wouldn¡¯t miss his step. Eleven years in a different world, and some magical things still amazed him. Not the globes, though. As an [Enchanter], it was his business to know how any and everything enchantment related worked. The globes of fire existed through a means of triple enchantment. One for [Flame Immortal] which kept the fire always alive until someone snuffed it out. Another for [Illuminate] which kept the flame at just the right brightness. The last allowed whoever was in charge of them to put them out without having to come close. Aiden couldn''t remember the name of the enchantment right now. Personally, Aiden always thought there could be more efficient ways to set up the orbs. But his specialty wasn¡¯t in domestic level enchantments so he never took the time to figure it out. He came to the last steps as it led down a short path and on to a turn. He pressed his back against the wall at the end of it. If he remembered correctly, just beyond this point there would be more guards. He fished inside his coat pockets and brought out two small orbs. They fit in the palm of his right hand. Translucent, they each had an enchantment inscribed on them. Notifications popped up above each one with indicators. [Orb of Silence.] [Orb of Greater Solitude.] They weren¡¯t the most powerful orbs, but they were what he needed for what he was about to do. With his free hand, he fished into his pants pocket and produced another orb. [Orb of Greater Detection.] This one worked on a level of the [Detection] skill of most [Trackers]. Aiden tapped the [Orb of Greater Detection] with a thoughtful finger as he prepared himself. He activated it then rolled it around the corner. He listened to it roll along stone floor then clang against metal. The sound was followed by a sudden gasp before it burst into life. Even through the walls, Aiden could see the indicators telling him who was who and where. Guards filled the entire tunnel armed to the teeth. [Knight Level 192] [Spearman Level 129] [Slasher Level 176] The classes and levels went on and on as the numbers increased. Those are a lot of people in the level hundreds, he thought, checking to be sure he still had his teleportation orbs. They were for combat purposes, allowing him dart across short distances in a fight. He slipped them back into the pockets of his jacket and stepped out of the corner. Sixteen men stood in front of him, spanning the entire length of the hallway. ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± one of them demanded, voice loud. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if the man¡¯s voice was loud for the sake of intimidation or if he was trying to draw attention to them. And, honestly, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care. He held up the [Orb of Greater Solitude] and channeled mana into it. Enchantments worked differently, depending on who was using it. A simple user channeled mana into an enchantment and got what the enchantment was set to offer. An Enchanter, however, used it differently. Aiden channeled his mana, filling every line and curve of the enchantment fixed into the item. This way, he would get every single thing the enchantment had to offer. He would push it to its limit. The disadvantage of this method made the enchantment a one-time use. As for the advantage of his [Enchanter] class¡­ Well, I get to customize the effect. You have activated class skill [Enchantment modification] He dropped the orb and it activated as it hit the ground. You have activated [Enchantment of Greater Solitude]. Effect: Activities performed within the reach of enchantment do not affect the outside world. Duration: 00:12:00. Radius: 1km. Enchantments with AoE effects usually spread out in a perfect dome, but with [Enchantment modification] Aiden could tweak the effects. And he did. He limited it. Rather than have a dome, he bent the diameter, squeezed it down, so that it was shorter but wider, covering a larger horizontal space at the expense of vertical space, until it spanned the entire underground cell. Now, anything that happened within the underground cells would have no impact to any other part of the palace. It would take a really powerful skill from someone in the level 300s to change that. He looked at the confused but ready knights in front of him and he took a deep breath. Maybe I should¡¯ve brought Zen with me. Aiden dashed forward, attacked the man closest to him and thrust the dagger at his neck. The knight ducked to the side but Aiden¡¯s momentum carried him forward with the thrust as intended and he slammed his knee into the man¡¯s helmet. The knight went crashing down, but Aiden wasn¡¯t done. The knight title, different from the class, gave a certain level of combat proficiency, but at Aiden¡¯s level these knights were not an issue for him. Aiden turned and kicked the downed knight¡¯s helmeted head with enough force to dent the helmet and render the knight motionless. ¡°You fool!¡± A different knight bellowed. Above his head was the class [Spearman] and he held a spear. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done? Do you know where you are?!¡± The entire group of knights converged on Aiden as the man spoke. The knight didn¡¯t waste time with any more unnecessary questions and darted at Aiden almost immediately. Aiden had the option of avoiding the spear thrust at him but chose not to. Instead, he parried the spear that came at him with his dagger. The impact jarred his arm, but he had enough resistance to pain to ignore it. Coupled with his Agility stats, balance was not an issue. The point of the spear was turned aside by the parry and Aiden stepped into the knight¡¯s reach. With his empty gloved hand, he grabbed the knight by the head and squeezed. The action was abrupt and instantaneous. The helmet bent in Aiden¡¯s hold. The knight let out a very short and immediate scream before falling silent. With no resistance from the man, Aiden released his head and let him fall to the ground. The remaining knights gathered stood where they were, unmoving. For a moment, Aiden wondered why. Then it dawned on him. They¡¯re already afraid? It was almost laughable. When he¡¯d come to Nastild, knights were worthy of fear and respect. They were powerful enough to send tremors through the spines of their enemies. He¡¯d never learnt the requirements to become a knight in the kingdom of Bandiv but he knew they were demanding. He''d assumed the same was the case for the knights of every other kingdom. In his time in the Order, his missions had led him to fight a knight or two from different kingdoms. He knew their strength, even those not yet at level hundred. But this? This was pathetic. Then again, the kingdoms had lost a lot of knights to the Demon King war and most of them had been scrambling to refill their ranks, knighting the children of nobles, reducing the requirements to become a knight. And the children of nobles tended to be spoiled and lacking in true experience. Some Nobles had the habit of raising the levels of their children in the safest ways possible. They sent them to train and hunt under the guide of powerful protectors. They didn¡¯t know true hardship. The children of nobles would¡¯ve seen the possibility of death once or twice if they slipped up significantly during these training periods, but they wouldn¡¯t have seen the certainty of it. The outcomes were powerful bodies and classes. But weaker minds. The men around him had just seen two strong knights get defeated very quickly. In fact, they most likely thought each of them was dead. Aiden could inform them that their friends were still very much alive, but he chose not to. Death was a greater thing to fear than a mysterious man who¡¯d shown up out of nowhere and defeated two of their strongest. Aiden dashed forward. The knight he charged at jerked instinctively. He swung his sword in an upward arc, whether it was intended to kill Aiden or simply keep him away was anyone¡¯s guess. Aiden, however, couldn¡¯t be bothered to care. He deflected the sword with his dagger, placing a hand behind the blade to compensate for the difference in weight and, as such, the difference in clashing power. The parry sent the sword going up and to the side, leaving the knight completely open for an attack. Fear had led the knight to a stupid mistake. Now, Aiden had more than enough time and space to kill him, but did not. Instead, he brushed the man¡¯s legs out from under him with a vicious kick. He followed the knight down, and once the knight hit the ground, he grabbed the man¡¯s helmeted head in his hand. ¡°Please don¡ª¡± Aiden had no interest in the Knight''s words or the fear in them. He squeezed hard enough, felt the metal helmet bend under the force of his grip, and knew when it pressed against the knight¡¯s skull. Careful now, Aiden, he cautioned himself. You don¡¯t want some Noble kid¡¯s death on your hands just yet. Experience had taught him the moment there¡¯d been too much force on the knight¡¯s head and he released him almost immediately. Aiden got back to his feet and checked his surrounding in quick glances. The other knights continued to hover, moving back. No one was willing to die just yet. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. It disgusted Aiden to see what the knights of the human kingdoms had been reduced to simply because of some war. Not some war, he thought, checking his gloves. The war against the demon army. [Enchanted gloves] Effect: Enchanted with the strength of giants. Gives plus 200% grip strength to levels below 50 and 20% grip strength to levels above fifty. Durability (Left): 30%. Durability (Right): 12%. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how much more he could get out of the gloves. But that was something else to be worried about. At some point, one of the men in front of him would realize that help wasn¡¯t coming and would try and leave the underground cells. Aiden had other members of his team working on that as well, though. Zen was the distraction. Olstead kept watch of the second entrance to the underground cell. His job was to ensure no one got in or out. There was the issue of the Sage, but Tanor¡¯s information was top notch. There had been no actions from King Brandis'' Sage recently. There were other members doing other things but the team wasn¡¯t complete. Aiden had been forced to improvise the plan when Shewa had refused to help. Her refusal made things difficult for him, but he couldn¡¯t hold it against her. The entire plan was a suicide mission even if it was successful. ¡°Three men in nineteen seconds,¡± he muttered to himself, adjusting his shoulders as the knights around him continued to hover in fear and confusion. ¡°Thank God Zen¡¯s not here to see this. I won¡¯t hear the last of it.¡± He returned his attention back to the remaining group, still flabbergasted by the sight. At this point their fear was unnatural. Aiden had been ready to end this fight with a lot of injuries. If they rushed him at once, didn''t they know they could stand a chance. Why were they... Wait a minute. Aiden''s interface flashed in front of him at a single thought. Aura skill [Terrify] is in effect. Oh. That made more sense. [Terrify] made any opponent twenty levels or less than his level within a certain radius too terrified to do much, and he tended to forget about it since it was a passive skill. Lesser levels would''ve turned and fled by now. Ignoring the unconscious knights on the floor, Aiden held his dagger up and took a combat stance. This would probably not be a long fight. To the knights in front of him, he had only one word. ¡°Next.¡± ¡­.. There was a loud thud as the guard hit the ground. Since the knights before, this was the fifth opponent Aiden was facing. None of the rest had had any truly strong class. In fact, they didn¡¯t even have the knight title. Some of them even had the most common and basic combat class. [Soldier]. Most people chose it when they didn¡¯t want domestic classes but weren¡¯t offered the classes they were looking for. Everybody gets the soldier class, Aiden thought, stepping over the fallen soldier to stand in front of his destination. In front of him was a stretch of brick colored wall with a thick metal door built into it. Above it was a simple inscription in the common tongue of Nastild and it read: Here Lies the Demon King. ¡°More like here lies the bane of my existence.¡± Aiden squatted in front of the door and placed his hand on the key hole. Whoever had suggested keeping the Demon King alive instead of killing him knew a lot. For instance, the Demon King had a skill that could scale his level and stats to that of the strongest person present if he used it. By keeping only the lowest levels in the hundreds around him, it stripped him of his ability to suddenly grow stronger. Did he have a traitor in his ranks? Aiden mused, wondering how whoever had designed the prison knew of it. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the skill was supposed to be a secret. Unless he suddenly went around telling people. Aiden triggered his skill, and got the information he needed on the lock. You have activated skill [Advanced Appraisal (Mastery 98%)] Information rushed into his head in an instant. Once upon a time, in his lower level years, he would¡¯ve had to read the information and understand it himself as his interface displayed it for him, but not anymore. A lot of things changed when you scaled the level 200 wall. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of enchantments they¡¯ve got you behind,¡± Aiden muttered, wondering if the Demon King could hear him through the door. There was an enchantment for almost every scenario built into the door. For someone trying to break in, for someone trying to break out, for someone trying to sneak something in, for someone trying to sneak something out. It was crazy. It turned out that the Demon King could also hear him through the door, because he got an answer a moment later. ¡°Weak enchantments,¡± a hoarse voice said. The sound was bad, strained. Yet it took Aiden back to eight years ago when he had last seen the Demon King. The day he¡¯d found out who the Demon King actually was. Aiden paused, allowing old feelings well up inside him. It took him a fraction of a second to shake them. You¡¯ve got work to do Aiden. Let¡¯s do it and get done. ¡°I know it¡¯s weak,¡± he replied as he went to work disabling each enchantment. ¡°It¡¯s just that there¡¯s a lot of them.¡± You have activated class skill [Enchantment modifier]. Enchanters could disable enchantments if they knew what they were doing. But with [Enchantment modifier] at his level, there was scarcely an enchanted trap Aiden could not get rid of quickly. The Demon King snorted. ¡°Not like enchantments have ever been a problem for you. I heard you joined the Order. Broke my heart really.¡± Aiden chuckled lightly as the first enchantment broke under the weight of his mana. ¡°Would you have wanted to run into me on the battlefield?¡± Aiden asked as the second enchantment broke under his command. ¡°Ooh, they set up an enchantment to block out ambient mana, too. You must¡¯ve really terrified these guys.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Demon King, Aida,¡± the voice snorted. ¡°They can¡¯t be too careful. And no, I wouldn¡¯t have been happy to meet you on the battle field.¡± Aiden hated that name, yet he smiled as he looked up. Squatting, he wasn¡¯t tall enough to look through the square opening at the top of the door. ¡°You think you would¡¯ve won?¡± he asked. ¡°You¡¯re an Enchanter.¡± The Demon King chuckled easily. ¡°Your class holds the lowest magic rank. Without your items you¡¯re cannon fodder. I¡¯m the Demon King, standing at the epitome of physical and magical prowess with a wide range of summons at my side.¡± Aiden broke a fifth enchantment and ran into one that was nothing but an alarm. ¡°Still haven¡¯t answered the question, though. Think you could¡¯ve won?¡± There was a thoughtful silence as Aiden deactivated the alarm enchantment. He rummaged through the rest of the door and didn¡¯t find any other enchantment. ¡°I was advised not to make an enemy of the Order,¡± the Demon King said after a while. ¡°Seeing as you became one of them not long after I left¡­ No. I can¡¯t confidently say I would¡¯ve won.¡± Aiden nodded as he stood up. Then he pushed the door and it opened inward. Inside, the cell was pitch black. Not even the lights from the hallway he stood in leaked inside. ¡°One moment,¡± he said, pulling out a small orb from his coat. He channeled mana into it and rolled it into the room. There was a two-second delay before it released a soft glow. At one end of the room was a man with long disheveled white hair where it had once been brown. His wrists were fastened with chains on both sides that kept him on his knees. There were countless markings that ran all over the man¡¯s body, extending even to his arms and covering his torso. Only his face was free of them. Black eyes watched Aiden and the man wore an annoying grin. Aiden folded his arms at the door and stared at him. ¡°Like the trench coat,¡± the man said. ¡°Gives you the whole Constantine vibe. And I see you¡¯ve grown out your hair as well, can''t say I''m a fan.¡± Aiden resisted the urge to touch his hair. He kept it held back so that it didn¡¯t fall to his face. And the little squabble he¡¯d engaged in on his way here hadn¡¯t been enough to knock it loose, so the few loose strands didn¡¯t need much of his attention. Aiden returned the Demon King¡¯s grin with one of his own as he walked into the cell. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you look this bad.¡± The Demon King scoffed. ¡°Jaws in 2009.¡± Aiden laughed, shaking his head. ¡°So true. How could I forget. You wouldn¡¯t enter a pool for months. Ran into that big bully who tried to shove you into the water and you just had to throw hands.¡± Aiden moved the door behind him but didn¡¯t close it. He left enough space for his fingers to fit in. The last thing he wanted to do was lock the door and find out there¡¯s a hidden trigger for such an occasion. ¡°If I remember correctly,¡± the Demon King said, ¡°you were also a part of that fight.¡± ¡°In my defense," Aiden replied. "I couldn¡¯t just watch you get your ass handed to you. And there were no adults around to save you.¡± ¡°Still got our asses handed to us, though.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Aiden studied one of the chains holding the Demon King up. ¡°It was wild. But not very surprising.¡± ¡°True. The kid was like four of us. I have no idea what we were thinking.¡± Aiden frowned at what he learned about the chains. Not only was the metal unique, every single link was enchanted. And he didn¡¯t have anything he knew that could brute force its way into breaking it. ¡°You were thinking that you didn¡¯t want to enter the water even though there weren¡¯t sharks in it,¡± Aiden said. ¡°And I was thinking that no one got to pound on you but me.¡± He looked down at the Demon King and their eyes met. It was time for the bad news. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can get these chains off you in time.¡± There was a moment of silence that stretched between them as they both accepted what it meant. Aiden¡¯s rogue mission was a bust. No one would be saved today. Whoever had designed this prison had known what they were doing. A slow smile crept into the Demon King¡¯s cracked lips in the silence between them. When he spoke again, his voice was gentle and fond. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, brother.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°You don¡¯t sound worried for someone who¡¯s supposed to be executed tomorrow, Ted,¡± Aiden told his brother. They still had a few more minutes before their escape became strapped for time. At least half an hour. ¡°Because I¡¯m not,¡± Ted said. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°You do know that they¡¯re throwing a party upstairs because you lost, right?¡± ¡°Can you blame them? I was the Demon King. Scourge of the land. Do you have any idea how many lives I took?¡± Aiden knew. The Order¡¯s archives kept extensive records of everything that had been happening during the war. What he didn''t know was why. Ted had never been a bad person, not even a misunderstood person. It was a question Aiden had had on his mind for the longest time, and this was his chance to ask it. So he did. ¡°Why?¡± The chains shook in what Aiden felt was supposed to be his brother shrugging. ¡°Because I could,¡± Ted answered. ¡°Because there were things I needed to do and the rest of this stupid world wouldn¡¯t let me do them. Or maybe my title compelled me to it.¡± Aiden knew all the talk about people being compelled by their titles to do things. The [Berserker] title led a person to greater tendencies of violence and such. As much as he would¡¯ve liked to say it was all in their heads and that they were simply weak people who couldn¡¯t control themselves, he knew that was not the case. As an Enchanter with a few enchantment-based titles, he had been drawn to all things enchantment. He wouldn¡¯t have called it a compulsive level of attention, but he had been drawn to it. His luck laid in the fact that it had been creative and he had grown to enjoy it. He could only wonder how badly the compulsion of the [Demon King] title had driven his brother. Aiden remembered a thing or two about how the [Hero] title had driven the hero¡¯s zeal to bring his brother down. The both of them had been the only ones of their titles. Exclusive titles, the Order¡¯s archivist called them. ¡°I take it you don¡¯t know what to do now,¡± his brother said. ¡°Which means the Order isn¡¯t a part of this mission to save me.¡± ¡°How the hell are you so calm?¡± Aiden¡¯s voice was calm as well, but his was a calm of despaired acceptance. He¡¯d tried to save his older brother and failed. ¡°I¡¯m calm because I already have a plan,¡± Ted said. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve got demons marching on the palace, Teddy.¡± Ted chuckled. ¡°No one''s called me that in ages. And no. No demons. I¡¯m actually waiting on King Brandis'' Sage. He designed this entire thing.¡± ¡°Do you have some dastardly plan of scaling to his level and killing him to get out of here?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Good, because I doubt you¡¯ll succeed. Even the Order¡¯s wary of him. And he¡¯s not close by right now.¡± Aiden was sitting on the ground beside his brother now, and Ted turned to look at him. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t give two fucks about me,¡± he said with mock hurt, ¡°but you were wary of Brandis'' Sage? I¡¯m offended.¡¯ ¡°The Demon King offended at being ignored." Aiden shook his head. "That¡¯s laughable. Besides, the Sage is one of five that have existed for who knows how long. Of course he was the bigger threat.¡± ¡°True.¡± Ted nodded, then his tone grew serious. ¡°But they were right to be wary of him. I could argue that whatever he¡¯s done to his class, this battle wouldn¡¯t have gone on for so long if he¡¯d joined the fight.¡± That surprised Aiden. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he join? You¡¯d think he''d want to at least save Bandiv if not Nastild.¡± ¡°The same reason you haven¡¯t gotten up and made your escape,¡± Ted said. ¡°Stupidity?¡± Aiden cocked a brow at his brother. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s not why,¡± Ted admitted. ¡°Actually, like your Order, I don¡¯t think he was very interested. Not until he found out what I was doing. Then he took interest, interfered, and here I am.¡± That didn¡¯t sound right. ¡°I thought the hero defeated you.¡± ¡°Drax? That imbecile couldn¡¯t beat me in a fight if there were two of him.¡± Ted snorted. ¡°Drax has never been one for intelligence. Charisma and strength? Yes. Girls, definitely. But brains? Nah, not to the genius level. He was always more justice than necessity, if you catch my drift. He and the others stormed the castle too early; didn¡¯t even level up enough to face me.¡± ¡°He was level 317 when they stormed the castle, though," Aiden pointed out. "I think that¡¯s level enough.¡± Ted laughed heartily at that. ¡°Oh, brother mine. I¡¯m level 492.¡± Aiden¡¯s was stunned to silence. He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d asked who¡¯d win in a fight between them. He was only Level 268. His brother would¡¯ve whooped his ass and come back for seconds. ¡°Anyway,¡± Ted continued. ¡°The damned Sage found out what I was trying to do, and interfered. He said it was against the laws of existence.¡± ¡°Not the land?¡± ¡°Nope. Actual existence. He said it was one thing the gods wouldn¡¯t stand for. I knew that, but I didn¡¯t know that he knew that.¡± ¡°And what wouldn¡¯t these gods that never show themselves to anyone stand for?¡± Ted looked at him from the side of his eye. ¡°I know you treat the gods here the same way we treated them back home, but they are very real. This isn¡¯t a faith thing. You need to know that going forward. Anyway, I had a plan and was skirting the path of spatial and dimensional magic to get there.¡± Aiden paused. ¡°You were trying to get us home?¡± Ted nodded. ¡°That¡¯s ludicrous, Ted.¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°The king and priests already said it was impossible. Even the Order said so.¡± ¡°It was supposed to be impossible,¡± Ted corrected. ¡°But I found it.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you use it? Why didn¡¯t you send us back?¡± Aiden¡¯s heart was beating fast. Fifteen of them had been teleported to this world eleven years ago, and the only reason they¡¯d done the king¡¯s bidding was because of his promise to send them back¡­ at least it was the reason for some of them. There had also been the king¡¯s overall military might, but Aiden didn¡¯t like to think of that part of it. Then, after a year, the king had told them that there had been extensive studies and no way had been found to send them home. The priests had even claimed that the gods had been silent on the matter. Not that the gods ever said anything publicly. Only through their priests. At that point they had all been lost on what to do. Four of them had already died to monsters of different kinds. But here Ted was, telling Aiden that he¡¯d found a way. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send us back, then?¡± Aiden asked again. ¡°Because it requires too much human mana, which I¡¯ve been gathering for so long. And I¡¯m almost there,¡± Ted answered. ¡°And I hadn¡¯t found the exact coordinates to get us back home. For all I knew, it would throw us to some different world out there. I could only find coordinates to a world where they didn¡¯t see the Demon King as some kind of calamity.¡± ¡°Then we could¡¯ve gone there, worked on a way to get us home without you being hunted.¡± Ted nodded, but there was something hidden there. Aiden knew his brother well enough to see it. ¡°There was another issue, wasn¡¯t there?¡± he asked. Ted stopped nodding. He pressed his lips in a thin line. ¡°Yea,¡± he said finally. ¡°I could only figure out a way to send only one person.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know what to say to that. So he looked around the cell walls as another thought occurred to him. ¡°Why¡¯s no one down here yet?¡± he asked. "And my team hasn''t said anything about people coming this way." The question did nothing to faze Ted. ¡°I see you got yourself a telepath for telepathic communication. That''s awesome. But no one¡¯s down here yet because I haven¡¯t escaped,¡± he said. ¡°They generally just leave me alone. The guards are only here to bring me food so I don¡¯t starve. And seeing as I¡¯ve had dinner, there¡¯ll be no one until it¡¯s morning. Anyway, back to our conversation. When I found the problem, I reverse engineered the spell.¡± ¡°You reverse engineered a spell,¡± Aiden said, flabbergasted. ¡°You, Ted, hater of hard work. I can understand you researching a spell to creation, but reverse engineering a spell? You¡¯ve got to be close to god level for that one.¡± Ted laughed. ¡°I swear that¡¯s the exact same thing Voss would¡¯ve said. Swell guy. You would¡¯ve liked him.¡± Aiden knew that name and he scoured his mind for where he had heard it before finding it. When he found it, he frowned. ¡°Voss? Your third rank general? Voss, destroyer of Vass and scourge of the outworld? That Voss?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that name really stuck. Voss, destroyer of Vass.¡± Ted laughed. ¡°But yes. You would¡¯ve liked him. You and him have a lot in common.¡± ¡°You say a lot in common, I hear you stress him a lot.¡± Ted laughed again. When his laughter died, they both sat in silence once more. Aiden¡¯s mind continued to work, trying to find a way out. It went through his entire knowledge of enchantments and which of them could help. Enchantments were not like spells so there was only so much they could do. As much as he thought on it, what he needed to escape at this point were spells. His growth as an Enchanter had been in his versatility and diverse use of enchantments. However, enchantments paled significantly in the presence of spells. If enchantments were paintings, spells were paintings and 3D prints. You could do more with spells than you could ever dream to do with enchantments. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing,¡± he blurted out. ¡°Not surprised there,¡± Ted replied. Aiden let his head fall and he stared at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Ted. I¡¯ve thought of everything, and I¡¯ve got nothing. Spells are the only things that can help us now. But Enchanters can¡¯t use spells even if we know them. The one time it matters and I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°You really should go now.¡± Aiden¡¯s head jerked up at his brother¡¯s voice. It was serious. And dark. Ominous. ¡®What¡¯s wrong, Ted?¡± ¡°Brandis'' Sage is on his way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Aiden looked around, suddenly panicked. There was nothing to use in a fight, not that he expected to find one. ¡°Shit.¡± He reached into his coat and started bringing things out, orbs, throwing knives, daggers, a rope. Aiden paused when he noticed Ted staring at him with a strange look. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯ve got everything in there,¡± Ted said. ¡°Got any roast beef?¡± ¡°Not really the time for jokes, brother.¡± Aiden went back to looking through what he had. ¡°If everything they say about Brandis'' Sage¡ªabout Sages in general¡ªis true, then we are going to need everything we have to survive.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ted¡¯s voice was abrupt. ¡°Everything we have won¡¯t work. No one knows what the Sage is truly capable of because no one has survived a fight with him. So I¡¯ll tell you two important things you must remember for when he shows up.¡± ¡°I thought you wanted me gone?¡± ¡°Too late for that. He¡¯s already aware of your presence. And you¡¯re already within his reach.¡± Ted was rushing his words, speaking in a hurry. ¡°Now, the two things you have to remember in case this doesn¡¯t work is that the Hero isn¡¯t the most important title in this world. Not by a long shot. The important titles are the Demon King and the Sage.¡± Wait, isn¡¯t Sage a class? Aiden thought. Then another thing Ted said caught his attention. ¡°In case what doesn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°Listen to me, Aiden!¡± Ted said harshly. ¡°The Demon King and the Sage are the two most important titles because they are titles outside the calculations of the gods. The Hero is a title designed by the gods and all the Sages to stop the Demon King. You need to know this in case you survive. I can¡¯t take you out of this world but I can get you out of here.¡± Aiden frowned. ¡°Teleportation magic? That only works short distance. And the palace is too large for that. Without a gate you won¡¯t be able to do anything long distance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m over level 400, brother. You have no idea what I can do." Ted''s expression was serious. "When you¡¯re out, tell the Order. Tell your leader that the Demon King found the way, he¡¯ll understand. Tell him to look to the frost mountain. The giants have the key.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you being cryptic about?¡± Despite his complains, Aiden was listening aptly. He knew the frost mountains and knew of the giants. ¡°Aiden, it¡¯s time to go!¡± The panic in Ted¡¯s voice was all the information he needed to panic more. Aiden didn¡¯t have to look at his brother to know what was happening. He didn¡¯t feel any aura or sense any magic. But he knew. Brandis'' Sage was here. He snatched his enchanted dagger and stood up, taking a combat stance. It was too late to run. I would¡¯ve felt safer if Spell Binder was here, he thought through his haze of panic. The sword was the accumulation of all his enchanting achievements. It wasn¡¯t the greatest weapon out there, but it was his greatest weapon out there, found at the heart of a Dragon¡¯s hoard. At the door to the cell stood an old man, his beard was white and he let it fall to his chest, knotted into a single braid. He had long white hair he allowed to fall freely and held an old wooden staff in his hand. The staff possessed no adornment, and despite its twisting design that reminded Aiden of vines, it could easily pass for a walking staff. Beside Aiden, his brother¡¯s mouth was already moving, chanting silently. It was either that or his brother was praying. And Aiden refused to believe that it was the latter. They had seen too much on Nastild to still hold any faith. At least he thought so. Aiden inched his way between the Sage and Ted, hiding whatever his brother was doing. If his action bothered the Sage, the old man did not show it. Instead, he spoke. ¡°Hello, Aiden Lacheart.¡± He tilted his head ever so slightly. ¡°Or should I call you Aiden the Enchanted of the Order.¡± Well, there went his chances of keeping the Order out of knowing what he had done. If that was the case, there was no point in thinking about them. ¡°Is there any chance you could let us go?¡± Aiden asked. There was no magic in the air, and the Sage didn¡¯t seem like he was about to engage in a fight. It worried Aiden to be so easily dismissed as harmless. ¡°Normally I would,¡± the Sage said. ¡°You might not know this, but I have great respect for the head of your Order. Personally, when I found out who the Demon King was, I wanted to advise the king Brandis to go get you personally, instead of all the wanted posters after a few years. Then I heard you¡¯d joined the Order, so I advised the king to leave you be.¡± ¡°Then in your respect for my superior, you¡¯re willing to overlook this, right?¡± Aiden tried, not expecting any positive response. The Sage smiled, as if at a young, funny child. ¡°I fear you must stay, Aiden Lacheart. You see, your brother has something I want, and I have proven unable to motivate him to hand it over. Perhaps you will prove a better motivation than¡ª¡± The Sage froze. A scowl twisted his entire face. ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± he hissed. ¡°Ten days and you stay silent only to use it now!? I will have none of it!¡± Aiden felt the mana shift behind him. There was none in the air, and the source was fixed behind him. In fear, he made the mistake of turning back. ¡°Teddy?¡± He found his brother enveloped in blue light. It was thick and powerful, almost a physical force that threatened to push against him. All of it pooled from the markings on Ted¡¯s body and it took Aiden a moment to realize what the markings were. Ted had grafted actual spells and enchantments onto his body. It was nothing short of madness. The effects were similar to enchanting items, the spells would burn what they¡¯d been grafted into for fuel until it was empty. Once activated, they wouldn¡¯t stop. That¡¯s why no one grafted spells onto anything. Enchantment grafts were a touchy subject that could be done right if you were powerful enough, but not spells. No one grafted spells because it was suicide. Another source of mana erupted behind Aiden now. This one was strong, uncontested. Ted and the King¡¯s Sage were about to do something that demanded their entire attention, and Aiden realized that he was now nothing more than an ant in between elephants. Ted met Aiden¡¯s eyes as the Sage started his own chant, fast and almost incoherent. Unlike Ted¡¯s silent casting, the Sage had no need for secrecy. ¡°Frost mountain. Giants,¡± Ted said quickly, solemnly, voice ominous. ¡°Remember.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve remembered if he hadn¡¯t picked out a few words from the Sage¡¯s chant. What the hell? He thought. That can¡¯t be! From what he¡¯d picked out, the Sage was using words the Order used in activation of time chambers. It made no sense. The Order was meant to be the only group capable of using such magic. The head of the Order had assured them of it. So how was the Sage using it? What exactly was he even trying to do? Time chambers reset time in an environment by a fixed amount. He¡¯d never seen anyone do more than two hours. Aiden didn¡¯t get the chance to figure out the answer as the blue light that wrapped itself around Ted abandoned his brother to wrap itself around him. ¡°Go!¡± Ted screamed. ¡°Find the giants!¡± Unfortunately, the Sage had other plans. He raised his hand in their direction. ¡°Stay!¡± The world trembled around Aiden, crushing on him from all sides. He felt like he was in the presence of too much mana. It was like a real thing, trying to unmake him. ¡°I thought time magic was a taboo, Sage?¡± Ted asked with a strain in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure the powers that be would understand with a little explanation.¡± The Sage didn¡¯t sound bothered. ¡°But I can keep your brother long enough for help to arrive.¡± Aiden was slowly losing his ability to breathe. Suffocation was consuming him. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve got no other choice then,¡± Ted replied. ¡°It was nice knowing you, Sage.¡± The crushing sensation fled Aiden immediately. In its place was a sense of being ripped apart. Unlike the previous sensation that had drawn only groans out of him, this one made him scream. He roared in pain with no idea of what was being done to him as the Sage cast another spell. Aiden had no idea what was happening. All he was certain of was that even in the throes of his own pain, his notification flashed in front of him, giving him information that he¡¯d never seen before. You have been afflicted with [Spatial Distortion]. [Dimensional Rip] detected. [Taboo Existence] detected. [System Administrators] have been contacted. [Help is on the way!] Even in his pain, Aiden knew a lot was wrong with the notification. He¡¯d never heard of the system having administrators before. In fact, as long as this world was concerned, the system notifications were simply natural, like grown trees and the air around them. Not even gifts from the gods like the Classes. Also, the system never called for help. The system was the help. His mind was still rummaging around for what he didn¡¯t know when a new pain filled him. It was like the itching of a healing injury. It crawled all over his body, reducing the pain of being ripped apart. At first, it was soothing. Then it was not. Something felt off. He felt lesser and lesser with every passing second. You have been afflicted with [Time Reset]. [Time Distortion] detected. Aiden recognized this one. It was the notification they got anytime time was reset in the time chamber. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing. However, there was a small problem. If his time was reset, he wouldn¡¯t be the only one that was aware of it. The caster would be aware as well. He couldn¡¯t imagine a second attempt to save Ted if the Sage was already aware of it from the very beginning. And how far back would the reset take him? An hour? A day? Would it send him back to the beginning of the ball? In the time chamber it had always been set to the beginning of the task, tailored to a chosen participant. And never more than two hours. Aiden had used his mind to find answers for so long that even in his pain his mind was still asking questions. [Taboo Existence] detected. You have been afflicted with [Time Reset]. You have been afflicted with [Spatial Distortion]. [Natural Inconsistency] detected. [System Adm¡ªError! Error!] [Evacuate present environment.] {#%#&(%()[}&^$^#*} [Error detected.] You have been afflicted by [Unknown]. [Prisoner #234502385739] please accept our sincerest apologies for this experience. Prisoner? Aiden couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. How the hell was he a prisoner? [Existential spell detected.] You have been afflicted with [Unknown]. [Attempting to unveil spell affliction.] [Spell detected.] [System Override detected.] [Terminating System Override.] You have been afflicted with spell [System Reset]. [Attempting to repair error.] [Attempting¡­ Attempting¡­ Attempting¡­] [Attempt failed.] [System Override termination failed] [Applying defense mechanism.] ... [For the safety of the system, source of [System Reset] must be terminated.] [Termination is in effect.] [Terminating¡­ Terminating¡­ Terminating¡­] [Termination successful] That was good. Aiden almost grinned through his pain. Nothing was more powerful on Nastild than the system. It would have the power to cancel any spell. Even better, he would appreciate if it accidentally killed the Sage in the process. Wait¡­ his thoughts trailed off at the stupidity of his satisfaction. It said source of [System Reset] not [Time Reset]. His interface flashed in front of him once more as realization hit him. You have our sincerest apologies [Prisoner #234502385739]. ... [You have died.] The last thing Aiden saw as he passed silently was the pain and regret in Ted¡¯s eyes. It was odd. Dying didn¡¯t hurt as much as knowing that, despite his hardest efforts, he couldn¡¯t save his brother. In the last moments of his life, Aiden died with regrets. [System Override successful] [Initiating System Reset] ONE: Error Detected The loud sounds of commentary filled the air. Two people were having an argument over something. It was loud enough to wake anyone, and it did. Aiden woke up kicking and screaming with a pain in his head. ¡°Whoa!¡± someone exclaimed, rushing to Aiden¡¯s side. ¡°Deep breaths now. Deep breaths.¡± Aiden obeyed instinctively, sucking the air in like a man who¡¯d just survived being drowned. It was full, unfamiliar, and putrid. Yet it was air. And he needed it. ¡°Must¡¯ve been one hell of a dream,¡± the person said, a hand firmly on Aiden¡¯s back to give him support. Aiden didn¡¯t have any response to that. His mind ran through other things as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. Frost mountain. Giants. His mind went through the motions. But where would he start? He knew of the giants. They were an old race that existed on Nastild. But nobody had seen them before. According to the stories, they lived in the frost mountain. But the frost mountain was where the problem was. Nastild had eight frost mountains. ¡°Are you good now?¡± the voice asked. Now that his initial panic was gone, Aiden could think. The first thing he noted was that he knew the voice. It wasn¡¯t a deeply familiar voice, but he knew it. ¡°He good?¡± another voice asked. Aiden raised his head, looked at the second person instead of the first. He frowned at the face that was looking at him. It was clean shaven with a squared jaw. It had no scar nor significant blemish save a pimple here or there, and green eyes looked at him. It had been seven years since he¡¯d last spoken to the person and a year since he¡¯d last seen the person¡¯s face. The last time he¡¯d seen it, it was scarred and bearded. ¡°Drax?¡± he muttered. Drax cocked an eyebrow, and Aiden was reminded of why the girls always flocked to him. But Drax wasn¡¯t some handsome boy who used his handsomeness to get everything he wanted. He was upright, civilized, and more respectful than anyone Aiden knew. A fitting hero, Aiden thought, sarcastic. But that wasn¡¯t important right now. What was important was different. The last thing he could remember was the Sage doing something to him before Ted successfully teleported him out of the palace cells. Wait. His mind rummaged around. That wasn¡¯t the last thing he remembered. Something else had happened before he¡¯d teleported¡­ He couldn¡¯t remember what it was. Aiden''s mind was having too much trouble focusing. There were too many questions. When the problem was too much, he¡¯d learned to focus on the ones with quicker and more immediate answers. He looked up at Drax. ¡°What the hell happened to your beard?¡± he blurted before he could stop himself. Drax touched his face experimentally, a confused look on his face. ¡°I never had a beard. Why? You think I should grow one?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the person with Aiden replied. ¡°I think he saw you in his dream and you had a beard. That¡¯s probably what scared him awake.¡± Aiden remembered the voice now and he put his head back down on the desk in front of him. They were in a classroom in¡­ Aiden struggled to remember for a moment before the answer came to him. College? He knew the room. It was a large hall. Drax and Letto had stayed behind because they¡¯d been watching a football match on Drax¡¯s phone and just hadn¡¯t been bothered to get up when everyone had. It was the only time the three of them had spent together, alone, in a room. The information Aiden was gathering made sense and didn¡¯t make sense at the same time. Something was wrong with his mind. Memories were melding so that he couldn¡¯t tell left from right or up from inside. Down, he corrected himself. Up from down. He hated teleportation magic. Why the hell was he in a college in Nastild? It didn¡¯t make sense. What was worse was that he was sure Nastild had a college but he couldn¡¯t remember them going to college in Nastild. Aiden raised his head back up and stared at the high ceiling with a sigh. He didn¡¯t have the brain power for this. ¡°Good day to you too, Letto,¡± he said, focusing on problems with immediate solutions. ¡°Can¡¯t say it¡¯s a good day,¡± Letto replied, getting back up. ¡°My team¡¯s losing horribly.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what to say to that so he settled for something conversational, even though his mind was still telling him that something was wrong. ¡°Your team¡¯s always losing.¡± Even as he spoke, he was sure his brain was trying to process something, to figure something out. But it was just so hazy, unable to look past the fact that finding the giants was going to be a very heavy task. Maybe that¡¯s why Ted wanted you to give the information to the head, he thought. He probably knows which mountain the giants are on. The head of the Order was a man of too much knowledge. So much so that Aiden doubted there was an enchantment or spell the man didn¡¯t know. What he needed to do now was get to the Order. No, he chided himself even as he rose to his feet. He wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed since his teleportation. The Order might already be aware of what he had done. What he needed to do first was confirm that Ted was still alive. He staggered, his body heavier than he remembered. He half-expected to catch himself and was surprised when he didn¡¯t. Instead, Letto grabbed him to stop his fall. ¡°I think you got up too fast,¡± Letto said, still holding him up. ¡°Vertigo can be a bitch.¡± Aiden shook his head in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s not right. My Agility¡¯s too high for that.¡± He extricated himself from Letto¡¯s hold, his mind still trying to figure out what was going on. It still told him that everything was wrong, seriously wrong. Yet, Aiden couldn¡¯t focus enough on it to figure it out. Was he under some kind of status effect? He¡¯d heard of people falling under status effects after long distance teleportation but hadn¡¯t ever been one of them. But considering he¡¯d been hit with something from the Sage at the same time, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was an after effect. He called his system interface up with a thought and waited for it to show him what was happening to him. To his surprise, it ignored him. ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°What¡¯s new?¡± Drax asked. He had ignored the phone with the football match and was walking up to Aiden now. ¡°You sure you¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Aiden shook his head, trying to dispel his haze. ¡°My interface just won¡¯t come up. I¡¯m trying to call up my status. I think I¡¯m having an¡­¡± His words trailed off at the look of worry on Drax¡¯s face. Aiden¡¯s mind continued to scream at him. Something was wrong. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That wasn¡¯t surprising. Ted was the Demon King locked up under the palace and he was in a room with the Hero just after trying to rescue his brother. Of course he was in the wrong place at the wrong¡­ Aiden¡¯s face fell. No. Drax looked at Letto. ¡°I think he needs to sit down.¡± ¡°Yea,¡± Letto nodded. ¡°How about we take a sit and just give it some time.¡± Aiden¡¯s brain was already piecing things together. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His brain had already deciphered that. But his thoughts were a mess despite it. He recognized everything in the room. Letto placed a hand on Aiden¡¯s shoulder and tried to ease him back to the chair but Aiden refused. His mind was trying to figure something out and he couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted. Too many distractions. ¡°You¡¯ve got to take a seat, Aiden,¡± Letto advised, adding a little more pressure to Aiden¡¯s shoulder. Aiden realized he was being pushed back despite his refusal and acted on instinct. He moved his shoulder back, allowing Letto¡¯s force work against him. Letto stumbled off balance and Aiden grabbed hold of his arm, then shifted him into a spin that ended up with Letto on the chair. Aiden frowned down at Letto as his mind ran through the problems. Right now he was trying to figure out how Letto was stronger than him. Letto¡¯s class was [Thief], and the class wasn¡¯t known for its physical strength. And with all the enchanted items Aiden had on him, Letto shouldn¡¯t have been able to push him back in anyway. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Aiden looked up at Drax. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That.¡± Drax gestured at Letto seated on the chair. Aiden¡¯s mind backpedaled. Realization came to him in small bursts. The first was why a simple separation technique was surprising the Hero. Everyone knew what kind of special training the kingdom had given Drax simply because of the necessity of his title when he''d gained it. The next was how the hell Drax had fixed his scars. No, Aiden thought, dislodging the second thought. If Brandis'' Sage was now an active part of whatever it was Ted had gotten him into, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Sage had begun intervening directly. He wouldn¡¯t put it past the Sage to use a healing spell powerful enough to heal the scar Ted had given him. Aiden shook his head as he stepped back and towards the door. Too many things weren¡¯t right. He looked at the door, found it open with the slow bustle of people outside, and everything came crashing down. There were no phones in Nastild. Drax didn¡¯t just have no beard and no scar, he was quite literally younger, and his face still had the blemishes that came with never having leveled up. People with classes also didn¡¯t have pimples. Drax hadn¡¯t shaved his beards because Drax hadn¡¯t started keeping beards yet. Aiden looked at a still surprised Letto seated on the lecturer¡¯s chair. And Letto was stronger than him because Letto was stronger than him. Lastly, Aiden had no enchantments on him. What the hell happened to me? Worry filled Aiden, dislodged the part of his mind that was still focused on getting back to the Order to solve the issue of the giants and the key. ¡°Aiden.¡± Drax¡¯s voice was filled with worry. ¡°This isn¡¯t possible,¡± Aiden stuttered. Dimensional magic was one thing. It was simply teleportation magic at a higher realm¡ªmoving from one place to another. Ted had literally said he¡¯d figured out how to do it across worlds but could only send one person. It wasn¡¯t impossible to believe. Ted never lied to him, and he was over level 400, encroaching on the 500s. That was the level of myths. But this? This was insane. This was impossible. Aiden shook his head, taking another step closer to the exit. His mind couldn¡¯t make sense of it. Then he remembered. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. It wasn¡¯t much, not by a long shot. But it was enough. Three simple pieces of information. System reset, he recalled. What does that even mean? And why did the system call me a prisoner? He couldn¡¯t even remember his prisoner number. He was still moving towards the exit, but his steps were slower now as the last bit of information hit him. ¡°I died,¡± he realized, freezing in his tracks. ¡°I... I died.¡± Drax¡¯s worry was quick to double. ¡°No, Aiden. You didn¡¯t die,¡± he said in a worried yet calming tone, as one would with a child who¡¯d survived something they shouldn¡¯t. ¡°It was all a dream. You¡¯re fine. You¡¯re right here, and I¡¯m right here.¡± He pointed at Letto. ¡°And Letto¡¯s good. See?¡± Letto nodded vigorously, giving his widest smile. Aiden couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about all that. Other things were on his mind. If he had died, then woken up here, in this classroom, on this day, then what did that mean? The first thought that came to him was to ask what day it was. He pointed at Letto. ¡°What day¡­¡± The question died on his lips. What exactly was he supposed to do with that piece of information. What day is it? Like you remember the date it happened. It was eleven fucking years ago. He shook his head. Eleven years ago by Nastild¡¯s calendar. But that didn¡¯t matter. Aiden didn¡¯t need to know the date. All he needed to know was that it was today. Today was when it happened, marked by the fact that his last day on Earth was the only day he, Drax and Letto were ever the only ones in an empty classroom. The question now was how it happened. Teddy wasn¡¯t in the same building as me, heck he didn¡¯t even come to school today, he thought, going through his thoughts. The conclusion was that whatever had happened to transport them, it wasn¡¯t a geographical phenomenon. If it was, more than fifteen people would¡¯ve appeared on Nastild. But how specific was it? Think! He forced himself. Was I in the same room with Letto and Drax when it happened? Yes? Aiden shook his head. That wasn¡¯t right. He doubted he would¡¯ve stayed very long with them. It wasn¡¯t like they were close friends or anything. They just knew each other. It was most likely that he had left them. No, he shook his mind from that line of reasoning, realizing something else. If he was here, on earth and back in the past, what of Ted? He shoved his hand in his pocket and brought out his phone. He looked down at it reflexively and the facial recognition kicked in. It was too fast so he hadn¡¯t gotten to see his reflection on the screen, so he opened the front camera. The face that stared back at him didn¡¯t surprise him as much as it should''ve. He was also young again, he had his hair cut short and styled, and he had no beard. So I¡¯m in my old body. Whatever the Sage and Ted¡¯s magic had done to him, it had transported him back in time, but not his body. So what? My soul? My mind? Another question was if Ted had managed to send himself back as well. He¡¯d said he could only transport one person, but how much of that was still trustworthy right now. From what Aiden could remember, Ted had said nothing about time travel and he¡¯d said he couldn¡¯t send them back home. But here he was. ¡°Aiden, I think we should take you to see the nurse,¡± Drax said. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡± He wasn¡¯t, but no nurse was going to be able to help him. He didn¡¯t even consider the possibility that he was dreaming or that the years he¡¯d spent in Nastild could be the dream. Nobody dreamt hard enough to wake up just to have everything feel like it happened years ago. No one slept and woke up only to forget what the girl he liked looked like. No, this was not a dream. He scrolled to his contacts on his phone and dialed his brother¡¯s line quickly. He was glad when Ted picked on the first ring. ¡°What¡¯s up, Aiden?¡± Ted asked, his voice was jovial and carefree. Aiden couldn¡¯t remember what he had skipped school today for, but that was unimportant. ¡°What happened to us?¡± he asked quickly. ¡°Any idea how long before the system summoning happens?¡± Ted¡¯s response was a dumbfounded, ¡°What?¡± That answered one of Aiden¡¯s questions. He was the only one who¡¯d come back. Wait, what are the chances the Sage came back with me? It was a scary thought having someone with that level of power on earth. There would be no power alive capable of stopping the Sage. Unless he¡¯s also classless and without an interface. That would be their only saving grace. ¡°I¡¯m coming to you, Teddy,¡± Aiden said hurriedly. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Not far from campus,¡± Ted answered. There was still confusion in his voice but Aiden didn¡¯t care. He was already storming out of the classroom. ¡°Where exactly is not far from campus?¡± Drax and Letto moved to go after him but stopped as Aiden left the room. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aiden couldn¡¯t shake his worry as he hurried out of campus. He couldn¡¯t remember what time they¡¯d been transported. He remembered the sun was still up and that he was outside. But that was all. His mind paused as he jogged. If he remembered that, then he hadn¡¯t been in the lecture hall. So I didn¡¯t remain in the classroom with Drax. Good to know. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to stay with Drax or anything along those lines, and it wasn¡¯t that he was trying not to do anything too differently that it would affect the future. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to care much for things like that. He was just glad to remember something he couldn¡¯t remember. There was also the confused haze he¡¯d woken up in, seeing the room and everything around him. A young Drax, a mobile phone, and still being unable to separate the world of Niltad from earth. What was that about? He asked himself, running across the road, uncaring of whether the light was green or not. Judging by the shouts he received, it most likely was. Had the magic messed with his mind somehow? He knew long distance teleportation through gates somehow addled the mind but the effects never lasted long. Aiden came to a stop in front of what was a gaming center. He looked up at the signboard with no name and shook his head. Ted had missed lectures to go play video games with his friends. What is he; twelve? Aiden pushed the door open and walked in very consciously aware of the fact that he didn¡¯t know how much time they had before the teleportation. The sun had been up when it had happened and that was all he could remember¡­ and the sun was still up. Any step could be his last. Any word could be his last. What if it doesn¡¯t happen? He thought as he hurried down the aisles. What if Ted¡¯s magic somehow undid everything and we¡¯re all good now? He almost laughed at himself and the thought. That was being unreasonably too optimistic. Or maybe I¡¯m just being unreasonably too pessimistic. Pessimism felt like the better possibility. God knew his time in Nastild had done nothing for his optimism. It was better to assume that things were going to go bad and plan for them than the opposite. ¡°Aiden! over here!¡± Aiden came to a stop at the sound of Ted¡¯s voice. He turned to look, and right there, down the aisle, was his brother sitting with four other kids Aiden didn¡¯t recognize. Ted got up from his own seat, excusing himself. Aiden didn¡¯t give him any time, he didn¡¯t wait for Ted to cross the distance to meet him. He barreled down the aisle, ignoring the few gamers enjoying one video game or the other. As he approached his brother, he wasn¡¯t sure what to do or say. Why exactly had he even been looking for Ted? To warn him? To tell him to prepare for the teleportation? None of the possibilities made sense. It wasn¡¯t like warning him would make a difference, and there was no way to prepare. The only things they''d taken with them when they had been teleported were the clothes on their backs, not even their cellphones or toothpicks or anything. Just their clothes. So it wasn¡¯t like there was any preparation to be made. When he reached Ted, his body answered for him. Ted met Aiden with a confused look. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen a gho¡ª¡± Aiden barreled into his brother with a hug. It was tight and it was strong. It was also not planned at all. Seven years. He¡¯d spent seven years not knowing the state of his brother, his only family in another world. Keeping tabs on the status of his life had been through news of the war and nothing else. Every time he''d heard the demon king was still a threat to the world, he''d gotten a bittersweet feeling. There was good because his brother still lived, and there was bad because of how many lives his brother had continued to take in the war. He couldn¡¯t count how many times he¡¯d tried to justify his inability to view his brother as evil even if he was the demon king to himself. They¡¯d tried to kill him first. They weren¡¯t going to keep him alive. It wasn¡¯t his fault that they wouldn¡¯t listen to him. He had to raise an army to protect himself from the rest of the world. These were the thoughts Aiden had used to try and justify himself every time he was happy that Ted was still alive. He hadn¡¯t known just how much he had missed his brother until this moment. Not even when he¡¯d been trying to save him and failed. Ted stood in Aiden¡¯s embrace, stiff and confused. ¡°Uhh¡­ good to see you, too?¡± Aiden said nothing, simple held his brother. Ted was athletic where he was not, so Ted was larger. ¡°Yes, yes, I know you love me,¡± Ted continued, going for joviality to conceal how awkward he felt. ¡°But I¡¯ve told you before, I¡¯m still not going to give you any money.¡± Aiden chuckled. He had no idea if he had asked Ted for money or not during this period. And he didn¡¯t care. Ted patted him awkwardly on the back. ¡°We¡¯re beginning to draw a crowd, Aiden. And I know how you hate people seeing us together. Am I safe?¡± Aiden pulled back from the hug, mentally scolding himself for using up precious time for it. Ted frowned down at him. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Aiden almost laughed. With everything he¡¯d been through, he didn¡¯t cry. In fact, he didn¡¯t think he even knew how to anymore. Then Ted¡¯s frown deepened to a scowl. ¡°Did someone do something to you?¡± he asked, suddenly livid. ¡°Tell me who and I¡¯ll rip them to shreds.¡± ¡°Nothing like that.¡± Aiden shook his head, then wiped at his face with the back of his hand. It came away wet. I guess I still know how to cry, he thought. That¡¯s a little embarrassing. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ted asked, his voice still angry. ¡°A hundred percent,¡± Aiden assured him. Ted shoved him away playfully. ¡°Then why the fuck are you hugging me like I¡¯m mum or something? You scared the hell out of me.¡± Aiden was happy to have his brother back, even if for only a moment. But there were more important things to do. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± he said to Ted, his voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°What do you know about spatial magic and time travel?¡± Ted paused, thinking about it. ¡°Star Wars and Back to the Future?¡± Yea, don¡¯t know what I was expecting, Aiden thought. To his brother, he said, ¡°That¡¯s spatial tech and time tech, Ted.¡± Ted shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea what you were expecting from me, Aiden. But that¡¯s what I¡¯ve got.¡± Ted was looking at him differently, and it took Aiden a moment to remember why. He almost smacked himself for it. While they hadn¡¯t hated each other, before Nastild they hadn¡¯t really been that close. In fact, it had been the trials of Nastild that had brought them together. Aiden nodded to himself. Definitely can¡¯t tell him about Nastild then. He¡¯ll think I¡¯m saying rubbish. ¡°How¡¯s mum and dad?¡± he asked instead. ¡°Don¡¯t know, man. You talked to them this morning. I guess they¡¯re going steady and all that. I¡¯m sorry but you sounded worried on the phone.¡± Ted looked back at his friends, frowned, ran a tired hand through his short hair. ¡°Is there anything else or did you just come for the hug?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t have an answer for that. In truth, his mind was elsewhere, contemplating if he still had enough time for one more trip. Maybe he could see his parents if he hurried, before¡­ [Error Detected!] ¡°What the hell?!¡± he stumbled back as the words appeared between him and Ted. That didn¡¯t make sense. He didn¡¯t remember seeing a system notification on earth. They¡¯d all just been teleported. The notifications didn¡¯t come until they were on Nastild. [Dimensional transportation Imminent.] Brace for impact [Prisoner #234502385739]. ¡°Aiden?¡± Ted asked, panicked. ¡°What¡¯s happening to your body?¡± Ted was grabbing at Aiden, but Aiden was worried about other things. There was a timer above Ted¡¯s head, and it was counting down. [08.] [07.] Aiden grabbed Ted by his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± ¡°The fuck you mean don¡¯t panic?¡± Ted turned to his friends. ¡°I NEED HELP OVER HERE!¡± Well there goes that, Aiden thought with a smile. Don¡¯t panic and the first thing you do is panic. Then he looked at his hands and saw himself slowly dissipating, like sand in the wind. Hold up! that¡¯s not how it¡¯s supposed to happen. He wasn¡¯t supposed to evaporate like sand being blown in the wind. There were supposed to be geometric signs, circles and triangles and squares with lines running through them. That kind of thing. As if in mockery, the exact thing appeared above Ted¡¯s head. His friends that had been coming to their aid came to a quick stop. ¡°Ted,¡± one of them muttered, scared. ¡°Something¡¯s happening.¡± It was odd how they weren''t just looking at Ted but looking around as well. At this point all of Aiden¡¯s arms were gone. Not knowing what else to do, Aiden stepped up to Ted, got in his face as the world around them shook and quaked. It startled Ted and he stepped back. ¡°Whatever you do,¡± Aiden told him. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. You will fall asleep. When you wake up, you won¡¯t recognize where you are, but it doesn¡¯t matter. All you have to do is remain quiet and listen attentively. Got it?¡± ¡°What the fuck is happening, Aiden?¡± ¡°Nothing as terrifying as it seems. Just remain quiet and listen to what they will tell you. It¡¯s very important that you do.¡± Aiden saw the decision warring on his brother¡¯s face before Ted nodded. He was glad for it. Then he burst into smoke. [Error fixed.] [Transference successful.] [For the seamless achievement of your purpose, you have been granted one exclusive skill.] Aiden knew the skill before it even appeared. It had been the first skill all of them had been granted when they¡¯d been teleported to Nastild. You have received [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)] [Effect: 900% increase in language mastery.] It was designed to help them learn the languages in Nastild faster. But it didn¡¯t hinder their training much in the earlier days because the palace had possessed people with communication and interpretation skills. Aiden was suspended in nothingness for a while. Everything was nothing and nothing was everything. His sense of direction played games with him and he pushed aside the feeling of helplessness that often came with teleportation. He remembered how he had panicked the first time he¡¯d experienced it, but couldn¡¯t remember if it had felt this disorienting or not. The sensation lasted but a moment before he felt a tug, like being pulled by a lasso. Then he came crashing down¡­ or maybe it was up. Aiden came to an abrupt stop with an annoyed frown and a groan. As he came to, there was a new notification in front of him. Apologies for the inconvenience [Prisoner #234502385739]. [Errors detected have been fixed.] ¡­ Welcome to Nastild [Aiden Lacheart]. [Fate has found you. Live to fulfill your calling.] Yea, right. Aiden could remember the last line. All of them got it each time they successfully completed a quest, be it a group quest or a personal one. For now, he didn¡¯t open his eyes. He knew where he was, what he would see. Despite having already gone through this before, Aiden was unwilling to be the first person to be addressed in this world. He was more than happy to leave that responsibility to anyone else. Last time it had been Drax and he intended on keeping it that way. Unfortunately, Nastild had other plans. ¡°You are a strange one,¡± a voice said a little too close to him, and a chill ran up Aiden¡¯s spine at the sound of it. No, no, no, no, he panicked. It can¡¯t be. He knew the voice, and the voice knew him. I just need to keep pretending. I¡¯m asleep, I haven¡¯t woken up yet. His mind ran in circles, trying to figure out what was happening or what to do. There¡¯s no way he came back in time, too, right? It shouldn¡¯t be possible. ¡°I know you are awake,¡± the voice said. ¡°Let us dispense with these games, Lord Aiden Lacheart.¡± It was the way the voice said his name. The recognition yet complete emptiness of any welcoming or dismissive tone. ¡°I will not repeat myself, Lord Lacheart.¡± Fear seized Aiden by the spine. There was no other option, nothing else he could do. At this point, he was considering the fact that he hadn¡¯t appeared where he¡¯d been expecting to. His transference had experienced an error, after all. Maybe he wasn''t in the throne room in front of the king. What if it was hijacked? Unwilling to waste any more time that could get him killed, Aiden complied and opened his eyes. He was met with the head of a large wooden staff pointing at his face. At the end of it was a man with grey braided beards. Brandis'' Sage, also known as the king''s Sage, watched him with an intrigued smile on his face. The soft crackle of green magic danced between the fingers of the man¡¯s free hand. ¡°There we go,¡± the Sage said with a wide smile. ¡°Nice and easy.¡± At his strongest, Aiden hadn¡¯t been able to lift a finger in the man¡¯s presence. Here, in the beginning, with nothing but the skill of language at his disposal, being at a disadvantage was an understatement. The Sage could kill him with a look. Despite that, Aiden¡¯s mind tensed itself for combat. He might not have any magic to his name at this moment, all his achievements and titles from his old life may be gone, but he still remembered how to fight. Years of combat had honed it in him. He met the Sage¡¯s blue eyes with defiance in his own as his mind sought out any and all openings for an attack. He saw five. Five was more than enough. So he returned the Sage¡¯s smile with one of his own. Aiden would not go down without a fight. The Sage¡¯s fingers twitched and Aiden took his chance at the openings he saw. He attacked. TWO: Summoned There are people who do not understand that the beginning of a fight against a magical opponent is almost as important as the end. As Aiden had been taught by pretty much every magical teacher he¡¯d ever had: strike first and strike last. Aiden pushed himself off the ground with as much force as he could muster, hoping to take the Sage by surprise. Without levels or enchantments, he was vastly too slow and was weaving beneath the Sage''s staff when his mind processed a lot of problems. He slipped beneath the staff, coming up on the Sage with an open hand thrust to his empty hand as his mind asked him what would be next. He had to know that he would not win; could not win. Even if by some stroke of luck he managed to land a hit, then what? Aiden had no answer to that as the Sage stepped away from his strike. The man raised his staff and pointed it again. Aiden caught the look of confusion on the Sage¡¯s face as he spun into a mess of a pirouette to avoid the thrust staff. You have learned [Palm Attack (Mastery 12.00%)] You have learned [Evade (Mastery 15.00%)] As startled as he was by them, Aiden ignored the notifications as he grabbed onto the staff and threw a kick at the Sage¡¯s leg, hoping to destabilize him. You have learned [Kick (Mastery 8.50%)] The Sage slipped away from the attack once more, taking his staff with him. Aiden had no intentions of engaging in a contest of strength against the man so he let go of the staff. Aiden didn¡¯t let up, though. If the Sage had been willing to attack him on arrival, then a lot of things had gone wrong from the get go. But just how much had gone wrong? Aiden¡¯s mind continued to seek out answers as he continued his attack. The Sage continued to evade him at every turn. What had once been confusion on the man¡¯s face was now intrigue. All the while, Aiden¡¯s mind asked questions and he thought of possible exits. He went for a leg sweep and came up with a shoulder thrust. The Sage avoided each attack easily. He was like an adult playing with an infant. You have learned [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 6.29%)] At this point the Sage was even smiling, entertained. Aiden¡¯s mind, however, was elsewhere. In their short exchange, he had established a few things. One, he had been summoned to the king¡¯s palace as had happened in his previous life, standing at the center of the massive throne room. The throne room had a high ceiling that was held up by a number of balustrades, two of which he¡¯d been forced to weave around in his attack on the Sage. Another thing he noted was the array of armed Knights standing on both sides of the throne room. Each had a hand on the pommel of their sword, unmoving. The Sage made a gesture with his free hand and magic gathered to it in a soft blue light, and Aiden reacted as quickly as his body could carry him. He pushed off his feet, untrained legs pushing him, and darted forward, striking at the wrist of the Sage''s hand. In a fight with a mage who made magic with gestures, if you could get to them first, disrupt the gesture, you had a chance of cancelling the magic before it even started. Another notification popped up. You have learned [Dash (Mastery 3.23%)] Aiden knew he was getting the skills too quickly but couldn''t bring himself to attend to it. He was in a life and death situation, after all. The Sage moved his hand out of the way and Aiden¡¯s attack struck nothing. As if on instruction, a knight dashed out of their position. With all the armor and helmet, Aiden couldn¡¯t tell if the knight was male or female, and he didn¡¯t care. All he knew was that he had a new opponent. The knight covered the space between them in one move and drew their sword from its sheath. Aiden turned away from the Sage, stepping into the knight¡¯s reach, and the funniest thing happened. The knight backtracked, staggered back as if startled. They had probably not been expecting Aiden to rush into them. Judging by the speed the knight had come with, Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if the action was a skill or if their movement speed was just that high. It didn¡¯t matter. Aiden¡¯s plans were already in motion. He reached for the disoriented knight¡¯s sword as the knight drew it free, grabbed the knight by the hand, and twisted. It was a simple combat technique designed to disarm an opponent, and it worked best when the opponent was already disoriented. Aiden found success as he extricated the sword from the knight. If it was before his return to the past, he would¡¯ve struck the knight in the head with the pommel, put them down to be sure. But he wasn¡¯t stupid, he didn¡¯t have the stats for that level of take down, so he simply turned, executing a swing with the blade aimed at the Sage¡¯s neck. In a fight, you always take out the greatest threat if you can. As the sword cut through the air, aimed for the Sage''s neck, Aiden''s mind asked him why disarming the knight had been so easy. Yes, the technique was most often effective, but it had failed him enough times for Aiden to know that he shouldn¡¯t have been able to find success so easily. But it was too late to allow such questions distract him. In a fight, distractions were the quickest ways to death. Aiden had seen it enough times to know it. The Sage moved as the sword blade met him, as if anticipating the attack. He blocked Aiden¡¯s swing with his staff and sharpened metal struck wood. Oddly, it clanged like metal meeting metal, letting out a few sparks. You have learned [Sword Strike (Mastery 0.001%)] The force of both weapons meeting sent Aiden spinning back and off-balance, and he remembered how a knight¡¯s weapon was intentionally made heavier than most weapons. That explained why the mastery was so abysmal. Everything about the strike must''ve been sufficient but poor as far as the system was concerned. Then how did I dispossess them? Aiden wondered as he spun away from the Sage and the tip of his sword hit the ground, bringing him to a stop. There was a small moment of reprieve from the fight. In it Aiden found himself armed and facing off against the Sage and a knight. Behind him were the bodies of people who were most likely the summoned. He was the only thing standing between them and the Sage, with his overweighed weapon he was certain he could no longer lift, panting like a man who had just finished a triathlon. Behind the Sage, King Brandis, fourth of his name, and king of the Bandiv kingdom sat comfortably on his throne. There was a small frown on his face as his eyes focused on the part of the ground where the tip of the knight¡¯s sword now in Aiden¡¯s hands had hit the floor. On his side was his queen on her throne. Aiden tried to remember her name and failed. All he could come up with was Queen Brandis, which he was more than certain wasn¡¯t the name he was looking for. To her side was the only princess of the kingdom, while beside the king was the crown prince and his younger brother. The king¡¯s frown of discomfort never left his face. Aiden could understand it. Here he was, attacking the King¡¯s Sage, the most important and powerful man in the entire kingdom, second only to the Royal family. There was really no defending himself. You really didn¡¯t think this through, did you? Aiden thought, almost laughing at himself. But how could he? He¡¯d woken up to the Sage wielding magic. The man had clearly come back as he had, traveled through time to the moment when it mattered the most. Why else would anything be different from how it had happened? The Sage could kill Aiden here and now, even Ted, now that he knew who they were¡­ or who they were going to be. Aiden paused. Wait, why would he? There was no reason for the Sage to kill them when Aiden really thought about it. In fact, the Sage had wanted whatever magic Ted had discovered. So wasn¡¯t it safe to say it was in the Sage¡¯s best interest to allow things run their course? The Sage wouldn¡¯t have to be on alert until after Ted had been captured. Then all he would have to do was kidnap Aiden and use him to get what he wanted from Ted. All he really needed to do right now was confirm that the both of them had come back in time or not. Aiden frowned, realizing he might¡¯ve messed up. There was always a possibility that what he¡¯d woken up to was supposed to be a test from the Sage to see if he had also gone back in time. If that was true, then he had just failed that test. There were too many possibilities rushing at him¡ªeffects of always being the weakest mage in the room in his past life. He had been forced to use his brains more than his brawns so many times before joining the Order that he had developed a mind so active that it could run him off a cliff. Now that he had botched it all, there was only one thing Aiden could do. Devote himself to it. Still panting, he prepared himself, not even trying to lift the knight¡¯s sword from the ground. The Sage smiled at him, interest and concealed ecstasy on his lips. Then, to Aiden¡¯s surprise, the Sage lowered his staff. ¡°I believe that should be enough, Lord Lacheart,¡± the Sage said. Aiden was confused, unsure of what was going on. The Knight he¡¯d disarmed stood at ease as well, relaxed and unconcerned. Aiden looked around, waiting for what would come next. Were the other knights going to charge him? What was to happen? What was going on? Then the king spoke, his baritone as deep as Aiden remembered. ¡°How much longer before they are acclimatized?¡± Aiden recognized the Nalt tongue, the universal language of this world. If the king was speaking with it, then clearly he didn¡¯t want Aiden understanding the conversation. Aiden knew it was intentional because he knew that all members of the Royal family had the skill [World Tongue]. It allowed them speak in a way that was understood by all. It also helped them understand all. The Sage didn¡¯t take his eyes off Aiden, answering in the same tongue. ¡°A minute, give or take, my king. Five at the most.¡± ¡°And were you able to deduce the benefits of the anomaly of our esteemed guest?¡± Anomaly? Aiden thought, confused. What anomaly? Did he inform the king of what I am? ¡°Unfortunately not, my king.¡± The Sage turned, finally exposing his back to Aiden. ¡°All I have learnt is that his body is already fully accustomed to the mana of this world. It''s almost as if he was born here.¡± ¡°And how would that make sense?¡± The King asked. The Sage shrugged. ¡°I would not know, my king. Sadly, it is beyond my ken. Even now, I believe he may understand some of what we say.¡± Aiden¡¯s mind battled back and forth with the weight of a decision to be made. Did he continue with this lost fight? Did he keep on fighting for as long as this weak body could move? Or did he surrender, feign ignorance? ¡°Then it seems we have been terrible hosts,¡± the King said, switching seamlessly to English. ¡°You have my deepest apologies for that, our esteemed guest.¡± He inclined his head very slightly while seated on his throne. Aiden knew the action. Despite how almost nonexistent it was, it was meant to be an apologetic bow. But he wasn¡¯t interested in it. His eyes were on the Sage¡¯s back. It was too tempting not to attack despite knowing that nothing would come out of it. His first attack on waking up had been instinctual, born from a need not to die, but he had time now. Time to think about his decision. I guess I don¡¯t have any other way out. He released the knight¡¯s sword and watched the king wince as it clattered loudly to the ground. When the Knight moved to reclaim it, the Sage stopped them with a raised hand, then turned to face Aiden. Aiden had to play his part now, his reaction here would be important. With as much confusion and surprise as he could fake, he said, ¡°You speak English?¡± ¡°We speak any tongue necessary for conversation, esteemed guest,¡± the Sage replied in perfect English. Aiden wasn¡¯t too shocked to find out the Sage possessed [World Tongue]. Aiden looked around. As much as he would¡¯ve loved to claim it was still all part of the act, it was not. Despite being summoned here, he''d only spent three years visiting the palace. The remaining years had been spent avoiding it so he hadn¡¯t been to the palace in years. He had been all around Nastild after he''d fled, but never this palace. The sight he was met with was as glorious as he could scarcely remember. The pillars that held up the throne room were chiseled in the finest designs of twirls and curves. From what he could remember, each one was reinforced with one enchantment or the other. There were really tall stained windows that let in the sunlight in all its beauty, the color of the light varying depending on the color of the window it passed through. Then there were the knights arrayed on both sides, standing at attention with hands on their swords or holding on to the shaft of their spears or halberd or whatever weapon they used should they need to cause bloodshed. Each one¡¯s level could easily be closer to a hundred or higher, if Aiden wasn¡¯t mistaken. Can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t realize something was wrong when the knight let you take his weapon, he chided himself. Then there was the red carpet that ran down the middle of the room, splitting it in two equal halves. It started at the entrance, climbed up the stairs of the throne¡¯s elevated platform, and ended just under the king and queen¡¯s thrones. Finally, Aiden¡¯s eyes settled on the others, those summoned with him. Each of them laid down like the dead, hands placed over each other and resting on their chests. Their only sign of life was in the slow rise and fall of their chests. ¡°You may have the blade if you so desire,¡± the Sage said, drawing Aiden¡¯s attention. ¡°What?¡± Aiden stuttered in genuine surprise. ¡°The sword.¡± The Sage gestured at the dropped sword. ¡°You seem to have been some kind of fighter in your world, skilled in armed and unarmed combat to some degree, even if little. If you wish to have the sword, it is yours.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t even need to think about it before rejecting the offer. ¡°No, thank you.¡± For one, it was a little bit too much on the broad side for his taste. Also, a knight¡¯s weapon was a part of a knight''s honor. The last thing he wanted was the ire of someone with their level in the possible hundreds right now. ¡°I see,¡± the Sage mused. ¡°Perhaps the weapon is not to your fancy.¡± He turned genuinely thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯m not a fighter,¡± Aiden hurried to add even though he hadn''t been asked. ¡°You are not?¡± the king asked, confused. He was leaning forward on his throne, engrossed in their conversation. ¡°Your moves were sloppy, yes. But that was only a given, considering your new body. Regardless, you moved like someone accustomed to the art of combat.¡± That was going to be a bit of a problem. The last thing Aiden wanted was the King and the Sage holding him to some height of esteem. As much as it would grant him more freedom, it would also bring about a lot of restrictions. There was also the thing about a new body but Aiden let that slide for now. As for avoiding the misconception that he was a fighter, it was because there was the problem agreeing would cause. Ted and Drax and Letto knew him and they knew he was no fighter in anyway. If he said he was a fighter in his world here and they somehow entered a conversation that led to them being asked of his combat prowess, that would be a whole other can of worms. You did not want a king finding out that in his first conversation with you, you lied. That would cause too many problems in the future. ¡°I have been watching action movies all my life,¡± Aiden explained quickly. ¡°Emulating their tactics and moves. It is all that I have displayed here.¡± The Sage rubbed his jaw in thought. ¡°Action movies?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Aiden gestured vaguely, trying to remember how best to describe it. An answer came to him a moment after. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching other people fight and doing what they do.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± The king nodded. ¡°You have arenas in your world, where people show their skills.¡± He ran a hand along his jaw. ¡°I would not have expected that.¡± Aiden opened his mouth to correct him but changed his mind. He wasn¡¯t going to explain acting on television to the king. Something told him it was going to be tedious. From the time he¡¯d spent in the palace, he knew the Royal family was kind, at least to those they had summoned, so he knew the king would listen and try and understand whatever he had to say patiently, but this was not the time. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Esteemed guest,¡± the Sage addressed Aiden once more. ¡°Do not fear to speak. King Brandis, fourth of his name and ruler of the Bandiv kingdom, is known for his wisdom and patience. I understand someone in your situation will have a lot to say. As such, the Royal family and I will listen. You do not understand our customs, as such any slight made will be pointed out and forgiven for the duration of this conversation.¡± The look on the crowned prince¡¯s face at the Sage¡¯s words said he would rather not be slighted by accident or ignorance. Aiden ignored the look. The crown prince was not a problem. He was as good a man as his father, his only problem being his pride, and it would be a few years before he would gain enough wisdom to school it. For his first question, however, Aiden went with something on the easy side of pretending. ¡°Where am I? What is this place? And why aren¡¯t they waking up?¡± He gestured with each question. King Brandis made an intrigued sound, then looked to the Sage with a smile. ¡°I can already tell what Class this one will be offered.¡± The Sage smiled as well. ¡°So can I, my King.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if that was a hint that the Sage had also gone back in time or merely a conversation between a Sage and his King. Try not to go jumping at shadows, Aiden. It¡¯s the fastest way to kill yourself. ¡°First,¡± the King said, voice loud and reaching. ¡°We will like to apologize on behalf of the gods for bringing you here without your consent. As for your companions, they should awaken in a minute or two, three at the most. I assure you of this.¡± ¡°Then why am I already up?¡± Aiden asked, genuinely curious. ¡°What was done to me?¡± The Sage and the King exchanged a look. To Aiden¡¯s surprise, the Sage nodded and the King spoke. ¡°Judging from how well you have handled this so far, perhaps you can handle more. You seem to be special in some way. Either by yourself or by the circumstances surrounding your arrival.¡± He leaned back on his throne, a finger tapping calmly against the edge of the armrest. ¡°As you are not from this world, your¡­ soul would need some time to adjust to this world¡¯s magic. It is the reason your companions are yet to awaken. You, however, awakened barely a second upon appearance. A strange phenomenon.¡± ¡°As if your soul has gone through such a thing before,¡± the Sage added. ¡°And as much as I would like to study it, you are here for far greater purposes.¡± Aiden agreed very much with that. The last thing he wanted was to have the Sage poking at him, trying to figure anything out. Before more could be said, a collective gasp of fourteen people drew the attention of everyone in the throne room, interrupting the conversation as the others woke up at the same time, just the way Aiden remembered it happening. ¡°Ah.¡± The Sage stroked his beard. ¡°This is good. It saves us the time of having to explain twice. But before we continue, esteemed guest, does everyone from your world possess as good a combat skill as you do from just watching people fight?¡± Aiden was quick to shake his head. Drax took boxing lessons from what Aiden knew, but it was nowhere near enough to interpret into a real combat situation with the stress of possible death. ¡°I see,¡± the Sage said. ¡°So you are somewhat unique even amongst your kind.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Welcome, Esteemed guests,¡± King Brandis announced as everyone came to their feet in groggy confusion. This was yet another digression from the flow of events Aiden remembered. Naturally, the king had not been the one to address the group. It had been the crowned prince, and the Sage had merely stood off to the side, feigning insignificance. Now the King addressed them and the Sage stood clearly and importantly to the side. King Brandis began by introducing himself, then the kingdom where they found themselves. Then he apologized for the absence of tact with which the gods had brought them to this world and promised to do everything within his power as King to send them back to theirs. After that, he informed them of why they were here. Why the gods had brought them. Nothing in the speech had changed from what Aiden could barely remember of his original arrival. Yes, the wordings were different, the tone of the King more apologetic. Aiden had no interest in any of that. What he wanted to see was how the King¡¯s announcement of the Demon King would play out. When the prince had announced it in his previous life, he had tried to take all the emotions out of his voice, tried to make it seem as less dire as the situation demanded. The result had been chaos and confusion with all fifteen of them complaining and demanding release in one way or the other, silently but certainly. ¡°I must now plead with you,¡± King Brandis announced, voice solemn. ¡°The reason for your arrival¡ªthe path with which you have been brought here¡ªwhile being by the machinations of the gods, has not been a conscious one. Darkness seeks to befall our world, and with it, contingencies put in place eons ago have come to effect. The outcome?¡± He gestured at all of them. ¡°You.¡± Then he told them their reason and their purpose. He did it with a deep voice completely aware of the dangers in place. But he did not stop there. No. He pushed forward and Aiden saw intent in the king¡¯s eyes. ¡°A darkness rises amongst us,¡± Brandis announced in a commanding voice. ¡°Dark magic, evil and wicked, rises beyond our walls, slowly closing in around us. Evil that should not exist in this world. We have done what we can, but the scriptures have since foretold of the great saviors from worlds beyond. Men and women, pulled into this world with the true blessing of mana¡­¡± Ted had come to stand beside Aiden only half-listening to the King. At the mention of mana, a girl to Aiden¡¯s side smiled excitedly. Aiden didn¡¯t remember her name, but he remembered the Class she¡¯d gotten. In his previous life, she had been an [Illusionist] and a powerful one. If he remembered correctly, the last time he¡¯d checked on her details she had been at level 182. At the time he had just hit 100. ¡°¡­We will raise you,¡± King Brandis was saying. ¡°Present to you the best that we have to make you the best that we can. I understand that to you all, taken from your homes, these are just words, but I give you my word as King and ruler, you will not fight this darkness alone. We will not put you at the forefront of this madness you have been dragged into. We merely wish to have you present, as the Scriptures foretell that only one amongst you all will be able to vanquish the evil that threatens to rise against us, should it come to fruition.¡± As far as speeches went, Aiden didn¡¯t think it was a bad one. Better could¡¯ve been done, but at least it was far more superior than what the prince had given. Even now, he could see the difference in reactions. Under the prince¡¯s announcement in his past life, there had been chaos, controlled only by the presence of men in armors wielding weapons. But King Brandis had either been smart or humane. He had first empathized with them, shifting blame for their kidnapping to gods no one could hold accountable. And in the event that someone still wanted to hold someone accountable, there would always be the church not the royal family. Then he¡¯d apologized for said gods, placing himself on the side of good, as if left to him they would not be here. Then he had given them promises, calmed their fears by promising they would be as safe as was allowed. Aiden almost clapped in approval. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question,¡± Ted whispered beside Aiden. Aiden nodded, keeping his eyes on the King. ¡°Why did he look at you when he said only one of us can vanquish this evil?¡± Ted asked. ¡°And why does the old man with the staff keep staring at you?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°No idea.¡± The Sage had been staring at him since he¡¯d taken his place to the side for the announcement. Once again, Aiden worried that there would be no dissuading the effects of his earlier action. ¡°So what say you?!¡± king Brandis declared on the conclusion of his speech. ¡°Will you choose forgiveness and fight alongside us?¡± Immediately the question was dropped, Aiden realized something he couldn¡¯t believe he had completely ignored in his past life. Whatever spell had been put in place that led to their summoning had worked on a certain algorithm. Looking at everyone around him and remembering how they had been as people in his past life, he knew it immediately. They would object and complain, but they would not refuse. It was who they were. Men and women willing to help when help was needed. Even now, he watched Drax mull over the king¡¯s words. The boy waited, not because he had no words to give, but because he didn¡¯t want to be impolite by speaking for the group. Then someone stepped out. He was tall and broad. He wasn¡¯t the largest of the group but his stature told tales of time spent regularly at the gym, and he wore the fitted clothes to show it. ¡°Good¡­ afternoon?¡± he said, voice unsure and eyes darting at the knights around them. ¡°But if I may ask; why us? Were we chosen specifically or at random?¡± King Brandis did not answer immediately. Instead, his eyes squinted in thought, considering, pondering. ¡°If the scriptures are to be quoted very loosely,¡± he said slowly, choosing his words very carefully. ¡°Those summoned to the world will possess hearts opposing of evil. They will be of strong mind and will, not devoted to what we call good, but to what they feel is good. I believe that to be the reason you are here. The gods have judged you all most fitting on the path of good.¡± Aiden almost snorted. Bullshit. They picked us because we have the highest chance of helping. Brandis looked to the Sage, then back at the man. ¡°I hope that will appease your answer, Lord Derrick Nelman?¡± At being called Lord, Derrick¡¯s countenance changed. He seemed more appeased, satisfied. Aiden found himself hoping everything the King was doing was not intentional. He knew of Brandis¡¯ reputation for being just and kind, but there was also the possibility that this was intentional and not simply a kind man being himself. Everyone else had questions of their own. Some wanted to know what kinds of magic would be at their disposal, some wanted to know how long they had to prepare before facing this ¡®Great evil¡¯. How would they be trained? Would they have men under their command? Each question was answered by Brandis until the prince was forced to step in and take command of the questions. In Aiden¡¯s opinion, Brandis had done more than enough. Despite the situation, he knew how Nastild worked. A king, regardless of who you are, did not answer to questions of such simplicities. No, he thought, remembering something he¡¯d once heard in Nastild from the mouth of another king. A king answers only to a king or the gods. ¡°¡­ And the gods do not ask questions,¡± he muttered to himself, completing the sentence. ¡°Well that was an ominous thing to say,¡± Ted muttered behind him. ¡°But what kind of powers do you think we can get?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how best to answer the question. Ted had started out as a [Summoner]. But how he got the title of [Demon King] was what Aiden did not know. And that was what scared him. If he didn¡¯t know how Ted became the Demon King, how could he stop it from happening? Once upon a time, his brother had fled him for his own good, raised an army and laid waste to kingdoms as was foretold in the prophecy. When that had happened, Aiden had fled the kingdom, found safe haven in the Order away from the option of picking sides between good and evil. He had gotten a second shot at it now, a second chance. What would he do if the option arose again? What would he do if Ted became the Demon King once more? He would¡¯ve liked to say he would prevent it, put some plans into place. But he couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t stop something from happening when he had no idea how it happened. Then what do you do if it happens? He asked himself as the prince began educating them on their living arrangement in the palace as well as the rules of the palace. The first answer to Aiden¡¯s question was as old as time. Power. He needed power. He needed to be strong enough to make a difference in the event that Ted did become the Demon King once more. That would ensure he had more options than being left behind and running away from the difficult decisions. The second thing he needed was knowledge. Ted had not been the world¡¯s first Demon King. There had been two others before him, each one proving so terrible that their defeat had also brought about the fall of the civilizations that had existed at the time of their reign. The Order had the possibility of possessing that information. Unfortunately, during his time in the Order, the section of its library that possessed knowledge spanning the forgotten histories of Nastild had been denied to him. And in this timeline, he would have no access to it. I guess it¡¯s a good thing they aren¡¯t the only ones with ancient texts. There was always the church¡¯s apocrypha, and the library of Living Truth. The former would be difficult because the church would not grant him entry since the details may contain things they would not want people to know. There was a reason those texts were called apocrypha. As for the latter, it was in a kingdom across the seas. The library of Living Truth, Aiden concluded. He had better chances there. And since Ted was not revealed to be the Demon King until after three years, Aiden still had time. Someone bumped him on the shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts. When Aiden turned, it was one of the girls in the group. Ariana? Ariadne? Aiden couldn¡¯t remember her name. You spent three years with these people, he chided himself. How the hell did you forget their names? Because you spent another eight away from them. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked her, noting that the crowd was dispersing. Each of them was most likely being shown to their rooms. ¡°Catch you later?¡± Ted asked, walking past Aiden. Aiden replied with a nod. Since they were from the same world but likely not the same place, Brandis would plan for them to have dinner together. At least that was what had happened before. And in the event that this timeline had changed so much and that didn¡¯t happen, Aiden already knew what room Ted would be placed in. He could always check on him then. Unless that changes, too. ¡°Uhmm.¡± The girl fidgeted, drawing Aiden¡¯s attention once more. When she had it, she pointed meekly. He followed her gesture to a knight standing separate from the others. The Sage stood beside the knight, resting both hands on the head of his staff. ¡°I think they want your attention,¡± the girl said. He¡¯d just gotten here and already too many things were changing. Most, if not all of them, his fault. What next? He thought as he walked up to the Sage. The library of Living Truth will suddenly be set ablaze? It was a joke, but it was also a sudden possibility that scared Aiden. I really hope not. The Sage greeted Aiden with a clear bow when Aiden got to him. ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± The action drew looks from those that were still around¡ªmembers of the royal family as well as the knights. Aiden remembered how much he had once enjoyed the title of Lord. Until he hadn¡¯t. He tried to make a simple gesture, wave aside the title but his hands paused at his side, hesitating to obey him. Confused, it took him a moment to realize why. Aiden stared into green eyes. Eyes belonging to a man who had once captured him with a spell so strong he''d known he''d stood no chance. A man who might, in this very moment, be very aware of the fact that they were potential enemies. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± the Sage repeated with a touch of worry. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Aiden schooled himself as well as he could. ¡°Yes, S¡ªsir,¡± he stuttered unsure of how many people present knew that he was a Sage. ¡°Sir is an acceptable title.¡± The Sage¡¯s gaze went to his hand. ¡°However, your hand is trembling, Lord Lacheart. Were you, perhaps, wounded in our encounter?¡± Aiden moved the hand behind him and shook his head. ¡°Not at all, sir. I suspect I am not yet myself. However, I would rather be referred to without the title. Aiden is fine as is.¡± The Sage frowned. ¡°If you do not mind, Lor¡ªmy apologies. If you do not mind, Aiden, may I ask a question?¡± ¡°You may.¡± ¡°Does your world, per chance, follow the concept of royalty? Kings and Lords. Dukes and fiefdoms?¡± ¡°Some parts do,¡± Aiden answered, confused. ¡°But they do not possess the same authority I believe your king possesses.¡± ¡°And are you, per chance, of royal blood?¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t stop the chuckle that slipped out of him. ¡°No. No, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Odd.¡± The Sage stroked his beard. ¡°You speak as one would. Quite differently from your companions.¡± Aiden was about to object when he realized that the Sage wasn¡¯t wrong. He¡¯d spent a considerable time in this palace, and over the years he had spent time every now and again with royalty for one reason or the other. His manner of speech must have switched from listening to them talk for an extended period of time. Still, he shook his head again. ¡°Sorry to disappoint, but still not Royalty.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Sage sounded disappointed. ¡°Regardless, I wanted to introduce you to Sir Valdan.¡± Aiden nodded at the Knight in acknowledgement and the Knight returned the gesture. ¡°He is the one who assisted you with a weapon during our little dance,¡± the Sage explained. Aiden cocked a brow at the Sage¡¯s words and got a chuckle for it. ¡°You must forgive me,¡± the Sage said amiably. ¡°I was the one to give the instruction for him to interfere and hand you a weapon. It just didn¡¯t feel right that you were forced to face me without one.¡± That, Aiden thought. Or you just wanted to see what I could do with a weapon. ¡°But that is not the reason I called you,¡± the Sage continued. Aiden folded his arms over his chest, the one hand still trembled. ¡°Then why was I called?¡± ¡°To show you to your instructor.¡± The Sage gestured at Sir Valdan, who nodded once more. ¡°The King and I are in agreement that your physical skills require a certain level of¡­ attention, if we are to see them flourish.¡± Aiden did not oppose this. If he wanted to grow faster, he certainly couldn¡¯t waste any time pretending to need all the basics while sneaking around to reacquaint himself with the skills more suited to him. The others would have questions when they noticed, but those questions were his to answer as he saw fit. And Ted? He asked himself. He came to the easy conclusion that that was a bridge he would cross when he got there. For now, he would take all the help he could get ¡°And my magical skills?¡± he asked. ¡°You will be introduced to a teacher in due time,¡± the Sage answered. ¡°Should you prove beyond our expectation on that as well, then a personal one will be assigned to you.¡± ¡°Fair enough,¡± Aiden conceded, looking around. ¡°Will it be alright if Sir Valdan and I began practice immediately? I would like to see how much of what I know can be done.¡± The Sage¡¯s only response was a gesture in the direction of one of the doors to the side. Aiden knew the door. While the others had gone through a different one that led deeper into the palace, this one led to the outer reaches of the palace. Sir Valdan turned and walked towards the exit without a word. With all his knightly armor, his steps were without sound. Aiden knew that enchantments were responsible for this. Aiden followed after Valdan. First, he would get all the foundational skills, then get the basic skills, then he would advance them. Once that was done, he would need to turn his attention elsewhere. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Brandis sat in his chair, his mind filled with thoughts. Unhealthy thoughts. He had just lied to Nastild¡¯s saviors, spun tales of how the gods had brought them here when he very much knew they hadn¡¯t. Yes, there had been contingencies in place for when the demonic mana in the world began to rise, but their summoning was not some automated thing or triggered by it. The only correlation demonic mana had with their summoning was simply the fact that their summoning was impossible without it. Since the beginning of time, demonic mana had always been studied, not simply for its potent and raw power but for its strong affinity for spatial magic. It was the only mana ever recorded with the power to transcend great distances. The summoning spell had been designed since ages past, created to pick out those relatively pure of heart. And why? That answer was simple as well as unfortunate. Because each and every one of those summoned with it had an affinity for demonic mana. But the spell made sure they had the lowest affinity, right? It was what the books said. For any one of them to be truly corrupted by it, they would have to drown in a sea of it. ¡°Brandis.¡± Brandis raised his head. In front of him stood his Sage. Piercing green eyes studied Brandis as if he were a child. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Brandis muttered. ¡°It was not right to lie to them.¡± The Sage shook his head. ¡°You did not lie. You merely did not tell them everything.¡± Brandis scoffed derisively. ¡°I did not tell them everything? They were nothing more than children. The oldest no more than twenty-three. I¡¯m very sure the youngest was eighteen.¡± ¡°Nineteen,¡± the Sage corrected casually. ¡°I believe his name is Dinkleworth.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Brandis sighed. ¡°I might as well have sent young Dinkleworth to his grave.¡± Brandis leaned back on his throne and stared up at the high ceiling. ¡°Why now?¡± he asked no one in particular. ¡°Why during my reign?¡± ¡°I cannot say,¡± the Sage answered. ¡°Would you prefer it happen during the reign of your son?¡± Brandis expression turned into a sharp scowl immediately. ¡°Careful,¡± he hissed. ¡°I know your importance but do not assume to scold me.¡± ¡°And I am not. I am merely pointing out the pointlessness of regretting what you cannot control. As for the children, they will be fine. They will be raised and trained and empowered.¡± ¡°While some innocent and unsuspecting person, human or elf, wanders aimlessly until they find that they possess a strong enough affinity for demonic mana.¡± Brandis groaned in frustration. ¡°You know that¡¯s the part of the prophesy that angers me? Our enemy isn¡¯t some alien invader from another world or some actual demon to lead the demon horde. No. They are one of us. An innocent person destined to become the enemy of an entire world.¡± The Sage shrugged. For all Brandis knew, he could make a comment about plucking leaves as a child and he would still get the same reaction. Speaking on topics regarding any form of emotion or empathy was a waste on the man. So Brandis turned the conversation to something else. ¡°The young man that woke up first. What do you think of him?¡± The Sage¡¯s lip twitched in what may or may not have been a withheld smile. ¡°He is acceptable,¡± he answered. ¡°Promising. Unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t strike me as one to gain the title of [Hero].¡± Brandis could agree with that. There was too much distrust in the man¡¯s eyes. What Brandis had seen had been distrust filled with a burning determination. He shook the thought from his head. ¡°I agree. Whatever he went through in his old world, it has left him jaded to some level.¡± ¡°Yet, the spell chose him,¡± the Sage mused. ¡°Strange.¡± ¡°Yes. Strange.¡± Brandis let out a tired sigh. ¡°What are the chances of him becoming a [Sage] or a [Guide] or even a [Watcher]?¡± ¡°The [Guide] class will be more fitting for him. And if he is lucky, which I believe he will be, he just might be able to upgrade it to [Protector]. That way we get a powerful class drawn to sacrificing for the greater good. But for that, we might need to have him develop a bond with whoever gains the title of [Hero].¡± Not for the first time in his life, Brandis wondered what was so special about the [Hero] and [Demon King] titles that made them supersede a person¡¯s Class. Every other title fell under the title section of a person¡¯s being, buttresses to their class. But [Hero] and [Demon King] completely usurped the classes. The only instances where titles proved more powerful than a class was when the holder indulged most in them than anything else, which was rare. The superiority of [Hero] and [Demon King] made almost no sense to him. He had a strong feeling that the church had the answer but were simply unwilling to share it, despite what they said. ¡°I suggest we keep a strong eye on Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis said after a while, ready to end this conversation. ¡°As much as I am glad to have someone with eyes like his, I do not like the way he looked at you.¡± ¡°At me, Brandis?¡± the Sage asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Brandis answered. ¡°At you. I got the impression that he attacked simply because it was you. It was like he recognized you as the only threat in this room. And I think that is something worth investigating.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the Sage mused. ¡°Then it was not merely in my head¡­ Interesting.¡± There was something about the way the man said the last word that drew Brandis¡¯ attention to him. Looking at the Sage, Brandis saw something he rarely saw the man do. The Sage was smiling. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aiden held a wooden sword in his hand, its tip touching the ground beneath him. Valdan had led him to one of the outdoor training arenas and was standing off in the distance with folded arms. The knight had every intention of testing Aiden, not that Aiden cared. He could use the test, see what he still could and couldn¡¯t do. To him it felt as if it was just yesterday he had tried to break Ted out of prison. Unfortunately, his extremely brief squabble against the Sage had taught him that while his mind was still what it was, his body was new. Weak. ¡°Are you ready, my Lord?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden nodded and Valdan unfolded his arms, readied himself. Aiden would need to test the limits of his current body, then train it beyond them. But as important as that was, what he needed now was a Class. Something that would take him to the highest heights in this world. For that, he thought as he raised his wooden sword and readied himself for combat, Enchanter will not suffice. THREE: Isekaid ¡°Again,¡± Aiden said, voice barely audible through his panting. He raised his wooden sword once more, sweat dripping down his face, and readied himself for what was to come. Valdan¡¯s helmeted head tilted slightly to the side in what looked like intrigue. The sun had dipped into the horizon, blanketing the rest of the world in a deep orange with tints of red. Night would crawl up on them from out of the blue soon and they would be forced to go in. After a moment, Valdan shrugged, raised his sword, and attacked. He came in with an under-hand slash, from bottom to top, and Aiden evaded it, escaping the attack only barely. Valdan doubled on the attack almost immediately, bringing the sword down in a downward slash. Aiden didn¡¯t evade this time, instead, he brought his wooden sword to bear. Wood met wood, and despite using both hands against Valdan¡¯s one-handed attack, the force of the blow almost brought Aiden down to his knee. Rather than fall under the knight¡¯s strength, Aiden let the end of his sword tilt downwards. The blade of Valdan¡¯s sword skid down Aiden¡¯s until it slipped free and he staggered away. Valdan watched him go without following. You have learnt [Resilience (Mastery 2.12%)] Aiden staggered once, then dropped to his knee. He raised his hand to halt Valdan, in case the knight chose now to attack once more. ¡°Again?¡± Sir Valdan asked. Aiden shook his head. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough testing for today.¡± He looked in the direction of the sun and couldn¡¯t find it. Evening had taken its turn. Now night was beginning to fall. ¡°I must say I¡¯m impressed, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Me too,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°It is impressive that a Knight of your stature can display such level of control in combat against a learner such as myself.¡± ¡°You give me too much credit, Lord Lacheart. Everything that has happened today is all you.¡± Valdan placed his sword on the ground. ¡°However, while that impresses me, I was speaking to something else.¡± Aiden sat in the sand and let his wooden sword clatter in the dirt. ¡°And what do you speak of?¡± ¡°Your composure and control,¡± Valdan said. Aiden cocked a quizzical brow, waiting for the knight to expand on his words. ¡°I mean to say, during our session, I¡¯m certain you had countless words appear in front of you, yet you did not once stumble or stagger. You did not allow them distract you.¡± ¡°Oh, those?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t miss a beat. In fact, he already had a response prepared for such a question. ¡°After the noise I made when I woke up, some of them were just there, waiting for me, so they weren¡¯t that difficult to get accustomed to.¡± ¡°You also got them during your fight with the king''s advisor?¡± Valdan asked, surprised. Aiden waved his words aside with a tired gesture. ¡°You can barely call that a fight. All I did was flail around in his presence. But that¡¯s not what I meant. What I was saying is that after the encounter, they all started appearing.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Valdan placed an armored hand to his helmeted cheek. ¡°Would you be willing to show me what you have gotten so far?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Aiden almost called up his personal information before stopping himself. That was a close one, he thought with a finger held up in front of him. How would he explain just casually using the system? If he had simply opened his status and shown the Knight, there would be no explaining his way out of it. Valdan just stood in front of him, waiting. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Apologies.¡± Aiden gave him an embarrassed smile. ¡°I thought they would be somewhere there and I would just point them out. But they are not.¡± ¡°Understandable. If anything, I am the one at fault for not giving you proper instructions on what to do.¡± Aiden nodded, accepting the unspoken apology. ¡°Would you show me? Or are there protocols surrounding it?¡± ¡°Protocols?¡± Valdan snorted in amusement. ¡°Not at all. In this world we are all taught things that we do not know. It is all about willingness to learn. If you wish to see what you¡¯ve learnt, you only need to think about it. Ask yourself what you are capable of and you will show it to yourself.¡± ¡°Certainly more complicated than just saying ¡®status¡¯,¡± Aiden joked. ¡°My apologies, Lord Lacheart, but I did not catch that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Sir Valdan. It is merely a joke from my world about video games.¡± Valdan paused, then shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡± Aiden simply thought of himself and his personal information sprang to life. [Name ¨C Aiden Lacheart] [Species ¨C Human] [Age - 19] [Class ¨C None Lvl 0] [Affiliation] None. [Title] None. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Kick (Mastery 42.21%)], [Palm attack (Mastery 51.22%)], [Evade (Mastery 68%)], [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 9.02%)], [Dash (Mastery 48.20%)], [Resilience (Mastery 2.12%)] [Sword Strike (Mastery 11.12%)], [Parry (Mastery 18.00%)]. Stats None. Aiden read through the list. Being nineteen years old again wasn¡¯t the best thing, but that was an unnecessary note. His eyes skimmed through the rest of the list until he got to his skills. They were a lot, and he hadn¡¯t even been here for eight hours. At this rate I¡¯ll end up with pure combat skills. He didn¡¯t want that, he needed to mix in combat and magical skills if he wanted to be strong. Luckily, the criteria for what kind of class a person could awaken weren¡¯t fixed until level 10. And he wasn¡¯t even level one yet. ¡°I¡¯m sure you must be displaying a lot of skills right now,¡± Valdan said, waiting patiently. ¡°But you do not have to worry about having too many skills. May I know one of the skills you have?¡± ¡°It would be easier for us if you just took a look,¡± Aiden said. ¡°How do I make that happen?¡± ¡°Simply wish for me to see it, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden complied and Valdan walked around to stand behind him. The Knight made a thoughtful sound. ¡°Those are quite the array of skills,¡± he mused. ¡°And your mastery, Lord. In just a few hours of sparring? This is an amazing growth rate. By tomorrow you should have all at 100%.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t see [Sword Strike] and [Resilience] reaching a hundred by tomorrow. Maybe in a week.¡± Valdan looked at him, then nodded. ¡°Perhaps. However, I would like you to understand that these skills are merely what we like to call foundational skills. In a matter of time, they will be gone, fused together to create a basic skill.¡± Aiden knew about that. Foundational skills were as countless as the stars in the sky, but once you¡¯ve learnt one, it applies to all basic skills. For instance, if a person required [Kick] for two different basic skills, they only needed to learn it once. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°From what I can see, my Lord, you are likely to get the [Unarmed combat] basic skill first. Congratulations should be in order.¡± Aiden got up, dismissing his personal information. ¡°How about we keep the congratulations until when they are necessary, Sir Valdan.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know much about Valdan apart from the fact that the Knight was strong and had played important roles in the war against Ted. In his past life, the few people from the summoned who¡¯d learned the most basic swordsmanship enough to allow them at least wield a blade without poking their eyes out, had been taught by a Knight named Denid. Aiden was already walking back to the palace when Valdan spoke again. ¡°May I show you to your room, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden waved him down without even looking back. ¡°You are a Knight, Sir Valdan. I¡¯m pretty sure the palace has people with the duty of showing me to my room.¡± ¡°Then may I show you to them?¡± Aiden was already at the door that would lead him back into the palace, leaving a significant distance between him and the knight, yet he heard the Knight¡¯s voice as if they stood side by side. Instead of giving any precise answer, he opened the door and walked back into the palace. ¡°Good night, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ While most of the things that had happened to Aiden so far were different from what he remembered, which he was clearly aware was entirely his fault, the dinner the king held for everyone remained unchanged. He had found his room with the help of a maid he¡¯d picked up after ¡®accidentally¡¯ finding his way to the dining area. Her face had been familiar but the name she¡¯d given him wasn¡¯t anyone he remembered. She called him ¡®Lord¡¯ a lot and was prone to bowing with every response she gave. With her, he had spoken with the kingdom¡¯s language, intentionally stumbling all over it like the worst kind of learner to ever speak the language. Suffice to say, it had been enough to get his point across. In a manner of minutes, he had been shown to his room. The same lady had been the one to call him for dinner two hours after. All fifteen of the summoned sat in different chairs around the large dining table. Ted, just as Aiden remembered, sat next to a rambunctious girl with black hair and green highlights. Aiden remembered her being one of the friendly ones from his past life. Ted was busy flirting with her for the fun of it. And by her reaction, Aiden could tell that she was enjoying the attention, while garnering as much of the others'' as she could. Aiden watched her enjoy her exciting innocence, knowing that the loud and exuberant girl on the other side of the table, flirting with his brother, would be a shadow of herself in the next four years. This world really did a number on us, he thought as he took stock of those around the table. They were young, simple, vibrant, and innocent. They were bright-eyed and clean. But the memories Aiden had of them differed greatly. As at Ted¡¯s capture only five of fifteen remained, and they had weathered eyes and scarred bodies. He hadn¡¯t spent much time with them in the later days, but he doubted any of them had still remembered how to laugh so easily. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one that thinks this is freaky, right?¡± a boy, Max, was saying. ¡°This is straight out of an anime.¡± ¡°True enough,¡± Jenna said. She was the oldest of all of them, though Aiden couldn¡¯t remember her age. ¡°We¡¯ve been transported to another world.¡± The girl with the green highlights pumped her fist in the air. ¡°Isekai¡¯d!¡± Ted shook his head with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting hit by a bus, though.¡± ¡°A truck,¡± another boy corrected. He was on the chubby side with a spoon of what was supposed to be rice in his mouth. ¡°People get isekai¡¯d by truck-kun.¡± Aiden held back a smile at that. This was another thing all of them had in common and it was something he had a feeling whatever spell had brought them here had been seeking out. They were all fans of the same anime genre were the main characters were transported to another world to relative degrees. The fact that their minds already entertained the idea to some point before being summoned was probably why they''d adapted so quickly. The gods had been very specific and smart about the criteria the spell used to bring people over to Nastild. There was a higher chance of people cooperating if they weren¡¯t averse the idea of what had happened to them. ¡°Trains, too,¡± somebody else said, replying to the chubby boy. ¡°But you¡¯re right, I wasn¡¯t run over by anything. I didn¡¯t die.¡± He patted his body as if checking for invisible injuries, then returned his attention to everyone else. ¡°Did any of you die?¡± Green highlights shook her head. ¡°Was actually getting all hot and bothered with¡­¡± Her words trailed off and her cheeks reddened slightly. Whatever she was going to say was never concluded. But there was no one who didn¡¯t know what she was saying. Yet she was summoned with the clothes on her back, Aiden noted. ¡°And I was playing video games in an arcade,¡± Ted said, opting to speak next. ¡°Then my brother interrupted me and here I am.¡± Ted paused as another person took up the conversation. Beside him, green highlights was saying something but he was no longer listening. Instead, he had a confused look on his face as if he just remembered something and was now staring at Aiden. Well, I guess us having a conversation is inevitable at this point, Aiden thought, remembering their exchange as they were transported from Earth. He had told Ted to be calm and listen to everything he was told. He had sounded like he knew what was going on. At the time Aiden had meant it. But now, he wasn¡¯t so sure. How did he convince Ted to listen to him and nothing else? The Ted from his past life would¡¯ve listened to him and worked with him. Unfortunately, Aiden¡¯s relationship with his brother on Earth was not as strong as the one they¡¯d developed on Nastild. Before being summoned, Ted would fight for Aiden but after first asking questions so that he knew why he was fighting and who was right or wrong. If Aiden was wrong, then there would be no fight. In Nastild, however, they¡¯d grown closer, close enough that they would fight for each other, no questions asked. The Ted staring at Aiden now would rather try and fail and try again than actually put everything down and listen to Aiden. This is going to be harder than I thought. ¡°Whatever happens,¡± Derrick said, ¡°I think we can all agree that we should cooperate until they find us a way back home.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± a gangly boy asked. Aiden remembered him very clearly. He had been the last of those who had died before the final five, and Aiden had¡ªfor reasons he would rather not think about¡ªbeen present at his death. Derrick turned to the boy. ¡°What do you mean?¡± The boy, Sam, pointed a spoon at him, then at everyone at the table. ¡°You heard everything the king said, didn¡¯t you?¡± he said. ¡°In this world we can learn magic. Create fire with nothing but words. Shake mountains with the most powerful spells. Maybe even ride dragons. And you want to go back?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t going to be the one to tell Sam that an attempt to ride a dragon usually led to one ending. Death. ¡°Did you also forget the part about a great evil?¡± Derrick retorted. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t understand it, it means bad things will happen to us. We will go to war. If we have powerful magic, then so will our enemies.¡± Sam shrugged, unconcerned. ¡°Then we only have to be stronger than them. We are in a fucking palace, guests of the king and destined to save this world. I¡¯m guessing we all know how these stories go. We¡¯ll be given the best teachers and the strongest magic. If there are levels, we¡¯ll raise them as if playing on easy mode. If it¡¯s more cultivation than system apocalypse, then we¡¯ll channel our qi or whatnot and become powerful. What¡¯s to complain about?¡± This conversation was going exactly as it had gone last time. Sam thought he was making a lot of sense while the others slowly began to think of him as very delusional. It only took Sam a moment to notice the looks they were giving him around the table. ¡°What?¡± he protested. ¡°How do you not see that this is a great thing?¡± ¡°Because some of us have families to go back to,¡± Drax answered, voice calm. ¡°I have my parents who¡¯ll be worried out of their mind not knowing what has happened to me. I have brothers and sisters who¡¯ll worry. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for everyone around this table.¡± Most of the others had stopped eating to listen to Drax. Aiden couldn¡¯t be bothered. This conversation ended the same way, and now that he knew what he knew, it was unnecessary. The power to return to their world didn¡¯t lie in their hands. It never had. Because from everything the king had told them, he and the priests were the ones working towards getting them back home. And they never found a way. ¡°I just want to go back home,¡± another girl said, her feature that stood out were how grey her eyes were, almost white. ¡°I enjoy the transported to another world stories as much as the next person, but I don¡¯t want to be stuck here. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t be sent off to war.¡± She sobbed and Sam rolled his eyes. ¡°Why are we even arguing about this?¡± he asked. ¡°The solution seems simple enough.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Letto asked, speaking for the first time. ¡°I say we speak to the king and tell him what we want. Some of us want to go home, and some of us don¡¯t want to go home.¡± The table fell into an uncomfortable silence as everyone mulled over his words. ¡°So,¡± Sam continued, happy that they now understood him. ¡°All we have to do is tell the king which of us want out and which ones would love to stay. And since I get the feeling they won¡¯t be figuring out how to send us back anytime soon, everybody gets enough time to think about it and change their minds before the time comes. Good?¡± There was a muttering of agreements that went around the table. It brought an amicable end to the argument of going home. The rest of the meal was eaten in simple conversations. Everyone introduced themselves, gave their names, their age, and what they were doing before getting here. Just for the fun of it, each person added what kind of magic they would like to learn. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if he should be glad that they all gave the same answer as his past life from the little he could remember. By his own fault, his own life here had deviated significantly, but the others had yet to experience the butterfly effect. And he was beginning to think that some of them would not. But was he okay with it? Did he want to leave everyone to face their own fates when he wanted to save Ted from his own? Aiden didn¡¯t know specifically how those who died had died, but he knew when they died, and where. Do I want to save them? He asked himself. Would there be any point to it? He had a single goal in mind, which wasn¡¯t even saving Ted from being captured but preventing him from being the Demon King in the first place. And that was already more than enough stress for him since he didn¡¯t even know how Ted had become the Demon King. From what Aiden knew, the Demon King wasn¡¯t a class but an exclusive title. The only one of its kind. It meant Ted had done something at some point in time that had unlocked an achievement that gave him the title. The problem was that Aiden didn¡¯t know what it had been. ¡°Aiden,¡± someone said. ¡°What about you?¡± Aiden was pulled from his thoughts and found Sam looking at him. How does he know my name? he wondered, running through his memory. He found no instance where his name had been said in front of Sam. ¡°Aiden,¡± Sam repeated. ¡°You¡¯re holding up the¡ªwhat the hell¡¯s that look for?¡± Drax looked at Aiden from across the room. ¡°Aiden, are you alright?¡± ¡°Fuck if he¡¯s alright,¡± Sam spat. ¡°He¡¯s looking at me like I¡¯m somehow less than him. Does he think he¡¯s the main character or something just because he had a talk with the old man and a knight?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t blame Sam for his reaction. There was a very high chance that he¡¯d been looking at him like he was nothing but human garbage. But that was because that was the memory Aiden had of him. Towards the end of Sam¡¯s life, he had become a person who believed strongly that the end justified the means. And because of that, the means he used to get stronger to bring down the Demon King¡¯s army had slowly lost all forms of humanity. ¡°Aiden, what¡¯s wrong?¡± This time it was Ted who¡¯d spoken. Aiden had an answer, he had it right there on the tip of his tongue. But he didn¡¯t give it, he wouldn¡¯t give it. After all, how did you tell people that you were looking at a man you¡¯d killed in a manner so brutal that people continued to tell stories about it even after two years. How did you tell people you¡¯d killed two out of the fourteen of them in cold blood? FOUR: Status Ted rushed Aiden into his room and locked the door behind him. Being shoved unceremoniously into a room had Aiden staggering forward, not that he couldn¡¯t have prevented himself from staggering. He simply wasn¡¯t interested in doing so. Ted had been given the same room Aiden knew. He recognized it easily. The red rug that spanned the center of the room with the green design of a basilisk. The cream colored walls with elaborate paintings of great men¡ªknights and mages alike¡ªachieving one great conquest or the other. There was one of King Brandis the first and the artist¡¯s rendition of the time he¡¯d single handedly slain a dragon. Looking at it, Aiden almost shook his head. Poor man would be turning in his grave if he found out this was what they made of the story. The kingdom knew the story by the painting. Brandis the first had found the dragon terrorizing the kingdom and, after days of fighting, had successfully slain it. It was the single achievement that had drawn those who¡¯d lived in an unnamed space of geographical location at the time to name him king. But Aiden had read the records, the real records. Brandis the first had dedicated his life to that battle, fighting alongside countless men. Yes, he had been the one to strike the final blow, but that victory was not his alone. When he¡¯d been named king by the people, he had ordered the record written, told the tale himself for the scribes to pen down. Sadly, when he passed, the royals and nobles had chosen to immortalize him as the strongest to ever walk the kingdom. So they had lied, started slow, paintings first, then bards telling false tales at taverns. It was the little things, and in time, King Brandis, first of his name, became the only man to single-handedly slay a dragon in all of Nastild. At least that was what Aiden had been told regarding why the records were changed. Ted rounded on Aiden almost immediately as he followed after him. The action was quick enough to startle Aiden and he back away, increasing the space between them by two steps. ¡°Talk,¡± Ted ordered. ¡°And don¡¯t give me any bullshit. What¡¯s going on here? What¡¯s happening? Everyone¡¯s confused but you¡¯re not. How did you know that this¡ª¡± Aiden panicked. Where he had once stepped away from Ted, he covered the distance almost immediately before Ted could finish the sentence. You have activated skill [Dash]. He blitzed through the distance, closing it almost instantaneously. His body weighed him down as he clasped his hand over Ted¡¯s mouth, barely keeping himself standing. Fucking hell, I haven¡¯t missed that, he groaned, forcing his hand to stay over Ted¡¯s mouth. His body had learned the skill but was yet to acclimatize itself to it. As a result, reflexively using skills wasn¡¯t synergetic. His body wasn¡¯t reacting with the same speed as his mind. Right now, Aiden felt like an engine in a paper car. Ted remained silent with Aiden¡¯s hand clasped over his mouth, patient. Aiden was at least glad for that as he looked into his brother¡¯s eyes and shook his head vehemently. He¡¯d seen when his brother had remembered their exchange before their summoning and had seen the realization in his eyes. Even when Ted had pulled him to his room after dinner, Aiden had been thinking only of how to get his brother to simply listen to him, allow him guide his growth. Now that he thought about it, he was stupid to not have thought of the possibility of Ted just blurting out the questions he needed answers to. But Aiden couldn¡¯t have Ted insinuating that he already knew of this world, at least not here. One did not so easily speak of anything within the palace walls. ¡°If there is ever a time for you to listen to me,¡± he told Ted, ¡°I really hope that now is that time, brother.¡± Ted continued to meet his gaze, kept it for a few more seconds before nodding. Only then did Aiden release him. ¡°But I have one question.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not about that, go for it.¡± ¡°Why the hell are you talking like that?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°¡®If there is ever a time for you to listen to me,¡¯¡± Ted repeated with as much royal haughtiness and aplomb as comically possible, ¡°¡®I really hope that now is that time, brother.¡¯ You¡¯re talking like a bad high-class movie character. You know, like royalty in a poor soap opera.¡± Aiden chuckled. ¡°Ignore it. It¡¯s the way everyone around here talks so I¡¯m getting into the mood of things.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s Ted to you, Aida. Not ¡®brother.¡¯¡± Aiden winced. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time anyone had called him Aida before he''d gone to rescue Ted. In fact, no one but his family called him Aida, which he¡¯d spent most of his childhood trying to make Ted stop. It was funny because Ted had been the one to give him the name. ¡°Got it, Teddy.¡± He moved away and sat on the edge of the massive bed in the room. ¡°So is there anything else you want to talk about, besides what you were about to ask?¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Ted turned thoughtful and leaned against the door. ¡°Oh yes, there is one thing. Maybe two. Seeing as you had a conversation with people who are from this world¡ªstill feels trippy being in an isekai situation¡ªdo you have any idea why words keep popping up in front of me?¡± ¡°What has popped up in front of you so far?¡± ¡°I guess there¡¯s charisma,¡± Ted said, then he waved his hand around in front of him, making different gestures. After a few gestures and very silent mutterings, he stopped. ¡°Sorry, wanted to pull it up and show you but I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, they showed me how to handle that actually.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, you just hold your hands out on both sides like you¡¯re making a star shape and shout ¡®status!¡¯ as loud as you can.¡± Ted just looked at him. A moment of silence stretched between the both of them. It was pregnant with distrust. Aiden was sure he could taste it if he stuck his tongue out. ¡°I call bullshit,¡± Ted said finally. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to make me look like a fool.¡± Aiden cocked his brow quizzically. ¡°How would I possibly be trying to make you look like a fool, Teddy?¡± He gestured around the room. ¡°We¡¯re the only ones here.¡± ¡°Still don¡¯t believe you,¡± Ted insisted. ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯re just trying to get me back for that time I made you believe the lights at Chuck E Cheese were voice activated.¡± Despite all he¡¯d been through, Aiden still remembered that day. Even now, the thought of it still left him with a touch of embarrassment. Ted laughed. ¡°Had you screaming ¡®Chuck my cheese!¡¯ at a light switch for a whole minute.¡± ¡°I was five, Ted. No one holds a grudge that long. Besides, if that was my intention, you¡¯d have an audience here as well. And you don¡¯t.¡± Aiden waited patiently after that, keeping every expression from his face as he waited for Ted to come to a conclusion. Is this how much we didn¡¯t trust each other eleven years ago? he wondered. Well, not exactly eleven years ago, but¡­ He wasn¡¯t sure how time references in time travel worked. To him it was eleven years ago, but right now it was less than twelve hours ago. ¡°Alright then,¡± Ted said with a triumphant smile, bringing Aiden back. ¡°You go first.¡± Aiden actually chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± ¡°As a Chuck E Cheese lightbulb,¡± Ted smirked. Aiden got up from the bed with a tired groan. ¡°Anyone ever tell you that you¡¯ve got trust issues, brother?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ted answered easily. ¡°All my exes. Now show me. And what did I just say about that ¡®brother¡¯ nonsense.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Aiden waved his complain aside. ¡°Your name¡¯s Teddy and I should call you Teddy.¡± ¡°Ted,¡± his brother corrected. Aiden ignored the correction and stood with his feet shoulder length apart and held his arms out to the side. ¡°Status.¡± He didn¡¯t shout it, simply said it in a slightly louder tone than what would be used for a normal conversation and his personal information appeared. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age - 19] [Class- None Lvl 0] [Affiliation] None. [Title] None. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Kick (Mastery 42.21%)], [Palm attack (Mastery 51.22%)], [Evade (Mastery 68%)], [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 9.02%)], [Dash (Mastery 48.20%)], [Resilience (Mastery 2.12%)] [Sword Strike (Mastery 11.12%)]. Stats None. ¡°Whoa!¡± Ted¡¯s jaw dropped, amazed. He walked up to Aiden as Aiden dropped his arms and took a casual stance. ¡°How do you already have so many skills?¡± Standing beside Aiden, Ted leaned forward to get a closer look. ¡°And why are all of them for fighting?¡± ¡°I had a long conversation with a knight, that¡¯s why.¡± Aiden dismissed the notification with a thought. ¡°What kind of skills did you expect me to get? Baking? Now your turn.¡± Ted paused to look at him. ¡°Alright.¡± He shook his arms out beside him and skipped a bit, like a fighter loosening themselves up. He did it twice more, then rolled his shoulders. ¡°Hopefully today,¡± Aiden said, feigning impatience. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you could just do it without hesitation, but this shit¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°Maybe. But it¡¯s also embarrassing. Being able to do it just like that is something.¡± Ted took a deep and calming breath. ¡°I tell you, Aiden, you¡¯re a better man than I am.¡± Ted set his feet apart, held his arms out to the side, and said, ¡°Status.¡± He closed his eyes, wincing in embarrassment when he said it so he obviously couldn¡¯t see the outcome. ¡°Seeing anything?¡± he asked Aiden, eyes still closed. ¡°Open your eyes and take a look.¡± Ted opened his eyes and saw nothing. ¡°Hey,¡± he complained, bringing his arms down. ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Aiden shook his head in exasperation and went back to sit on the bed. ¡°Of course it didn¡¯t. I told you to say it as loud as you can.¡± ¡°But I said it the same way you did.¡± ¡°Trust me,¡± Aiden said. ¡°That¡¯s not how I said it the first time. Since it¡¯s your first, you¡¯ve really got to put your back into it. And yes, you¡¯re correct. You have no idea how embarrassing it was. But it beats doing it in front of the entire group.¡± Ted let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°This is bullshit,¡± he muttered, but brought his arms up again. He shook his arms free, loosening them up, before holding them out and straight to both sides. ¡°STATUS!¡± His voice was loud enough that Aiden had a feeling anyone in the next room probably heard him. He¡¯d closed his eyes again, but this time he didn¡¯t ask Aiden if it worked. Instead, he opened his eyes to see for himself. Nothing. Aiden burst into laughter. He clutched his side and rolled off the bed. He¡¯d done it for kicks and giggles. But he¡¯d had no idea he would enjoy the look of utter embarrassment on Ted¡¯s face as much as he currently was. ¡°You fucking arsehole!¡± Ted swore at him. ¡°You little shit! You played me. You¡¯re still salty about the Chuck E Cheese thing.¡± Aiden was chuckling now, his laughter dwindling. He still held onto his side and was still on the ground, lying on the red carpet. ¡°Oh God!¡± he said between chuckles. ¡°I wish I had a phone to get that on camera. That was grand. And hilarious. I can¡¯t believe you actually did it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nice,¡± Ted said, folding his arms. But Aiden could see the small smile twitching at one corner of his brother¡¯s lips. He stopped laughing but didn¡¯t get up from the ground. ¡°I swear you had me almost panicking when you asked me to do it first.¡± ¡°But you did it, though,¡± Ted asked, confused. ¡°So how come it worked.¡± When Aiden¡¯s satisfaction subsided, he got up from the carpet. ¡°Mine worked because there is an actual way to do it. Just think of what you¡¯re capable of and it will appear.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Uhuh,¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Just like that.¡± Ted closed his eyes and it took him almost ten seconds before he opened it. It was another second before he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s trippy,¡± he said, staring at nothing. ¡°You¡¯ve got to wish for me to see it too,¡± Aiden said, walking up to him. ¡°If not I¡¯m just going to be watching you stare at nothing which will just make you look like a madman to me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ted paused. ¡°How do I do tha¡ªnever mind.¡± A moment later, Ted¡¯s notification appeared and Aiden stood beside him. ¡°So you see here and here.¡± Ted pointed at two skills. ¡°That¡¯s the charisma. I got it when I was chatting up Ani. So I just went with it to see if anything else would pop up. But nothing did.¡± Aiden studied Ted¡¯s information. [Name - Theodore Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 21] [Class- None Lvl 0] [Affiliation] None. [Title] None. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Charisma (Mastery 9.08%)] Stats None. No Demon King title, he noted. In Aiden¡¯s previous life, he hadn¡¯t checked Ted¡¯s information until after they had actually started training. And he hadn¡¯t been the one to actually check. Ted had asked to see Aiden''s to know what skills he¡¯d gotten at the time before showing him his own. You can never be too careful, Aiden thought. ¡°I get charisma,¡± Ted said after a moment. ¡°But what¡¯s Tongue of the Visitor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skill that will help us learn languages faster than we normally can,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°It¡¯s designed to help us communicate better.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Ted agreed. ¡°I thought everyone just speaks English since the King spoke it, too. Then I ran into one of the maids and found out she couldn¡¯t speak English. And I couldn¡¯t understand a word she was saying.¡± ¡°Yea.¡± Aiden moved back to the bed. ¡°If you want to know more about the skills, just focus on them and they should expand.¡± Aiden laid down on the bed, allowing the fatigue from his training with Valdan really take him this time. In seconds, his eyes were drooping. ¡°That¡¯s epic!¡± he heard Ted exclaim as sleep took him. ¡°Charisma gives me a high chance of being liked by a stranger on our first meeting. Talk about super first impression.¡± Sleep and fatigue took Aiden a moment later and everything else Ted did or said was lost to him. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aiden was woken up by a knock on the door the next morning. His first reaction was a frantic patting of the bed. His mind ran a quick marathon as he bolted upright on the bed. Spell Binder, he thought, eyes darting around the room. He couldn¡¯t find his enchanted sword, and he had no idea where he¡¯d left his coat. There were enough enchantments on both items to constitute a military crime in most kingdoms. The room was also strange, not his. And he couldn¡¯t remember when¡­ Aiden¡¯s mind settled uncomfortably as memories of yesterday came flooding back to him. Another knock came from the door and he dropped his head in his hands with a groan. There was no Spell Binder because he hadn¡¯t created it yet. And he didn¡¯t have his enchanted coat either. He got up from the massive bed and walked up to the door. Ted had apparently slept on the ground on top of the carpet despite all the space on the bed, which didn¡¯t come as a surprise to Aiden. Ted had never liked sharing a bed unless he was romantically involved with the second person. ¡°Not even his own brother,¡± Aiden muttered as he unlatched the door. Using a latch to secure a locked door felt far too insecure to him now. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d slept behind a door with just a latch. Note to self, he thought as the door opened to the sight of a young man in a robe. Secure lock enchantments. The man stared at him in confusion, then at Ted¡¯s lying form, then back. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± he greeted awkwardly and unsure. Aiden gave the man his nicest smile and returned the greeting. ¡°Scribe.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ The hall they stood in was large. In fact, large seemed like an understatement. It had at least four different entrances and was as wide as a stadium. But it was merely a room in the palace. Sam was sure of it, because he had been entirely aware of every single piece of information he could get from the palace. Even now he could still remember how he¡¯d gotten here. Eight left turns, five rights, two left curving hallways, and a straight path. And three different doors. The man in a red flowing robe who¡¯d woken him up this morning and spoke with the worst understanding of the English language Sam had ever heard had at no point led him out of the palace. Unless this is like those western novels with doors that lead to completely different places from the ones behind them, he thought, staring at the man in a green robe, standing in front of him. Sam wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he felt about that. Magic being cast with wands didn¡¯t feel like something he would enjoy. He prayed it would not be the case as everyone else began gathering, each of them led in through the nearest door by their own men in flowing red robes. Once again, staring at the man standing in front of him, Sam hoped they weren¡¯t about to be handed wands. Of all the fifteen of them gathered, there were eight girls which, Sam noted, kept the ratio of girls to boys in favor of the girls, and he had done his best to remember as many names he¡¯d heard last night as he could. Beside him, one of the boys, Rodney, cupped his hands over his mouth and breathed air into them from his mouth. He sniffed it and shivered away from it. ¡°I really hope they¡¯ve got toothpaste,¡± the boy muttered to himself. Now that Sam thought about it, he hadn¡¯t even checked if his room had a bath yesterday. He¡¯d spent the first few hours in his room walking about and jumping and rolling on the ground. He¡¯d tried a cartwheel and ended up with a result he would rather die than share with anybody. In summary, he just spent the first few hours before dinner reveling in the fact that he now had a fully functional body, instead of legs that didn¡¯t work and arms that twitched anytime he tried to use them. Then the time after dinner had been spent thinking of all the things he could do and be in this new world. In his new home. The king hadn¡¯t specifically said what the ¡®Rising evil¡¯ was, but Sam was willing to bet it was some kind of demon lord. When everyone was gathered and attentive, the man in the green robe addressed them. ¡°Good morning, young lords and ladies,¡± he began in English and a strangely Hispanic accent. ¡°I hope you were all satisfied with your sleeping quarters as well as your dinner.¡± He took a pause, probably in case there would be a response. There was none. During the pause, however, his eyes darted to the side in curiosity. It was a momentary thing, but Sam turned to follow his gaze and found Ted guiding Letto away by the shoulders, engaged in an inaudible conversation. He was leading the boy from the gathering and the man in green didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. The reaction of the person Ted had come in with, however, was questionable. The person, Aiden, simply shook his head with an amused smile. Are they about to play a prank on him? Sam wondered. Don¡¯t tell me this is going to be that kind of story. It was unfortunate, but it turned out that every gathering had a bully. And whenever there was a bully, there was always a bullied. Sam wasn¡¯t deluded enough to think of himself as the main character in some story, but he wasn¡¯t beyond being the character that taught the bullies a lesson. And while he really wanted to get in Ted¡¯s way, right now wasn¡¯t the time. Ted had the size advantage on him. And Sam wasn¡¯t a fighter¡­ Not yet. ¡°It has been brought to our attention by one of our knights,¡± the man in the robe continued after one more quick glance at Ted, ¡°that there are aspects of our world that are quite similar to things that occurred in your world¡­¡± This had to be a joke, right? Sam¡¯s mind ran wild with giddiness. He had no idea what the man was talking about, but he had his hopes. Game mechanics, he pleaded. Please say game mechanics. ¡°¡­ And while that is a good sign,¡± the man went on. ¡°I have been instructed to teach you all on how to navigate this¡­ concept. First, and most importantly, each of you have what is called a personal interface. And you do not call it up by¡ª¡± ¡°STATUS OPEN!¡± someone bellowed. Everyone turned in confusion to find Letto off in the distance with Ted, standing with his legs apart and arms out to his sides. He was making the shape of a star. The man addressing them ran a tired hand down his face. ¡°As I was saying,¡± he continued, drawing everyone¡¯s attention back. ¡°To call up this personal interface please do not shout out the words ¡®status¡¯ or ¡®status open¡¯ as your companion just did. It does nothing and only serves to disturb those around you¡­¡± The man went into a quick explanation of what they should expect as Ted and Letto returned. Letto came walking back with an embarrassed frown, while Ted gave his brother a thumbs up with a wide grin. The only sign of an absence of animosity was when Letto punched Ted¡¯s shoulder playfully. As for the expectations of the king, the man told them that over the course of a month, they would have rigorous trainings designed to find their strengths and weaknesses. According to him, some of them would either develop affinities for magic or the martial arts or they could end up being good at crafting. They would gain varying skills and devote themselves to the skills with the fastest growth. In this way, they would gain levels, and at their tenth level, the gods would bestow upon them a variety of classes to pick from. ¡°Most of our citizens tend to be gifted with a list from three to five classes to pick from,¡± the man said. ¡°However, we are expecting you all to be offered more, judging by the necessity of your presence here.¡± ¡°And what if we don¡¯t display any affinity?¡± a girl, Tara, asked with a raised hand. The man shook his head. ¡°There are no beings without an affinity,¡± he answered. ¡°If you do not have something you are good at, it is simply because we have not found it. And our intention is to find it before your tenth level.¡± Someone else asked if it would take them a month to get to their tenth level since the man said they would be trained for a month. The answer was simple. It would not. They were expected to reach their tenth level within a month, a week extra at the most. Then there would be weeks of rigorous training designed to help solidify their abilities and have their skills and their classes ingrained in them. The aim was to make the entire concept of skills and classes second nature to them. There were faster ways, but it seemed the king had chosen the safest and most foundational way. The faster way was far more dangerous, and seeing as they were not yet pressed for time, the king had chosen against it. Sam wasn¡¯t a religious person but he found himself praying for a magical affinity. He was willing to settle for an affinity for the martial arts, as the man called it, but the last thing he wanted was to end up with a crafting affinity. Hate was a deep word, but he truly disliked classes like herbalists and alchemists and blacksmiths in the stories he¡¯d read. They were supporting classes. And no matter how much authors and anime tried to make them cool, Sam simply wasn¡¯t born to support. Further to the man¡¯s explanation, they were expected to train first thing in the morning under the tutorship of an instructor who would teach them the different magical arts in case anyone developed an affinity for it. Only after that would they have breakfast. Then they would proceed to learn the language of the kingdom which wasn¡¯t expected to take long for them to master. Lunch would come after their language studies, after which would come their tutelage in the martial arts. Then they would have dinner and their freedom to do as they wished within the palace''s confines. At the end of his presentation, Tara raised her hand once more. ¡°Yes, Lady Wilson?¡± ¡°When do we get to go out of the palace and see the rest of the kingdom?¡± she asked. ¡°When you are able to communicate quite fluently in our language,¡± he answered simply. ¡°And when we are sure that sending you out would not result in dire news of your health conditions. Your safety, after all, my Lady, is of utmost importance to us. Also,¡± he added, addressing everyone now, ¡°I offer my deepest apologies for not introducing myself properly. My name is Eliad Reinhardt, and I am head Scribe of the palace.¡± There were slight murmurs regarding what Eliad had said about their ability to leave the palace. Some people commented on how it made them feel like prisoners, while there were those that weren¡¯t so bothered by it. Sam didn¡¯t understand the group that felt like prisoners. Were they so pampered and spoiled that they thought they could just head out with their very own interpreters? And what about the possibility of death? They were in a world were magic was real and people got stronger with every level. Forget being robbed by a thief with a knife. They could step outside and be robbed by a thief with a firebolt. One thing was for sure, Sam wasn¡¯t leaving the palace until he could handle himself. When the murmurings came to an end, Eliad turned to a section of the gathering, unbothered by whatever he had heard from the murmurs. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± he said in a very respectful tone. ¡°I got you. Talk to me,¡± Ted replied with a casual air, while Aiden simply rolled his eyes at his brother¡¯s response. ¡°My apologies, Lord Lacheart,¡± Eliad said with a bow. ¡°I was actually referring to Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ted grinned impishly. ¡°You called and I¡¯ve answered.¡± A small frown creased Eliad¡¯s lips but he schooled it masterfully. Clearly, he was not sure how to navigate his current conundrum. It was almost as if calling them by their first name was somehow a taboo. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± Aiden smacked his brother¡¯s arm. ¡°My deepest apologies for Lord Lacheart¡¯s behavior, Scribe Reinhardt. You have my complete attention. And you may call me Aiden. If not for anything, then for the simple purpose of avoiding such a¡­ complication.¡± Aiden had a touch of his brother¡¯s playfulness in his tone, but Sam found himself being irked by something else. His mannerism. Aiden spoke like he was some grand lord, speaking in false tones and assumed lexicons. Nobody spoke like that apart from the people they¡¯d met here who could speak proper English. Does he think that pretending will make him better than us? Sam thought, hiding his scowl. One of the kinds of people he hated in the world were the pretentious. Those who acted like they were better than everyone else, rejecting who they were, and believing their own lies. There was no way this was the way Aiden talked. The boy had to be faking it. While Sam deliberated, Eliad bowed a little lower, giving Aiden his response. ¡°I would not dream of it, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said. ¡°To address you without a title would be an insult. A more appropriate way to prevent this type of experience from happening again will be sought and found.¡± Aiden waited for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Then I will leave it in your able hands. So, what did you wish to tell me?¡± ¡°I only wished to inform you that while the magic instructor is on their way, and Sir Denid is to instruct in the way of martial arts in the evening, I have been recently informed of your displayed affinity for the martial arts. As such, Sir Valdan has asked that I inform you that he will be expecting your presence on the training ground used yesterday this morning. If you would like, I will be more than happy to guide you there.¡± In all his pretentious haughtiness, Aiden took his time to think about it. In the end, he shook his head. ¡°That will not be necessary, Scribe Reinhardt,¡± he said. ¡°However, please inform Sir Valdan when you see him that I will see him in the evening.¡± Eliad stiffened slightly but schooled his expression once more. ¡°I will pass that along, Lord Lacheart.¡± When he made his exit, heading for the nearest one in the room, Sam seethed quietly in anger. Aiden Lacheart was someone who looked down on people and thought he was better than them. He was pretentious and false, and Sam knew his kind of people. One of them was the reason he¡¯d ended up with a disabled body in what was now his old world. It was official, Sam did not like Aiden Lacheart. FIVE: A Skill Issue Aiden scratched his head as he looked at his interface. In a way, history was repeating itself. Beside him Ted was peering at his details. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age - 19] [Class- None Lvl 0] [Affiliation] None. [Title] None. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Kick (Mastery 94.88%)], [Palm attack (Mastery 98.03%)], [Evade (Mastery 98.98%)], [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 90.00%)], [Dash (Mastery 89.50%)], [Resilience (Mastery 30.18%)] [Sword Strike (Mastery 99.19%)], [Parry (Mastery 82.00%)], [Engraving (Mastery 80.00%)], [Geometry (Mastery 92.90%)]. Stats None. ¡°Can I just say a few things?¡± Ted said. Aiden didn¡¯t see why not. After all, he had more annoying things on his mind. Like why did he still not have an affinity for magic? ¡°First, and most important,¡± Ted said. ¡°How the hell do you have so many skills?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been doing so many things,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°So have I. And when did you pick up geometry. The magic instructor said it¡¯s the basic foundation for spells and enchantments. I took one look at those things and had a brain fart. But you¡¯re already at 92%.¡± They were in Aiden¡¯s room today, and he laid down on his bed, tired. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Yea, one more. This place stinks. Even the mighty Sam of isekai has started getting annoyed. It¡¯s been a week and we¡¯re yet to see the first level one.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t blame their impatience. If the king wanted them to be level one in this instant, it would actually be easy. All they had to do was find some creature or monster¡ªNastild was filled with them¡ªor a person at level one, maybe two, and have them kill it or them. Instant level up. But the difference between video games and this world was in the way levels translated. All levels did was increase a person¡¯s raw power, it did not translate to experience or skill. This style of training, while slow, guaranteed that by the time they left the palace, they had a higher chance of winning in a fight against an opponent of their level. ¡°I was talking to Sam earlier today,¡± Ted said, to Aiden¡¯s dismay. ¡°And he said he had an idea of how to get to level one.¡± Aiden knew the idea. And the truth was that the idea had gone on without a hitch in his past life. In his former life, everyone that had followed Sam¡¯s idea had ended up leveling up. It had also been the motivation that had allowed them leave the palace from time to time just to level up. ¡°He says, he¡¯s been speaking with some of the soldiers,¡± Ted went on. ¡°Not the knights or the squires, and he knows how to get all of us to level one.¡± ¡°I take it he wants to do it using game mechanics,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Sneak everyone out of the palace and hunt down maybe a goblin or something.¡± Aiden hadn¡¯t attended the initial plan in his past life because he¡¯d been too busy studying enchantment books in the library at the time. This was after learning that it was most likely the only form of magic he would ever be good at. ¡°That¡¯s how it works in games, and the soldier he said he spoke to confirmed it,¡± Ted said. ¡°We¡¯re heading out in three days.¡± ¡°Why three days?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Why not tonight?¡± ¡°The soldier needs to find a place with enough creatures for all of us to level up with, and they have to be low levels.¡± That made sense. As to why the soldier was helping them, Aiden could guess that the soldier wanted to be seen in good favor with them. As far as the soldiers were concerned, these were the saviors of their world, destined to rise to the highest levels. He was probably sure that any help he offered would grant him their favor. It was just quite unfortunate that it would not. The soldier had ended up being so unimportant after a while that Aiden almost pitied him. At least that was how it had played out. ¡°So you coming?¡± Ted asked. Aiden was surprised to find himself thinking about it. The truth was that he was already on his way to level one. If he could learn mana manipulation, then he could scale all his masteries to a hundred percent. There were two known ways a person could reach level one. The first was by slaying a strong enough opponent, and the second was by getting at least one basic skill. The latter was the more difficult. ¡°And you guys don¡¯t mind that it will be dangerous?¡± he asked Ted. Ted rolled all the way to the edge of the bed and stopped. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a level one monster, Aida. They¡¯ll be weak and insignificant. Besides, the soldier is a level nineteen with the class literally called [Soldier].¡± [Soldier] was a basic class at the bottom of the combat classes upgradable to the [Warrior] class. But at level nineteen, anyone with the class was suitable to babysit all of them in hunting down level one monsters. The problem was if the soldier was going to be responsible about it. ¡°Have you guys accounted for gear?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Armors and weapons?¡± Ted nodded. ¡°Same guy¡¯s bringing us the things we need. And since I already have mana manipulation and basic thunderbolt, that gives us an edge.¡± Aiden had almost forgotten that at some point Ted had been the prospect for the Hero title. He¡¯d had a talent for both magic and the martial arts, developing a talent for spell-crafting and alchemy later on as well. Everyone believed that the only reason he hadn¡¯t ended up with the title was because he didn¡¯t give himself over enough to a sense of justice. ¡°I¡¯ll be more than happy to tag along,¡± Aiden told Ted. ¡°I just hope I can get this mana manipulation skill before the time comes.¡± Ted shook his head in confusion. ¡°For someone with so many skills I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t have that yet,¡± he said. ¡°I think mana manipulation isn¡¯t that hard. You just have to listen to the mana, feel it. It¡¯s even easier when instructor Nilhma places all of us in the mana field. In fact, when she does it, it¡¯s hard to even ignore it. You feel it on your skin, listen to it, then direct it. It¡¯s like playing with water in a bowl.¡± Aiden looked at his brother, dumbfounded. Talented people always gave the blandest explanation of things. ¡°So in summary,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re asking me to just¡­ do it.¡± Ted chuckled, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°You know people can¡¯t just feel mana and direct it, right? It¡¯s really not like water in a bowl. It¡¯s far more complicated than that.¡± Ted shrugged. ¡°Sounds like a skill issue to me.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aiden sat with a gentle frown on his face in Nilhma¡¯s mana field. He sat eyes closed with two others; Anita, who liked to be called Ani, and Letto. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. They were the last three of the group who were yet to get their mana manipulation skill. And by instructor Nilhma¡¯s instruction, she would be unable to teach them anything else in the way of magic without it. Valdan had told Aiden that [Mana manipulation] wasn¡¯t so necessary. Seeing Aiden begin to skip training with him for the sake of reading books in the palace library had led him to sharing that particular piece of information. ¡°Knights don¡¯t have mana manipulation,¡± Valdan had told Aiden one day. ¡°Every living being can sense mana, and that is enough. However, we Knights possess aura, an innate manipulation of our own mana. It may not work the same way mana manipulation works, but it is plenty strong in its own right.¡± Aiden knew of aura, and while it was a powerful tool, he didn¡¯t care much for it. In this life, if he still didn¡¯t have an affinity for magic, then he would at least get the [Enchant] skill even if he wasn¡¯t going to get the class. He had given it much thought and had decided on it. He had a fighting style he was already accustomed to, and whatever class he ended up getting this time would not change it. The least he could do was gain the skills he was familiar with and work with that. Aiden sat, paying attention to nothing but the air around him with closed eyes, when it finally clicked. He knew the methods to get the mana manipulation skill, but his patience had been the thing slowly dwindling away. Now, however, he had it. He opened his eyes as he felt the warm lick of mana against his skin. It was like standing in the midst of a lot of smoke. Small, gentle and weightless, but very present. A notification flashed in front of him. You have learnt skill [Mana manipulation (Mastery 02.00%)]. The beauty of skills like [Mana manipulation] was that they were foundational skills that didn¡¯t need complete mastery. They were independent foundational skills, never being absorbed into any basic skill. ¡°Congratulations, Lord Lacheart,¡± Nilhma said in her gentle voice. ¡°I will be more than happy to have you in our lessons now.¡± ¡°Dude, you¡¯re so lucky,¡± Letto pouted as Aiden got up in the circle of mana field they were seated in. Aiden stepped out of the field of deep blue. ''Lucky'' wasn¡¯t the word Aiden would¡¯ve gone with. In his past life it had taken him up until level 8 before he¡¯d learned mana manipulation. Then it had taken him the remaining years to raise it up to 50%. As much as he didn¡¯t think he was special, there was a part of him that had expected more of himself. He was, after all, a freaking time traveler. He¡¯d trained intakes from the Order. There was a part of him that had expected himself, despite logic, to be special. An entire week to gain mana manipulation as opposed to a month is impressive, he reminded himself. What were you expecting? You¡¯d sit down and just get it? Nilhma¡¯s lessons, while interesting, were of no real interest to Aiden. She was teaching basic level spells, the kinds of things that were used to light candles and levitate pieces of paper. They were all things Aiden knew, even if they were not things he could do. [Mana manipulation], after all, was not [Mana mastery] that allowed arcane classes cast spells. And he¡¯d never gotten mana mastery in his past life. He doubted he would get it in this one. So while she taught them to sense the magic of fire around them, Aiden practiced a little bit of mental magic, crafting as many enchantments as he could in his mind. With his current body, he knew the enchantments, but his mind couldn¡¯t recreate many of them. With no level, what he could create images of in his mind were the barest of enchantments. Enchantments so low they practically had no use. Progress not perfect, he told himself, struggling to envision the lowest level locking enchantment he knew. Progress not perfect. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Valdan parried an easy blow from Aiden. ¡°What is happening, my lord?¡± he asked as he stepped to the side, readying an attack. ¡°Your movements have been all over the place this evening.¡± Aiden had an answer to that, but it wasn¡¯t one he was willing to give. He¡¯d checked on his skills before showing up, and had plans. Plans he didn¡¯t want to explain to the Knight. So, rather than give a response, he charged Valdan with an over-head slash. He brought his sword down, swinging with both hands. The Knight deflected the blow again, sending it aside with power instead of skill. Aiden, unwilling to release his sword, went spinning away from the Knight. Congratulations! You have gained perfect mastery! [Sword strike (Mastery 100.00%)]. Aiden ignored the notification, dispelled it as he pulled himself to a halt and charged Valdan. They met with clashing blades, and once again, the Knight met his gaze. Or at least Aiden felt that that was the case. Valdan never took off his helmet so it was impossible to tell. But judging by how the man¡¯s helmeted face was in Aiden¡¯s, he assumed that was the case. ¡°What are you doing, my Lord?¡± Valdan asked, curious confusion in his voice. He pressed against their clashed blade, overpowering Aiden by each passing moment. Aiden was no fool. Overpowering a Knight was impossible in his current situation and at his current level. But this wasn¡¯t a battle of strength, it was one of technique. He tilted his body to the side and shoulder-checked the knight. Pain filled his entire shoulder when he did it, and he let out a pained grunt. Congratulations! You have gained perfect mastery! [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 100.00%)] ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± This time Aiden could hear the frown in the man¡¯s voice. In their time spent sparring, Aiden had come to learn that while he couldn¡¯t say that the knight liked him, he could confidently say that Valdan had high hopes for him. Expectations. On more than one occasion, the Knight had complimented his adaptability in a sword fight. According to Valdan, he had the makings of a knight. So having him do unreasonable things that helped him in no way during a fight, must¡¯ve left the man confused. ¡°Perhaps we should stop here, My¡ª¡± Aiden swung his sword from the side, interrupting Valdan¡¯s words. The knight reacted with a back step and Aiden followed him almost immediately. Everything was coming together, his plan taking action. Faster! he thought, closing the distance as he dispelled another notification. He was running out of time. With the first perfect mastery he had to hurry up. Congratulations! You have gained perfect mastery! [Dash (Mastery 100.00%)] ¡°Lord Lacheart!¡± Valdan hissed as he blocked another sword slash. Aiden wasn¡¯t looking for a block, and Valdan was losing motivation to continue this fight. Aiden could not have that, his plans banked on the man fighting back. Valdan ducked under another slash and weaved his way around Aiden. Aiden spun in place, the blade of his sword cutting through the air to strike the knight. The aim was true, accurate. By all possibilities, it was primed to take the knights head, split it horizontally in half. But Valdan was not Aiden¡¯s equal. And while this battle pushed Aiden to the limit, it was nowhere near a Knight¡¯s combat requirement. Valdan stepped out of reach in the blink of an eye, the action ghost-like in Aiden¡¯s eyes. ¡°Aiden!¡± Valdan snapped. But Aiden wasn¡¯t listening. At perfect mastery, foundational skills reacted differently. While their benefits continued to show in their users, they also became active skills, useable until they were assimilated into a basic skill. You have activated skill [Dash (Mastery 100.00%)]. The skill propelled Aiden forward, cutting him through the distance faster than his mind could follow. One moment he was standing over six feet away from Valdan and the next he was in front of the man, sword raised high in both hands. ¡°Fight, Knight!¡± he commanded, and brought the sword down. Valdan obeyed. He defended himself, allowed Aiden¡¯s sword glide down the length of his. The moment his sword was free, Valdan brought his sword high and let it come down in emulation of Aiden¡¯s attack. It was an attack Aiden had been waiting for, and he reacted as well. Reaching for everything he had, he turned his sword and swung it upwards, straight into Valdan¡¯s attack. Both swords clashed, the edge of Aiden¡¯s crashing into the flat of Valdan¡¯s blade. Congratulations! You have gained perfect mastery! [Parry (Mastery 100.00%)]. Valdan¡¯s sword skewed to the side and hit the ground, but the Knight was not done. His sword was already moving once more, and Aiden refused to be outdone right now. He had a goal, but even as he leaned away and avoided the new attack, he knew his plan had failed. Congratulations! You have gained perfect mastery! [Evade (Mastery 100.00%)]. Aiden wanted to keep going, but his body had other intentions. He created a distance between himself and Valdan in three steps, panting heavily. The air filling him through his mouth proved nowhere near enough. Progress not perfect, he told himself in disappointment as he fell to his knees, tired. Without looking up, he raised his hand, palm held out, and let his sword drop. He raised his eyes up, and while there was a smile on his lips, dread filled his entire being at the sight he was met with. Valdan stood in front of him, a striking figure. His knightly armor glimmered with tiny sparks of energy that were almost nonexistent. He had his sword held high again, sparks of mana like lightning running through it so that it glowed very slightly. This time, he held it in both hands. The dust gathered around him had yet to settle. From the tiny slit in the Knight¡¯s helmet too little to see the man¡¯s eyes through, blue wisp leaked out from where the left eye should be. Aiden knew aura when he saw it. He stared up at the sight, a man almost executed. ¡°I believe that¡¯s enough, Sir Valdan,¡± he said, barely keeping his fear from his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± There was a slight tremor in his voice and he hoped the Knight had not noticed it. Valdan just stood there, sword raised high, chest heaving so hard it was visible in the way the armor responded with each breath. The sparks going through it did not cease. The knight¡¯s sword did not falter. Aiden¡¯s interface flashed in front of him. Foundational skills with perfect mastery detected. Multiple foundational skills with perfect mastery detected. Congratulations! You have achieved perfect mastery in the necessary foundational skills. You have gained skill [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 02.10%)]. Aiden would¡¯ve smiled if his life wasn¡¯t currently about to flash before his eyes. Then he saw Valdan move a split moment before it happened. In this single moment, Aiden¡¯s mind ran through a myriad of options. His sword had fallen from his hold, released by him, so that wouldn¡¯t help him. He had no magic to his name or enchantment with which to protect himself. And he could barely even move. He watched Valdan¡¯s grip tighten around the hilt of his sword crackling with growing energy and swore. He''d pushed his luck a little too far. Oh shit. Congratulations! Prisoner #234502385739. You have Leveled Up! Valdan¡¯s sword came down, cutting through the notification. SIX: Jepats Aiden¡¯s raised hand trembled horribly. The end of Valdan¡¯s sword was buried in the ground beside him, cleaving Aiden¡¯s dropped sword in two. In the wake of its fall was a crack in the ground that spread forward for over fifteen feet. Aiden looked back, trailed the distance the crack traveled. The crack widened the farther it went and Aiden couldn¡¯t tell how deep it was. That has to be a skill, he thought. Right? If it wasn''t, then Valdan had reached the rank of aura manifestation and had simply imbued his sword with it in anger. What were the chances that the action hadn''t been intentional? When he turned to look back at Valdan, the Knight was staring right at him. Through the eye slit Aiden could see a single bright, blue pupil. He would¡¯ve said something, anything, if he didn¡¯t think his life depended on whatever happened next. Who was to say that he hadn¡¯t angered Sir Valdan to true volatility. They stayed that way for a time that seemed to last forever, silent in the weight of their individual or perhaps collective action. When the silence was broken, it was by Valdan. The bright blue of his eyes dimmed until Aiden could no longer see it through the helmet. Then Valdan stood to his full height, taking his sword with him. He sheathed it calmly, then did something he had never done in Aiden¡¯s presence. He took off his helmet. The action seemed almost ceremonious, executed with both hands. Sir Valdan was not a handsome man. He was not ugly, though, not by the definition of the word. But no one would look at him and call him handsome. He had a rough face and a squared jaw. He wore a neat beard, trimmed to perhaps an inch in length with a scar as long as his smallest finger on the left side of his jaw. He also had a full head of night-black hair tied back neatly. He had blue eyes and a mouth that looked like he had never found a single thing funny in his life. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± he said, voice empty. ¡°Congratulations on your first level.¡± Aiden¡¯s head twitched in a nod. Now that his life was no longer dancing on the edge of a sword''s blade, the adrenaline was wearing off. In its place was the slow rush of power than came with achieving a level. It was usually more ecstatic than this, but fear was a great number. ¡°That said,¡± Valdan continued, ¡°I will now address you, not as a Knight would a Lord, but as a swordsman would a potential savior. You have been brought to this world for greater purposes than my very own existence. The palace has watched you and your companions as you have lived and trained amongst us, and we all know that you are not like the others. You speak with better decorum and accept our ways better than the others. You are, in a sense, more mature. But despite that, it often works to your disadvantage. ¡°You have ostracized your peers, save your brother, paving your own path and forgetting the necessity that is team work. You have chosen to walk a solo path. And while you will go fast on it, you will not go far. You may know more than your peers, Lord Lacheart, but it does not make you an adult. You are but a child, stuck in a game you do not understand.¡± Valdan gestured at the space around them, expression still empty. ¡°I do not know what you sought to achieve here, this evening,¡± he continued. ¡°I do not know what your goal was in your display of chaotic swordsmanship and confused actions. I do not know what you sought in testing me. But I will advise you this: do not push a knight to anger; do not test a knight. You almost lost your life today, Lord Lacheart. Remember that.¡± Valdan gave Aiden no space to reply. Once his words ended, he turned and strode away, placing his helmet back on to hide his face and leaving Aiden with his congratulations on a new level. Aiden ran his hand through his hair once the Knight was gone. The trembling was gone from his hand, thankfully, and his lips pressed into a thin line, knowing Valdan had not been wrong to be offended. I believe a proper apology is in order, he thought, scratching his head in frustration. For now, however, he pulled up his interface. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age - 19] [Class- None Lvl 1] [Affiliation] None. [Title] None. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 02.10%)], [Kick (Mastery 98.08%)], [Palm attack (Mastery 99.00%)], [Shoulder Thrust (Mastery 100.00%)], [Resilience (Mastery 42.13%)], [Engraving (Mastery 80.00%)], [Geometry (Mastery 92.90%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 2.00%)]. [Stats] None. Aiden dismissed it and laid down with a frown. He had almost lost his life and had still failed. In his past life, he¡¯d learned that if a person could get more than one basic skill at the same time as they leveled up, they could unlock a unique skill. It was something that only happened if it was done under considerable pressure and simultaneously. It was, in a way, a boon to anyone. It gave it''s user the ability to use a skill in a way that was different from its general use. For example, at a simple level, a long range sword slash done with a skill needed to be executed with a sword. But at the same simple level, if the skill was unique, the user could find themselves with a skill that allowed them execute it with their bare hands. Unique skills were not powerful, but they circumvented the norm. For this, Aiden had taken advantage of Valdan¡¯s good will. He''d truly believed that he could anger the knight without being killed. But in the face of someone with a significantly higher level, survival wasn¡¯t a certainty. A mistimed attack here or the slightest miscalculation of strength there, could lead to death. So as Valdan got more confused and angrier, the certainty of survival dropped. And while Aiden continued to believe he would not die, he continued to fear that he would. He played the game at the edge of safety and had come out in the end with nothing to show for it. He turned his head on its side and looked at the crack in the ground and the broken sword. He didn¡¯t know what Valdan¡¯s level had been at the end of the war, but right now, he put it somewhere in the forties¡­ Maybe higher. It didn''t sound like a large number, but considering many people went their entire lives without breaking through the level fifty wall, it was commendable. Nothing less from a Knight of Bandiv. ¡­¡­¡­¡­. Valdan strolled through the palace halls with a frown on his face. The young Lord had been foolish, that much was true, but he had been more foolish. Who had ever heard of a Knight losing their cool in a fight against an Unclassed. Worse, someone yet to have a level. Every day he sparred against Lord Lacheart, he continued to be impressed. Yes, Lord Lacheart had the makings to be an amazing Knight, but Valdan knew the Knight class was not for him. Those who were offered the class tended to possess a certain sense of loyalty. And loyalty was the last thing he saw in Lord Lacheart. But the young lord was destined for the path of the swordsman. Valdan could see him achieving the grandmaster level in his swordsmanship. But that was if he continued to devote himself to the art and stayed away from foolish displays like the one he had done today. Valdan was climbing down a set of stairs that would finally lead him beyond the palace and towards the Knight¡¯s quarters when a servant came to stand in front of him. It was a young boy, no older than his thirteenth year. He was dressed in poor clothes, yet he had taken good enough care of them to not come across as ragged. But how the boy looked was not important. What was important was what the boy represented. Valdan stopped in his tracks. He could no sooner step past the bowing boy than he could cut the sky and kill a god. Fear seized him by the ankle, threatening to pull him down even before the boy passed on the message he brought with him. ¡°Your presence is required, Sir Knight,¡± the child said, eyes to the ground. Valdan did his best to stand tall and regal, to remind himself that he was not some simple subject but a knight of the crown. ¡°Location?¡± he asked. ¡°The king¡¯s study.¡± Valdan stood rooted to the ground like a tree as the boy made his exit, sharp and quick. He had paved a way for his future long ago, climbing from the class of [Soldier], finding the fortune of an upgrade to [Warrior], then [Knight]. He had made plans; serve his kingdom and make a way to retirement. But it was all for naught now. With a single gesture from the king''s advisor on an unfortunately fortunate evening, his fate had been turned on its head. All the little control he¡¯d had over his own fate, taken, like candy from a baby. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Valdan enjoyed training the young Lord Lacheart, watching the young grow. But as much as he loved it, he also hated it. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Valdan took a knee, silent in front of King Brandis. In the presence of a king all subjects only spoke when spoken to. Anything else would be disrespect to the crown. And while Brandis was not a king to punish disrespect so carelessly, a Knight was to be respectful at all times. They were in the king¡¯s study, a large room with a few comfortable chairs, a large reading desk and a seat with a backdrop of a large, glass double-door that opened out to a high balcony. The doors were currently veiled behind beige curtains. The room was illuminated by orb lights, glass orbs as large as Valdas¡¯ head with tongues of fire ever-living inside them, each one immortal due to one enchantment or the other. It cast the room in a warm yellow glow, revealing the shelves of books stacked against brown walls. Behind the reading table, Brandis sat comfortably with a golden goblet on the table just to his side. He had a thoughtful expression on his face as he studied his Knight. ¡°Would it make any difference if I asked you to be at ease when we are alone?¡± King Brandis asked, going for a calm and casual tone. ¡°Yes, my king,¡± Valdan lied. Brandis nodded. ¡°I thought as much. So I will not. Instead, I will ask you to rise and report.¡± Valdan came abruptly to his feet, one arm behind his back while he held his helmet in the other. ¡°Lord Lacheart the younger continues to show promise in the martial arts,¡± he reported. ¡°He continues to excel each day, honing skills I can only assume are from his world, though his form of swordsmanship is eerily familiar.¡± King Brandis leaned forward on his table, intrigued. ¡°What do you mean when you say eerily familiar?¡± ¡°Facing him, I am often caught with the feeling that I have seen such skills before, perhaps even faced them myself.¡± ¡°When he was summoned, he displayed skills we did not expect of him.¡± Brandis leaned back, away from the table. ¡°His explanation was that all his life he has been copying the actions of others he had seen in combat. Is it possible that he has been watching others fight since coming to our world? Inculcating their techniques into his own to better strengthen it.¡± ¡°I would not dare to oppose my king,¡± Valdan replied carefully. ¡°But while I do agree that he seems to be a genius in the martial arts as against his peers, the level my king is positing isn¡¯t the feat of a genius. I would call that the feat of a god.¡± Brandis smiled. ¡°Perhaps you are right. And his allegiance to his peers?¡± Valdan¡¯s eyes squinted in confusion. ¡°Apologies, my king, but I do not understand.¡± ¡°His¡­¡± Brandis made a vague gesture with his hand, trying to find the right word. ¡°His relationship¡­ yes¡­ His relationship with his peers. From your point of view, what is it like?¡± ¡°Nonexistent, my king. Save Lord Lacheart the older, he pays his companions no heed. They are to him like the strands of hair on his palms.¡± Brandis paused. ¡°The palm has no hair, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°My point exactly, my king.¡± Brandis laughed at that. ¡°That¡¯s a good one,¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps I will find a fitting situation to use that analogy on the prince. If you would permit me.¡± Valdan bowed his head. ¡°It is yours to use as you see fit, my king.¡± ¡°What of his allegiance to anything else? His old world. This world. His purpose for being here.¡± ¡°I know nothing of his old world," Valdan answered. "If he ever thinks of it, he does not show it. As for this world, he does not speak of it. He does not ask me questions or show curiosity. When he is with me, he thinks only of training. If I was to give him any allegiance, my King, I would say that it would be to getting stronger.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Brandis mused. ¡°I would not necessarily call it a good thing. But it is an interesting one. What of his brother? Does he speak of his brother?¡± ¡°No, my king.¡± Brandis drummed his fingers against the top of his table in contemplation. ¡°I have been informed that he tends to spend most of his nights in his brother¡¯s room," he said. "I had thought this meant they were close somehow, but the other instructors are leading me to believe that beyond spending their nights in the same room, they are not. Tell me, Sir Valdan, how do you think it would turn out if we were to add the older brother to your training sessions with Lord Lacheart the younger?¡± ¡°Unless the older brother possesses the same prowess and talent for the sword, I will not advise it. I fear it might demotivate the older brother to see his younger brother so vastly above him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Brandis asked in genuine confusion. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought the time spent would breed healthy competition between the both of them.¡± ¡°It may. However, all I can give is my personal opinion, my king.¡± ¡°So he has shown allegiance to nothing but getting stronger,¡± Brandis mused almost to himself. ¡°That is noted. Is there anything else you have to report before you are dismissed, Sir Valdan?¡± ¡°Yes, my king. It is with pleasure that I inform you that Lord Lacheart the younger, as at when I left him this evening, has gained his first level.¡± Brandis barked a pleased laugh. It was short and quick. Controlled. ¡°That is great news. Perhaps the others will follow shortly. It is always good when a plan shows results." He reveled in his satisfaction a little longer before returning to a placid expression. "If that is all, you may take your leave.¡± Sir Valdan bowed at the waist, then turned and made his exit. The moment the door closed behind him, the mana in the room shifted slightly and Brandis sighed. ¡°Talking to these knights sometimes feels like talking to a brick wall," he said. "I miss the days when they weren¡¯t so respectful of me. When we could laugh and talk, one man to another.¡± ¡°You were not king then.¡± The Sage strolled out of the side of the room to stand in front of the king¡¯s table, as if walking out of nothing. ¡°Being king has its bad, just as it has its good.¡± Brandis rubbed his forehead with thumb and forefinger in exhaustion. ¡°That much is true. But that is unimportant. You¡¯ve heard the reports, what do you think?¡± ¡°The [Rogue] class seems like a possible offering,¡± the Sage said. ¡°Then there¡¯s the [Alchemist], the [Sword Master] and perhaps [Guide].¡± Brandis cocked a brow. ¡°Still?¡± The Sage nodded. ¡°I find that unlikely,¡± Brandis said. ¡°The [Guide] is a class offered to people with some level of allegiance, someone willing to show someone a path, a way. Someone willing to put others on the right path. You heard Sir Valdan, the boy cares for no one and shows interest in nothing but his own power.¡± The Sage shrugged. ¡°I still stand by my words. But you must remember that it is a prediction, and nothing more. As for Valdan¡¯s familiarity with the boy¡¯s way of fighting, pay it no heed. It is nothing of import.¡± Brandis cocked a brow. ¡°I was not going to. But hearing you point it out, I guess you already have an idea of what it is.¡± ¡°I do. But it is as you have said, an idea, and nothing more.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Brandis picked up the goblet on the table and took a sip from it. He turned on his chair and stared at the curtains that concealed the double-door behind him. ¡°What about the other matters? What do we know of the developments in the East?¡± ¡°It will please you to learn that the kingdom of Nel Quan achieved success in their attempt only yesterday, though their numbers do not rival ours.¡± ¡°Good for them. And the South?¡± ¡°Our spies have confirmed that Mba-chukwu found success a week before us.¡± Brandis¡¯ hold on his goblet tightened. ¡°As much as it irks me to fall behind them, it remains for the greater good. Their numbers?¡± ¡°Abysmal.¡± Brandis nodded. ¡°What of the North?¡± ¡°Nothing. We are yet to have an update of any kind.¡± There was a moment of heavy hesitation. It stretched a brief silence between Brandis and the Sage. In the end, he asked the question he did not want to. ¡°And the Order?¡± ¡°Still going about their usual operations,¡± the Sage answered, unbothered. ¡°If they have any interest in the subject, they have shown nothing to the world to support it.¡± Brandis let out a tired sigh. The Order was the world¡¯s wild card, and they were in no one else¡¯s hands but their own, acting as they saw fit when they saw fit. They bowed to no one, signed no treaty unless as witnesses to it. They were allies to none and enemies to none. Which made them enemies to all. Enemies we cannot vanquish. They were like a natural disaster¡ªmeasures could be set in place to mitigate damage, but ultimately, they were handled only on arrival. And damage was most often inevitable. ¡°That aside,¡± he said, returning his attention to the Sage. ¡°Have we gotten a fitting first task for our otherworld guests?¡± ¡°We still have soldiers investigating the disturbance in the south,¡± the Sage answered. ¡°So far we have detected demonic mana, but not at a level worth noting. It is my belief that by the time they each receive their class, something might become of it¡ªa demonic forest, perhaps. The town there has been recording slowly growing number of disappearances.¡± Brandis groaned. His feet began tapping against the ground. ¡°I hate this," he said after a while. "I hate everything about demonic mana. Even when we notice it, there is nothing we can do about it. We cannot dispel it or collect it or relocate it. And the only method of harnessing it is as disgusting as it is dishonorable, and even that does not dispel it. All we can do is wait until it manifests fully and causes problems. This is no way to live, Sage.¡± ¡°Everything happens for a reason, king Brandis.¡± ¡°A reason? So there was a reason for the deaths incurred from the summoning?¡± Brandis spat. ¡°Is that what you are telling me?¡± ¡°Yes." The Sage remained unfazed. "We may not know what they are, but they are there.¡± ¡°A Sage that speaks like a priest.¡± Brandis shook his head in dismay. ¡°Confusing. But it doesn¡¯t matter. Once the problems begin to arise from the demonic mana, we will send the outworlders. However, and I cannot stress this enough, their safety is of the utmost importance. They must experience what battle truly feels like but not one of them is to suffer death. I will not sacrifice more than what is necessary.¡± The Sage nodded. ¡°Understood. Is this my dismissal for the night?¡± Brandis almost laughed. As if he needs a dismissal to dismiss himself. ¡°No,¡± he said, instead with a raised a finger. ¡°One more question before you go. Advice seeking, really. Do you think we should tell the outworlders?¡± The Sage didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°Of the sacrifices that came with their summoning or of the other kingdoms?¡± ¡°The other kingdoms.¡± ¡°Of the sacrifices? No. Never. It will only serve to distract them, and nothing good will come of it. Of the other kingdoms? Eventually.¡± ¡°And when exactly is eventually, Sage?¡± ¡°I cannot say. But the time will come.¡± The Sage turned away without being dismissed and started walking off to the side from where he¡¯d come. ¡°I know it may not seem that way sometimes, Brandis, but time, no matter how linear, is not as we believe. Even when time begins to act up, break and twirl. Even when you fear that one day it just might loop in on itself or reset, there will always be a time for everything.¡± King Brandis watched the Sage disappear into one of the bookshelves as if there was nothing there. He simply stepped into it like a ghost or a wraith. Sometimes he disliked conversations with the man. They often left him with more questions than answers, and mostly confused. For instance, what was the purpose of the extended explanation of time? Was he hinting at something? Brandis shook the worry from his mind, thinking of things he had some modicum of control over. He reached inside a drawer of his desk and pulled out a rolled up parchment. Now that he was alone, or relatively so¡ªbecause for all he knew the Sage could waltz in at any time, even though he never did¡ªhe unfurled the parchment and spread it out on his table. It was a large map with different graphs and diagrams drawn over it depicting geographical paths, mana paths, ley lines, tectonic shifts. It was the accumulation of his years of research. His expression took on a deadly look as he stared at it, his brain working in search of a solution. He had narrowed his search to a single continent. Now he just had to narrow it down to a smaller geographical location. If he could just figure out where the Demon King¡¯s castle was before the Demon King arrived, that would be half the battle won. They could storm it, lay waste to it before it became a defendable stronghold. He placed his finger on a point on the map where he would be sending scouts to survey tomorrow. Not for the first time, he asked himself a question he hated. Why did it have to appear in my kingdom? Because if he¡¯d narrowed down the castle of the Demon King¡¯s appearance to his kingdom, then he was certain the other kingdoms had. It was only a matter of time before they all put aside their differences, came together, and demanded he surrender his kingdom to a council leadership until the Demon King threat is dealt with. This was going to be a problem. ¡­.. Aiden stared at what his brother was holding in his arms and couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°This is what we¡¯re being given for gear?¡± he asked, flabbergasted. ¡°Nothing else?¡± ¡°You do remember that this isn¡¯t some sanctioned thing we¡¯re doing, right?¡± Ted asked. ¡°We¡¯re quite literally sneaking out of the palace on an illegal daring-do.¡± ¡°With nothing but a sword and¡ª¡± Aiden leaned in for a closer look ¡°¡ªplease tell me that that¡¯s not an orb light.¡± ¡°It is an orb light, Aiden. A portable one.¡± Aiden ran a frustrated hand down his face. ¡°How the hell did you people survive without any casualties?¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°What did you say?¡± Ted asked. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Nothing important. Just tell me that we at least get jepats.¡± ¡°What are those?¡± Aiden remembered the bipedal creatures. They had heads like alpacas and feet like ostriches with hooves. It was really disturbing if you weren''t accustomed to them. He also remembered how irked by them he had been in the beginning. ¡°They are this world¡¯s version of horses,¡± he answered. ¡°For the six of us?¡± Ted snorted. ¡°You wish. We might as well announce what we are trying to do.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t believe this. Yes, the monsters would be level one goblins, but it seemed none of them understood just what the difference between a level one and a level zero was. With a groan, he walked up to Ted and took a sheathed sword from him. ¡°Let¡¯s just go get this over with.¡± SEVEN: Goblin Standing at the exit made Drax worried. At any point in time someone with enough authority to get them in trouble could show up. But no one had. Besides himself, there was a girl named Ariadne and the soldier that was supposed to play the role of guide. They stood just outside the palace but within the walls of the castle grounds. It was late into the night and they had nothing but stars and moonlight to guide them. Letto had chosen to opt out of their secret adventure, talking about how dangerous it sounded and his unwillingness to put his life at risk for no reason. Drax saw it as the reasonable decision. From what he knew about Letto, that was sane reasoning. Aiden, on the other hand, was where Drax was having a problem. Actually, he didn¡¯t have a problem with Aiden, he was just confused about who he had become. The Aiden he knew was a simple kid. They had not necessarily been friends, but they had shared a few lectures together and hovered around similar social circles to have an idea of what kind of people they were. Aiden was one of the simplest people Drax had ever met. And he didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way. Aiden was the kind of guy you could expect to do what he was supposed to do when he was supposed to do it. He would not do it a moment sooner, neither would he do it a moment later. He could have a simple conversation with people but wasn¡¯t known to prolong one for more than necessary. Aiden was not a pariah of any kind, just someone who chose his friends carefully. He was amiable and shied away from confrontation, unless said confrontation was with Ted, his brother. In that case, he could get quite animated and loud. Drax had seen it once. So what the hell happened to him? Since they arrived on Nastild, he had been different. He was quieter, more determined. And always busy. Sometimes Drax felt like Aiden was intentionally avoiding him and Letto. Drax could understand if Aiden was avoiding the others, but he and Letto were people he actually knew, unlike the others. They¡¯d spent time together, shared lectures together. Then there was the martial prowess. Drax had been in the school¡¯s boxing team, he''d known people around all the sports teams, and Aiden had never been a part of one. He was not a guy whose name turned up in such conversations. So why was he now suddenly a combat prodigy as far as the instructors were concerned? What happened that he was getting private lessons with a knight? Drax shook his head, willing himself not to dwell on it. The truth was that while he worried for Aiden, there was a part of him that felt offended by Aiden¡¯s actions. And the more he thought about it, the more it offended him. There are two wolves living inside you, he told himself, repeating what his father often told him. One is good and one is bad, and they are constantly fighting. You must always feed the one you want to win. And Drax always wanted the good to win. Good always prevailed. It always had to. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± the soldier that was supposed to guide them to their destination asked. ¡°We only have three more minutes before we leave.¡± Three minutes wasn¡¯t a long time. So while they waited, Drax pulled the blade of his longsword a finger-length free of its scabbard and examined it. He knew nothing about swords. Even the ones they¡¯d been using to train had all been wooden. The best he could tell about the sword in his hand as he revealed more of its blade was that it was clean. Not polished. Just clean. And it was sharp. Sam strolled up to them a moment after, coming from around the corner of a small well close to where they were. His footsteps were quiet. Anita followed behind him, eyes darting from side to side as if she expected someone to jump out of nowhere and bust them. Drax half-expected that to happen, actually. When Sam and Anita joined them, Sam took up command, taking a head count. Drax wasn¡¯t a fan of how easily the boy was trying to assume leadership but wasn¡¯t going to be the one to oppose him. Sam had been the one to set this up so it was only fair that he assumed leadership. ¡°Just the four of us?¡± Sam asked in disappointment. ¡°I thought there¡¯d be more. I guess there¡¯ll always be those not willing to take the necessary risks or make the necessary sacrifices.¡± The soldier looked at all four of them and Drax could see him rethinking his choices so far. Can¡¯t be easy, Drax thought. The man, by no other authority but himself, was about to take the kingdom¡¯s most important guests out of the king¡¯s safe hospitality and into unknown odds. If anything happened to them on this trip, Drax could only imagine what punishment would be given to the soldier. ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late.¡± Everyone present turned in the direction of the voice. The owner had called out in what Drax could only describe as a loud whisper. Ted and Aiden were walking up to them. While Ted¡¯s sword hung sheathed at his waist, dangling from his sword belt, Aiden wore the same belt but held his sheathed sword in one hand a little too casually. ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t going to tell him,¡± Sam whispered to Ted sharply when they were close enough. Ted reeled back in mock hurt as if physically struck. ¡°Who? Me?¡± Sam threw his hands up in frustration. ¡°Yes! You!¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t be...¡± Ted paused, waiting for a response. Sam just stared at him. Accepting that one wouldn¡¯t come, Ted said, ¡°That was the part where you go, ¡®then who?¡¯. Anyway, what can I say? I lied.¡± ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Sam shot back. ¡°This entire thing is based on trust. How the hell do you expect us to trust you after this?¡± Ted looked between Sam and Aiden before thumbing at Sam theatrically. ¡°Do you believe this guy,¡± he chuckled. ¡°In what world does he live where an older brother would learn of a way to get stronger and better and not tell his little brother? If anything, this should make you trust me more. At least as a person.¡± Drax couldn¡¯t fault the logic. In fact, right now he was finding it a bit difficult to trust Sam. The guy had literally told someone not tell their own brother that they¡¯d found a way to get stronger. Yes, the task was relatively dangerous, but everyone deserved to at least be offered the opportunity. Standing to the side, the soldier was becoming fidgety, his shoes digging nervously into the ground. Despite his discomfort, he said nothing. He simply watched them and grew more uncomfortable. ¡°Can we please leave before someone finds us,¡± Ariadne told them. ¡°The last thing I want to do is get someone in trouble.¡± Sam turned to her. ¡°And what¡¯s the king going to do if he finds out? Ground us?¡± Drax smacked his forehead in disappointment. ¡°She wasn¡¯t talking about us, Sam.¡± ¡°Then who?¡± Sam gave him a look of genuine confusion. ¡°She¡¯s talking about our kind soldier over here,¡± Aiden said, strolling up to the soldier. When he got to the man he placed his hands behind him in a casual stance. ¡°Your name, soldier.¡± Drax, to his surprise, caught the soldier straighten up and tuck his legs at attention. ¡°Ded, my lord,¡± the man answered. ¡°Class?¡± Ded hesitated. ¡°Scout, my lord.¡± That took Drax by surprise. Sam had told them that Ded had the [Soldier] class. But he was really just a [Scout]? Well that makes sense, Drax thought. At least a scout¡¯s a good person to have when tracking down an enemy group. Aiden looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding once, as if he had just judged that the soldier would suffice. Then he gestured at the inclining slope covered in bushes in front of them. ¡°Lead the way, Ded.¡± Ded gave Aiden a short bow, then walked into the bushes in a crouch, moving the bush aside with his hands until it swallowed him whole. While Aiden had been the one to gesture him on, he was not the first to follow. Sam was quick to brush past him while Ariadne followed after a moment of hesitation. Anita followed in her green highlights with Ted right behind her. Drax moved and Aiden followed right behind him. As they were swallowed by the bushes, Aiden did something he had not done since they¡¯d arrived in this new world. He spoke to Drax first. ¡°No Letto?¡± he asked. Drax shook his head. ¡°No Letto.¡± Aiden made a thoughtful sound. ¡°I guess he didn¡¯t follow. Wise.¡± Drax paused, confused. That was it? Nine days of giving nothing but quick responses and hurrying off to keep himself constantly busy, and when he finally initiates a conversation, that¡¯s it? No. Drax was not having it. ¡°Is everything alright, Aiden?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Aiden nodded, then paused as if rethinking his response. After a moment he shook his head. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just been a disturbing past few days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few disturbing days for everyone, Aiden,¡± Drax said before he could stop himself. His voice came out a bit harsh, leaking some of his feelings on the subject of being ignored. ¡°We all were going about our lives one moment, and the next we were in another world.¡± Aiden scratched the back of his neck nervously. ¡°Yea,¡± he muttered as if to himself. Why was Aiden being nervous around him now? Displeasure turned into worry and Drax ran through his memories, looking for any point where Aiden had ever been nervous around him. He found none. Which meant Aiden¡¯s nervousness started in this world. Was it just towards him or was there more? But he spoke with Ded easily. No, Drax corrected himself. He addressed him like a soldier. Was that what was happening? Had Aiden spent too much time around the knight he was training with that he was only comfortable speaking in militaristic manners? Drax understood the importance of what King Brandis was trying to have them do, but it didn¡¯t mean they had to lose their humanity and social abilities because of it. ¡°Aiden," Drax said, reinitiating the conversation. He made sure his voice was soft, supporting. ¡°If you have any problem, you know you can tell me, right? You can talk to me.¡± They were stepping out of the bush-path now, and Aiden looked at him, hesitant. Why does he keep looking at me like that? It was the same look Aiden had been giving him since they got here. Whenever Drax tried to talk to him, he always had the same look on his face. He looked at him as if he was a decision Aiden was trying to make. As if he couldn¡¯t decide if he was a friend or a foe. Drax had thought about it for so long and he couldn¡¯t find a single reason to make Aiden look at him like that. Even Letto didn¡¯t get that look. When they came to a stop in front of a small path in the castle walls, Aiden nodded. ¡°I know.¡± His mouth said he had made a decision but his eyes said different. Drax didn¡¯t like it, but he was willing to take whatever he could get. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Ded led the group through an intricate tunnel system that spanned a large space beneath the kingdom. As they moved, he told them of how it was an old tunnel designed in the event that the kingdom was ever attacked and the royal family needed to escape. It was something most of the soldiers that worked within the palace knew about. Aiden found it ironic since not only was it not much of a secret amongst the soldiers but during the demon wars, demons had quite literally used it to get into the castle walls at some point. The result had COST Brandis his second son. I guess they can blame Ted for that, Aiden thought. Though, he wasn''t entirely sure of that. From what he knew, there had also been rumors of the demons having a spy within the palace somehow. When they came out, it was out into the night breeze and into the city proper. This part of the kingdom was quiet in the night. Silent as it was supposed to be, the citizens turned in for the night. On nothing but reflex, Ded turned to them and placed a finger to his lips, requesting for silence. Navigating the city with its multiple houses and cobblestone roads wasn¡¯t difficult. They meandered in the dark, the others walking with heads on a swivel, taking in the sights. For the others, being out right now probably made the last few days of being kept within the castle walls feel like a form of imprisonment not protection or training. When the time came to sneak them out of the city, Ded led them out through the sewers. ¡°Those were the sewers, right?¡± Anita asked no one in particular when they came out of it. ¡°They were,¡± Ded confirmed. ¡°Wow, makes me feel a bit ashamed of Earth,¡± she muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t smell a thing.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°That¡¯s because the sewer walls have enchantments that suppress smell,¡± Aiden said, looking around. ¡°Then they coat the walls with bass-seed oil to reduce flammability.¡± Ded looked at him in surprise. ¡°Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Aiden noticed he had gathered a bit of attention and everyone had gone silent, staring at him. ¡°I¡¯ve been spending a lot of time in the library,¡± he explained. ¡°They have details of their architectural plans and designs.¡± ¡°Does it say anything about communication skills as well?¡± Sam remarked snidely. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if the proper response was to answer him. The truth was that he¡¯d been thinking about Valdan¡¯s words for a while now and had come to the conclusion that the Knight was right. He had made himself a pariah to the group. He¡¯d been aware of it while he had been doing it, but maybe it hadn¡¯t been the right thing to do. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to care for those around him except Ted, and he didn¡¯t see why he should. But it didn¡¯t make ignoring them right. He¡¯d thought that he could start somewhere small, a touch of conversation here and there. Maybe he could help Letto with his sword training. But a short conversation with Drax had been awkward enough for him, but it wasn''t like Aiden didn''t know why. Drax had been the face of the war, spewing any and all negativity he could spread about Ted to the entire world, putting him down for the Demon King that he was. Aiden never found out how Drax had known Ted was the Demon King but he¡¯d been the one to inform King Brandis of it then. So it was difficult talking to him without thinking about it. And every time they crossed paths, Aiden always wondered if this time line would be different, if Drax would not become the active enemy of Ted. And what if nothing changes? Aiden asked himself as they followed Ded outside the city, taking a detour off the main road. What if he becomes the Hero and Ted still becomes the Demon King? Aiden frowned at the thought as Ded led them, walking by moonlight. If he was being honest, Drax was not the bad guy. Aiden knew this. But he¡¯d also never thought of himself as the good guy either. If he was being honest, he was on the side of the potential Demon King. And while Ted had never truly stepped on the battlefield or gone into the cities and kingdoms to lay waste, it had still been his part of the war. And the number of lives his war had taken had been in the millions. Not for the first time Aiden wondered, if everything repeated itself, what would he do different? Ted would be the Demon King again, which made him the villain. And siding with him makes you a villain, too. Aiden had no delusions on the matter. But was he really okay with it? If Ted is forced to flee, will you follow him? he asked himself. As much as he would¡¯ve liked to say yes, he couldn¡¯t. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure he could stand being the enemy of the entire world. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d grown to the peak of power before his regression. He¡¯d just been a mere level 268. Drax would¡¯ve swept the ground with him back then and used him to pack the dirt. And Ted had been almost twice his level. Aiden knew how to get strong and he intended to use his knowledge to do so quickly this time. But it wasn¡¯t like he knew how to get to the top exactly. There were knights that had remained stronger than him until the very end amongst those that had survived the war. People had existed that could kill him without batting an eye. Aiden had too many worries on his mind. There was the part of getting stronger, then there was the research on Demon Kings, then there the key and the giants. And the Order. Aiden sighed mentally, suddenly weighed down. From taking them off the main road, Ded led them into the forest, they were flanked by high trees that blotted out most of the starlight in moments. But rays of moonlight slipped through the cracks in the canopy of leaves to illuminate parts of the forest. ¡°So,¡± Sam started talking, ¡°just in case anyone is worried right now, don¡¯t be. So far this world has been operating under game mechanics to a certain extent. We have a status and skills, and can apparently level up.¡± Most of the others nodded as they walked, Ded¡¯s attention never left his front. Sam adjusted his sword belt. ¡°So I asked around," he continued, "and the combat and growth mechanics follow the same rules. I¡¯m more of a mana channels and colorful core guy myself, but I can work with this, too. While the king is training us inside the palace, we can all advance to level one if we just kill a level three monster. I¡¯ve done the math.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Anita hissed sharply. ¡°I thought you said that we were going after level one goblins.¡± ¡°We are,¡± Ded said without taking his eyes off the road. Sam rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, we are. But to level up we¡¯ll need to kill at least two level one goblins, maybe three?¡± ¡°Why goblins, though?¡± Drax asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we kill like a level one spider or something?¡± Ariadne shivered visibly. ¡°I hate spiders.¡± ¡°Not necessarily spiders,¡± Drax corrected. ¡°My point is that couldn¡¯t we kill something less¡­ humanoid?¡± Aiden understood why Drax was making the request. It was coming from¡ªin a sense¡ªa good place. However, it was blinding him from something critical. ¡°A humanoid opponent would be best at this point,¡± Ded said, stopping to squat and place his hand on the ground. ¡°All my Lords and Ladies know how to fight right now are humanoids. Lord Higgins probably worries that facing something less humanoid may prove confusing for you all and lead to errors.¡± Sam nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t have people freezing up just because they don¡¯t know what to do when the enemy has four legs instead of two.¡± ¡°And how do you know we¡¯ll freeze up?¡± Anita challenged with a scowl. The grass around Ded quaked a little. He was probably using a skill. Sam gave Anita his most empathetic smile. ¡°Because I would.¡± His words silenced Anita¡¯s challenge and her scowl dropped, replaced by an apologetic look. Ded raised a fist, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to him. ¡°Please exercise silence, my lords and ladies. The enemies are not far.¡± ¡°The level ones or the level threes?¡± Sam asked. Ded looked back at all of them, hesitating. ¡°The level ones, my lord.¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity,¡± Ted said in a whisper. ¡°But what of the level threes?¡± Ded gestured to the east. ¡°The level threes are in that direction.¡± Ariadne let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Well, we know where we are not¡ª¡± ¡°That way, we will find the level fives and higher,¡± Ded said, unintentionally interrupting her. ¡°This request was posted on the adventurers'' notice board in the guild hall, and a few adventurers are scheduled to be here tomorrow. No one knows what exactly the goblins are doing but there¡¯s a speculation that they¡¯re being led by a hobgoblin.¡± Aiden was fairly certain that the group hadn¡¯t encountered the hobgoblin in the previous timeline because hobgoblins were at least level fifteen monsters. All monsters evolved, and at level ten, goblins began their evolution into hobgoblins. Aiden looked at the people around him and was sure of it. At their current strength, a hobgoblin would go through them like a wrecking ball through a barn shed. ¡°I say we go for the level threes,¡± Sam said. ¡°Why the hell would we want to do that?¡± Drax asked, flabbergasted. Everyone¡¯s faces turned into slow annoyance and Sam hurried to explain himself. ¡°Just hear me out,¡± he said. ¡°Right now none of us are at level one. And ask the soldier, there¡¯s a world of difference between a level one and someone without a level. A whooping world of difference. Think high school boxer and professional UFC fighter.¡± ¡°Still,¡± Ariadne muttered. ¡°Level three is just a little too¡­¡± ¡°We need to get to level one as fast as we can,¡± Sam pressed. ¡°The rising darkness is coming, everyone knows it. And I, for one, have no plans to be caught weak. We need to be as strong as we can get.¡± Aiden stood silently, listening to the conversation. So this was how everyone was thinking? Sam wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. While the war didn¡¯t start until another five years at least, the rise in demonic mana did bring about a lot of problems in Nastild over time. The truth was, they actually had enough time. Bandiv had adventurers and soldiers that were more than capable of handling the rising problems. Yes, as time went by and demonic mana continued to rise, they slowly became understaffed, but that wouldn¡¯t be for another year. Right now, the kingdom didn¡¯t need any of them to step in. Ted stood beside Anita where he¡¯d spent most of the trip. But this time, instead of giving her his undivided attention as he had been doing, he was watching Aiden. Ariadne walked up to Ded, and the soldier stood to meet her. ¡°Is it true?¡± she asked. ¡°Is the difference between a level one and someone without a level that much?¡± ¡°All things being equal,¡± Ded answered carefully. ¡°A person without a level cannot dream of winning against a level one in any kind of fight.¡± ¡°See?¡± Sam gestured at Ded dramatically. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. We need to get to level one as fast as possible. Personally, I¡¯m appalled that I¡¯ve been here for a week and I¡¯m still¡­ well¡­ here. In the stories they get to level one right off the bat. First chapter type of thing.¡± Drax chose that moment to step up. ¡°Ded.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°As a soldier, what is your take on this? What would you advise?¡± Aiden held back a chuckle. Way to put him on the spot, Drax. ¡°With all due respect, my lord,¡± Ded started, careful once more. ¡°I am beginning to think that this is a bad idea.¡± ¡°And there you have it.¡± Sam walked up to everyone. ¡°You asked for advice from a level nineteen Scout. What did you think he was going to say? This is about taking risks so let¡¯s take risks. I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m more than ready for my first level.¡± Ded¡¯s gaze moved subtly to Aiden. Aiden gave the man no reaction. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t worried. He already knew the outcome of this escapade and was genuinely curious to know how it had happened. There was the possibility of his presence changing things but that didn''t worry him. He was more than capable of handling his own. With all the chaos he was witnessing, he really wanted to know how they had succeeded. ¡°Then how about this,¡± Ted suggested, speaking for the first time. ¡°How about we face the level ones, then we see how things go. We can always face the others after that. Makes sense?¡± It was a suggestion everyone could get behind and nods soon started going around. ¡°Good,¡± Ted said, his eyes on Aiden. ¡°Ded. Please lead the way.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Ded continued onward and everyone followed. Ted, however, delayed enough so that he ended up beside Aiden as they walked. ¡°You and I,¡± he said, ¡°eventually need to have a talk.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. It wasn¡¯t long before they came upon the goblins. Ded moved them into a crouch. They were covered by the bushes and some of them hid behind trees as they watched the goblins. Aiden counted nine, each of them holding flaming torches. They loitered around, never getting too far from each other. From the looks of things, they didn¡¯t seem to be on a patrol of any kind. They just¡­ loitered. Sam moved up to Drax who was currently crouched beside Aiden, hidden behind a bush. ¡°From what I know about goblins,¡± he said quietly. ¡°They always move in groups. Which means it will be difficult to separate them. We¡¯ll have to take them as a group.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure of what to say to that. Sam was using the wrong source but he still had the right information. ¡°An ambush would¡¯ve been good,¡± Drax said. ¡°But we don¡¯t have any bows.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Sam shook his head. ¡°I know Denid did her best, but I hate bows, too stressful. Besides, the soldier couldn¡¯t get us any. They take stock of the arrows so there¡¯s no point. A few used swords wouldn¡¯t raise too many eyebrows, but missing arrows is a different conversation.¡± Drax nodded and turned to Aiden. ¡°What do you think?¡± One of the goblins ventured a little too close to a shrubbery and his torch almost touched it. A leaf caught ablaze and the goblin snatched it from the branch before it could spread. Aiden noted how fast the action was, and how panicked. ¡°Whatever we decide,¡± he said. ¡°We better be aware of the fact that these guys have very quick reaction speed.¡± Sam made a small movement, drawing their attention. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Drax asked. ¡°Getting an alternative.¡± Sam held up a small rock. ¡°We can cause a distraction and work from there.¡± Aiden looked between the both of them. While the members of the group weren¡¯t too far apart, only two members of it were making the plans. Again, Aiden wondered how they had survived. ¡°Fighting a goblin is like fighting a teenager,¡± he said, offering them information he had. ¡°The things I read suggest that they are fast and hyperactive. Their preferred fighting technique is to overwhelm their opponent with numbers. If they cannot, then they go for a hit and run, darting in and out of reach.¡± He turned his attention to the goblins. None of them had any visible scar which led him to believe that they had no scars at all. They were short and green, with pointy ears and noses that were a little too long. And they loitered about in nothing but rags that covered only their genitals. Their only weapons were the torches in their hands. A goblin without a scar was a rare sight, which meant one thing. ¡°They are level one for sure,¡± he continued. ¡°And from what I can see, they don¡¯t have actual combat experience.¡± Ded turned a surprised look on Aiden. The others had already moved in together, close enough so that they could hear him. ¡°How do you know this?¡± Anita asked. ¡°You sound so sure.¡± ¡°None of them have any scars,¡± Aiden explained. ¡°And one of them panicked when the bush almost caught on fire. A goblin without a scar is almost an impossible sight.¡± ¡°So we can take them?¡± Ariadne asked. ¡°They are inexperienced, my Lady,¡± Ded refuted. ¡°Not weak.¡± ¡°While we are inexperienced and weak,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°There are nine of them, so rather than try to pick them off, which won¡¯t work unless Ded forces them to scatter, I say we overwhelm them.¡± ¡°I say Ded forces them to scatter,¡± Sam said. Ted snorted. ¡°Sounds like a coward¡¯s move to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called strategy,¡± Sam snarled. ¡°Thinking with your head.¡± Once again, Ded looked to Aiden. Again, Aiden ignored him. He wasn¡¯t going to play commanding officer to a level 19 [Scout]. But he also wasn¡¯t going to be party to a defective plan. ¡°Ded stays put,¡± he said. ¡°Ded didn¡¯t lead us out here to carry us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just objecting to support your brother,¡± Sam pressed. ¡°The plan is a good one. Ded scatters them and we pick them off one by one.¡± Aiden shook his head even as Sam was talking. Sam pressed his nose between thumb and forefinger in exasperation. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because that plan only gets executed in two ways. One, they scatter and we work as a group to pick off the goblins one after the other. The pro is that Ded can watch over us the entire way.¡± ¡°And the cons?¡± Sam asked. ¡°By game mechanics, the experience gets divided between the entire group which turns out to be very little. Then we spend the entire night trying to track down the other goblins. The experience will be too little so we can do it all night and end up close to level one but not there. Or some of us will get there but not the others.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the second way?¡± ¡°They scatter and we scatter with them, picking them off. Pros, we stand a chance of leveling up as long as none of us lets them get a sword. Cons, Ded can¡¯t keep watch over all of us.¡± Sam frowned in thought. Aiden was surprised. A part of him had expected the boy to refuse him just because he could. ¡°There¡¯s also an overall problem with the plan,¡± Ted supplied. ¡°If they scatter, they could inform the other groups, which would be really bad for everybody.¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± Ariadne pointed. ¡°One of them is leaving the group.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let it go far,¡± Sam said, suddenly panicked. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to have two groups coming after us. I¡¯m going to distract it.¡± He raised his hand and chucked the rock he was holding before Aiden could stop him. The rock bounced near the goblin, not too far, and it stopped and turned in their direction. Then it approached them slowly, cautiously. ¡°It¡¯s coming,¡± Anita panicked. ¡°But it¡¯s leaving the group so that¡¯s good for us,¡± Sam said. ¡°Who wants this one?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take it,¡± Drax said. He reached across and drew his sword, unsheathed it. ¡°Let¡¯s put it down before it causes a problem.¡± The goblin jerked to a stop as if it could hear the sound of unsheathed steel and everyone paused. ¡°Do you think it noticed?¡± Sam whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡ªwhat the hell?!¡± Everyone reeled back in surprise. A notification flashed in front of Aiden and he knew the others were seeing the same thing. [Warning!] [You have just encountered your first monster!] [Goblin]. A goblin is an ugly and mischievous creature. They usually come up to 4 feet in height, or 5 feet on very rare occasions. [Warning!] [You have been detected by your first monster!] [Survive!] ¡°How did it detect us?¡± Drax asked, taking his sword in both hands and rushing out of the bushes. He ran up to the creature and swung up in a diagonal arc, hoping to cut it across the chest. Aiden didn¡¯t get to see the outcome as a new notification popped up in front of him. [Error detected!] [You have just encountered your first monster!] [You have not just encountered your first monster!] [Error detected!] [You have detected and been detected by a monster once before.] [Error! Error!] [System repairs recommended.] [Prisoner # 234502385739] stand by for system repairs. ... [System repairs in progress..] [System Repairs... 0.04%] What the hell do you mean by system repairs? Aiden thought, unable to hold back his panic. And why does it keep calling me a prisoner? The last time his interface had mentioned anything about a system, it had asked him to wait for support while it contacted the administrators, whoever they were. In the end, the resolution had been his termination. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been powerless then, and he was powerless now. If his termination was the resolution now, his death would remain an inevitable outcome. ¡°What the hell are you spacing out for, Aiden?!¡± Ted pulled him from under the arm. ¡°Fight!¡± The message disappeared from Aiden¡¯s sight and he was faced with the sight of grey goblin eyes. He reacted immediately, raising his sheathed sword. The creature stabbed forward with its torch and it struck the flat side of Aiden¡¯s raised scabbard. Not the time to be spacing out, Aiden thought. It was the time to be fighting. The goblin darted away from him quickly and Aiden realized everybody had scattered. Even Ded. To his side Ted was holding off two goblins with sword slashes and thrusts, keeping them at bay. Aiden drew his sword free. He held the weapon in one hand and the scabbard in the other. He would attend to the notifications when they chose to attend to him again. For now, he needed to fight. The goblin snarled at him and Aiden almost laughed at himself. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m taking a level 1 goblin seriously. He took a combat stance and attacked. Skill [Basic Swordsmanship] is in effect. Aiden felt the effects of the skill as he closed the distance in a single step. [Dash] was no longer on his skill list, but the effects remained a part of [Basic Swordsmanship]. He swung his sword when he came to a stop and the goblin raised its torch to meet it. Blade cleaved through wood and came down on the creature, cutting through flesh and meat. [You have dealt a critical blow.] EIGHT: Little Adventure The goblin shrieked in pain and Aiden swung again, hoping to take its head. The goblin raised its hand again, an instinctual defense. It sufficed to guarantee its life, but that too came at a price. You have dealt a critical blow. Aiden¡¯s sword cut through the goblin¡¯s arm, severing it halfway up its forearm. Black blood sprayed from the injury and the goblin fell to the ground, rolling in pain. Aiden was on top of it immediately. He stabbed his blade into its head, silencing the creature immediately. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Lvl 1]. With its silence, Aiden turned to Ted. He found his brother deflecting a wide swing from one of his opponents with his sword. The flame of the goblin¡¯s torch trailed a path in the air as it was struck away and Ted¡¯s lips were already moving. Without a level, there was almost nothing Ted would be able to do with magic. Right now he would only have foundational magic skills which on their own were merely catalysts, unable to¡ª Ted pointed an open hand at the goblin and the trailing flames spread. It licked all the way up the goblin¡¯s arm, sending it into a panicked frenzy. With the goblin distracted from him, Ted turned on the second one and attacked. Aiden panned his gaze around, searching. Everyone had a goblin they were engaging. Drax was the only other person with two goblins, swinging his sword with practiced accuracy. Their instructor, Denid, would be pleased to see how effective her training was on Drax. Still, despite his grace and precision, the goblins were faster than he was. Drax swung and missed, then swung to keep his opponents at bay. Aiden made a quick decision. With one of Ted¡¯s opponents still struggling to put out their burning arm by rolling around on the ground, Aiden went for Drax. He hurried, eyes panning about, searching for Ded. He found the scout a moment after, just as he pulled up on Drax. Ded stood atop a tree branch, hand on the hilt of his sword, watching everybody. Aiden¡¯s senses seemed to sharpen the moment he noted Ded on the branch. You have learnt foundational skill [Keen eyes (Mastery 8.01%)]. Aiden ignored the notification as he rammed into Drax¡¯s second goblin with a shoulder tackle. The force of the impact sent the goblin to the ground, flaming torch falling from its hold. Drax¡¯s attention snapped to Aiden momentarily, before he ducked a swing from his opponent. ¡°It¡¯s got my sword!¡± someone bellowed, the voice filling the night air even amidst the fighting. Aiden knew Sam¡¯s voice when he heard it. He also wasn¡¯t surprised at the announcement. Sam had no talent with the sword. His skills lay in a very specific type of magic; one he would not come to learn until the distant future. ¡°Aiden!¡± Drax barked, ducking another swing and drawing a cut across his goblin¡¯s stomach. ¡°Help Sam.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t think Drax understood what was going on. Help Sam? Sam was currently the least of their problems. Sam didn¡¯t die here, he thought, thrusting his blade at the floored goblin. But what if he does? The goblin rolled away in time to escape Aiden''s stab. Then good riddance. The world¡¯s better without a man who does human experiments. Aiden followed after the goblin as it popped back to its feet. Then why didn¡¯t you kill him yourself? His mind asked. If he really deserves to die for what he may or may not do¡ªif you really believe that¡ªthen why not kill him yourself? Aiden had an answer to that question dangling somewhere in his mind, he was sure of it. All he had to do was find it. Sam yelled in pain and Aiden winced. He really didn¡¯t want to be the one to save Sam. Sam was a normal person right now, maybe a little too absorbed in his new world and new life, but a normal person, nonetheless. He was a little annoying, but he wasn¡¯t a bad guy. He was just¡­ rough around the edges. The Sam in this fight didn¡¯t deserve to die. In two more cuts, Aiden got a new notification and found his feet taking him away from Drax. You have slain [Goblin Lvl 1]. Sam was dragging himself along the ground, bleeding from a cut in his thigh when Aiden got to him. The goblin he was facing had his sword in its hand. It held it up to the light, studying the bloodied blade in amusement when Aiden got to it. It turned abruptly at the sound of Aiden¡¯s approach, sword raised between the both of them as Aiden swung his blade. Both weapons clashed in a ringing of metals, the first of the night. Where Aiden had swung with all his might, the goblin¡¯s defense had seemed experimental, almost as if it was simply emulating an action it had seen once. Aiden¡¯s strike jarred the goblin¡¯s sword with enough force to send it moving to the side. The goblin¡¯s arm followed, opening it up for an attack. There was a moment of surprise on its face before realization. Its eyes twitched to the side and Aiden read its next action. It jumped back, ready to dart in another direction, but Aiden was faster. He stepped in, then shortened the distance with a turn that ended with a slash. [You have dealt a critical blow.] His blade lopped off the goblin''s arm wielding the sword and sent black blood spraying into the night air. The pain would destabilize the goblin then send it into a small frenzy. It would buy Aiden just enough time to finish¡ª Aiden swung his sword from the side in a following combo and his blade met air. In front of him the goblin was hightailing it like a runaway train. Aiden hesitated, surprised, and a trail of fire came at him from the side. He ducked under it, his attention returning to the fleeing goblin. Annoyed, he rounded on his new opponent. His mind went into complete combat mode at the surprise attack, threw him into what the Order had made him, and he ducked into a roll. ¡°FIFTY FEET NORTH-EAST!¡± he bellowed, dropping the coordinates of the fleeing goblin as he moved his attention to his new foe. ¡°Take the shot, Zen!¡± His stupidity dawned on him a moment after as he caught his new opponent¡¯s swing in one hand. He grabbed the lit torch by the handle just beneath the fire and pulled the goblin into his waiting blade. He stabbed it in the gut with a scowl. You have slain [Goblin Lvl 1]. He¡¯d been adapting to this new timeline well enough, reacquainting himself to the renewed, only to unravel in such a situation. One real life battle and you forget you are not a part of the Order, he scolded himself. Aiden pulled his sword free of the goblin, angry at himself. Zen was not his partner anymore. And his moment of forgetfulness had cost them a goblin. Looking out into the distance where the goblin had run, he couldn¡¯t see it. Even with [Keen Eyes] sharpening his sight, there was nothing. The monster was gone and the outcome was anyone¡¯s guess. He looked down at the dead goblin at his feet, then at Sam who had pressed his back up against a tree, applying pressure to his thigh, trying to stem the flow of blood. His face was pale and there were tears running down his cheek as he panted heavily, lips muttering things Aiden could not hear. Aiden doubted Sam was muttering anything useful. After all, at level zero he wouldn¡¯t be capable of any healing magic. A small squeal filled the air, drawing his attention once more, and Aiden turned to find Ded holding a goblin up by its neck. It struggled in his grasp while Ariadne was on her knee at his feet. She leaning to the side, head down turned. On the ground beside her was a small puddle of vomit. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Everyone gathered when the last goblin was dead, its neck broken by Ded with barely a flick of the wrist. Sam was in no position to be moving about so they converged at the tree where he was rested, hand still pressed against his injury and breathing still labored. Drax helped Ariadne and she leaned on him all the way to the tree. Ded came up to Aiden¡¯s side when they were gathered, his head slightly bowed. ¡°Should I go after the goblin, my Lord?¡± he asked. Aiden saw the small frown on the man¡¯s face, self-deprecating. He understood it. Ded was the highest level amongst all of them, significantly stronger, and a scout. A level one goblin had no right escaping the battle when he was around. The goblin was certainly too far gone by now, Aiden thought. And if Ded was good with his class and at his job, he suspected the soldier would¡¯ve already tried to track the goblin by now with some skill. ¡°Do you think you can find it?¡± he asked, suspecting he already knew the answer Ded would give. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you have a skill that can confirm its current position all the way from here or is your intention to track it without one?¡± ¡°I have a skill, my lord. May I try it?¡± Everyone remained silent as Aiden nodded. Ded took a knee and placed a hand on the ground. The grass swayed away from him abruptly, then grains of sand rose barely high enough to be noticed before falling back down. Ded¡¯s frown deepened as his body relaxed. He got back to his feet, shaking his head and not making eye contact with Aiden. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°My apologies, my Lord,¡± he said in a shamed voice. ¡°It seems to be out of the reach of my skill.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°I guess that can happen, too.¡± ¡°But I can still track it,¡± Ded insisted. ¡°If you give me some time, I¡¯m sure I can¡ª¡± Aiden placed a hand on Ded¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Calm yourself, soldier. It¡¯s not your fault it got away. And we don¡¯t have the time required to track it.¡± ¡°But it could¡ª¡± ¡°Be informing the others about what happened here? Yes.¡± Aiden gestured at the corpses around them. ¡°All the more reason why we should clean out our tracks and be far from here as soon as possible.¡± Ded looked away but said nothing. He¡¯s still blaming himself, Aiden noted. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn¡¯t going to spend time convincing the man that it was not his fault. Some people accepted the truth by themselves and some did not. From what Aiden had seen, Ded had been preoccupied when the goblin had fled, even if momentarily, with keeping Ariadne alive. As far as Aiden was concerned, if there was anyone to be blamed, it would be himself. He should¡¯ve been more than able to take down the goblin in one swing. He might no longer have the power, but he had the skill. Every strike should be to take their life, he thought, his mind going back to old teachings in an old timeline. Rather than dwell on it, he gave Ded a task. ¡°Do you have a skill that can deal with our presence here?¡± he asked Ded. Along with skills designed to track enemies, the [Scout] class often came with at least one skill designed to make it harder for them to be tracked. Ded nodded. ¡°I can disrupt the mana here for probably three hours, make it hard to read. But anyone with a strong enough tracking skill could still uncover it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Aiden gestured for him to proceed. ¡°Do it.¡± The only people likely to come here within the next few hours would be the goblins. And goblins didn¡¯t have tracking skills. In fact, goblins didn¡¯t have skills until they reached level ten and began their mutation into hobgoblins. As Ded stepped away from them to go to work, Drax took over. Ariadne was standing on her own now, so he went to squat beside Sam. ¡°Can you walk?¡± he asked. Sam moved to get up and winced. And while not heavily, blood continued to trickle from his thigh just beneath his hand. He looked up at Drax and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Drax looked at the rest of them. ¡°I¡¯ll need help carrying him. Someone needs to take his other side.¡± He looked at Aiden. Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°What are you looking at me for? Ted¡¯s bigger.¡± With an exaggerated sigh, Ted went to help Drax. They picked Sam from under the arm, each supporting his weight. Then they tested their placement, made sure they could all move comfortably. Ded showed up next to Aiden with Sam¡¯s sword in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m done, my Lord. Should we return?¡± Aiden nodded. Let¡¯s get out of here. Everyone looked worried, looking at Sam¡¯s injury, but Aiden wasn¡¯t bothered. Judging by how slowly the blood had been flowing, the goblin hadn¡¯t hit anything important. And while they¡¯d done something wrong by sneaking out, they could always lie about how Sam had gotten the injury. The palace had competent healers in their employ, so Sam would be good as new the moment anyone noticed his injury. Even a maid would inform them of the healer the moment they saw it. ¡°I have a potion that might help Lord Higgins injury,¡± Ded said as they began their journey back. ¡°Should I present it?¡± Sam was quick to respond. ¡°Yes, please.¡± Ded reached into one of his belt pockets but Aiden stopped him. ¡°Lord Higgins,¡± he said, ¡°is not yet level one. Potions will prove toxic to his body, and may even slow his growth.¡± ¡°What the hell, man?¡± Sam pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m in pain. I know you don¡¯t like me but that¡¯s taking it too far. If he can heal me then let me be healed.¡± ¡°If you take a potion before entering level one,¡± Aiden told him, talking slowly, purposefully, ¡°then your leg will be healed, yes. And in a day or two there won¡¯t even be a scar. However, your growth will come into question. Time and effort your body is supposed to spend growing itself will be diverted to purging the toxic mana from the potion from your system.¡± Ded took his hand from his belt pocket. ¡°He¡¯s right, my Lord. Until there is no longer a scar, you will not be able to grow in level in anyway. And the scar from the healing will be gone in two to five days.¡± Sam looked between them, aghast. ¡°It¡¯s just a delay of two days,¡± he muttered to himself, obviously calculating. ¡°It¡¯s just two days.¡± ¡°To five days,¡± Aiden added. ¡°Two to five. So it could just as easily be five.¡± ¡°Five days unable to level up,¡± Ariadne hugged herself, knowing that if not for Ded she could¡¯ve easily been in the same position, most likely in a worse one. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should take it.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re not the one in fucking pain!¡± Sam snapped. Ariadne flinched. ¡°Take a breath, Sam,¡± Drax said from his right shoulder. ¡°Yeah,¡± Anita supported. ¡°It¡¯s not her fault you got cut. Personally, I¡¯m wondering what you were thinking going for an overhead one handed swing. Didn¡¯t Denid tell us not to face an opponent with it, especially one with a higher level than ours?¡± Sam¡¯s eyes darted to Aiden momentarily, and Aiden realized why he¡¯d done it. ¡°I thought they weren¡¯t that strong,¡± Sam muttered. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe it. His first strike in the fight was a one-handed overhead slash. Sam must¡¯ve seen him do it; seen him cut through wood and deal a critical blow with it. So he¡¯d tried it. And if he hadn¡¯t tried it, maybe the outcome of this fight would¡¯ve been different. ¡°You lost your sword because of it and froze,¡± Anita continued, piling on the heat. ¡°So don¡¯t go shouting at the poor girl. And weren¡¯t you the one talking about sacrifices not long ago? Take a little pain until we get back to the palace. We can¡¯t have you holding us back while we¡¯re leveling up.¡± That was true. But it was also harsh. She could¡¯ve worded it better. From what Aiden could remember about her from his past life, she definitely knew how to. Which meant she¡¯d worded it to hurt Sam¡¯s pride intentionally. Sam pressed his lips in a thin line and said nothing. For the rest of their journey to the palace, he remained silent and made no reference to the potion or much else. Aiden did catch him glancing at Ded¡¯s belt every now and again. As for the information about healers in the palace that could heal him, Aiden kept that bit of information to himself. Brandis must¡¯ve had his reason for not telling them about it, so they wouldn¡¯t hear of it from Aiden. They came out of the forest in relative silence and made their way to the sewers, then through the interconnecting tunnels. Eventually, they were at the palace. Before they entered, Aiden turned to Ded. ¡°Find a way to inform the adventurer society of the events of tonight,¡± he instructed. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Everyone waited, watching as Aiden gave his instruction instead of sneaking back into the palace. ¡°And it should obviously go without saying,¡± Aiden continued, ¡°that in whatever piece of information you give them, we not be mentioned. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°Good man. Find me tomorrow if you can so that I can show my gratitude for your assistance today. Had it not been for your presence, things would¡¯ve been harder than they ended up being. And as for Lord Higgins¡¯ injury, do not let it bother you. It will be sorted.¡± Ded nodded again. Assuming he had been dismissed, he turned and made his way back into the night. When he was out of sight, Aiden let out an exhausted sigh. ¡°Look at you all authoritative and shiii.¡± Aiden turned to find Anita standing behind him with folded hands and a grin on her face. ¡°You know,¡± she continued, ¡°I thought your brother was the only authoritative one but I was wrong. And I have to say, power looks good on you.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was happening right now. Was she simply complimenting him? Was she mocking him? Or was she flirting? For all your experience, you can¡¯t figure out simple social cues with women, he scolded himself. Shewa will be disappointed. Aiden¡¯s confusion deadened at the name. His mind was wrong, Shewa was more likely to be pleased that he couldn¡¯t figure out how to navigate a conversation with another woman. In his past life, he¡¯d been in a few relationships, and while Shewa was the longest, his relationship with her had also been toxic in its own way. ¡°You good?¡± Anita¡¯s question shook Aiden from his thought and he found everyone was waiting for him. ¡°Yea, I¡¯m good.¡± He dismissed her worry with a gesture. ¡°Tonight has just been a lot. I just want to get inside, put my head on my pillow, and pass out.¡± ¡°You said it,¡± Anita chuckled, then turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some shut-eye, Lacheart the younger.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­. Quiet and tired, Aiden plopped down on his bed. A lot of things had happened tonight and he¡¯d learned a few more. But what mainly had his attention was the fact that he had messed up. Ted walked in behind him. There was a short period of silence before Aiden opened his eyes. He hadn¡¯t heard the door close. When he turned his head, Ted¡¯s head was outside as he addressed someone. ¡°Not tonight, Drax,¡± Ted was saying. ¡°Tonight I get him. Try tomorrow.¡± Personally, Aiden would¡¯ve preferred if Drax didn¡¯t try at all. Ted closed the door after that, then locked it. He looked down at the door handle and paused. ¡°How do you work this thing, again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an enchanted lock,¡± Aiden explained, closing his eyes back. ¡°You see that small triple circle just beneath the handle?¡± ¡°The circle inside a circle inside a circle? The one next to all these circles and triangles?¡± ¡°Yeah. Touch it and say lock.¡± There was a brief pause. ¡°We¡¯ve had a rough night, Aiden. So this better not be some twisted joke to get me to talk to a door¡­ Are you even listening to me?¡± Ted sighed. ¡°Lock--Whoa! That¡¯s trippy.¡± Aiden nodded. Since Ted had mana but wasn¡¯t yet at level one, he couldn¡¯t use his mana to activate enchantments. By level one, he could simply will enchantments to activation at the cost of his mana. But only enchantments of his level and lower. There were extenuating factors that allowed someone activate enchantments above their level but that was a different conversation entirely. Ted walked up to Aiden¡¯s bed and sat on the rug in front of it. ¡°Remember when I said we had to talk?¡± he asked. ¡°Now¡¯s the time.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°I kind of think it is. And you¡¯ll have to talk to the others as well.¡± Aiden opened his eyes, then sat up so that he could face his brother. He still hadn¡¯t figured out how to tell Ted of what had happened to him. Yes, their bond the past few days was stronger than it had been on earth because of the new world and spending their nights in conversation, talking about their day or sometimes not talking at all. But it wasn¡¯t at the stage where Ted would believe anything he said, no questions asked. ¡°Do you want to talk about my relationship with the others?¡± he asked. ¡°Or about the thing you¡¯ve been curious about since we got here?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do this. We¡¯ll talk about our relationship with the others, but as for your curiosity, let¡¯s hold off on that one until we get our classes.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s the more important one.¡± ¡°Please, Ted,¡± Aiden begged. ¡°Just give me this one. Hold it for another three weeks.¡± Ted¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Why are you so sure we¡¯ll get our classes in three weeks?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just saying that if we don¡¯t get our classes by then, I¡¯ll have that conversation. Deal?¡± Ted thought about it before nodding. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Feels as if you just don¡¯t want to talk about it in the palace, but okay.¡± Ted sat with legs crossed beneath him like a monk and placed his hands on his knees. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the others. First, way to go. If I knew talking to a soldier like their commanding officer was all it took to get Anita to flirt with me, I would¡¯ve done it ages ago.¡± As for him not wanting to talk in the palace, Ted was right. The palace had no secrets, not from those at the top of the hierarchy. And the reason he hadn''t had the conversation with Ted when they were outside was because they had not been alone. Aiden couldn''t risk anyone else learning of it. It was paranoid of him but it was what it was. ¡°She wasn¡¯t flirting,¡± Aiden disagreed, even though he didn¡¯t know if she was or not. ¡°She was making an observation. And ¡®power looks good on you¡¯ isn¡¯t exactly a compliment.¡± It was, but Aiden didn¡¯t want Ted craving power. He didn¡¯t want him considering it beyond the level he already was. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been spending time with her since we got here, and I assure you that was her flirting. As for Sam, I actually think you should¡¯ve let him take the potion.¡± ¡°Sam will be fine.¡± ¡°No, he won¡¯t. The potion would¡¯ve stunted his growth but it would¡¯ve given him the opportunity to build his skills. With a bad leg he¡¯ll be shit at all our combat classes.¡± It didn¡¯t really matter because Sam would always be shit at combat. His talent laid in the magical aspect of things. And, unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t the combat part. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, Ted,¡± Aiden repeated. ¡°The palace has healers on staff who can heal injuries without the toxic effects of potions. The moment someone sees his leg, they¡¯ll ship him off to the healer.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Ted turned thoughtful again. ¡°Wait, how do you know that?¡± ¡°Valdan, the knight I train with, told me,¡± Aiden lied. ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°Drax and Letto think you¡¯ve been avoiding them. They knew you from back home so I think you should settle that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look into it. But just for Drax and Letto. I don¡¯t know the others very well and I don¡¯t plan on trying to make friends. I¡¯m not good at it so I don¡¯t see why I should.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Aiden nodded, then plopped back down on the bed. ¡°Besides,¡± Ted continued. ¡°You don¡¯t really need to. The others have kind of formed a clique. They¡¯re acting like it¡¯s high school and cliques are cool.¡± Aiden sighed. So it¡¯s already started. In his past life there had been a touch of disagreement between them and the palace had noted it quickly. Disagreement was not necessarily the word, but there had been a bit of an argument. It had split the team into those who demanded they do everything in their power to be returned home and those who weren¡¯t so fanatical about it. Aiden hadn¡¯t really known when it started, but he did know that king Brandis had decided to turn the disagreement into what he had called a healthy competition. And in three weeks he would pitch them against each other in a mock trial in front of the royal family. The intention was to see just how strong they had become. Aiden had been on Ted¡¯s team and had been carried into victory last time. But there had been nothing surprising about the victory. Having gained their first level faster than the others, Ted¡¯s team had been significantly stronger by the time the mock battle had come along. This time, however, things were working out in a different way. For one, Sam and the others hadn¡¯t come back from their adventure as level ones. Aiden had screwed things up a little bit by joining their little adventure. He frowned as he thought about how differently things were going. It made predicting how things in the palace were going to go difficult. He only hoped it didn¡¯t affect how things in Nastild would go, because he couldn¡¯t imagine how to come out on top if the major events he knew ended up playing out differently. But those were bigger worries for future Aiden. Present Aiden had his own mistakes to fix. Fixing the disagreement between both groups was an impossible task for him, so he needed to find a way to ensure Ted¡¯s team still came out victorious at the end of the mock battle. A lot of things were riding on that victory. NINE: Unique Skill When someone with the ability to disrupt ambient mana uses it, it¡¯s usually to conceal a crime or something worse. If there was anything worse. Yes, the effects wore off after a period of time, but it still left the events that occurred difficult to decipher through the ambient mana. Otid stood in the forest sniffing the air about him. ¡°Smells like evil,¡± he said, dramatically. He was standing among a sea of trees in a forest as old as the kingdom itself. It was a bright afternoon and the sunlight gave more than enough light to see with through the canopy overhead. Taliner, his partner for the past two months, walked past him with an amused smile on her face. She was dressed in her full adventuring garb, light leather armor with her sword fastened to her hip. She walked with the same tempting sway to her hips that had made him talk to her two months ago. Otid looked up to the trees, doing his best to keep his eyes off her. She had already made it crystal clear that she was not interested in warming his sheets even if he chose to fall in love with her first. ¡°How¡¯s it coming, Jay?¡± Taliner asked, impatient. ¡°I¡¯m working as fast as I can,¡± Jay answered, running his hand along the surface of the grass. Jay was a [Tracker] they¡¯d met this morning. He was a level 12 twenty-one-year-old, specialized in mana tracking, and was a bit on the timid side. He talked only when talked to, and didn¡¯t drink. He was very much unlike most adventurers. In Otid''s experience only [Assassins] behaved the way he did, secluded and broody. Jay was not an [Assassin], though. Otid had checked. ¡°Whoever disrupted the ambient mana really didn¡¯t want anyone finding out who was here,¡± Jay said after a while. ¡°And their level¡¯s probably higher than mine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an answer we¡¯re willing to take,¡± Taliner said, stopping to squat beside him. Jay took a moment to take his eyes of the grass. ¡°Well,¡± he said unapologetically, ¡°you should¡¯ve gotten someone with a higher level than mine if you wanted a specific kind of answer.¡± ¡°And yet,¡± she patted him on the back amiably, ¡°we got you.¡± Jay turned back to the grass and ran his hand through it, then dug his fingers into the soil. ¡°That''s because I was cheap.¡± ¡°Cheap?¡± Otid snorted, turning to the goblin corpse beside his feet that was already beginning to rot. ¡°You cost us two silver coins, that¡¯s enough for a night at any inn.¡± ¡°Cheap,¡± Jay repeated. ¡°But on a more serious note, whoever did this really didn¡¯t want us tracking him down.¡± ¡°Them,¡± Otid corrected. Jay got up. ¡°Them?¡± ¡°Yes, them.¡± Taliner got up and dusted her hand on her leather pants. ¡°As in more than one.¡± Otid let out a worried sigh as he walked up to the second goblin corpse. This one had gotten one of its arms severed before it had been killed. Off to the side there was a goblin that had been burnt to death. The problem was that he didn¡¯t know if it was magic fire or normal fire. ¡°You see the sword marks on that goblin?¡± Taliner said to Jay, gesturing at a dead goblin with more than four sword marks. Jay nodded. ¡°It¡¯s got eight cuts,¡± she continued. ¡°which means whoever killed it had needed eight cuts. But that one over there only needed three.¡± Otid kicked a green severed hand. ¡°This one as well.¡± Jay looked around, then pointed. ¡°That one, too.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Otid confirmed. ¡°What about that one?¡± Jay pointed. Otid knew what he was pointing at. The goblin had needed less than four cuts to kill it. ¡°Different person.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°The cuts,¡± Taliner said, walking up to the corpse in question. She squatted next to it. ¡°These ones are cleaner. Better. whoever made these cuts knew what he was doing. We may be simple level eighteens but Otid over there has been using the sword since he was ten.¡± ¡°And you?¡± Jay asked. ¡°Was studying to be a healer until my class told me I¡¯ve got a talent for killing things.¡± She shrugged as she got up. ¡°So here I am. Adventuring.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Jay muttered awkwardly. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± she said. Jay scratched his elbow the way a nervous person would. ¡°So we¡¯ve got two people sneaking out at odd hours stealing other people¡¯s contract quests?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ve got at least four people, two of which are very good with the sword. Whoever severed those arms really knows his way with a sword. And I don¡¯t think it was about the contract.¡± Taliner headed towards a different corpse and Jay strolled up to a tree and squatted there, working on something Otid couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Otid!¡± Taliner called out after a short while. ¡°I think we¡¯ve got a problem.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Otid turned and hurried over to her side. When he got to her, she pointed at a severed arm. ¡°We¡¯ve got another severed arm,¡± she said. ¡°And the body we¡¯ve got is missing only one arm.¡± Otid frowned, running a hand down his face. ¡°Rookies couldn¡¯t even do the job properly. They let one of them get away.¡± ¡°They probably figured it out." Taliner frowned, thoughtful. "Maybe they¡¯re the ones that gave the society the anonymous tip. I¡¯m just hoping we¡¯ll find another dead goblin if we go a little farther.¡± Otid had a strong feeling that they would not. ¡°Guys!¡± Jay called from his own end. ¡°You find something?¡± Taliner answered. ¡°Yea," Jay answered. "There was blood on the grass so I tried to analyze that one. You won¡¯t believe what I found.¡± ¡°Please tell me you found who did this,¡± Taliner sighed. ¡°Because I¡¯m getting really pissed at whoever these guys are. They¡¯ve practically made our work completing this quest more difficult.¡± ¡°Not really, but I got something,¡± Jay said when they got to him. ¡°You see these small spots of blood?¡± Otid squinted, then squatted and squinted some more. All he saw were four drops of blood, and that was barely. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good eye," he complimented Jay. "God knows I wouldn¡¯t have seen that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Otid shook his head with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be modest on my account. So what did you find out?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s human blood, which is very fascinating.¡± ¡°Fascinating?¡± Otid asked, surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, kid, but you¡¯ve got it, too. I can show you so you can fascinate yourself if you¡¯d like.¡± Jay shook his head and Taliner frowned at Otid. ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s fascinating,¡± Jay said. ¡°What¡¯s fascinating is that it¡¯s 80% mana.¡± ¡°So someone with a high blood to mana ratio?¡± Taliner asked. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a problem.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not,¡± Jay disagreed, slowly getting giddy. ¡°It¡¯s 80% mana, but it¡¯s 80% unrefined mana.¡± ¡°Classless?¡± Otid frowned. ¡°At 80%? That¡¯s impossible. Everyone knows you get a class at level 10, and that¡¯s like 20% mana.¡± He looked at Taliner. ¡°Right?¡± Taliner nodded in confirmation. ¡°Yes,¡± Jay agreed, still smiling. ¡°But here¡¯s the best part. It also has traces of summoning magic, but none of the binding magic that comes with summoned creatures.¡± Otid paused, then shook his head. ¡°Let me get this straight. What you¡¯re telling me is that you just discovered a summoned human bound to no master?¡± Jay nodded like an overactive child. ¡°Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± ¡°Fuck no, it¡¯s not. You expect me to go tell the society head that we¡¯ve got a summoned human running amuck with no master? Can¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Because it¡¯s all impossible. First, humans cannot be summoned. You summon goats and basilisks and twin horned rabbits. Normal familiars combat familiars. The occasional demons for the nut jobs out there. But not humans. It¡¯s impossible. And every summoned creature is bound to a master. If its master dies, it has no tie to this world and it disappears.¡± Jay¡¯s enthusiasm was slowly slipping away as Otid ranted. ¡°No.¡± Otid shook his head. ¡°Not telling them that the impossible happened. I¡¯ll be a laughing stock. Check it again.¡± At this point Jay was already frowning. ¡°I understand how you can be confused, but I will not stand here and be insulted. You paid me to get you a piece of information from my investigation, knowing you might not get any at all. Well, I got you something. Take it or leave it.¡± With that, he stormed away in annoyance, walking into the trees and in the direction they¡¯d come from. Taliner shook her head at Otid. ¡°You¡¯ve really got to work on that temper of yours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the temper,¡± Otid grumbled. ¡°The kid¡¯s asking us to tell the guild the impossible. No classless walks around with their blood having 80% mana. Not even a level 200 has that much mana in their blood, and they are legendary.¡± ¡°There is another possibility,¡± Taliner offered. ¡°But you won¡¯t like it.¡± Otid knew what she was talking about. ¡°No,¡± he said before she could continue. ¡°Do not quote any fucking scriptures to me. It¡¯s all bull farts and jepat shit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very religious myself either, Otid, but you¡¯ve got to admit, with the rising demonic mana reports, this would tally with the scriptures.¡± ¡°And from what any half sane adventurer knows, you¡¯ll need an arcane class above level 200 and at least 20 sacrifices to summon one savior. One, Tal. And your scripture says there¡¯ll be a handful of them all across the fucking world. I think we¡¯d know if people suddenly started vanishing off the face of the kingdom in groups of twenty.¡± Silence stretched between them. Taliner glared at him with a scowl on her face. After a while Otid dragged a tired hand across his face, calming himself. He¡¯d blown up on her for something that wasn¡¯t her fault. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said finally. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ the society head gave me this contract quest, and I¡¯m trying not to mess it up. I haven¡¯t gotten a good quest in forever¡ªwe haven¡¯t gotten a good quest in forever. And I¡¯ve been stuck at level 19 for too long. If I can deal with this one, I¡¯ll get more quests. More quests means levels, Tal. I¡¯m sick and tired of being a level 19 adventurer.¡± Taliner nodded. The scowl dropped from her face and her eyes softened. Otid knew she at least understood his frustration. Adventurer¡¯s needed to level up. It was their bread and butter even though it wasn''t the easiest thing to do. ¡°Yea,¡± she muttered. Then she looked him straight in the eye. ¡°Fuck you, Otid.¡± She stormed off without looking back. Angry and alone, Otid turned and kicked a tree. What was he doing shouting at her? It wasn¡¯t her fault they¡¯d gotten a shit [Tracker]. People didn¡¯t summon humans. And even if it was possible, certain types of summoning needed certain criteria. The more complicated the creature, the greater the sacrifice, and demons and humans were the most complicated things alive. Demons needed a lot of blood, which meant a lot of dead people, and they were considered the second most complex from everything he knew. But if Jay is right, he thought, second guessing himself, and someone really went out of their way to summon a human, then we¡¯ve got to tell the guild. Heck! We¡¯ve got to tell the king¡­ Because if the scriptures were right, then there was only one thing that could lead to human summoning. The Demon King was coming. Otid ran a shaky hand through his short hair. ¡°Shit.¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Two days had passed since the skirmish with the goblins. Aiden had spent all two of those days only practicing his swordsmanship and visiting the library. He skipped out on all arcane classes and focused on his [Engraving] and [Geometry] skills. He had failed to achieve his goal at level one. And fighting the goblins hadn¡¯t gotten him to level two even though he knew the level wasn¡¯t so far away now. [Engraving] and [Geometry] were already at high mastery, simply waiting for a little push to create a basic skill. But Aiden needed them to have a little more oomf before he tried for level two. After all, the higher the levels, the harder it would be to achieve his goal. What he needed wasn¡¯t another basic skill or two, what he was looking for was a unique skill. Some people called them techniques, and the only way to evolve them was to learn two or more basic skills at the same time. With learning a basic skill to gain a level when classless, learning two at the same time also led to a single level, however, while it slowed the process, the giveaway was that the basic skill ended up being a unique skill. And Aiden had every intention of getting a unique skill for his second level. He only had so many chances before learning two basic skills at the same time became next to impossible. Aiden closed the book of enchantments in front of him and got up from his bed. It was late noon by his estimate so Ted was probably out there learning one form of magic or the other. He picked up his pouch of coins, a daily stipend the palace gave each of them out of the goodness of their hospitality, and left the room. Outside the palace, but still within the castle walls, everyone was busy. The sun was going down and evening had begun its rise. He found an enchanter¡¯s store just beside an apothecary and made quick work inside. For his next level, he needed to learn the [Enchant] basic skill while learning [Unarmed combat]. Being in an Enchanter¡¯s shop gave him a small level of nostalgia. Most of the items he saw while walking around the shelves were things he¡¯d crafted by himself once upon a time. There were basic combat tools, a few stick-on enchantments as well. The way the latter worked was that the enchanter drew whatever runes and sigils were necessary for the enchantment on a piece of sticky paper. The user only had to stick the paper to their item of choice and rip it off. The result would be a single use enchantment present on the weapon. It was something purchased by low level adventurers who couldn¡¯t afford proper enchanted weapons. The normal civilian also used it every now and again. Aiden purchased enchantments he was familiar with, items he used so much that using them might as well be muscle memory to him. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He purchased [Orb of Lesser Silence], [Orb of Lesser Speed]. [Cube of Lesser Strength] and a few other combat tools. Most of which were designed to give self-buffs. If he wanted to increase the mastery of his skills to get the [Enchant] skill during combat, he needed to have his body go through the process. Enchant skills, after all, were rarely ever leveled in combat. They were leveled in practice, seated and slaving over engraving enchantment runes on one item or the other. After haggling down outrageous prices to lesser outrageous prices, Aiden left the shop with his items of choice, knowing he could¡¯ve gotten them cheaper out in the city. But his ire was controlled, after all, these were ¡®castle prices.¡¯ The elite felt more superior if they didn¡¯t have to mingle amongst the commoners to get what they wanted. So the extra was for the prestige. Also, the money wasn¡¯t his. It was a gift from the palace. Tomorrow it would be replenished. Next, Aiden stopped by the armory and got a soldier¡¯s belt. On Nastild everyone in the combat business had a soldier¡¯s belt, though it was known by different names in different parts of the world. It was a belt with at least one sword holder and multiple pockets for multiple items. He¡¯d used it a lot before he¡¯d upgraded to a flashy coat that did the same job and more. The thought of the coat reminded Aiden of how much he missed it. And since he wouldn¡¯t be going for the enchanter class this time around, it meant there were a lot of things he loved like the coat, his dagger, and his sword, Spell Binder, that would never be recreated in this world. But they were necessary sacrifices. Aiden had only created them to help him compensate for his lacking combat prowess due to his class, and since he was determined to get a different class, they would not be necessary. When he got to the training ground he and Valdan used as evening fell, he found the knight seated calmly on a large stone. His broad sword stood before him, stabbed into the ground, and he rested his hand on its pommel. Aiden approached the man at a leisurely pace. ¡°Do you just come here and sit once the sun begins to set every day or is there someone tailing me that lets you know when I¡¯ll be around?¡± The knight raised his helmeted head to look at him. ¡°You have missed our sparring session for two days in a row now.¡± Aiden chuckled. ¡°I was busy with other endeavors.¡± Valdan¡¯s head lowered slightly, focusing on the soldier¡¯s belt around Aiden¡¯s waist that carried no sword. ¡°I take it you have something you want to learn today.¡± His head tilted back up as Aiden came to stand in front of him. ¡°Something I fear I will not like.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Aiden reached for the knight¡¯s sword in a casual gesture and Valdan tilted the pommel towards himself so that the weapon leaned away from Aiden''s hand. Then he got up and drew the blade from the ground. ¡°Alright then,¡± he said, sheathing the broad sword. ¡°What are we doing today.¡± ¡°Unarmed combat,¡± Aiden said, taking his hand back to his side. ¡°And a little bit of enchanted fighting.¡± Valdan¡¯s head cocked to the side. ¡°You wish to fight with enchantment magic, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I do. Do you have a problem with that?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°However, that seems like the focus of a Spellsword. And it does not pain me to say that my abilities do not lie there. However, while not a [Paladin] or a [Bladesinger] we do have a Knight on hand with a basic knowledge of enchanted combat.¡± ¡°Personally, I¡¯d prefer a [Battlemage],¡± Aiden said with a dismissive gesture. ¡°But it¡¯s nothing so deep. You will be enough.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Lord Lacheart? The intricacies of fighting with magic while in active combat motion is not as easy as it may sound.¡± Aiden almost laughed. Oh how he knew it. Fighting with active skills already felt like fighting while splitting the mind two ways. One to keep track of the skills and the other to keep track of the body. Fighting with magic outside of your skills while fighting with skills and the body was like splitting the mind three ways. It was multitasking and the reason many people didn''t do it. It took far more than just practice to be good at it. ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± Aiden replied. Valdan extricated his sheathed sword from his side in a single motion, stabbed it into the ground, and took a combat stance. ¡°As you wish, Lord Lacheart.¡± A small rune lit up on the right breastplate of Valdan¡¯s armor and the armor seemed to soften. Valdan always wore his Knight¡¯s armor. He often opted to take it off on certain occasions, one of which was for unarmed combat, but Aiden always refused. There was just something about fighting against the man in his armor that kept Aiden on his toes. After all, he¡¯d fought a few knights on opposing sides once before. A knight''s armor also had active enchantments, one of which could be toggled on and off to switch between a hardened exterior and a more cloth-like one. The latter allowed for easier movement for the knights and helped with situations like stealth and general silence while still providing basic level protections for the knight. For their unarmed training, Valdan activated the enchantments that gave the armor a cloth-like feel for Aiden¡¯s sake, and deactivated the protections. According to him, it helped him gauge the strength of Aiden¡¯s blows. Aiden never said anything on this. After all, he had never landed a successful blow, and it wasn¡¯t like anything he could do to Sir Valdan at his current level would have any impact. Punching the man was like hitting a brick wall. Aiden shook his arms out as he took a stance of his own. ¡°There¡¯ll be a little sloppiness today," he informed Valdan. "So try not to accidentally almost kill me this time, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°I will do my best, Lord Lacheart.¡± Valdan relaxed his stance slightly. ¡°Has anyone told you that you possess strange fighting techniques, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Oh this?¡± Aiden lowered his hands slightly. ¡°It¡¯s called a boxer¡¯s stance. It¡¯s something from my old world.¡± ¡°Intriguing.¡± Valdan burst forward with a straight punch and Aiden ducked out of the way. He stepped about a bit, creating some distance between them, but Valdan was quick to follow, blitzing through the distance. Aiden ducked a few more blows and tossed a few jabs. None connected and Valdan didn¡¯t give him the grace of blocking. After a few exchanges, Aiden switched fighting techniques to something more complex and from this world. As he did, he pulled out one of the orbs he¡¯d purchased from his belt and channeled mana into it as Valdan came at him with a punch. It was a small object the size of two sugar cubes. His interface flashed as he activated it. You have activated [Cube of Lesser Strength]. Effect: +4% strength granted to user. Duration: 00:00:15. Aiden felt the rush of power go through him, paying avid attention to the flow of mana from the enchantment. Out of unreasonable curiosity, he didn¡¯t dodge Valdan¡¯s blow. Instead, he raised both hands to meet it. He took the blow in the palm of one hand while supporting the hand with the other and knew he¡¯d made a mistake the moment the blow connected. The force of Valdan''s blow knocked both hands back and sent Aiden tumbling along the ground. Aiden righted his body as he tumbled and bounced back to his feet at the end of his fall. Knowing the Knight very well, he wasn¡¯t surprised to find Valdan waiting for him to stand back up. ¡°Are you alright, Lord Lacheart?¡± Valdan asked in a simple tone. Aiden opened and closed his palm. While the blow had certainly hurt, it had broken nothing. ¡°Just an enchantment of lesser strength,¡± he said, pulling out three more items. Two were orbs and the other was a balled up piece of paper. ¡°Was testing its limit. Nothing more.¡± He channeled mana into two of the three items and darted forward. To activate an enchantment, all a person had to do was channel their mana into it and the enchantment did all the work. It was technically like using an item on default settings. But to gain the true value of an enchantment, one had to actively channel their mana through the runes and sigils that created the enchantment. It was like going through the settings and customizing it for personal preference. It gave the user, if they were capable, a better understanding of the item and enchantment. Most people didn¡¯t use this method because you needed an understanding of the enchantments themselves¡ªtheir creative runes and sigils¡ªto do it. You have activated [Sliver of Lesser Agility]. Effect: +2% increase in Agility Duration: 00:00:18. ¡­ You have activated [Orb of Lesser Speed] Effect: +3% increase in movement speed. Duration: 00:00:12. Aiden closed the distance in the blink of an eye and threw a kick into Valdan¡¯s side. Valdan blocked it with a raised leg and Aiden tossed the last orb into the space between them, activating it as the third item. It served its purpose as a distraction. You have activated [Orb of Lesser silence] Effect: All sound made will be nullified within the specified vicinity. Duration: 00:00:19 Radius: 0.0014km. If the orb worked as a distraction, then Valdan¡¯s eyes would be, even if momentarily, on the item as it shattered into dust. This meant the knight would not see the next attack coming at him. As such, he would have to rely on his sense of sound to hear Aiden¡¯s next move. Aiden hoped to take away this advantage. The entire strategy banked on Valdan¡¯s attention being caught by the tossed orb. The world around them shimmered in a small, translucent dome wide enough to encircle them as the orb¡¯s enchantment took effect. All silence enchantments played the same role, they basically tuned out all the sound within their area of effect which meant that for the next few seconds everything that happened would happen without any sound. The distraction would take the knight''s sight then the orb would take his sense of sound, two necessary senses in a fight. For the sake of caution, Aiden feinted to the left first, then came up on the right with an open hand uppercut. With the effects of [Orb of Lesser Speed] he hoped to be slightly faster than Valdan¡¯s estimated calculation of his speed. He knew none of his attacks would leave any impact on the Knight, but the aim wasn¡¯t to hurt Valdan, it was to land a blow. [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Kick (Mastery 100.00%)] ... [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Palm attack (Mastery 100.00%)] ... [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Engraving (Mastery 100.00%)] ... [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Geometry (Mastery 100.00%)] Aiden¡¯s uppercut connected with the jaw of Valdan¡¯s helmet as the notifications appeared, translucent in a way that did little to obstruct his view. It was a perfect strike. A proper hit. If they were of equal levels, the blow would¡¯ve probably sent Valdan staggering¡ªprobably given him a concussion too. But they were not. Valdan reacted to the blow instantly. Both of his hands came together and he brought them down on Aiden¡¯s arm at the elbow. It locked Aiden¡¯s striking arm painfully, and forced him down to one knee. It subdued him perfectly. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow!¡± Aiden complained, tapping the knight¡¯s gauntleted arm in surrender. While he did so, his interface flashed in front of him once more. [Foundational skill with perfect mastery detected.] [Multiple foundational skills with perfect mastery detected.] [Congratulations!] [You have achieved perfect mastery in the necessary foundational skills.] You have gained skill [Unarmed combat (Mastery 02.10%)]. ¡­ [Foundational skill with perfect mastery detected.] [Multiple foundational skills with perfect mastery detected.] [Congratulations!] [You have achieved perfect mastery in the necessary foundational skills.] You have gained skill [Basic Enchant (Mastery 02.10%)]. Valdan released Aiden with almost the same speed he¡¯d used to subdue him and took two quick steps away. Aiden might¡¯ve been imagining it but the man¡¯s stance looked as if he was surprised somehow. [Congratulations!] [You have Leveled Up!] ¡­ [Name ¨C Aiden Lacheart] [Species ¨C Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class ¨CNone Lvl 2] Aiden smiled, feeling the power from leveling up go through him. It was like a full body buzz. He could feel it grow from his heart, reaching into every part of his body. Fear hadn¡¯t allowed him experience the ecstasy of level one, but level two came unhindered. After the space of a second, the sensation was gone and Aiden just remained on his knee, waiting. He was beginning to worry that he¡¯d somehow failed when the notification he was waiting for popped up. [Simultaneous basic skills acquisition detected upon new level.] [Congratulations!] [You have learned a Unique skill!] You have learned Unique skill [Unarmed Engraving (Mastery 0.00%)(U)]. Unarmed Engraving. Aiden hadn¡¯t heard of the skill before. While unique skills were called unique, they weren¡¯t necessarily unique to their user. They were simply skills that helped their user perform basic skills in unique ways. Valdan walked up to Aiden and the sound of his armor as he moved told Aiden that the Knight had switched the armor back to its default state. It was safe to assume that the sparring session was over. ¡°You were right, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said. ¡°You truly needed no help in the art of enchanted combat. It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen someone use enchantments in a fight the way you just did.¡± Aiden moved his arm around, the one Valdan had locked down, testily. ¡°Thanks. I didn¡¯t think I could pull it off.¡± ¡°The end distraction was impressive,¡± Valdan continued. ¡°I assume that was an orb of silence. I didn¡¯t hear your next move.¡± ¡°It was. I also used an enchantment for strength, another for speed, and another for agility.¡± Valdan rubbed his helmeted jaw. ¡°All for a single strike. All that willing sacrifice to meet your goal. And while congratulations are in order for your level up, if you do not mind me asking, what was your goal?¡± Now that he¡¯d achieved it, Aiden had no reason to keep it from Valdan. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get another unique skill until another ten levels. It was simply the way with the skills. ¡°I was going for a unique skill,¡± he said. ¡°I see.¡± Valdan looked to the side, into the distance. He seemed contemplative. ¡°That was the same thing you were trying to do last time, was it not?¡± Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling embarrassed. ¡°Yea. About that. I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to get you angry. It¡¯s just¡­ there were certain criteria and I couldn¡¯t meet them if you knew what I was trying to do.¡± Valdan nodded and waved his worry aside. ¡°I understand. Every Knight directly subject to the king needs to possess at least one unique skill to serve under that capacity, amongst other things. And did you succeed?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Though, I¡¯m not sure what it does. Ever heard of [Unarmed Engraving] before?¡± Valdan shook his head. Aiden couldn¡¯t say he was surprised. He pulled up the unique skill and displayed its description. [Unarmed Engraving (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] All enchantments require a tool with which to enchant. An item to engrave upon any canvas. An engraving tool is for the ordinary. But you are unique. You are your own tool. Now find your canvas. ¡°I think I can engrave without using anything,¡± Aiden said, looking up at Valdan. ¡°I have never heard of a person who can enchant without tools,¡± Valdan said. ¡°You should try it and see how it works, Lord Lacheart.¡± The skill said he was the tool. So all I need is a canvas. ¡°I need a canvas,¡± he said, gesturing at Valdan. ¡°Your sword.¡± The Knight shook his head. ¡°Like my armor, it already possesses too many runes. Any more will be a problem.¡± He walked off to the side where they kept the practice weapon and Aiden had to wait for a few seconds for the Knight to return. Handing him the sword would¡¯ve been significantly faster, but Valdan was right, every item had a maximum number of enchantments it could hold. Simple items could only hold one. Valdan returned with a wooden sword and handed it to him. ¡°Have at it.¡± Aiden took the weapon from him and held it up. The suns descent was almost complete and evening was soon becoming night. It was only a matter of time before they would not be able to see. He thought about the skill, activating it. You have activated [Unarmed Engraving (U)]. The moment the notification appeared, information filled Aiden¡¯s mind and he knew how the skill worked. It was like picking up an old tool and suddenly remembering how to use it. He placed his index finger against the flat of the wooden blade and drew the simplest level 2 enchantment he knew. When the runes and sigils were complete, done in the space of three seconds, he activated it. You have activated [Enchantment of Lesser Strength] Effect: 8% increase in durability Duration: 00:00:19. Enchantments had different effects when cast on the living as against the non-living and Aiden watched the enchantment slowly burn a scar in the wood as time moved on, darkening ever so quickly. Once the duration was up, the enchantment was nothing but a black burn mark on the wooden sword. Valdan was standing beside him, observing the process. ¡°An enchantment done without tools. I have never seen the likes before. All enchanters use tools.¡± Aiden was smiling. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°No.¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°You do not. What you¡¯ve done is similar to how spells are cast. You have cast an enchantment as though it were a spell¡­ or a spell as though it were an enchantment.¡± Aiden knew. Spells were like powerful enchantments cast by word of mouth or drawn by the hands of anyone with the [Mana Mastery] skill. And where enchantments had to be written on something, spells could be written anywhere, including thin air and without tools. But the major difference that mattered was the effect of a spell as against an enchantment. An enchantment needed a conduit to act through and upon. That was why all enchantments needed to be engraved on something. A spell needed no such thing. So if an enchantment granted lightning effects, it would need a conduit like a sword or a pole or something for the electricity to travel through. A spell had no such limitation. The caster could simply point and cast and watch lightning shoot across the distance. Aiden didn¡¯t argue with Valdan because he didn¡¯t need to. He turned the hilt of the wooden sword to Valdan and the Knight took it. ¡°If I may ask, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said. ¡°How did you learn of unique skills and how to get them?¡± ¡°Read it in one of the library books,¡± Aiden answered. He already spent a great deal of time in the library so the library had become his go to explanation for knowledge he possessed. An obvious lie to him, but a sufficient explanation to others. ¡°The question,¡± he said, suddenly realizing something that had happened in his past life and was repeating itself in this one, ¡°is why no one has told any of us about unique skills or tried to help us learn any. I understand that it¡¯s not so easy to replicate, given the criteria. But I¡¯m certain we could still try.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t even need to think about it. None of them had even heard of a unique skill until Drax had gotten one at level 25 in his past life. The palace had kept it a secret from them and intended to do the same in this timeline as well. ¡°Unique skills are powerful skills, Valdan,¡± Aiden continued, slowly getting angry at the realization. ¡°Why the hell would you guys keep it from us?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know when, but he¡¯d stepped up to the Knight as he¡¯d spoken. The man was taller than him by a head and he stared up into the slits of his helmet. Even with a good king like Brandis, the palace continued to play games. It gave them the best to carry out their tasks, but only the best it was willing to give. They would be better as a team if as many of them as possible got unique skills before getting their class. Despite his position in front of a man capable of breaking him like a twig, Aiden¡¯s anger refused to allow him back down. ¡°Explain yourself, Knight?¡± He didn¡¯t expect to intimidate Valdan, and Valdan was not intimidated. Valdan¡¯s head remained tilted down to meet his glare even as he answered in the most casual yet knightly tone possible. ¡°All I have done and not done,¡± he said, ¡°I have done and not done by order of the king.¡± The answer shifted some of Aiden¡¯s anger into confusion. If this had been a direct order from King Brandis, then there was a reason. Brandis was not a man who would do something that seemed detrimental unless it was for the greater good. What greater good would keep them from raising us as best as possible? He thought. Unique skills weren¡¯t necessarily powerful, but they were unique. Some of them defied the existing laws of existing skills. There were also others that took a skill and customized it to the owner. For instance, [Unarmed Engraving] had just ensured that no matter what situation he found himself in, as long as he had mana, Aiden could always make an enchantment. And Brandis kept it from us intentionally. Why? Aiden stepped away from Valdan¡¯s personal space and collected himself. He needed to be calm with his next words, controlled. Because no matter how unique the palace was, allowing him shirk any other tutorial simply because he got special training in the martial arts, his next words, if said flippantly, could be seen as him overstepping his position. It could be seen as disrespect to the crown. And he was about to say them to a Knight of the kingdom. ¡°If what I have deduced of the King is true,¡± Aiden said with as much respect as he could infuse into his voice. ¡°Then he is a King of insight and vast intelligence. On that note, I am inclined to believe that all progress of mine and my companions are reported to him regularly. And I believe it is safe to assume that you report mine personally.¡± While he was sure of everything he¡¯d said, the last part was only a speculation. Valdan could easily have someone he reported to who in turn reported the information to the king. Valdan nodded, confirming his speculation. ¡°Then on your next report,¡± Aiden said, choosing his words wisely. ¡°Pass this information on. Let the king know that I, Aiden Lacheart, humbly request an audience with the king.¡± Valdan bowed officially. ¡°Your request will be passed on to the king, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aiden turned and walked out of the training area. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to say to the king, but he knew that this was a question that needed answering. And if for some reason Brandis refused his request, then he would find another way to speak to the man. It was time he had a talk with King Brandis the fourth. TEN: Games And Errors. The palace had enchantments in place that addressed the subject of temperature. Earth had air conditioners as well as thermostats designed to regulate the temperatures of a room. The palace and practically any other house of sufficient wealth had weather based enchantments. Their design was to keep rooms at what was considered optimal temperature. As a person rose through the levels, temperatures became less and less of a blessing or a curse. Heat and chill slowly became bygone concepts. They were not completely eliminated, merely suppressed. A person of a high enough level did not suddenly stop feeling these temperatures, it just required far stronger levels to feel them. However, Aiden, at level 2, couldn¡¯t feel the temperature being regulated in his room when he very well should. As he paced up and down his room, he could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat. What had he done? No, he knew what he had done. But what had he done? A mere classless did not request the presence of the king on a whim. Even in his past life, as high as his level had gone, there had still been processes involved in gaining an audience with kings. Even when the kings knew he was not from this world. Even when they knew I was standing in representation of the Order. Aiden ran a worried hand through his hair. He stopped his pacing, ran both hands through his hair. He took a handful of hair and groaned in exasperation. ¡°What the hell have I done?¡± On his bed Ted chuckled in entertainment and Aiden shot him a glare. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± Ted tossed a grape from a plate on the bed into his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not the one that told a powerful knight to demand an audience with his king like I was some important delegate.¡± Aiden groaned and dropped his hands. ¡°I did not demand an audience with the king. I kindly¡­ requested for one.¡± ¡°Requested. Demanded.¡± Ted shrugged. ¡°Sounds all the same to me.¡± Aiden moved to the only table in the room and leaned against it. He looked at the top corners of the room where the runes and sigils for the temperature enchantments were supposed to be. ¡°How does the room feel to you?¡± he asked. Ted looked to the ceiling. ¡°The temperature enchantments are working just fine, Aida.¡± Ted said, then tossed him a grape. ¡°You¡¯re just worrying too much. Brandis is just a king. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re facing off against a congress of Demon Lords or something.¡± Aiden paused, catching the tossed grape. He frowned. ¡°How do you know about the temperature enchantments?¡± Ted raised a brow. ¡°What?¡± Aiden placed the grape on the table carefully. ¡°I asked how the room feels to you. I said nothing about temperature enchantments.¡± ¡°Your point?¡± ¡°My point is how do you know that this room has temperature enchantments? How do you know what temperature enchantments even are?¡± Temperature enchantments were a normal thing in the palace. They were like the walls or the ceilings or a thermostat. Or a person¡¯s mother. No one brought it up unless there was a reason to bring it up. You didn''t walk into a persons house only to have them talking to you about the ceiling. And since nobody from their world knew about temperature enchantments, no one was going to bring it up, so none of them was supposed to know. Even if one of them knew, unless it was pointed out that these enchantments worked optimally when placed at the highest points in a room as possible, they wouldn¡¯t know where it was placed. ¡°Aiden,¡± Ted said carefully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you look like a ghost buster about to prove to the world that you¡¯re not crazy, but you¡¯ve got to breathe. You don¡¯t want to be frazzled when you meet the king.¡± It can¡¯t be possible, right? Aiden worried. I¡¯ve already ruled out the possibility that he came back in time, too. I only have the Sage to worry about. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to put this, Ted,¡± Aiden said slowly, walking up to the bed. ¡°But I need to know how you know of temperature enchantments. It¡¯s very important.¡± He searched his brother¡¯s eyes, waiting. If Ted was just like him, he wouldn¡¯t say anything specific because he would know that temperature enchantments weren¡¯t the only enchantments not visible to the eyes in the room. He would know that they had to be careful of everything they said in the palace. So Aiden looked for it in his eyes. Anything that would tell him what he wanted to know. There was a knock at the door. The sound pierced the silence of everything, but Aiden didn¡¯t turn away, neither did Ted. They remained where they were, staring at each other. The knock came again, once more. Then twice. Ted pointed. ¡°Anyone going to get that?¡± Aiden said nothing. This moment was too important. If Ted had also come back in time, then Aiden could assume that the Sage had done the same. And judging from how Ted had handled their conversation in his cell that night, the Sage had been vastly more powerful than him then. Most probably over level 500. It meant they had an active enemy and needed to be more careful than Aiden had been so far. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Ted broke eye contact and hopped off the bed. ¡°If you won¡¯t, I will.¡± He walked up to the door, Aiden¡¯s gaze trailing after him. ¡°Ted,¡± Aiden said and Ted paused to look at him. ¡°I need to know.¡± Ted pointed a finger at him. ¡°Okay, now you¡¯re beginning to worry me, dude. You know you¡¯re not the only one that uses the library, right? I got it from the library. Architecture section under building enchantments.¡± With that, he opened the door without asking who it was as Aiden released the breath he had been holding. Suspecting everyone is turning me paranoid. When their guests walked into the room, Aiden turned and did his best not to run a frustrated hand through his hair. ¡°Hi, Aiden,¡± Letto greeted with a sheepish smile. Behind him Drax stood with folded hands as Ted closed the door. ¡°In my defense,¡± Ted pointed out. ¡°I was not a part of this. I¡¯m just not surprised by it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been avoiding us,¡± Drax said to Aiden, matter of fact. Aiden turned to face them and folded his arms over his chest. Behind them Ted was doing his best impression of trying not to laugh and failing. ¡°I¡¯ve not been avoiding you guys.¡± Aiden said. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy.¡± It was a half-truth. He had been busy. He also hadn¡¯t been avoiding the both of them, just Drax. Not talking to Letto was just something of a collateral damage of Aiden being busy. ¡°We¡¯ve been here more than a week, Aiden,¡± Letto said. ¡°And I only see you during¡­ Actually, ever since you gained the mana manipulation skill, you¡¯ve stopped coming to Nilhm¡¯s magic lectures, too. So I only see you never.¡± ¡°And how have the lectures been for you?¡± Aiden asked conversationally. Letto fell silent and looked away. ¡°Still haven¡¯t gotten the skill.¡± Aiden nodded, not surprised. ¡°How about we do this,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading, and I have come to learn that not everyone has an affinity for mana. At least not in the way it is applied to magic.¡± Letto paused. ¡°And?¡± ¡°And you not being able to get the mana manipulation skill now doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t get it later. Some people have been known to get it after their classes. I read of a guy who got his at level 93.¡± Aiden¡¯s words didn¡¯t help to cheer Letto up, but Letto was less crestfallen now. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they were talking or if it was at the idea that he wasn¡¯t some kind of failure with magic. ¡°What I can do for you,¡± Aiden continued, ¡°is talk to someone about it. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some knight around here somewhere that¡¯ll be willing to give you a hand in combat training.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not very good at the martial arts either,¡± Drax said, his sternness going nowhere, eyes still fixed on Aiden. ¡°That¡¯s because he hasn¡¯t found his weapon,¡± Aiden countered. ¡°The knight I train with told me that if you don¡¯t have a weapon you can use, it is simply because you haven¡¯t found one. If you can¡¯t learn the fighting techniques they¡¯re teaching you, it¡¯s because they haven¡¯t taught you the fighting technique for you.¡± Valdan had told him no such thing. Letto perked up at that. ¡°And you think you can get someone to teach me?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°How good are you with a dagger?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Lady Denid says it¡¯s a weapon only fit for rogues, thieves, and assassin. Apart from that, it is a support weapon at best. So she¡¯s not teaching us. Sam asked about it when he couldn¡¯t use the bow or the sword and that''s how we know.¡± Aiden rubbed his jaw in thought just as Ted walked over to his bed and plopped down on it. He was more than certain the Knight training them had been referring to the classes, but he had a feeling Letto had misunderstood it to mean the professions. The way he mentioned them had carried a derogatory tone to it. And while Aiden knew that there were classes disliked on Nastild, there was no class that was seen as bad in and of itself. ¡°Just out of curiosity,¡± Aiden said. ¡°When she said rogue, thief and assassin, did she mean the classes or the professions?¡± Letto and Drax exchanged a look. ¡°Probably the classes,¡± they answered. ¡°Probably, meaning you don¡¯t know.¡± Aiden pinched his bottom lip in thought and dragged it. ¡°Hasn¡¯t mom always told you to stop doing that?¡± Ted interrupted. Aiden made a face at him. ¡°Well mom¡¯s not here right now, is she?¡± He¡¯d said the words randomly but a heavy silence settled on the room in their wake. It took him a moment to realize what he had done. To him it had been eleven years since he¡¯d seen his parents and friends. Their absence in his life was nothing but a natural thing now, like talking about a loved one long dead. But the people in the room with him were not the same. For them, it had only been a week and a few days. Not even a month. Ted chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Things got heavy fast.¡± ¡°Yea,¡± Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Sorry about that. I should¡¯ve been more responsible with my words.¡± Drax took a deep breath and let it out in annoyance. ¡°That!¡± he said, pointing an angry finger at Aiden. ¡°That! Is what the problem is. That right there.¡± Aiden looked at him, then Letto, then Ted, confused. Ted¡¯s only reaction was to burst into laughter. Aiden looked back at Drax. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°That responsible maturity,¡± Drax complained. ¡°That¡¯s not you.¡± Aiden folded his arms. ¡°You know we weren¡¯t really friends, right?¡± ¡°Yes. But Letto spent more time around you than I did, and he says it¡¯s not you. Heck, I knew how you reacted when you found out about Tasha and you guys broke up.¡± Aiden and Ted shared a look, then they shared a grimace. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Letto said. ¡°You¡¯re usually quiet, Aiden. But never busy and responsible. Just... quiet.¡± Aiden had almost forgotten about Tasha, she had been his ex as at the time of his summoning. They¡¯d been dating since they were sixteen. Then they¡¯d broken up. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe it hadn¡¯t even been up to six months since their break up in this timeline. He looked at Ted, remembering why they¡¯d broken up. Ted shook his head. ¡°Oh, no, don¡¯t look at me. How many times do I have to tell you I didn¡¯t sleep with her? Like I said, no offense, but that bitch was crazy. I sure as hell wasn¡¯t trying to catch a case. I know she¡¯s fine but when I look at her, all I see is that sixteen-year-old my brother had a crush on.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°And not everybody gets to date their crush,¡± Letto said as if on a side note. ¡°Besides,¡± Ted continued. ¡°When your younger brother¡¯s hot girlfriend makes a move on you enough times, the first thing you do on each occasion is find the nearest exit and dip. It¡¯s brother 101. And that¡¯s what I did.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Drax looked from Aiden to Ted. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just once?¡± The bad thing about your girlfriend being famous in college was that her business was everybody¡¯s business. And everyone liked to talk. So when Aiden had walked in on her trying to seduce Ted in his room when Ted had come to drop somethings off and broken up with her, he knew the entire school was going to find out. Aiden knew Ted hadn¡¯t done anything. But he¡¯d been young and stupid when he¡¯d found out all those years ago. So when Tasha had told him that it wasn¡¯t the first time when they were breaking up and claimed she had done something with Ted before, he¡¯d believed her. Why? Because she''d had no reason to lie. They were broken up and telling him wasn¡¯t going to help get them back together. God, I was young and stupid, Aiden thought, running a hand down his face. Technically, you¡¯re still supposed to be young and stupid. And in this timeline he¡¯d only been hating his brother for six months. Aiden shook his head as if displacing cobwebs. That was enough drama for one night. ¡°Back on topic,¡± he said, terminating that line of conversation. ¡°Regarding what Denid said, in this world there are people who look unfavorably on some classes. But the belief is that if it can be a class, then it can be used for good.¡± ¡°The way you have good hackers and bad hackers?¡± Letto asked, easily returning to the conversation of getting something he would be good at. ¡°Exactly," Aiden said. "I¡¯m sure I can get someone to teach you how to use a dagger and maybe an array of more diverse skills. They¡¯re teaching us how to be great warriors of justice but not everyone has to be some diplomatically correct class to save the world.¡± Letto looked at Drax. ¡°I¡¯m going to be useful,¡± he said excitedly. ¡°I can be useful.¡± Drax smiled at him. ¡°You were always useful, Letto.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Letto shrugged. ¡°But now I¡¯m going to be useful useful. Like really useful.¡± Drax placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You were always useful, Letto. Always have been. Always will be. And you don¡¯t need some fancy class or some fancy skill to tell you that. You¡¯re perfectly alright just the way you are.¡± Aiden just stared. Definitely what you¡¯d expect a hero to say. Unfortunately, Aiden knew powerful people that would definitely say otherwise. Ted snorted. ¡°Philosopher¡¯s consolation.¡± Everyone looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Letto asked. Aiden knew what it was. He knew it very well. It was something their parents liked to say whenever someone told themselves something to make themselves feel better about where they were in life when they could be better. They called it an excuse to not move forward. To them, it was people escaping their reality, choosing to delude themselves into acceptance rather than progression. Aiden didn''t entirely disagree with them, but he wasn''t a hard supporter of the idea like his brother. To him, sometimes people needed the motivation. Unfortunately, there were also those that abused the entire thing and comforted themselves into stagnation. ¡°Just something our mom used to say,¡± Ted answered Letto. ¡°And what does it mean?¡± Drax asked. ¡°Just that¡ª¡± Aiden pointed a warning finger at his brother, interrupting him. ¡°No!¡± he chided. Ted cocked a brow. ¡°You sure? Because it sounds like Letto might benefit from knowing what it means.¡± Aiden pressed his lips in a thin line. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± In this world, Drax was the kind of person that would hate the term and everything it stands for. As such, since Ted was a strong believer in it, Drax would likely end up hating Ted. The last thing Aiden needed was to give Drax more reasons to hate Ted in the future. He¡¯d already seen the campaign lengths Drax had been willing to go to when he hated Ted for just being the Demon King. If Aiden¡¯s plans failed, he didn¡¯t want to see the lengths Drax would go when he hated Ted as a person too. Besides, Letto wasn¡¯t that kind of person. What Drax was doing was showing kindness in his own way whether Ted approved of it or not. As for Letto. Aiden knew what the boy became. His usefulness in the war had been unquestionable. It was a pity that he¡¯d met the end he¡¯d met, though. Everyone was standing in silence, possibly contemplating if they needed to push more on what Ted had said when a knock came from the door. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± a voice they did not recognize called. It was young. A child¡¯s. Drax turned and opened the door. ¡°Yes.¡± A boy stood quietly in old clothes, worn from age but cared for so that they did not look ragged. He had deep dark hair and grey eyes. ¡°I am looking for Lord Lacheart the Younger,¡± the boy said, calling the entire thing like it was all a single title. Aiden just stared at the boy. He knew the face, knew it as the dead know their end. He staggered forward without knowing. ¡°This is Lord Lacheart the younger,¡± Drax said, giving way for Aiden. ¡°How may I help you?¡± Aiden asked, hoping he didn¡¯t stumble over his own words. ¡°The King has requested that you see him in his chambers," the boy said in a soft, almost timid, voice. "It is my honored duty to lead while you follow.¡± Ted clapped and got up from the bed. ¡°No way in hell am I going to miss this.¡± Aiden looked between Ted and the child. He repeated the action once more. Fear held him tight and worry seized him. He had thought it wouldn¡¯t be for another year or two before he would have to worry about this. It reminded him of the fact that he knew far too little of the microcosm of things that happened in his earlier years on Nastild. One of his plans that he had considered not yet needed had just been shattered right in front of him. As Ted walked up to join them, only one thought came to Aiden. He could not let Ted and this child become friends. ¡­¡­¡­ A man stood in front of the door the young boy led them to. He wore the clothes of an attendant, but one of high class. From top to bottom, his entire attire carried with it a touch of red and black. However, it was more red than black. Ted and Aiden stood side by side as the attendant at the door simply stood there, unmoving. Ted leaned into Aiden. ¡°You¡¯re acting funny,¡± he whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Aiden whispered back. Ted gave a carefree shrug before tilting forward to wave at the young boy standing on the other side of Aiden. The door in front of them opened gently, and a scribe in a red robe walked out and proceeded down the hall in the direction they had come from. Before the door closed, the attendant stepped in. It only took a short moment before he stepped back out. ¡°The king will see only Lord Lacheart the Younger,¡± he informed them. It seemed ''the younger'' was slowly becoming a part of his official title. Aiden shared a look with Ted, but his brother didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Do you intend to wait for me?¡± he asked. Ted snorted. ¡°Gods no. Just standing here, doing what? Would you like the attendant and I to play chess?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord Lacheart.¡± The attendant bowed apologetically. ¡°But I cannot play chess.¡± A mischievous smile split Ted¡¯s lips and he looked like he¡¯d just found something fun. ¡°And do you know what chess is, sir?¡± he asked the man. ¡°I do not, my Lord. And ¡®sir¡¯ is a title far beyond myself. I am Nandaka.¡± Aiden looked to his side and found the young child was gone. When he looked back at his brother, Ted was fully engrossed in what seemed to be a troubling conversation with the attendant. ¡°And if you have no idea what chess is, then how do you know that you cannot play it?¡± Ted was saying as Aiden opened the door and stepped into the room. King Brandis sat on a simple chair beside a large reading table. Books filled the table, stacked on both sides and a light orb rested on top of what looked like a candle holder. The light orbs that hung from the high walls were currently lit, casting the room in a gentle sunlight glow so that Brandis did not need the one in front of him. The king sat regally, long blonde hair almost the color of gold packed back. He had a simple beard of the same color that was kept neat, and he watched Aiden with amber eyes as he walked in. To Brandis'' right, standing just beyond the table, was a knight. He had short brown hair and an expressionless face. He was without his helmet and his armor was a deep blue that could easily conceal itself in the dark. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis greeted in a welcoming voice as Aiden walked in. Beside him, the knight placed his hand on the pommel of his sword and said, ¡°Kneel.¡± Out of nothing but stubborn defiance, Aiden took two more steps from where he was standing before going down to one knee. Three seconds in and he already knew the knight was going to be a problem even if he couldn¡¯t recognize him. ¡°I greet the king,¡± Aiden said on one knee. ¡°And the king greets one of our saviors,¡± Brandis replied royally. ¡°Now enough with all that wish-wash, you may be within my kingdom and under its protection, but you¡¯re more of its savior than my subject. Please rise.¡± Aiden obeyed, getting up to his feet. The knight chose then to reveal his first expression of the meeting: He frowned. ¡°Do not mind Sir Derendoff,¡± Brandis said with a casual wave. ¡°He¡¯s one of those knights you hear about in the tales bards tell. You know, the ones who are loyal to a fault. They¡¯d sooner strike a simple man down for looking at the king funny and send the kingdom into chaos than pause and await orders.¡± Aiden ran his mind through his memories and found nothing about a Sir Derendoff. But he did find a house Naranoff. They boasted the largest collection of legal military arms in the kingdom, second only to the palace. ¡°You requested an audience with me, young Lord,¡± Brandis said. ¡°Now you have it. And while I have been apprised of the reason for your request, I would like to hear you speak of it as if I were not aware of it.¡± Aiden took a deep breath. The games had already begun. Brandis had taken it upon himself to inform him that he had the advantage in the conversation, and yet, he had also commanded him to play pretend, testing him to see how best he could play the games of court. He wants to know if my mental acumen is as good as my martial prowess. Brandis would be surprised to learn that he had none. Word games were more of Zen¡¯s specialty when Aiden had been working for the Order. ¡°I am here to speak on the subject of Unique skills,¡± Aiden said simply. ¡°Specifically, the reason it has been kept from my companions and I.¡± Sir Derendoff¡¯s hold tightened on the pommel of his sword. If Brandis noticed it, he gave no sign of it. ¡°And if I ask how you came to know something that has been intentionally kept from you, what would be your response?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°It is no secret that I have befriended the palace library, your grace. It holds many truths.¡± Brandis stroked his beard. ¡°I see.¡± Sir Derendoff¡¯s presence was beginning to possess a meaning to Aiden now. He was about to have a conversation with the king about something he should not know. Derendoff could as easily be a witness to this conversation as he could be Aiden¡¯s executioner. But Brandis king had been fair and kind to them in his past life. Up until the end. What were the chances that things were going to be different this time? Aiden¡¯s hand inched towards his soldier¡¯s belt, regardless. Brandis¡¯ gaze followed the action and the king leaned forward. ¡°It¡¯s always good to see a foreigner adjust to life in my kingdom so quickly, Lord Lacheart. But it seems you are wearing your soldier¡¯s belt wrong.¡± Aiden¡¯s hand paused. He was wearing the belt wrong, but it was intentional. The pockets unlocked from above, so he wore it upside down so that he didn¡¯t have to pick his items from inside the pockets. Instead, when he opened them, the items would merely drop into his waiting hands. It shaved off a fraction of the time it took to reach inside the pockets for the items. It was a fraction of a second, but those counted greatly in a fight. The only part of the process considered stressful was developing a mind that remembered which pocket held what enchanted item. Aiden nodded. ¡°I am aware, your grace.¡± ¡°So it is intentional.¡± Brandis rested his back against the chair. ¡°I see. But back to important conversations. Yes, I asked that all subjects regarding unique skills be kept from you and your companions.¡± A true and honest man. Brandis was not one for the games of politics. He would rather challenge a man to a duel than talk around subjects, even if he knew how to talk around subjects. ¡°And may I ask why, your grace?¡± Aiden asked. Brandis paused in barely concealed surprise at Aiden''s choice of title. Derenenoff''s hand trembled on the pommel of his sword and Brandis spared the Knight a subtle look, then shook his head in what looked like dismay. ¡°Do you know what a unique skill is, Aiden?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°May I call you Aiden?¡± ¡°You may, your grace. And yes, I know what a unique skill is. From what I read, it is what happens when a skill is tailored specifically to the user or allows them perform the actions intended of the skills in their own unique way.¡± ¡°The same skill, but used in a way unique only to the user.¡± Brandis nodded. ¡°They are amazing skills. Not necessarily powerful, but amazing, nonetheless. However, the scriptures tell us something in its foretelling of you and your companions¡¯ arrival.¡± Brandis paused there, and it seemed intentional. Aiden felt compelled to fill the silence. ¡°And what does it teach, your grace?¡± ¡°Well, teach is a strong word. But what it tells us is something we are yet to share with you and yours. Although from the rumors climbing about the palace walls, you and your friends have already figured it out.¡± Derendoff spared the king a quick look. ¡°Yes, Aiden,¡± Brandis continued. ¡°I am talking about the advent of the Demon King. It is the reason you and yours are here. This Demon King is the end result of the rising darkness. As such, you have been summoned to prevent his rise or end it if it cannot be prevented.¡± Aiden had never gotten a clue as to how Ted had become the Demon King aside from the fact that he had gotten it as a title. But it seemed the King was about to share something important. Even if it isn¡¯t specific, it might be a clue. ¡°And what have the scriptures said, your grace?¡± he asked graciously. ¡°It has said that the demon king will rise from among the humans,¡± Brandis answered. ¡°Not the elves or dwarves or any other of the many species. The humans. It could be anyone, anyone at all. However, his adversary will rise from amongst the summoned. It is why you all are here.¡± ¡°One of us is destined to slay the Demon King?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Brandis answered. ¡°With the assistance of the rest of you. However, do not misunderstand. While you are all kids. Valdan has vouched for your consistent display of maturity beyond what is to be expected of a child. As such, I can share this piece of information with you and only you, knowing that it will not cause a panic and that you know how to keep secrets.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what his response was supposed to be, so he said, ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± Brandis nodded. ¡°Good. Now, while the scriptures agree that the Demon King''s adversary will come from the summoned, it does not say that the demon king will not come from the summoned. Ergo, we have accounted for the possibility that one of you might become the enemy we seek to stop.¡± Aiden gulped. So the king had already considered that possibility. If only he knew how correct he was. ¡°But we do not worry,¡± Brandis said. ¡°Because the scriptures give us a hint on how to¡­ dare I say predict the Demon King.¡± Good. If I can find out how Ted becomes the Demon King, then I can prevent it or act accordingly, if it is avoidable. Though, Aiden still wasn¡¯t sure what acting accordingly would be. ¡°And what do the scriptures say on the subject?¡± he asked. ¡°What it says¡­¡± Brandis placed a gentle hand on one of the books on the table. Something felt very solemn about the action. ¡°What it says, Aiden, is that the one who is to become the Demon King will be a classless who develops a unique skill.¡± Aiden froze. His eyes darted from the king to Derendoff. Then back to the king. Ted may or may not be waiting for him behind the door, but none of that would matter. ¡°Y-your grace?¡± he stuttered. Brandis sighed. ¡°The scriptures also say that he will be a resourceful one. Now, you have said you learned of unique skills from the library, Lord Lacheart. However, I put it to you that we have been certain to clear the library of all texts relating to the acquisition of unique skills long before your arrival, so you could not have learned of it from the palace library.¡± Brandis leaned back and folded his arms. Aiden paled at the obvious error of his ways. His hands slowly inched closer to his soldier¡¯s belt. His mind struggled to remember what enchantment was in which pocket as it also struggled to find a way out of the room alive. And as intimidating as Derendoff looked, Aiden knew that King Brandis, while a king, possessed a significantly higher level than all his knights. ¡°Tell me, Lord Aiden Lacheart,¡± Brandis continued, his voice calm but heavy. ¡°Against all our precautions, have you acquired a unique skill?¡± Aiden gulped. There was no use in lying. Valdan knew he¡¯d gotten a unique skill, which meant that so did the king. He¡¯d messed up. He¡¯d messed up terribly. Aiden lowered his stance ever so gently, prepared himself. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± The words barely left his mouth when everything seemed to burst into action. Derendoff took a single step forward, sword already drawn with lightning speed. He held it high and above his head in an executioner¡¯s stance and dark green aura flowed from it as magic crackled through the blade. Aiden had no idea if he would be fast enough. His hands unlocked a pocket each and a cube and an orb fell in them. He was already channeling mana to his hands even before the enchantments dropped to them. But he had no idea what would happen. The enchantments felt like they were taking forever to activate. He was no fool. He couldn¡¯t survive a knight without any buffs. Aiden¡¯s eyes had never left his opponents, but Derendoff was suddenly standing in front of him, still in the stance of an executioner. It seemed that even in this life he was to become the enemy of the kingdom. Just for a different reason this time around. Derendoff¡¯s crackling sword cleaved through the air to take Aiden''s head before he could react, ripping through anything in its path. The knight had proved faster than Aiden¡¯s enchantments. But Aiden would not go down without a fight. The Knight¡¯s blade was Aiden¡¯s last sight as he realized that his enchantments would not come to bear fast enough. Survival wasn''t what was important anymore right now. What was important was not dying from the Knight''s blow, and Aiden didn''t know how to do that. In the bleak world of hopelessness, his interface flashed in front of him. You have activated [Orb of Lesser Speed] Effect: 3% increase in movement speed. Duration: 00:00:12. ¡­ You have activated [Cube of Lesser Endurance] Effect: 8% increase in endurance. Duration: 00:00:04. ELEVEN: The Apology of A King ¡°Tell me, Lord Aiden Lacheart. Against all our precautions, have you acquired a unique skill?¡± Brandis knew the answer even before he asked the question. Valdan, not knowing this aspect of the scripture, had passed on the young man¡¯s progress with a smile on his face. It was always a thing of celebration whenever a person developed a unique skill. Brandis would be lying if he claimed he hadn¡¯t been happy to hear the news, too. One of the summoned of his kingdom was proving powerful and resourceful. But the Demon King was also going to be powerful and resourceful. ¡°Yes, your grace,¡± the young Lacheart answered. Brandis had been testing the young man¡¯s resolve. This had been a moment to lie. For all the summoned knew, the only way for a person to see another¡¯s interface was if they allowed them. So Lord Lacheart could¡¯ve lied, said he hadn¡¯t gained one yet. There were a lot of ways to dance around the subject until he could dance no more. People lied about their skills, classes, levels, and a lot of things until they found out that someone stronger than them could see it whenever they wanted, unless they had the defensive skill to stop them, or an enchantment, or an artifact or the other designed for secrecy of such level. But a direct answer? Brandis could respect that. Derendoff¡¯s aura came alive behind him and Brandis almost sighed. But he did not. When a Knight acted in a hurry, time became of the essence. If Derendoff was already moving, then the Knight had spotted a significant threat. And Brandis was inclined to follow. He pitied the young Lord and the hand fate had chosen to deal him. Valdan had said many good things about Aiden. In most of them, he was inclined to believe that Aiden had the potential to escape and survive a fight any enemy with a level that was less than a hundred. It was high praise. But while Brandis was willing to wait and see if the potential Demon King would survive the first cut from Derendoff, there were risks he was not willing to take. So Brandis activated one of many skills. You have activated [Blood Rush] Effect: 89% increase in movement and reaction speed. Duration: 00:04:00. Brandis left his chair in a blitz of speed. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ You have activated [Orb of Lesser Speed] Effect: 3% increase in movement speed. Duration: 00:00:12. ¡­ You have activated [Cube of Lesser Endurance] Effect: 8% increase in endurance. Duration: 00:00:04 Aiden had never been so glad to see a notification in his life. He was also glad he had enchantments to work with. The increase to speed would help him move faster, even if by a very little margin, and moving faster was definitely important in this situation. Derendoff¡¯s blade was coming down on him. By its trajectory, it wouldn¡¯t even split his head in equal halves. It was more on one side than the other, which meant Aiden had a chance. He pushed his body to obey him, ducking to the side, and away from the blow. His head was out of harm¡¯s way but it only took him a moment to realize he was not free. Derendoff¡¯s sword would not split his head. But it was going to take his arm. His right arm. He had been going for a strength enchantment for his second enchantment instead of endurance, but he¡¯d been saddled with the wrong one. Still, maybe luck was on his side. Losing an arm would be terrible, but an increase in endurance would buy him a little more time to survive the blood loss. If he could get away with one arm, he could still survive. Even as the blade came down on his arm, his mind was already looking through his memories. He could replace the arm. Nastild magic was powerful enough for that. He just needed to find someone skilled enough and a powerful items to support them. Aiden grit his teeth for the pain. His only prayer now was that Brandis would underestimate him, believe Derendoff¡¯s single strike would suffice to kill him. If he could take advantage of that, there was a chance of survival. Then Brandis vanished from his chair and hope fled Aiden. He couldn''t dream of fighting the king. Derendoff¡¯s sword came howling down and pain flared in Aiden¡¯s shoulder on impact. He bit back on it, already making his way for the side of the room when his body came to a halt, unable to move. Someone had clamped a hand down on his uninjured shoulder. Dread joined pain in a waltz all over Aiden¡¯s mind. ¡°I must admit to being slightly impressed,¡± Brandis said, standing beside Derendoff and Aiden. ¡°To avoid an instant kill from a Knight, changing it to a critical damage is impressive for someone of your level.¡± The king had a firm hand holding Aiden in place by his shoulder while his other hand came between Aiden¡¯s other shoulder and Derendoff¡¯s sword, grasping the weapon by the blade. Brandis offered Aiden a small apologetic smile before turning his attention to Derendoff. ¡°Stand down, Sir Derendoff,¡± he said in what seemed like a saddened voice. Derendoff looked at him, flabbergasted. ¡°But, my king¡ª¡± ¡°Stand down!¡± Brandis barked. ¡°He is the Demon King!¡± Derendoff insisted, disobeying. ¡°To slay him here is to solve the issue. We can save countless lives in this moment. You certainly cannot be serious.¡± Brandis¡¯ face twisted in a scowl. ¡°I cannot be serious? You dare challenge your king?¡± Derendoff¡¯s blade trembled in Brandis¡¯ hold as the knight tried to pull it away. ¡°My king,¡± Derendoff said. ¡°This is for the greater good. We can vanquish the Demon King before he becomes the Demon King. Save the entire world.¡± ¡°The greater good?¡± Brandis repeated, and his voice was steel. ¡°You have always been an unfortunate Knight, Derendoff.¡± Derendoff released his sword, abandoned it to Brandis¡¯ hold, and darted back. He¡¯d barely crossed any distance when the King¡¯s hand left Aiden¡¯s shoulder and grabbed the knight by the front of his armor, taking purchase in the collar of his breastplate. In a single move, Brandis stopped Derendoff¡¯s retreat and brought him down to his knees. The ground cratered under the force of the action and the red carpet dipped into the depression. ¡°Do not move, young Lacheart,¡± Brandis said, but his eyes never left Derendoff. ¡°What you are about to witness is the will of a king.¡± Derendoff stared up at the king with trembling eyes. ¡°My king, you must slay the Demon King. Do not let your kind heart lead you to mistakes.¡± Brandis'' hand still holding the blade of Derendoff''s sword trembled with rage. ¡°And your devotion to doing as you please has already led you to mistakes.¡± With his shoulder free, Aiden staggered back and away from Brandis, but he didn¡¯t go far. For all he knew, the king had saved his life but was still deciding on what to do with it. As he watched the events transpire before him, the enchantments on Derendoff''s armor came alive, shining in a myriad of different colors. ¡°My king,¡± Derendoff started in disbelief. ¡°What have you¡ª¡± Brandis released Derendoff and kicked him. The force of the blow was terrifying, reverberating throughout the entire room, and the knight flew across the room and into a wall. Brandis hefted Derendoff¡¯s sword in his hand in anger and threw it forward like a spear, but Aiden didn¡¯t see it cross the distance. All he saw was the king¡¯s throw. In the same moment, there was a second crash exactly where Derendoff had been thrown even before the dust had settled. The room shook and Derendoff howled in pain. What the hell is happening? Aiden wondered, terrified. Was Brandis trying to kill the knight? Why? Because he tried to kill me? Aiden couldn¡¯t make sense of it. Then a small suspicion grew in his mind, an inkling of an idea. When the dust settled, it revealed Derendoff struggling to pull his own sword from his shoulder. He struggled with one arm, tugging and pulling like the mad. Spittle fell from his lips and tears pooled at his eyes as blood dripped from his shoulder. ¡°My king!¡± he wailed, all his attempts failing. ¡°Why have you forsaken me?¡± Aiden stood silent, pretended he was a carpet or a standing lamp or a statue designed to beautify the room. He played the role of the unimportant. The last thing he wanted to do was gain the attention of any of the two people in front of him. It had been so long since he¡¯d been in this position. He had completely forgotten how it felt to be powerless in chaos. He knew his return had rendered him weak, but he had never appreciated just how weak. His weakness had never stood in front of him and shoved its fingers in his eyes as it currently was. He was an ant playing politics with elephants. ¡°Forsaken you?¡± Brandis scoffed, watching Derendoff struggle with his own sword. ¡°You have forsaken yourself, Derendoff. I don¡¯t know if your madness is from how your father trained you or if you have trained yourself this way. But it matters no longer.¡± Brandis took a deep breath, calmed himself. ¡°Despite my better judgement,¡± he continued. ¡°I allowed you to become one of my Knights. Despite your flaws, I felt you were at least loyal to the kingdom. All you did was in its best interest. But time has shown that all you¡¯ve done is indulge in your sense of justice at this point. To you, the kingdom¡¯s best interest is what you say it is.¡± Derendoff abandoned his sword to snarl at him. ¡°ALL I HAVE DONE, I HAVE DONE FOR BANDIV!¡± Brandis turned his face away as if Derendoff had spat in his face. ¡°Last year you assaulted the delegate of Andavari simply because he would not kneel in my presence.¡± ¡°It was disrespect against the king!¡± ¡°He was a delegate of a nation on the brink of going to war with us,¡± Brandis answered calmly. ¡°Of course he was going to be disrespectful. For gods¡¯ sake the man at least bowed. You have no idea what we had to do to prevent that war from breaking out. Just last month you tried to kill a civilian in public simply because he called me a tyrant.¡± ¡°It was slander against your name!¡± Derendoff scowled. His voice was quieter now, resigned. ¡°And for that he deserved to die?¡± Brandis asked in disbelief. ¡°And now you try to kill my guest.¡± Derendoff¡¯s eyes shot straight to Aiden. Even in the knight¡¯s current situation, he carried enough bale in his eyes to send a shiver up Aiden¡¯s spine. ¡°He is to be the Demon King!¡± Derendoff hissed. Brandis ran a hand down his face. ¡°You are perhaps the stupidest knight I have ever had the displeasure of leading. I said all we know about the Demon King is that he will be a classless with a unique skill. Does that mean we should go around killing any and all of my subjects who gain a unique skill before level ten?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Brandis tossed his hands up in frustration. ¡°Would you have me kill your cousin''s son while I¡¯m at it? Would you have me lay waste to my own kingdom in fear of what may or may not be? Should every classless with a unique skill suffer a fate that should not be theirs simply because one of them might be evil in the future? Must all of them die for the possible sin of one of them?¡± Derendoff remained silent. Spittle dripped from his lips, and so did blood. Brandis sighed. ¡°One of these men will save this world from the Demon King, Derendoff. And you risked killing that very person on the chance that he might be the Demon King? If you believed the Scriptures so deeply, then you would¡¯ve believed that your attempt would be futile. After all, only the Hero can kill the Demon King. But it never said that only the Demon King can kill the Hero.¡± Brandis gestured at Aiden. ¡°If he was to be the Hero, you would¡¯ve doomed this entire world with nothing but your single stupidity. And that, no matter my relationship with your father, is stupidity I cannot forgive.¡± He walked up to Derendoff now, crossed the distance between them and kneeled in front of him. ¡°You will not die today,¡± he told him. ¡°You will be healed and stripped of your title as a Knight. You are no longer a Knight of mine. And you will not be permitted to be a knight of any noble. Should I ever hear news of you that displeases me again, I will grant the King¡¯s verdict upon you. I will declare the punishment of [Sight-bound] on you.¡± Derendoff¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A Knight is immune to the edict of sight-bound.¡± ¡°Even now, you continue to challenge your king.¡± Brandis scoffed. ¡°You seem to forget that you are no longer a Knight. I have already stripped your armor of its royal enchantments. Once you are taken from here, you will be stripped of the armor itself. Then you will be stripped of all titles and gains you have acquired by your position as a knight of mine. Until then, sit still.¡± Brandis grabbed a handful of Derendoff¡¯s hair as the Knight struggled to protest and slammed his head into the wall. The wall lit up in countless defensive enchantments as Derendoff fell silent. Brandis cocked his head to the side, studying the man. Satisfied with whatever he saw, he took the sword in the knight¡¯s shoulder by the hilt and pulled it free. After that, he raised a hand over the Knight. It shone a soft green and Derendoff¡¯s injury resonated the same light. Aiden knew healing magic when he saw it. When Brandis got back to his feet. The atmosphere settled as if all the chaos had never happened. But the evidence was there. Every single sign of it. Healed, Derendoff remained seated against the broken wall, armor stained in blood. ¡°I must apologize for what you just experienced, Lord Lacheart.¡± Brandis looked at Derendoff¡¯s sword in his hand and gestured at Aiden with it. ¡°Would you want to claim his blade?¡± Mute, Aiden shook his head. Why did everyone think he wanted the sword of a knight that had somehow offended him? Brandis¡¯ brows furrowed. Then he looked at the blade in disappointment. ¡°A shame. It is a fine blade. And no other knight will want it.¡± He cast the sword aside and allowed it clatter violently on the ground. Aiden kept his mind struggling to focus on the events in front of him. Despite just having survived death, he couldn¡¯t believe he had almost been witness to a [Sight-bound] verdict. It was a punishment granted by a king, and only a king. What it did was create a quest available to people with combat classes of significantly higher levels than the culprit. Anyone who saw it would receive a quest rewarding them for the simple task of beating the hell out of the culprit. To avoid the possibility of killing the culprit, the quest would also inform whoever received it, that killing the [Sight-bound] would transfer the punishment to them. Only a king could lift the verdict. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis called in Aiden''s silence, a touch of worry in his voice. ¡°I forget that you are only but a child. Perhaps this has been too much for you. Would you like us to continue our conversation on another day? One of your choosing, obviously.¡± Aiden shook his head in response, remembered he was being addressed by a king, then responded with his words. ¡°No, your grace. I am fine.¡± Brandis watched him through narrowed lids. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Brandis walked up to his desk and leaned against it. ¡°Then you may continue. You have your answer to the question regarding unique skills, so is there anything else you wish to know?¡± Aiden thought about it. He knew Brandis had not truly apologized, but he had done it in his own way, by granting him a second audience at a choosing of his own. Aiden would take that apology since history had taught him that an apology from a king was one of the rarest things on the face of Nastild. ¡°Is there anything else the scriptures say about the Demon King?¡± he asked. ¡°Any other way we can use to identify who they might be?¡± Brandis shook his head. ¡°The Scripture is nothing more than a book, written by cryptic men who loved to seem cryptic and important. It dances around half-truths and unreasonable parables. Even the very piece of information it gave us about the Demon King could lead a less than wise king into stupid actions. I would advise you not to put too much stock in it.¡± Aiden nodded. There went his chances on the subject of the Demon King. The question now was if he was going to prevent Ted from gaining a unique skill before his class. If he was, the next question was how? How did he stop Ted from gaining a unique skill without informing him of unique skills? ¡°How quickly you work your mind,¡± Brandis chuckled. ¡°If you are worrying about the what just happened, don¡¯t. There is no guarantee that you are going to end up being the Demon King.¡± Aiden looked at the king. ¡°Even if I have a unique skill with no class?¡± ¡°Your companion, Derek has a unique skill and yet no class,¡± Brandis told him. ¡°The one you call Drax also has a unique skill. You are not the first of your kind, Lord Lacheart. You are merely the one that has proven the most talented so far.¡± That gave Aiden a problem. He couldn¡¯t believe he hadn¡¯t looked in that direction. Then Ted could easily already have a unique skill. ¡°Wait,¡± he blurted without thinking. ¡°How did they¡­¡± Aiden shook his head, eyes darting towards Derendoff¡¯s unconscious body. He was about to ask how they¡¯d survived Derendoff¡¯s attack before remembering that the man was nothing but a Knight. The king could¡¯ve found out in any way he pleased. Brandis followed his gaze and looked back at Derendoff. ¡°Him?¡± he asked with a touch of surprise. ¡°Oh no, Lord Lacheart. He wasn¡¯t here for you. You were here for him. Derendoff has been a problematic Knight for a very long time. This was his last a chance, a test of his control. He failed it like a fish in the sky.¡± Or a fish in the wall, Aiden thought. ¡°That said,¡± Brandis continued. ¡°You have gone through a traumatic experience today. And while I have apologized, I am a King. A king¡¯s apology should not be empty. Make a request within reason and I will grant it.¡± A request within reason. It seemed something good was going to come out of today¡¯s events. Aiden didn¡¯t have to think about it. His request was going to involve getting as strong as possible as fast as possible. He waltzed through his mind, picking out the things he knew of this world. I could go and get Spell Binder, he thought, then discarded the idea. Spell Binder was a blank sword made from a powerful steel. He¡¯d found it in a dead Dragon¡¯s cave during one of the Order¡¯s expedition. It also had a level requirement of fifty. So even if he found it now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it until he was at level fifty. Best to leave it where it is. He could have his coat of enchantments commissioned, but that too had a level requirement. With all the enchantments running through it, he would run out of mana from just putting it on. Brandis drew his attention with a chuckle. ¡°It seems like you have too many requests to make that you are having a hard time picking one,¡± he said. Aiden held himself back from nodding. All his requests would lead to power, but he needed to start slow and build his way up. Unfortunately, all the places he knew he could grind and level up would kill anybody below level thirty. ¡°I have heard rumors of something called an adventure society,¡± he said finally. Brandis cocked an inquisitive brow. ¡°Rumors, Lord Lacheart? This game you¡¯re about to play, do you play it for your safety or Ded¡¯s?¡± Aiden paused. Then he sighed. Why was he even surprised? Ded would¡¯ve had his conversation with Sam within the palace walls. And there was scarcely anything that went on within the palace walls that Brandis and the Sage were not aware of. ¡°I assume he is also somehow related to how you know of unique skills,¡± Brandis went on. ¡°Regardless, you may continue. What would you like to know of the adventure society?¡± ¡°Not about them, your grace. If you are aware of my relationship with Ded, then you are likely aware of the fact that he has snuck me out of the palace once.¡± Brandis nodded. ¡°I am. You and your friends went to have a little soiree with some goblins. Did you enjoy yourselves?¡± ¡°Enjoy is not necessarily the word.¡± ¡°I can imagine. I believe one of you came back with an injury. I heard he had to use one of my healers the next day. Do you wish to make a request based on these goblins?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°One of the goblins I fought that night behaved¡­ strangely.¡± ¡°Strangely how?¡± ¡°When I cut its arm off, it ran. It did not shriek. It did not cry out in pain. It did not panic. It just turned and ran.¡± ¡°And it was what level?¡± ¡°Level one.¡± Brandis folded his arms, his expression turning thoughtful. ¡°That is odd for a level one goblin. They are like babies, having never experienced much pain, that should not be its reaction. Especially to the pain of a severed arm. Alright, and what would you request of me?¡± Aiden took a knee and bowed his head accordingly. Pain flared in his shoulder and he had a feeling that Brandis'' hand hadn¡¯t absorbed the full impact of Derendoff¡¯s falling sword. He may have stopped it from cutting him, but something had still hurt his shoulder. ¡°I swear,¡± Brandis smiled. ¡°You continue to display ethics of my world very properly. Tell me, did Valdan teach you this?¡± Aiden remained on his knee. ¡°He did not.¡± ¡°Alright, then. Ask away. What is your request, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°If it pleases the king, may I be granted leave to work with the adventurers of your kingdom to dispatch of the goblins?¡± ¡°I swear¡­¡± Brandis leaned forward with a sigh. ¡°That is all? You want to go goblin hunting? Are you just unable to dream big or are you just a simple man? You get the chance to ask the King for a favor and it¡¯s to hunt goblins?¡± Aiden kept his eyes to the ground. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± Brandis walked around his table and sat on his chair. He picked up a quill and pulled out a piece of parchment from the stacks of books on his desk. ¡°This,¡± he said as he started writing. ¡°Is going to be a written instruction from the king. Take it with you and ask for the master of the armory. I see you have a favor for enchanted combat so you might as well take it to the royal enchantery as well. Have them outfit you with whatever you need, then take it to Valdan.¡± Brandis dropped the quill and stamped something on the parchment. Done, he held it out to Aiden. Aiden got up and moved to accept it. ¡°Valdan will assist you with a soldier of your choosing,¡± Brandis told him. ¡°If you hurry, you should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Then you should meet the master of relations he will have everything you need for the adventure society.¡± Aiden just stood there, confused. ¡°Just like that?¡± he asked. Brandis smiled. ¡°I am the King, boy. I have powers beyond your understanding.¡± There was a jovial light in his eyes that almost made Aiden forget what he had done to Derendoff just a few moments ago. ¡°Before I dismiss you, Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis added. ¡°I do have one question.¡± Aiden folded up the parchment and slipped it into one of the pockets of his soldier belt. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°You and your companions were only informed of the rising darkness. How did you deduce it was the Demon King you were being trained to go against?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use the word deduce, your grace.¡± Aiden clipped the pocket of the soldier belt shut. ¡°More of assumed. In our world there are stories, fiction told about people who either reincarnate, are transported to another world or go back or forward in time. In situations where the story is about being transported to another world, ninety percent of the time it¡¯s to face off against a Demon King destined to destroy the world. So we just assumed that since this has met the criteria so far, all that¡¯s left is a Demon King.¡± Brandis looked visibly shocked. ¡°Your world,¡± he said, ¡°sounds like a very intriguing place. Hypothetically speaking, if portals were to open in your world and monsters were to rush in, do you think they would possess the ability to survive such a thing?¡± Aiden had thought about it countless times before, and the answer was always the same. Current technology would have a difficult time fighting against anything over level fifty. And anything in the hundreds might as well be a walking calamity. ¡°In our stories those are called apocalypse events,¡± he answered. ¡°And I cannot say if we will survive. But humans have always had the stubbornness to survive anything.¡± Brandis face took on a worried look. ¡°I see. You are dismissed, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden nodded. He walked to the exit only to pause at the door. ¡°Your grace,¡± he said. Brandis waved him away. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about Derendoff, don¡¯t be. I actually intend on locking him away or sending him on a short exile. I¡¯m sure that by the time he¡¯s free to do as he pleases you¡¯ll have the strength to face him.¡± ¡°Thank you, your grace. But that is not what I have on my mind.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Brandis looked up at him. ¡°I assumed his survival would trouble you. If that¡¯s not the case, then what is?¡± ¡°Your page. The boy that came to get me. If it is not too rude to ask, how did you come to know the child?¡± Brandis said nothing for a while. But it wasn¡¯t a long while. When Aiden felt he might¡¯ve crossed a line, the King spoke. ¡°The boy is not my page. He is someone my advisor¡ªthe old man you fought when you woke up¡ªbrought in. I fear you would have to ask him if you want to know their relationship.¡± Aiden nodded once and left the room. Ted was not outside, just the attendant Aiden had left there. The man turned to him with a slight bow. ¡°With all the ruckus,¡± he said calmly, ¡°I am glad to see you come out, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°So am I,¡± Aiden said, walking down the hallway. ¡°So am I.¡± As he made his way to his next destination, he wondered what relationship the Sage had with the child. For what reason would the Sage of the king be keeping the son of Voss, destroyer of Vass, third general to the Demon King, as a page? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Brandis watched the Sage step out of the corner of his study. The man spared Derendoff¡¯s unconscious form the briefest glance, as if looking simply because there was something to look at, before stopping in front of his table. ¡°What did you think of the boy?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°He is an intelligent one,¡± the Sage answered blandly. ¡°Already, he knows of our ways.¡± ¡°You noticed, too.¡± Brandis turned his chair so that he faced away from the Sage. ¡°He called me ¡®your grace.¡¯¡± ¡°Respectful,¡± the Sage said. ¡°It is.¡± Brandis stared at one of the books on one of the shelves. It was a tale of a fallen kingdom. ¡°It is also the way people with important positions in other kingdoms address kings of a different kingdom. It says ¡®I acknowledge your authority, but you are not my king.¡¯¡± ¡°And you believe it was intentional?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°And you do not like this?¡± ¡°I had an audience with one of them the other day, and he addressed me as ¡®my king¡¯. I was hoping the most promising of them would also come to address me as such.¡± ¡°You cannot have it all,¡± the Sage answered with a slight bow. ¡°But it is also good to know that we have someone we do not have to spend an excessive amount of time teaching etiquettes, seeing as the envoys of Nel Quan will be arriving soon.¡± ¡°Yea.¡± Brandis wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about this. Clearly they were trying to see how the summons were doing, and he wasn¡¯t sure how much he wanted to let them know. The Sage nodded once, then turned away, making his way to his unreasonable exit. ¡°Sage,¡± Brandis said, calling his attention before he was gone. ¡°If I asked about the child¡ªVass¡ªwhat would your answer be?¡± ¡°I would give you no answer.¡± With that, the Sage walked into a shelf and disappeared. Brandis chuckled. That went about how he expected it to. ¡­¡­¡­ Aiden was down to his fifth book, perusing through it with so much hurry someone would think he was looking for the key to saving the world. Not here, he thought, slipping the book back into its place on the shelf. He was in the architecture section of the library, under building enchantments. And he was yet to find anything on temperature enchantments. He was currently reading through his eight book when he paused on a page. He leaned against one of the shelves and slid down to sit on the ground. Temperature enchantment, he read. Designed to be placed at the highest point in the room for optimal efficiency. Keeps room at regulated temperature¡­ He let out a sigh but wasn¡¯t sure if it was a relieved sigh or not. For one thing, he was glad to eliminate the chances of Ted having regressed, too. For another, he felt alone again. Lonely. Now he just needed to make sure Ted and Voss¡¯ son were not going to become friends. Aiden closed the book. Now he had to deal with the goblins. Yes, he made the request because he wanted to use them to level up, but he was also curious about the reaction of the single goblin that had escaped him. What kind of goblin doesn¡¯t feel pain? TWELVE: Hierarchy ¡°How does this make any sense?!¡± Otid scowled. Adaware said nothing, gave no answer. ¡°We¡¯re the ones in charge of that contract,¡± Otid continued in his anger as Adaware knew he would. ¡°We were the ones that harried them into a corner in that forest, made sure we limited their destruction to a single area before whatever madman went in there and started tearing things up with his team.¡± Otid slammed his hands on Adaware¡¯s desk. ¡°Now you expect us to just hand it over? After everything we¡¯ve done?¡± Otid turned away from Adaware and tossed his hands in the air. ¡°Impossible. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s some pampered noble¡¯s bastard child or some high ranking adventurer. Heck! I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a command from the crown. This is mine!¡± Adaware arranged the stacks of papers Otid¡¯s little tantrum had scattered before returning his attention to the man. ¡°The crown, huh,¡± he muttered, almost to himself. If only the man knew. But that wasn¡¯t important. Adaware went through the stacks of paper before finding what he was looking for. It was a small identification tag, brown like wood, with words inscribed on it with black ink. He held it out to Otid. ¡°Here.¡± Otid turned to him and took it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°The person who¡¯s supposed to be taking charge of this contract quest. However, we are the head branch of the adventure society. We do not work for the king, we work with the king.¡± Otid paled at Adaware¡¯s words, looking up at him from the card. ¡°Please tell me this is not a royal command. You know I was joking about what I was saying earlier about the crown, right?¡± Adaware shook his head in disappointment. This was Otid¡¯s problem; his temper. Once it got going, he said and did anything, forgetting that there were consequences. Even now he was indirectly accusing the person who was supposed to take over the quest of nepotism. What the man failed to understand was that nepotism was what had given him the quest as well. If Adaware did not know the man¡¯s father, he would¡¯ve allowed him to continue his struggle at the bottom of the adventure ranks for a few more years. Instead, here he was getting a chance most adventurers did not get. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Adaware continued. ¡°We do not work for the king. That said, a king¡¯s request is not something easily disobeyed. It is also not something freely made.¡± ¡°Aiden Lacheart,¡± Otid read the ID with a frown. ¡°I know all the royal houses, and I don¡¯t know any Lacheart.¡± ¡°And that should let you understand that it is a false name,¡± Adaware said. ¡°What he is will be a bastard son of some noble whose name I am not going to tell you. His father wishes to legitimize his claim on the boy but wishes for him to have some form of¡­ clout. And he has chosen adventuring.¡± Otid looked down at the ID in his hands. ¡°It says here that he is only a level two. We have it on confirmation that there are goblins as high as level five out there. The boy won¡¯t last a single fight.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why¡ª¡± ¡°Hold up!¡± Otid interrupted him. ¡°This says that he¡¯s nineteen. What kind of nineteen-year-old is still at level two? You¡¯re sending me to play babysitter to a slacker, Master Adaware.¡± Adaware took a deep, calming breath. ¡°Otid,¡± he said as calmly as possible. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The initial request was for young lord Lacheart to take command of this quest. However, I have taken it upon myself to simply add him to your party. The reward for this quest will be updated to be split three ways amongst three current participants, based on individual contribution. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Otid placed the ID on Adaware¡¯s table. ¡°Which means I can just keep him in a safe place and complete this quest without him. He¡¯s royalty so I¡¯m sure it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Adaware didn¡¯t hate Otid, but he could see himself hating the man. By the stretch of things Otid wasn¡¯t a bad adventurer. The reason he was still so low in level was simple. He was talentless. But he was hardworking, and Adaware hoped it would one day count in favor of the man in the eyes of the gods and they would somehow bless him so that his level grew faster. But by every conceivable notion, the man¡¯s personality was shitty. Nepotism was the only reason Otid was in Adaware¡¯s office throwing an unnecessary childish tantrum. ¡°Take the ID with you as you leave,¡± Adaware instructed, turning his attention back to more important matters on his desk. ¡°When you get downstairs, ask for the young Lord at the reception hall. And if you are thinking of bullying him out of whatever he wants, I will have you know that while you remain in charge of this expedition, the young lord already has his own babysitter.¡± Otid scoffed. ¡°Of course he does.¡± ¡°And while his babysitter will not be a part of this party, he will be present. And I assure you, Otid, you do not want him to point out any form of abuse of your power as a leader.¡± Adaware met Otid¡¯s gaze. If the man was smart, he would be on his best behavior. If he was stupider than Adaware thought, he would continue on the path of stupidity his anger liked to lead him on. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Otid grumbled before leaving the room unceremoniously. Adaware took a calming breath and brought up his interface. With a simple mental command, all the contract quests administered by him directly came up, filtering themselves straight to the one currently under Otid¡¯s ownership. Contract Quest [Goblin Subjugation] Goblins have been spotted somewhere in the capital city of Brandiv. Investigate this report, confirm goblin threat and conclude extermination. Objective complete: Confirm goblin location 1/1. Objective complete: confirm goblin 32. Objective: Exterminate goblin 0/24. Reward: silver coins x10 You have administrative rights. Quest is ongoing¡­ Party requirement: None Participants: 2 Would you like to update quest? Y/N. Adaware looked through the details and accepted the update request. Truthfully, he knew next to nothing about the quest. In fact, the quest was too far beneath his attention that he wasn¡¯t supposed to be aware of it. But he had picked something for Otid to deal with and took command of it lest someone with delegated authority make decisions surrounding it. Personally, while most people would disagree, he saw this as an abuse of power. With the [Guild Master] title, he had free reign and authority to issue and give contracts on authority of the adventure society. It was a perishable title, but a title nonetheless. Update quest, he thought. With a simple shrug of will and a few adjustments, the quest carried more information. Contract Quest [Goblin Subjugation] Goblins have been spotted somewhere in the capital city of Brandiv. Investigate this report, confirm goblin threat and conclude extermination. Objective complete: Confirm goblin location 1/1. Objective complete: confirm goblin 32. Objective: Exterminate goblin 0/24. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Reward: silver coins x10 You have administrative rights. Quest is ongoing¡­ Party requirement: None Participants: 3 Now he just had to hope that Taliner had enough control over Otid to prevent the man from doing something stupid. Just thinking about it was making Adaware tired. ¡­.. Otid made his way down the stairs of the adventure society building with thoughts in his head and worry in his mind. Adaware was being unreasonable. He could¡¯ve just given the noble prick another contract to handle. He heard Jayton was handling some contract about some over-moles terrorizing some farm somewhere. Over-moles were relatively safe creatures to deal with. Otid couldn¡¯t imagine the noble would not be happy having their bastard child deal with something more on the safer side. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he strolled up to the receptionist¡¯s desk. Every adventurer had to get here if they wanted to register their collected contract or update it or register their party. There was one in every city or town, and this was the capital city¡¯s. The hall was filled with the constant bustle of adventurers coming and going. Each one was busy with something important and unimportant. But these were the low level adventurers, those below level fifty. The higher ranking adventurers were rarely ever seen. Unlike the rest of them, those ones didn¡¯t come looking for their quests, their quests were sent to them. ¡°Good afternoon, Daity,¡± Otid greeted the lady at the reception desk. Daity was a lithe woman in her thirties who¡¯d retired from adventuring early. No one knew what happened or why and it remained one of the secrets of the adventure society. She had brown hair she kept tied back in a neat ponytail and a small fringe cut in front that covered her forehead and fell just above her eye brows. She currently wore a green vest over a black shirt and was going through applications on her desk. ¡°Good afternoon, Otid.¡± She didn¡¯t look up from her files. Otid placed the ID on her desk gently. ¡°Ad¡ªthe guild master said I¡¯ve got a new party member. Some young lord or something related. Aiden Lacheart.¡± She raised her head to look at him, finally acknowledging him. ¡°Lacheart?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what it says on his card.¡± Otid tapped the ID. ¡°Aiden Lacheart.¡± Daity looked down at it, read the card, then pointed across the hall. ¡°I guess that¡¯s your kid. And your contract has already been updated so you don''t have to worry about that.¡± Otid snorted as he turned around. ¡°Got no kid, love.¡± Otid crossed the hallway, avoiding other adventurers. He exchanged verbal greetings and simple head bobs until he arrived at the bench Daity had pointed him to. When he got there he was surprised to find Taliner talking to a boy and his companion. While the boy was young, his companion looked like he was probably in his early twenties. What mainly grabbed Otid''s attention was their attire. None of them were dressed like they had any relationship to nobility. The man was dressed in a simple brown cotton shirt with leather armor to cover his chest and knee pads worn over brown pants. As for the boy, he wore a grey long-sleeved shirt quite casually and black pants. He also had deep black hair that was slowly growing from medium length to long. He wore no armor of any kind, which Otid found quite pompous of him. A newbie adventurer who thought he wouldn¡¯t need armor. In place of armor, he wore three soldier belts, which was nothing short of overkill. One at the waist, another that hung diagonally down from one side of his waist to rest at his hip, and one that cut across from left hip to right shoulder. Attached to the one at his waist was a single longsword on one side and a sheathed dagger on the other. Poor kid¡¯s trying to be over prepared. Otid had seen the kind. They walked into battle thinking they could be prepared for anything, getting all the offensive items they could get because they thought being flashy and destructive was somehow cool. He ran a hand down his face as he approached them, wondering why he had to babysit a reckless noble bastard. ¡°You must be Lord Lacheart,¡± he greeted when he got to them. The man turned to him. ¡°And you are?¡± Otid held offered the man a handshake. ¡°Otid.¡± He didn¡¯t have to like the noble brat, but he could at least be nice to his fellow baby sitter. The man shook his hand. ¡°Ded.¡± ¡°The guild master sent me,¡± he added, handing the ID over to the bastard. ¡°I take it you¡¯re Lacheart.¡± Aiden Lacheart was forced to look from Taliner and acknowledge Otid¡¯s presence. But he wasn¡¯t the one who took the ID. Ded collected the ID and turned it one way then the other, before handing it to Aiden. ¡°It¡¯s pronounced Lack-heart,¡± Ded corrected as Aiden took the ID from him. ¡°Not Lach-heart.¡± Aiden waved Ded¡¯s concern away. ¡°He can just call me Aiden,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s easier for me.¡± Otid smirked. ¡°Not used to daddy¡¯s title yet?¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s title?¡± Aiden raised a brow in what looked like confusion. ¡°Oh, yes. That. Is that going to be a problem, Otid?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Taliner moved to answer quickly. ¡°Otid¡¯s just not happy to have nobility taking over. He¡¯s quite head strong about some things. Like quests he takes.¡± Aiden slipped his ID into one of his pants pockets. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be more than happy to just go my way and deal with the quest however I see fit, if he¡¯ll have a problem working with me.¡± Otid frowned. The pompous little prick. ¡°Well you better not¡ª¡± Taliner shot him a scowl, silencing him. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that, Aiden,¡± Taliner told the bastard, all smiles and sycophancy. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together. How about we get to it while the sun¡¯s still up.¡± She gestured towards the exit and Aiden nodded. The stroll out of the hall was done in silence. Taliner tried to initiate conversation once, asking Aiden about his life before finding out he was a noble. Aiden¡¯s answer had been bland and simple. A single word. It was all Taliner needed to lose interest in the conversation. When they were outside the hall and turned to head in the direction of their quest, Otid grabbed Aiden by the arm. ¡°Hey, kiddo.¡± Aiden looked down at Otid¡¯s hand, then up at his face. Otid was only taller by an inch or two. ¡°It says on your ID that you¡¯re only a level two,¡± Otid said, ignoring the insult of the boy¡¯s look. ¡°This mission has goblins with levels as high as level 15. If I¡¯m going to be handling this with you, I¡¯ll need to be sure that you can handle yourself. So we¡¯ll need to have a quick test once we¡¯re in the forest.¡± Aiden scratched his forehead with a single finger. Otid wasn¡¯t sure how he did it but there was something very condescending about the action. All it was missing was the condescending tired sigh. ¡°I¡¯m a specific type of fighter,¡± Aiden said after scratching his head. ¡°My fights tend to cost money on account of the items I use. You think you¡¯ll be able to foot the cost of the items I¡¯ll need to face you?¡± At level 2, whatever consumable items the boy used weren¡¯t going to be expensive. Besides, Otid still had enough money to indulge. Worst case scenario, he wouldn¡¯t be drinking for a while. ¡°Sure,¡± he smiled. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. How did I get here again? Aiden reached across with one hand to scratch the elbow of the other arm. He was standing in a small clearing in the same forest Ded had led him and the others to find the goblins. Otid, the adventurer who had brought him his ID, stood a few paces away from him. To their side, Ded and the lady who¡¯d called herself Taliner stood by silently. ¡°Remember the rules,¡± Otid said with a far reaching voice. ¡°Since you have no class, I will not be using any of my skills while you are permitted to use any skill you might have.¡± Aiden nodded absently. ¡°Second,¡± Otid continued. ¡°You may use any of the items you see fit, including the sword and dagger at your waist. Third, I will assist in the replenishing of any said item used as long as it is a single use consumable.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°And finally.¡± Otid let out a dramatic groan as he stretched. ¡°Your victory is determined by you landing two hits. I will attack with nothing but fighting techniques and limit my Class strength the best of my ability. My victory is determined if you can¡¯t land these two hits within five minutes. Agreed?¡± Aiden nodded, already growing tired of listening to the man. He had found himself in a clich¨¦ over-powered isekai trope. Otid was going to be the adventurer who thought he was so powerful that he would teach the ¡®young lord¡¯ a lesson in the beauties of danger. The twist¡­ The young lord is overpowered. Aiden almost winced at how corny it was. But it didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was that if this subjugation went the way he wanted it to, he would be level ten by the end of it. From the style of fighting he¡¯d maintained, he was sure [Enchanter] was going to be one of the classes he would be offered. If he¡¯d gotten [Mana mastery], there would¡¯ve been a chance at getting [Battle mage]. But alas, in this world and the one before, I am without magic. Regressed with all his knowledge and he was still without magic spells. It was like he was destined to be spell-less. At least, [Battle Enchanter] might be on the table. ¡°If I win, and you¡¯re unable to strike me twice in five minutes,¡± Otid was still going on, ¡°you will obey every instruction I give throughout this expedition. Even if it means you sitting in the corner where it is safe.¡± Aiden could understand the man, but only a little. This was an unnecessary display of authority. A wrong way to define hierarchy. At least that was what he would¡¯ve liked to say. But it wasn¡¯t. Aiden was clearly not going to listen to instructions he did not agree with. And Otid was likely to cause a problem if he didn¡¯t listen. So this was the fastest and surest way to establish a hierarchy of command. It was used between adventurers and worked more often than not. It only failed when one of the adventurers was a dishonest one. ¡°And if I can land those two hits, I get to do whatever I want, correct?¡± Aiden began his own simple stretches, limbering up his muscles. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°And if I land three I will take command of this quest and you will listen to my instructions.¡± Otid paused at that, frowning. So he¡¯s not a complete airhead. The adventurer held his hand up with his thumb tucked away. ¡°Four hits," he said. "If you land four hits, you get to take charge of this quest.¡± Aiden nodded, then turned to their spectators. ¡°Miss Taliner, would you be kind enough to call it?¡± Taliner looked awkwardly between Aiden and Otid. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this, Aiden? Otid is a level¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be alright, miss Taliner,¡± Aiden interrupted her. Taliner frowned in discomfort as Otid unsheathed his sword. He was a bulky man, and he drew a longsword from the scabbard at his hip. Aiden did not reciprocate. Instead, he lowered his stance and held his hands out to his side like a gunslinger waiting for the draw. Otid¡¯s displeasure was emblazoned on his face. Taliner raised her hand where she was and dropped it. ¡°Fight!¡± Otid dashed forward, sword held to the side for a horizontal slash and Aiden acted immediately. His hands skimmed over four pockets, unclipping one and allowing the single enchanted item drop into a waiting palm. He tossed it into the space between him and Otid as the adventurer swung his sword, and braced for impact. You have activated [Enchantment of Lesser madness]. Effect: 8% disruption of ambient mana. Duration: 00:00:08. Radius: 0.0005km. Aiden closed his eyes as the enchantment too effect. It shook the ambient mana in the air, disorienting sight and sound. It was this world¡¯s version of a miniscule flash bang. Unprepared for it, Otid lost his balance. Disoriented, he staggered with his swing. Aiden took the opportunity, knowing it was coming, and stepped into the adventurer without hesitation. With the swing faltering, he ducked it easily, grabbed Otid by the arm and spun him into a shoulder throw. Otid hit the ground with a loud thud, bouncing once. Aiden stepped away from him quickly. He had been expecting a follow up attack, maybe a sword slash to keep him at bay, but nothing came. Instead, Otid just remained lying on the ground, a confused look on his face as he stared at the sky above. Aiden cracked his fingers. ¡°That¡¯s one.¡± THIRTEEN: Goblin Mess Aiden stepped away from a vicious swing that would¡¯ve taken his head off. He backed himself into a tree as Otid came in swinging once more. His hand was already working behind him as Otid charged. Aiden could see the traces of someone who¡¯d taken his time practicing his sword skill, but he could also see a man who had grown complacent in his practices. It wasn¡¯t just enough to learn the swordsmanship skill, you needed to practice it. You have used [Unarmed Engraving(U)]. Aiden dived out of the way as Otid swung his sword at him. You have activated [Enchantment of Lesser Endurance]. Otid¡¯s sword cut an inch deep before Aiden''s enchantment took effect and it held as the enchantment went through the tree as far as it could go. He tugged on the sword once then twice. Aiden was already going in for the finish. You have activated [Cube of Lesser Strength] With the extra strength from the [Cube of Lesser Strength], Aiden swung a powerful punch into the man¡¯s side from behind, then quickly backed away. The force of the blow didn¡¯t do as much as it would¡¯ve done to someone of Aiden¡¯s current level, but that wasn¡¯t the point. ¡°That¡¯s three,¡± Aiden called out. Otid was furious. He wrenched his sword from the tree and turned to Aiden with a snarl on his lips. The fight was technically over, and Aiden had used at least six enchantments already. He was practically out of mana at this point. If he activated another enchantment, he¡¯d likely pass out. At level two, this was his limit when fighting against someone with a class. I guess six is stretching it, he thought as he unsheathed his sword. He couldn''t wait to get to level ten and have a class. Only then would he be able to use the proper enchantments with increased percentages as high as fifteen and twenty. And fighting against someone with more than ten levels more than him wouldn''t be so taxing as they would both have Classes. Aiden sighed as he gave a few testing swings with his sword. It wasn''t like he was really going to use it, after all. ¡°What?¡± Otid asked, if he wasn¡¯t so angry it would¡¯ve sounded like a taunt. ¡°Run out of enchantments?¡± Aiden shrugged, then patted one of his soldier belts, the one hanging low. ¡°I¡¯ve used up all the cheap ones. The ones remaining are more on the side of nobility expensive, wouldn¡¯t want to waste them before running into the goblins.¡± He took a sword stance with his free arm in front of him as if it held a shield and rested the flat of the sword on his forearm, tip pointed at Otid. ¡°Come on now,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s end this with me in command.¡± Otid stood there, sword in hand, chest heaving in anger. Aiden waited. He had played tricks and games the entire way, confusing Otid with one well-placed enchantment after the other. It was the only way he knew how to win with how weak he was in comparison to his opponent. Now, for their final clash, he intended on using his final trick. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how it would go, but he was curious. Aiden felt his mana channel through his body as he dashed forward. Otid stood where he was as they met and swung his sword in an upward arc at the final moment. Aiden stabbed his sword forward and Otid¡¯s sword clashed into it, sending it flying upward. Aiden abandoned the weapon to the upward momentum and let himself fall. He slid along the ground and into Otid. His body barreled into the man¡¯s legs and Aiden moved quickly. He grabbed one of Otid¡¯s legs, raised his and locked them around it. Then he pushed his weight into the action, turning himself around for better leverage. In a moment, he found leverage and Otid¡¯s knee bent forward. The man fell and Aiden had him in a leg lock. ¡°That¡¯s four!¡± he declared quickly, then hurriedly extricated himself from the man. When he got back to his feet, he was slightly panting. He turned to Taliner and Ded. ¡°Call it,¡± he said. Ded looked down at a pocket watch in his hand. ¡°Three minutes and forty-two seconds.¡± Aiden finally let go of his alertness. The moment he did, fatigue hit him like a truck. He bent forward, catching himself with his hands on his knees, and panted heavier. All the movement and the enchantments had taken a lot out of him. For the duration of the fight, he had practically been a twelve year old on steroids fighting against a young adult. Once again, Aiden was reminded of how much he hated being classless. In front of him, Otid was already getting back on his feet. ¡°Last one doesn¡¯t count!¡± Otid declared. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a hit.¡± Aiden could debate it, but the man wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. Otid could¡¯ve broken out of the hold at any time. It had simply surprised him. He could¡¯ve also found an angle to swing his sword down on Aiden. It was why Aiden had released him quickly and called it. But by that argument, Aiden could¡¯ve also done a lot of things in that moment. He could¡¯ve pulled his dagger free and stabbed three nice holes in the man¡¯s leg. ¡°It counts, Otid,¡± Taliner disagreed. Ded walked up to where Aiden¡¯s sword had fallen from being knocked away by Otid¡¯s swing as the adventurers exchanged words and picked it up. Then he brought it to Aiden. ¡°Doesn¡¯t count,¡± Otid was saying, turning to Taliner. ¡°The kid tripped me, that¡¯s all there is to it. Tripping someone doesn¡¯t count.¡± Taliner shook her head. ¡°He had you on the floor with your back exposed to him and your leg in his hands. Trust me, it counts.¡± ¡°How?¡± Otid turned and pointed a finger at Aiden. ¡°You know darn well that last one didn¡¯t count.¡± Aiden took his sword from Ded and slid it into its sheath. He ran a tired hand through his hair, paused, then touched his forehead. He hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat. But he was tired. Which means this is all mana fatigue? Which meant his tiredness didn''t even come from the fight, it came from the constant use of mana and the effect of constant use of the enchantments on a body that wasn''t supposed to be pumped full of so many enchantments. Aiden almost laughed as he checked to be sure he still had everything on him. His dagger remained sheathed and strapped to his belt and his other pockets still had his enchanted items. Taliner took a deep breath, then let it out. When she spoke, she did so slowly, as if to a child. ¡°Otid, he had you on the ground. Your back was exposed to him. And he still had his dagger on him. This is not an argument.¡± She stomped over to Aiden after that, leaving Otid with his mouth hanging open, making incoherent sounds. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the big oaf,¡± she told Aiden. ¡°But a deal¡¯s a deal. As far as I¡¯m concerned, Lord Lacheart, you¡¯re the leader of this contract quest. If you¡¯d like, I have no problem escorting you back to the society hall to have the details updated. I¡¯ll serve as your witness.¡± Aiden waved her words away. ¡°That¡¯ll just be a waste of time. And please, call me Aiden.¡± ¡­¡­¡­.. After the little exchange, Aiden asked that they find somewhere to rest while Ded tracked down wherever the goblins could possibly be. Otid pointed out that he had a tracking skill, but Ded pointed out that his class required that his tracking skills be as high as possible without revealing what it was. In the end, Otid was left to wait behind with Aiden and Taliner while Ded went forward. The [Scout] would find the goblins and report back. So they sat for minutes. Three minutes turned to five, and five to ten. Eventually they were seated for almost thirty minutes doing nothing. Taliner sharpened her shortsword simply because she could. Otid loitered about, sat, then loitered some more. Aiden sat calmly, allowing his mana restore itself. While he did so, he wondered at the adventurers he was with. He knew Taliner, she hadn¡¯t been very important in his past life but she¡¯d had her moment of fame after leading a quest that had brought down a necromancy horde. Turned out, from the little he knew, that she''d done a quest at some point in her life and had failed to kill a Goblin Shaman that had gone on to grow very strong and terrorize places. It had turned out that a mutated monster had unlocked the [Necromancer] class and had been terrorizing a village. It had taken a few adventurers to put it down in the end, and some lives had been lost. But that isn¡¯t for another two years, Aiden thought. As for Otid, he¡¯d never heard the name. So either the both of them were not an official party, did not become an official party, or simply parted ways at some point. Or he died. ¡°Hey, kid.¡± Aiden turned his head to Otid and raised a questioning brow. Otid grumbled something about young people not having respect for their elders anymore before coming to sit beside him. ¡°What was that enchantment you used?¡± he asked, staring into the canopy of trees. Aiden didn¡¯t need to think about it to know what Otid was talking about. Very few people knew the enchantment by its effect. ¡°Lesser Confusion,¡± he answered. ¡°Never heard of it.¡± Taliner paused in sharpening what was probably her fifth blade. ¡°I have. It¡¯s actually a rare enchantment. Not many people use it. It¡¯s called Lesser Madness in some places.¡± Not many people used it in any kingdom Bandiv was aware of. In fact, it was banned in most kingdoms. But there were places where its use was common. ¡°Wait.¡± Taliner frowned at Aiden. ¡°Isn¡¯t that enchantment banned in a lot of kingdoms?¡± ¡°It is," Aiden answered. "But not in Bandiv.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s so rare, how did you get your hand on one?¡± Otid asked. Aiden pointed at himself. ¡°Noble bastard, remember? It would amaze you the kinds of things a noble can get their hands on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also very expensive,¡± Taliner said, looking at Otid with a smirk. ¡°Like gold coins expensive.¡± Otid paled. ¡°I thought you said you only used the cheap ones, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Bastard or no, you¡¯re nobility, right?¡± Otid said sheepishly. ¡°You¡¯re still a lord.¡± Aiden shook his head but couldn¡¯t help smiling. He was finding Otid interesting. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°I have no idea how much it costs. Since it didn¡¯t come from my pocket, it¡¯s not a cost you need to settle.¡± Otid let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Aiden actually had no idea how much an [Enchantment of Lesser Madness] was supposed to cost. He hadn¡¯t used it much in his past life because it also disoriented the caster and he hadn¡¯t learned about it until his level was significantly higher. And even then, he had done his own enchantments, so he¡¯d never needed to buy one. As for how he got this one, he''d had a list for the palace¡¯s enchantery and they''d simply prepared what he needed at no cost. Their conversation switched into simpler things after that. It was more of Taliner and Otid engaging in the occasional bickering here and there. They talked about a few quests they¡¯d done together. Clearing out mole-rats. Helping in a subjugation of walking-snakes, which were basically komodo dragons that walked on two legs and were more snake-like in form. Ded returned after an hour while Otid was telling Aiden about his swordsmanship and how he had been practicing with the sword since he could walk. ¡°Even after I hit eighteen, it still took me twelve weeks to get the foundational skills I needed to get it,¡± Otid was saying. ¡°Ha!¡± Taliner laughed. ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t as talented with the sword as you thought you were.¡± Aiden understood that. The truth was that it actually took a lot to register a skill as learnt by the system. Someone could know how to use a weapon and still not have it registered as a skill, and that person would never be as good as someone with the skill. Skills were a bit on the extra side of things. It was a registration that the skill was now an unshakable part of you. It was basically an unconscious acceptance of the specific skill. If it took a thousand punches thrown in a single day to call someone a master of a punch, then it would take a thousand punches for the system to register the [Punch] skill at zero mastery. That Aiden had gained his early was a testament that the effects of his previous life were still very much there. Even amongst the other summoned, each skill needed to be practiced a few times to register. A single sword swing was not, naturally, enough to get the [Sword Strike] skill. Technically speaking, he was already overpowered. Aiden got up to meet Ded as he came to them. ¡°Found them?¡± Aiden asked him. ¡°Yes,¡± Ded nodded. ¡°I counted at least eight.¡± ¡°Levels?¡± Otid asked. Ded said nothing. He didn¡¯t even acknowledge the man. ¡°Levels?¡± Aiden asked. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°The lowest was a three.¡± ¡°And the highest?¡± ¡°Eleven.¡± Aiden rubbed his jaw. He was very sure they had a leader. Goblins didn¡¯t lead goblins in this world. They were led by Hobgoblins or Goblin Shamans. And none of the two were anything less than a level 15. Otid held his annoyance at being ignored well as he turned to Aiden. ¡°It must be some external gathering. A level 11 goblin can¡¯t be the one leading them.¡± ¡°Yea,¡± Taliner joined, slipping her knives in many sheathes that littered her belt. ¡°There¡¯s got to be a Hobgoblin or a Shaman, if not the guild would¡¯ve given the contract to someone else. Adventurers with lower levels. My money¡¯s on Shaman.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ded asked. ¡°Well, before you guys came along, we¡¯ve been tracking these things. At some point, we got a tracker after some unfortunate circumstances, and he detected traces of magic. Goblins don¡¯t use magic.¡± Otid groaned. ¡°Not this again.¡± Aiden looked between them. ¡°Not what again?¡± ¡°Foolish tracker was rambling about summoning and things like that.¡± Otid waved it aside. ¡°Just bullshit. He said he found blood of something summoned with too much magic in it, said it was human. It was unreasonable.¡± ¡°Just how much magic.¡± ¡°80%.¡± Aiden almost let out a low whistle. That was definitely too much magic to be found in anyone¡¯s blood. And that much magic from a summoned creature was¡­ Sam bled that night, Aiden remembered. It meant their foolish tracker had found residue of Sam¡¯s blood. But eighty percent? Aiden hadn¡¯t thought their mana concentration was that high. That explained why they leveled up faster than the average person on Nastild and learned skills at breakneck speeds. With that level of mana concentration, it was a wonder all of them hadn¡¯t been Demon King candidates. Then again, from what he knew, all of them were arguably Demon King candidates. Aiden gestured ahead of them. ¡°Lead the way, Ded.¡± The soldier obeyed. And as they followed, Otid grumbled once more about having a tracking skill too. ¡­¡­. They found the goblins after thirty minutes of walking. As Ded had said, there weren¡¯t that many. Eight to twelve at the most. And unlike the ones Aiden had fought along with Sam and the others that night, these ones carried a scar or two, here and there. Weapons, too. ¡°Is that a fucking morning-star,¡± Otid whispered in surprise. Aiden looked in the direction the adventurer was facing. It was. The goblin held the weapon by the handle, swinging the spiked ball at the end of the chain like it was practicing some odd technique while another watched in what Aiden could only interpret as awe. Aiden pointed at a goblin that kept sheathing and unsheathing a longsword. ¡°What¡¯s that one¡¯s level?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you¡­¡± Otid trailed off. ¡°Sorry, you don¡¯t have a class so you can¡¯t see it yet. Never knew the day would come when I¡¯ll be adventuring with a classless.¡± Taliner shook her head. ¡°And in everything you just said, the answer wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a level 5, my Lord,¡± Ded answered. Aiden nodded. ¡°Thank you. And I won¡¯t warn you about that title again. It¡¯s Aiden. But I¡¯m taking that goblin.¡± It was high enough to get him at least two levels when he killed it. ¡°Because you use a sword?¡± Otid asked, confused. ¡°You know there are lower levels in the group that also use a sword. You sure you can take it?¡± Aiden snorted, making his way out of hiding. ¡°I took you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Otid frowned and Taliner snickered. Out in the open, Aiden held up his sword and placed a finger on it. He traced a simple enchantment on it while the others stepped out of hiding as well, drawing the goblins¡¯ attention. ¡°What are you¡­¡± Otid¡¯s voice trailed off as a soft orange glow trailed a path along the enchantment Aiden had drawn. You have used [Enchantment of Lesser Flame] Effect: Fire damage with a 3% chance to deal critical damage on every blow. Duration: 00:02:00. The effects of everything before a class were abysmal. Aiden swung his sword in a vertical slash by his side and it ignited in flames. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± He could see the question on everyone¡¯s faces as they charged into the goblins. Aiden followed behind them, sword swinging, while Ded darted about until he disappeared from the battle. Aiden ducked a stray goblin swing, avoiding it narrowly, only for Otid to take its head off with a single swing. In his current position, Aiden needed to be careful. A person could not identify a monster¡¯s level without killing it until they developed a class, so all he knew was that the goblins in front of him were all stronger than him. By how much was a question he had no answer to. He swung his burning sword, deflected a dagger thrust from one of the goblins and brought the blade down on the goblin¡¯s back as he side-stepped it. The creature shrieked in pain as Aiden trailed a burning line along its back then stabbed it through the neck. He ripped his sword out, already running after his initial prey. Energy filled his chest, curled around his heart as he kept running forward. You have dealt a critical blow on [Goblin Level 6]. You have slain [Goblin Level 6]! Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! Level 2---> Level 4 You are now Level 4! That wasn¡¯t so bad. The reason he was charging the level 5 goblin was for the double level up. With three levels between them he had been sure of it. But a random goblin had dealt with that for him. Aiden twirled his sword as he stepped forward, deflecting a strike from another goblin. It had charged at him with a dagger and he was more than happy to indulge it. Before he could, however, Taliner¡¯s throwing knife took it in the head. Does that count as a kill steal? He thought, stepping over the creature¡¯s body. From Taliner''s point of view, his success wouldn''t have been guaranteed. In a matter of time, Aiden was on the Level 5 goblin he¡¯d initially sought out. It deflected three of his strikes, parried one, and missed the last that cut open a line in its inner thigh that ignited in flames. Levels were a great method of measurement. But the truth was that they were nothing but a measurement of raw power. All things being equal, a Level 5 was always going to be stronger than a Level 4. But that was if all things were equal. And nothing is ever equal, Aiden thought as he spun around the goblin, sword held out in the spin to take its head. The blade of his sword sliced the creature¡¯s head in two horizontal halves. You have slain [Goblin Level 5]! Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! Level 4--> Level 5 You are now Level 5! Aiden stood as the creature fell, flaming sword in hand. Around him, the goblin camp was falling into silent chaos. One goblin corpse was slowly beginning to burn while others just lay scattered about. Only two were left alive and Taliner and Otid flanked them easily. Are they playing with them? Aiden wondered as he walked up to them. As he approached them, the flame of his sword dimmed and dwindled. The duration of the enchantment was coming to an end. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked as he approached them. Taliner turned to him, somehow still keeping the goblins under her watch. ¡°Killing goblins is really kind of a waste for us. At least goblins of this level.¡± ¡°So we thought we¡¯d thin them out for you,¡± Otid finished. ¡°Have you level up safely.¡± Aiden looked around them once more, taking in the chaos of death. ¡°I kind of already had my level ups, though,¡± he said. ¡°Certainly can¡¯t be enough,¡± Otid replied. ¡°What we¡¯ve got here are two level 9s. They¡¯ve got to count for something, right?¡± They would. But Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about safe leveling. And at this rate, he was going to hit level ten before they even finished the contract. That had not been a true part of his plan. The plan was to level up until he was close to ten, get back to the palace to gain some more skills, then safely hit level 10. Though, from what he knew, he wasn''t sure how many more skills he was going to be able to get. Unless he could get [Mana Mastery] there really wasn''t any other skill he really needed. He already had what he needed to ensure he got a combat class, a battle class to be specific. And with enchantment skills being his only real magic based skill, there was a high chance that [Enchanter] was going to be one of the offered Classes. Regardless, his current skill set would give him a larger number of Classes to choose from. Unfortunately, Aiden''s plan was proving to be his own ruin. At this rate, he was going to hit level 10 in the field of battle, and he had no idea what kinds of Classes would be offered if his last levels were rushed in battle. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like me,¡± he told Otid as he considered their offer. Otid shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t say I hate you either, kid. But they are monsters and you are human. Getting as many strong adventurers as possible will always be a good thing. We¡¯ve always got to be stronger than the monsters.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t disagree with that line of thought. ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aiden cleaned his bloody dagger on the grass and pulled up his skills. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 10.20%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 12.00%)], [Resilience (Mastery 44.23%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 0.00%)], [Keen eye (Mastery 39.33%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 02.10%)], [Unarmed Engraving (Mastery 3.00%)(U)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 04.33%)]. He now had the [Dagger-wield] skill. Taliner walked up to him and held out a piece of cloth. ¡°Have this.¡± Aiden looked up before taking it. He looked down at his dagger with residue of goblin blood on it, unsure. It would be a while before they returned to the Adventure hall. If he was right, they would be out here for another day, two at the most. ¡°Goblin blood isn¡¯t very easy to wash off if you leave it for too long,¡± he told her. Taliner scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s for your leg, stupid.¡± Aiden looked down. ¡°Oh.¡± He had an injury in his thigh. It wasn¡¯t deep, just a simple knife wound, a glancing blow, really. He¡¯d miscalculated the speed of one of the goblins and had gotten it for his worries. ¡°You know that was stupid of you,¡± she said, as he pressed the cloth to the injury. ¡°You had a sword and two opponents. In every fight you take the advantage you can get. There was no reason for you to use a dagger, even if you know how to use one.¡± ¡°I was testing something.¡± Aiden dabbed the remaining blood he could. Some of it had dried up so it would take a bath to get it off. Aiden had never been a fan of the dagger. The Order had forced him to learn its use, but he had only used it when it was necessary. So while he¡¯d had the skill, it had taken him a while to learn it. But a single fight against two opponents with it and I¡¯ve got it at 4% mastery. He was sure of it now. His skills from the extinguished timeline weren¡¯t totally gone. While he¡¯d lost them entirely, he¡¯d somehow carried over his proficiency in them. Which meant that he could get all his skills back. All he had to do was engage in them. He wondered if it would still apply once he got his class. Also, fighting off the two goblins had only gained him an extra level. So he was now level 6. Level 6 in under two weeks, he chuckled. I guess we¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not the Demon King. He doubted there was anyone above level three among the others back at the palace at this time. They were too preoccupied with getting their basic skills. Aiden guessed things were going smoothly so far. ¡­unless you end up being the Demon King in this timeline. The thought slithered into his mind, unbidden, and Aiden froze. You¡¯ve already met one of the criteria. You¡¯ve gotten a unique skill before getting a class. And you know where the Demon King castle is and how to access it. Aiden frowned as his own mind played games with him. There was no way he was going to end up being the Demon King. He just couldn¡¯t picture it happening. He doubted he was the kind of person to meet whatever the requirements were to gain the title... Right? Then are you going to be the hero? Aiden¡¯s reaction to that was a laugh. He had never possessed the characteristics of a hero, and everyone had been very certain that title went to someone based on who they were. What he was had nothing to do with being heroic. In his past life he had been too unfocused, confused, and arguably cowardly in the early days of his summoning for it. In this life, he was too jaded. Here you are getting stronger so that you can stand by the Demon King¡­ sounds like something a Demon King candidate would do. ¡°It¡¯s what a brother would do,¡± Aiden muttered to himself with a frown. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re having fun,¡± Otid commented half-heartedly. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re not done. It¡¯s only a matter of time before the other goblins realize these ones aren¡¯t reporting back.¡± ¡°We can take another three minutes,¡± Taliner objected. ¡°Let the kid catch his breath.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t like being called a kid, even if he was technically a kid right now. But Otid was right, they needed to hurry. And he could always get a healer to deal with his injury so it didn¡¯t become a scar whenever he found his way back to the palace. He picked himself up from the ground, wincing involuntarily at the slight pain. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± The next encampment Ded led them to had goblins of lower levels and they cleared it out easily. Aiden played support, using enchantments of varying kinds to destabilize and confuse the goblins while Taliner and Otid dealt the finishing blows. They needed none of the support and Aiden knew it. He gave them the support for himself. Enchantment magic was the only kind of magic he¡¯d ever developed a proficiency for. And the Classes a person was offered was based off their personal capabilities, their skills, and who they were as people. It was also based on what state they were in in the moment of their offer. If he was offered a magical Class, it was going to be [Enchanter], he was sure of it. So he might as well ensure that the Class skills that came with it, if it remained his best choice to pick were at least battle oriented. People offered Classes in the heat of battle often had Classes that leaned heavily towards battle and violence. Aiden didn¡¯t want [Enchanter] but he also didn¡¯t want a pure martial art class or violence class like [Butcher] or some other strict violence class. So he practiced his enchantments were he could find them. They made their way through two more encampments in the same way. They rested after each fight while Ded went in search of the next encampment and disappeared once the fighting began. In this way, they fought into the night and their violence spilled into the sunshine of the next day. ¡°Just how many camps do these bastards have,¡± Otid spat. He was growing irritable from the lack of civilization. At least that was Taliner¡¯s defense for his continued growing uncouth behavior. Taliner gave him a worried look before coming over to Aiden. Despite the sun shining in the sky, the forest was cool with a gentle breeze and the swaying branches of trees that had witnessed a lot of goblin deaths in one night. ¡°And why the hell aren¡¯t you killing anything!?¡± Otid snarled at Aiden. ¡°That last goblin was getting away. And instead of killing it, you just chopped its leg off. What if it had escaped?¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve made no difference,¡± Aiden answered, checking for leftover specks of blood on his dagger. ¡°Whatever is leading these things already knows we¡¯re hunting it. If it¡¯s smart enough, it will be planning how to escape.¡± Taliner¡¯s eyelids narrowed at him. ¡°You¡¯re not interested in leveling up, are you? That¡¯s why you¡¯ve stopped killing them. You don¡¯t want to hit level ten and get a Class.¡± Aiden said nothing. ¡°You don¡¯t want a battle class, is that it?¡± she tried. ¡°You don¡¯t want the violence even though you¡¯re good at it?¡± Again, Aiden said nothing and Taliner seemed to give her opinion a second thought. ¡°Why?¡± she pressed. ¡°Everyone wants to level up, and battle classes are amazing. You could end up with a knight class. Or did your father tell you not to get a class? Is he trying to dictate that part of your life, too?¡± Again, Aiden said nothing. But his mind moved to thoughts of his father at her words. His parents had been strict but not harsh. They liked things a certain type of way and did their best to ensure they ended up that way. Let the children make mistakes so that they learn from them. It was his father¡¯s guide to raising them. Even when Ted had fallen off a tree as a child and broken his arm, their father had simply taken him to the hospital to get it fixed and had done nothing when Ted had gone tree climbing again a few months after his arm had healed. It was definitely reckless. But their father had a very precise approach to life that had only been softened by their mother¡¯s presence. If it wasn''t going to kill or maim his child, then his child was free to make the mistake and learn from it. All that mattered to him was that the mistake wasn''t one that would affect the rest of their lives or end it. They often wondered if he kept strictly to that rule because he only had sons. If they had a sister, would he have treated her the same way? Aiden felt a touch of longing for his parents in his heart and smothered it almost immediately. He¡¯d gone eleven years without them once before. He could go another eleven. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how they were. How long would they mourn? Would they try for another child? His father was only in his late forties so they could still have another child if they wanted, right? When Aiden saw Ded coming back, strolling with the easy stiffness of a soldier, he was glad for the distraction. ¡°What did we get?¡± Otid asked a bit forcefully. ¡°Please tell me it¡¯s the last group if not I¡¯m going out on a limb and hunting these motherfuckers down myself.¡± Ded looked from Otid to Aiden in a request for permission and Aiden nodded. ¡°A bunch of goblins,¡± Ded answered. ¡°At the heart of the camp, there are two Hobgoblins and one Shaman.¡± Taliner let out a low whistle. ¡°That¡¯s a tussle and a half if I ever did hear one.¡± Aiden agreed. Two Hobgoblins and a Shaman was quite a lot. It meant there were at least two level 15s and one level 20. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure of what he wanted to do. He could call it a day here and head back to the palace where things were under his control. He only had a few more levels to go through before level 10, after all. But that would mean risking the chance that one of the Hobgoblins or the Shaman would escape. That was going to be a consequential problem to innocent people who would have the misfortune of ending up in their path. Turning back was not an option. It isn¡¯t even your world, he thought. But he was going to be stuck in it for a significant while. And he wasn¡¯t even sure if Ted would come across the same discovery that led him to finding a possible way home if things happened differently here. No. They needed to deal with this and be done with it. The longer he stayed below level 10, the longer he remained weak. With the thoughts going through his mind, he cast aside the need to take his time. He knew how to get stronger, and for him, right now, faster was better. Ted had said there was a key with the giants in the frost mountain. He had also said the leader of the Order needed to know about it. So Aiden at least knew where to start on his journey back home. There were three frost mountains he knew of that were close enough to Bandiv he could get to first and they required good levels to venture into. Aiden shook out his leg, tested the injured leg to see how far he could push it. The result was that he could push it far enough. ¡°Two hobgoblins and one Shaman,¡± he said, turning to Otid and Taliner. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the goblins. Can you guys handle the hobgoblins and Shaman?¡± Otid scratched his jaw. ¡°It¡¯s a stretch, but we can. Give me that expensive burning sword and I¡¯m sure I can push it far with the help of the enchantment.¡± ¡°Otid!¡± Taliner chided him. ¡°You can¡¯t take the boy¡¯s enchanted sword.¡± Aiden thought otherwise. ¡°I ain¡¯t got any problem with that. But it¡¯s only got one more enchantment on it and its customized to my mana signature. So it''ll just be a simple sword for you. I could still have it customized for you when this is all done, though.¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Ded said in a hurry. ¡°You cannot¡ª¡± ¡°Today you answer to me,¡± Aiden cut him short, checking the enchantments he had left in his soldier¡¯s belt. ¡°I will hear nothing about safety or madness. We¡¯re killing these things before they try to escape and endanger others. Got it?¡± Ded slipped into silence but nodded. He suddenly had no arguments to offer. The quick acceptance was odd, and Aiden realized the soldier had always been that way. What if it''s also the reason he''d done something as stupid as lead us to the goblins that night? It was worthy of thought but Aiden cast it aside for now. ¡°Alright, then,¡± Aiden said, then slid his dagger into its sheath. ¡°Let¡¯s go get this goblin mess over with.¡± FOURTEEN: Jobs Not Done The crescent moon smiled down on Aiden, a false friend to bring him light. The smile was as metaphoric as it was literal since the moon¡¯s crescent curved downwards from left to right. Aiden stood with sword in hand, drawn and waiting. In front of him a congregation of goblins stood staring at him with a mix of confusion and anger. While he had been the one to create the current plan he was working under, Aiden found himself hating the plan the more goblins he saw. Ded had led them to a clearing filled with camp fires and a single tent settled in at the center surrounded by goblins. Ded had said there were only a handful of goblins over level 10. And while Aiden believed him, he still thought it was a difficult position to be in not knowing what goblin was what level. It inevitably meant he would have to pull out all the stops for all the goblins. Is there any other way? The Order taught that every fight was to be handled as if it was fought with the fate of the world on the line. And if you couldn¡¯t bring yourself to care for the world, then fight it as if every blow dealt would grant you your heart¡¯s desire. The leader of the Order wasn¡¯t much of a motivational speaker but he¡¯d built a terrifying enterprise, so he deserved some accolades for that. Aiden reached into one of his belt pockets and slowly picked out an enchantment as the goblins slowly solidified into a mutual agreement. They were done being confused and were ready to be rid of him. Behind them, the tent ruffled a little. It was large for a simple tent and was as wide as a house. Aiden hoped that was a sign that Otid and Taliner were finding success in their part of the plan. Why did I choose this plan again? Aiden wondered, rolling the tiny orb in his hand. Because you want to level up and get it over with. But it didn¡¯t matter anymore, though. The plan had been made and he needed to carry out his part of it. ¡°Would be very hilarious if I died to some level 10s at this point,¡± he chuckled darkly. The gentle silence of the night turned into incoherent mutterings as one goblin after the other started making sounds Aiden couldn¡¯t understand. It was a standing theory amongst scholars of this world that goblins were intelligent species capable of communication. The debate, however, was if they communicated like beasts such as dogs or if they communicated with complicated languages with human level intelligence. Personally, Aiden liked to think it was the latter. It was difficult to believe monsters as cruel as goblins couldn¡¯t communicate like humans. It took a certain level of intelligence to be cruel. ¡°Alright then!¡± he announced and tapped the end of his sword against a piece of rock when he couldn¡¯t see any other goblin loitering about. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it then.¡± The first goblin to charge at him did so leading a pack of four others. It held a massive branch in its hand that it swung like a club when it leaped to reach his head. The other three had weapons of their own, but with the club goblin in charge, Aiden paid them the littlest attention. He ducked the first swing of the branch, pivoting so that he weaved himself into the middle of all four, evaded what looked like a sickle at the end of a chain, then his sword went dancing. There wasn¡¯t much in the way of challenge. There was no threat of loss or defeat, merely what was and what could be. Aiden¡¯s sword came to an abrupt stop to the ovation of four notifications. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 4]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 6]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 4]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 5]. Aiden stared at the tip of his broadsword. It did not tremble. It did not shake. It was as straight as anything could be and as still as the moon in the sky. Skill beats level almost every time. It was a shaky truth that his mind refused to allow him accept as it brought up his only real encounter with the king¡¯s Sage. How powerless he had been while his brother fought to save his life. That was power. That was a level simple skill did not beat. Aiden swung his sword in an arc, ridding it of goblin blood. His job tonight was to buy time for the others to deal with the main problem or clear the entire place of low level goblins so that there would be no interference with what the others were doing. ¡°Alright then!¡± he declared, sword held out to his side. ¡°Come on! We don¡¯t have all night!¡± The entire front line of goblins inched forward and Aiden winced. He counted eight of them, easy. ¡°Eight,¡± he muttered to himself, worried, hopping on the balls of his feet to get the adrenaline going. ¡°I can do eight¡­ Right?¡± As if sensing his indecision, they rushed him. This wasn¡¯t a controlled area. If he made enough mistakes, he could die. Death was not an option, so going all-out was the only reasonable response to his situation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another enchanted item. He rolled it along with the orb in his hand once, channeling mana into the both of them the way an [Enchanter] would. When he was done tracing the runes and sigils in them with mana, he let the first orb fall from his hand. He¡¯d picked both orbs for this specific purpose. They were an enchanter¡¯s go-to when fighting a group at close range. And he had two of them. At his level, their effects would be near insignificant. But he didn¡¯t need them to be significant, he was fighting against monsters that were arguably also at his level. The first orb hit the ground and exploded in a translucent orb with red streaks running along its surface like veins. It swallowed them whole. You have activated [Orb of Lesser Slow]. Effect: 3% decrease is movement speed. Duration: 00:00:12. Radius: 0.0008km. Aiden felt the effect of the enchantment the moment it activated. His muscles grew tense. The air was heavier. Everything felt as if he was moving through mud and every thing within the radius of the enchantment would suffer the same effect. He squeezed the second orb even though he didn¡¯t need to as it came to life, igniting the mana inside him. You have activated [Orb of Lesser Speed] Effect: 3% increase in movement speed. Duration: 00:00:12. He stepped forward and swung a horizontal slash with both hands. You have activated [Basic Swordsmanship]. A grey line trailed behind Aiden¡¯s blade as it cleaved through the air. He felt the resistance of blade cutting through skin and bones but didn¡¯t stop there. Twelve seconds was a lot of time in a fight but it was also, ultimately, not a lot of time. Enchantments that slowed movement speed weren¡¯t as popular as enchantments that increased them so the palace had only been able to get him two of them. As he stepped into his swing, bringing it down on the next goblin, he really hoped this group of goblins had the higher levels among them. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 3]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 6]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 4]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 4]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 6 --> 7] [You are now Level 7.] ¡­ Otid raised a hand, gesturing for Taliner to stop. They¡¯d been working together long enough that he didn¡¯t have to check to know she¡¯d stopped. There was something confusing about this part of the tent. From the front, the littlest moonlight they had served to illuminate it well enough. But from the back, where they were trying to sneak in through, it was as if the night had swallowed the moon. Otid looked up. Yup, moon¡¯s still there. Then he looked at the tent. Tent¡¯s still black. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Let¡¯s get this over with then. The plan was Lord Lacheart¡¯s, and it was simple. The young lord was going to draw the attention of the lower ranked goblins, all twenty plus of them. Then he would stall for time. Taliner had been quick to point out that he had no reason to be fighting the goblins. He was to distract them long enough. The whole point was to make sure the goblins did not interfere in their fight with the Hobgoblins and the Shaman. ¡°Really wish I had that flaming sword,¡± Otid muttered, pressed up against the back of the tent. ¡°You¡¯re not the level 2 distracting a bunch of higher level goblins,¡± Taliner said. Otid grumbled. ¡°He¡¯s probably a level 4 by now. At the end of this whole thing, he¡¯ll be a level 6. I¡¯m sure his dad will be proud.¡± Taliner frowned but said nothing else. ¡°Come one.¡± Otid took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± As the growing cacophony of goblin shrieks continued on the other side of the tent, he tore the back of the tent open with a large swing. He charged in, sword at the ready, only to back-track quickly. ¡°Taliner!¡± he bellowed. ¡°Duck!¡± A massive Hobgoblin, twice his size, burst out from a different part of the tent, fist cocked back in a savage blow. It had dirty blue eyes and its cheek hung from its face by a thin, loose skin. The smell hit Otid a second later and he knew they were fucked. Otid turned, hand shooting out to push Taliner as he raised his sword to meet the blow. Fist and blade met and he was sent skidding back. To his side, Taliner was a good distance away from the, and that was all Otid needed to know. His eyes were back on the problem in front of him. They darted around in his socket, alternating between the heaving Hobgoblin in front of him and his general surrounding. Ded said there were two. Where¡¯s the other one? ¡°BEHIND YOU!¡± Otid ducked into a side roll at Taliner¡¯s warning. He stumbled during his roll as the ground shook beneath him. When he came up from his roll, it wasn¡¯t straight to his feet, but he was quick to orient himself. Taliner stepped up beside him with a scowl on her face as she looked at their opponents. In front of them, standing between them and the tent, were two large Hobgoblins. Each one was a level 16. But their presence wasn¡¯t what was intimidating. It wasn¡¯t what made Taliner angry. No. It was what they were. ¡°Undead,¡± Taliner spat. Otid nodded, noting how the skin hung loose from their body. He could see the empty space in one of their heads. He was certain that under the sun he would¡¯ve been able to see the color of the thing¡¯s skull. Both undead Hobgoblins watched them with empty eyes as another monster stepped out of the tear Otid had made in the tent. This goblin wore a dark purple robe and held a grotesque staff in its hand. Its eyes shone a murky green. It was not as large as the Hobgoblins, but it was as large as Taliner, with grey beards and grayish green skin. ¡°That¡¯s one old motherfucker,¡± Taliner observed. ¡°Yea.¡± Otid was beginning to think they¡¯d bitten off more than they could chew. ¡°Should we report back to the guild?¡± Taliner shot him a dirty glare. Otid sighed. ¡°I thought so.¡± There was no way she was going to allow them make a retreat. Taliner had a personal beef with anything undead. Otid had tried to find out why on multiple occasions and had gotten nothing from his trials. Even Adaware, the guild master, had refused to tell him anything. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I always said I would die facing a horde of undead because of her, he grumbled as he placed his sword at the ready. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with then.¡± The Shaman, because that was the only thing the goblin with the staff could possibly be, raised its hand at them. ¡°Got to get going, Tal,¡± Otid muttered as green aura gathered to the goblin¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t think we want it casting that.¡± Taliner was already on the move, longsword drawn from its sheath. Her hand blurred and throwing knives crossed the distance, glinting sharp silvers under the moonlight. The Shaman deflected the attack with a raised staff but the mana gathering to his hand winked out of existence. Otid took his chance and charged the Hobgoblins. He and Taliner going up against two Hobgoblins wasn¡¯t too much of a stretch. But two undead hobgoblins was. The undead did not feel pain, as such, they did not react to it. They were no more than sturdy constructs. But Taliner and Otid had a chance, though. If the Shaman was not up to level 30, then the undead would not retain any semblance of intelligence. All they would be were puppets at the strings of a puppeteer. Killing them was good. But killing the Shaman was better. Otid swung his sword, was parried by the hobgoblin of his choice, and spun into a leg slash. His blade cut a gash in the hobgoblin and it brought a hand down on him. Otid, learning from his brief encounter with Lord Lacheart, released his sword to weave around the monster. He wrapped his arms around the creature, barely encircling it, lifted it off the ground, and threw it. With his strength stats being his highest, the hobgoblin went flying. Otid abandoned his sword in the creature¡¯s leg. Rather than follow after it, he went for the Shaman. Stop the puppeteer, he thought, stop the puppets. Taliner was keeping the other Hobgoblin occupied as Otid charged the Shaman. The Shaman abandoned its magic and swung its staff at him. It was an odd response for a magical beast of any level of intelligence. Even the magical Classes did not abandon their spells for physical combat. They created distance so they could be allowed the time to cast them. It implied that the staff was probably more than just a staff used for casting magic. Otid avoided the swung staff, unsure of what its effects could be. He harried the Shaman, darting in and out with blows and kicks. Each attack was futile since the Shaman did its best to block every blow with its staff. And considering Otid had no idea what the staff could do on contact, he couldn¡¯t allow it touch him even if it was in defense. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have left the sword. The Shaman raised its staff high and Otid darted in again. The last thing he needed was a cast spell. His class had no real defense against magic. [Cleaver] was a class designed for large weapons like claymores and actual cleavers. It had high strength, little agility, and no skill that gave it any form of magical resistance. He also had no armor for that. They were expensive, and he wasn¡¯t really rolling in money. Otid heard a growl from behind him and side-stepped. Another thing he didn''t need was to be caught in a pincer attack between an undead Hobgoblin and a Shaman. Despite that, Otid hesitated in his action. Avoiding them would give the Shaman the time he needed to cast his spell, and one did not allow a necromancy class cast combat spells. The Shaman staggered forward as if pushed, and a scowl split its bearded mouth. From its back protruded the hilt of one of Taliner¡¯s throwing knives. It turned, swinging its staff as if at an attacker. Otid turned to give his attacker his quickest attention. The Hobgoblin¡¯s eye remained empty even as it continued to charge at him. Otid ducked a swing, then threw an uppercut of his own. The blow connected, sending the creature staggering back. Otid capitalized on the chance and reached for his sword, pulling it free with all the strength he had. It came loose in one thug and black blood sprayed like syrup from the injury. If he could get a clean blow and server the head, this would be done¡ª A loud explosion boomed on the other side of the camp. It shook the ground beneath their feet and ignited the air. It was enough to draw even the Shaman¡¯s attention. Otid frowned. What the hell is the young lord doing? ¡­¡­¡­ Aiden laughed self-deprecatingly as he staggered away from the goblin he¡¯d just killed. He was bleeding from a cut in his side. He waved the notification of the goblin¡¯s death away as it came up. This one had been a level 12. And he had killed it with a stab in the eye. The fire enchantment he had used had ended up being more than just a fire enchantment. What was meant to be a small explosion of fire had spread into a literal bomb by errors that were not his. How was I to know that one had enough flammables to burn down a small house. Aiden panned his gaze around. There were goblins running around, set ablaze from the explosion. He avoided barely one as it ran frantically and swung his sword at the back of its neck. The goblin fell with an open neck and another notification popped up. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 8]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 2]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 5]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 5]. Congratulations! You have slain [Goblin Level 3]. The notifications came running down, a growing list. Confused, Aiden looked at the point of the explosions and found goblins still charging out of the fire, running rampant. Some tossed themselves on the ground, rolling about to quench the flames. Others simply dropped to the ground after moments of struggling. Each goblin Aiden watched fall was succeeded by a notification. Again, he laughed. He¡¯d been ready to spend the entire night killing goblins and doing his fair share of running. Then some goblin just had to go and get blown up from a simple fire enchantment. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 8-->9] [You are now Level 9!] Aiden ignored the rush of power that curled around his heart and filled his body. His speed of leveling was now decreasing. He was getting to the point where he would need far more kills or stronger opponents to level up. [Achievement unlocked!] You have dipped your hands in the blood of goblins, weighed them on a scale and considered them unworthy of life. You have become death! Destroyer of goblins. You have single-handedly slain 15+ [Goblins] in one battle before level 10. [You have earned a title!] [Goblin Slayer] Effect: +30% damage increase when fighting goblins. That was surprising. Aiden looked at the chaos around him, counting the number of corpses. There were more than fifteen. Most of them were victims of the fire. It did say fifteen plus, he thought. Aiden turned to the chaos where he was certain Otid and Taliner had to be fighting. He checked his pockets, counted his enchantments. He had used up all his speed reduction enchantments so he wouldn¡¯t be getting any help there. He took a step in their direction and grimaced in pain. The cut in his side, given graciously to him by a goblin with a massive cleaver, was the deepest injury he had. But it was not the only one. Cuts riddled Aiden¡¯s body, evident through the tears in his clothes, but most of them weren''t deep enough to be fatal. He¡¯d lost one of his belts, its strap cut by one weapon or the other. Aiden had no idea if he had used up all the enchantments it had before he¡¯d lost it. I need to catch my breath, he thought, but didn¡¯t rest. Goblins burning around him didn¡¯t mean the fight was over. He could easily just be stabbed in the back by a dying goblin. He had also used up the few potions he¡¯d had¡ªtwo, to be precise¡ªso there was going to be no healing to be done. It had been a question between more enchantments or more potions and he didn¡¯t have an infinite storage. So enchantments it had been. It had just been to clear out goblins, after all. And you ended up facing a small army. Unfortunately¡ªor perhaps it was fortunate for him¡ªmost of them had been low levels. 3s and 6s mostly. But their numbers had overwhelmed him from time to time and left him in a mess. Aiden pushed himself forward, steps sluggish. He wasn¡¯t about to go fight a Shaman or a Hobgoblin in his current position, but he was willing to render any help he could. He got to the tent with notifications of dying goblins and critical damage filling his screen. He had used too many enchantments and his mana was low. His sword was also at its weakest, its durability reduced to almost nothingness. It was what happened when you used random enchantments on a weapon not designed for enchantments. Aiden was sure the palace would¡¯ve given him an enchanted sword if he could actually use it. Even the times the Sage, and then Brandis, had offered him a Knight¡¯s sword, it hadn¡¯t been for him to use, but to hold on to until he could. Suddenly, a massive creature came flying at Aiden out of nowhere and he hit the ground. It whizzed over his head and tumbled along the ground. Otid came running after it like a madman with a longsword. The adventurer ran past Aiden as if he didn¡¯t see him, leaping into the air. Landing on top of the creature, he plunged his sword into the thing¡¯s chest, roaring like a berserker in battle. Aiden turned on his back. Many adventurers were often victims of what was considered war madness. But Otid wasn¡¯t wearing some manic smile and he didn¡¯t seem in a frenzy. He had eyes only for his opponent. Battle madness would¡¯ve had him looking from side to side. Seeking out a next opponent. Congratulations! You have learned foundational skill [Awareness (Mastery 07.39%)]. ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything,¡± Aiden muttered. The creature slapped Otid off it, the blow sending the adventurer soaring through the air as he¡¯d once sent himself with a leap at it. Otid hit the ground in a heavy thud and Aiden dragged himself to the man¡¯s side as the Hobgoblin struggled to get itself back to its feet. Otid turned to look at Aiden when he was close enough. ¡°Good to see you made it,¡± he said to Aiden with a bloody grin and a groan. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to just distract them?¡± ¡°Things changed,¡± Aiden replied, then he nodded at the Hobgoblin. ¡°What¡¯s happening there?¡± ¡°Fucking undead,¡± Otid spat, pushing himself to sit up. ¡°Put too many holes in its leg. It doesn¡¯t feel pain, but standing up is going to be a bitch.¡± Undead. That explained the goblin that didn''t feel pain. Aiden wondered if they''d run into it and killed it without knowing. ¡°Aren¡¯t there supposed to be two?¡± he asked, remembering Ded''s report. Otid laughed, then coughed as he pushed himself up to his feet. Aiden supported him instinctively. ¡°Taliner¡¯s dealing with the other one,¡± Otid answered. ¡°And the Shaman?¡± Aiden knew Ded was not helping. The soldier¡¯s only job was to track. He¡¯d specifically given the man instructions not to interfere. A level 19 [Scout] was not the same as a level 19 [Soldier]. Their strengths varied. The Hobgoblin was on its feet now, pounding away at the ground like some angry gorilla. Its empty eyes focused on nothing but Otid and Aiden. Aiden looked from it to Otid, worried. ¡°Can you take it?¡± Otid cleaned his bloody mouth with the back of his forearm. ¡°If Taliner can hold off a Shaman and a Hobgoblin, I don¡¯t really got a choice.¡± He leveled his sword in front of him. ¡°Alright, big boy!" he challenged the Hobgoblin. "Let¡¯s have at it!¡± Aiden searched his pockets frantically and pulled out an enchantment. He channeled mana into it quickly then slapped it against Otid¡¯s arm. Otid scowled at him. ¡°What the...¡± The man¡¯s voice trailed off as he focused on something in the air. Aiden couldn¡¯t see it but he was sure the man was looking at the notification in front of him. He¡¯d just given him his last strength enchantment. +3% to strength had to count for something, right? At least Aiden hoped it did. It was definitely better than nothing. ¡°Had no idea enchantments could work like that,¡± Otid said, then charged the Hobgoblin. Aiden let the two hulking figures run into each other. They looked almost evenly matched, and he wasn¡¯t going to be the hamster caught between two dogs fighting. Besides, if he was going to do that, he might as well help the one that was being outnumbered. He pushed himself towards the tent, checking his belt for the enchantments he had. After tapping at his pockets for a while, he gave up. What does it matter? He only had maybe one or two more enchantments left in him. Which meant that how many enchantments he had was not important. What was important was what enchantment he still had. No, that¡¯s for solitude. He¡¯d thought stealth would be needed at some point. It was funny how he hadn¡¯t used it, and wouldn¡¯t use it. He tapped another pocket, hearing the slow rise of grunts and flung spells crackling through the air. No, that¡¯s for lesser endurance. He patted himself down some more. Where the fuck did I put it? If Otid was calling the Hobgoblin an undead, then the Shaman had to be using necromancy and Aiden had encountered necromancers quite a good number of times in his life. The grunts were getting very audible now, and he could see the green sparks flying all over the place as Taliner ducked and weaved and fought off a Hobgoblin the size of the one Otid was fighting. ¡°First rule of killing necromancers,¡± he muttered to himself as he got to the tent, peeking around the corner and catching sight of the Shaman. ¡°Take their magic away.¡± His hand patted one of his belt pockets, judging the shape of the object inside. Unfortunately, the time delay of this enchantment required him to be in the same space. So he had to get close enough to the Shaman to use the enchantment. It was a significant risk if his timing was off. Now all I¡¯ve got to do is get within six feet of a level 20 Shaman capable of turning me to moving bones in two spells. What¡¯s the worst that can happen? Aiden unclipped the pocket and the item fell into his palm. He gripped it tightly. One enchantment. One chance. ¡­¡­¡­. Taliner slammed a throwing knife into the thigh of the undead Hobgoblin, then spun around it in one smooth motion. A blast of green flame struck the Hobgoblin and sent it staggering back. She frowned as she flipped out of the way. She¡¯d told Otid that she could take the Shaman and the Hobgoblin alone and he¡¯d believed her. For that, she couldn¡¯t blame him. She was five levels above him, and three levels above the Shaman. But necromancy magic was a touchy subject. It basically ignored level disparity in some ways. One touch from it could set her skin rotting as easily as it could the next person. And being tag-teamed by a necromancer and his puppet was a strenuous activity. She kicked the Hobgoblin in the knee, sending it falling to its knees, then shoved her last throwing knife up its jaw and into its head. Her sword was somewhere around but she couldn¡¯t remember where. Behind them the Shaman lifted its staff and pointed it at them. Taliner frowned as she repositioned herself so that the Hobgoblin¡¯s hulking body stood between her and the Shaman. The fight was getting annoying. She had used too many skills facing only the Hobgoblin simply because the stupid thing had refused to die. It always avoided being stabbed in the heart, and taking its head off was too tasking on account of its height. She¡¯d pierced its heart once but the Shaman had brought it back almost immediately. So while she could¡¯ve taken them before, now she was pretty low on mana and stamina. As if to prove a point, her interface notified her of her stamina. [Stamina 18%.] Like I haven¡¯t already figured that out. She was already panting like she¡¯d fought some god-like being when her opponents were just level 15 and level 20. Adaware would have to pay extra for this specific contract quest because this had not been a part of the risks she had been informed of when he¡¯d asked her to partner with Otid for Otid¡¯s own good a few months ago. She shoved her knife deeper up the Hobgoblin¡¯s jaw, hoping to tickle its brain and maybe get a little reprieve from this madness when the Shaman gave up on caution and accuracy and just blasted away with its staff. Taliner heard the crackle of the Shaman¡¯s green flame as it shot through the air before exploding against the back of the Hobgoblin. Heat traveled up her arms, threatened to consume her. Even as she reacted, releasing the knife in panic, the force of the blast threw her and the creature. The Shaman shrieked something she could only interpret as annoyance as she hit the ground. Fight! She willed herself. Get up and fight! The job¡¯s not done! She was still struggling to get to her feet with no idea where any of her weapons were when she saw it. It looked like the impossible. It was pure madness if anyone asked her. But it was unmistakable. Not far from the Shaman, the bastard of the Lacheart family was crouched low. He was like a statue, still and unmoving, sword held in hand. She couldn¡¯t be entirely sure, but from where she was, still struggling to get back to her feet, his sword looked like it was ready to crumble. But the boy looked nothing like his sword. Even with his tattered clothes, cut and torn up, he looked like he had a plan. He also looked like the problem he was having was how to execute the plan. From where he was, Aiden wouldn¡¯t be able to get to the Shaman in time. And if the Shaman caught sight of him, he would die. The last thing Taliner wanted was the death of some Lord¡¯s bastard on her conscience. So she pushed herself all the way to her feet, ignored the Hobgoblin lying helpless on the ground as the Shaman leveled his staff at her from across the distance once more, and hoped she still had enough stamina and mana for one more skill. She sucked in a deep breath and roared like the maddened. You have activated skill [Taunt]. The sound was less of a roar and more like a shriek. With her mastery level, she¡¯d learnt how to direct the skill rather than just throwing it about randomly. For a split moment, the Shaman lowered its staff in confusion. Then confusion twisted its face into anger. Taliner saw the rage in its green eyes and smirked. What are the chances I¡¯m going to die here? The thought filled her mind as green fire gathered at the end of the Shaman¡¯s staff pointed at her and she watched the young lord toss something into the space between him and the Shaman. He fights with enchantments, she remembered as the Shaman¡¯s green flames reached a crescendo. He better have some good enchantment in there. Taliner had never imagined her life would end like this; dead at the hands of a monster with a lower level than her. Dying of old age had never been a delusion she¡¯d allowed herself wallow in either, not with what she did for a living. But she¡¯d always thought she¡¯d die doing something glorious, maybe stopping a horde of drakes or in some great expedition. Just something grand and memorable. Dying to a level 20 Shaman just because she was trying to give a classless a chance to do something was not grand and memorable. It was just¡­ unreasonable. The last things she saw before she closed her eyes, feet too tired to move, was Aiden tossing something at the Shaman while he rushed the monster with his sword, a massive ball of green fire shooting from the Shaman¡¯s staff, and a notification she had not seen in a long time. You have slain [Undead Hobgoblin Level 18]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 23 --> 24] [You are now Level 24!] Ha, she snorted. I never made it to 25. FIFTEEN: Class After much debate on how to close the distance between himself and the Shaman, Aiden got an idea. He retrieved another enchantment. The one for lesser silence. It kept every sound happening within a specified area from leaking out. If he could use it right, he had roughly six feet of distance he could cover in almost perfect stealth. The Shaman leveled its staff at Taliner and her opponent as he contemplated. It hesitated before firing off the ball of green fire that gathered at its end. All the while, Aiden moved as quietly as he could. Two notifications popped up in front of him as the roaring sound of fire burning through air filled his ear. You have learned skill [Light steps (Mastery 04.19%)] You have learned skill [Quiet movement (Mastery 05.00%)]. Aiden recognized the foundational skills and ignored them all the same. He activated [Orb of Lesser Silence] and tossed it into the space between him and the Shaman. It hit the ground and activated at the same time the Shaman¡¯s blast slammed into Taliner and the Hobgoblin. Aiden winced as the blast sent Taliner flying, knowing it had to hurt even though the Hobgoblin had taken most of the blast. You have activated [Orb of Lesser silence] Effect: All sound made will be partially nullified within the specified vicinity. Duration: 00:00:19 Radius: 0.0014km. Aiden watched the distortion spread out from the orb¡¯s point of impact and darted into it immediately, rushing across the six feet. The moment he got to the edge of it, he stopped. His mind froze at his stupidity as the Shaman leveled its staff at Taliner once more. Now Aiden was in plain sight. All the Shaman had to do was have an unreasonable urge to look around and he would see him. An orb of solitude would be best right now. Conceal him, even if a little, from external attention. But he was completely certain that he only had one more enchantment left in him. Any more and his mana would give out on him. Then the worst happened. The Shaman turned. Aiden was already preparing his retreat when an ear piercing shriek filled the air. It was strong, the scream of a defiant challenger that refused to be ignored. The Shaman lowered its staff, startled. Then its focus sharpened on Taliner. It was as if nothing else mattered. Aiden had seen the effect more than once on the battlefield. [Taunt] was a powerful skill given only to battle oriented classes. He had been a victim of its effect on more than one occasion and could say for a fact that it was not a nice feeling at all. But it was an amazing use of the skill in the current moment. The Shaman charged up a new ball of fire with its staff and Aiden ran at him with everything he had. His last enchantment gripped tightly in his hand, he hoped he would not need any more than it. He judged the situation as he charged, as the Shaman¡¯s flames grew too large to be reasonable. If his attack did nothing, he really hoped that Ded was not as obedient a soldier as he had displayed himself to be thus far. Aiden had instructed the [Scout] not to interfere in the battle and the man had followed the instruction to the letter thus far. Aiden hadn¡¯t even sensed the tiniest touch of the man¡¯s presence. In fact, he almost believed that Ded was nowhere near the battlefield. But if his last blow did nothing, Otid would be too far to save him and Taliner would be too weak to do anything. Aiden tossed his last enchantment at the Shaman, a small orb that exploded in a translucent sphere encased in red and green and blue veins running along its surface. Caught within the reach of the enchantment''s effect, the Shaman¡¯s green flames guttered out. You have activated [Enchantment of Lesser madness]. Effect: 8% disruption of ambient mana. Duration: 00:00:08. Radius: 0.0005km. Eight seconds was not enough time to think of anything else as Aiden threw himself at the Shaman, sword poised to take the goblin in the heart through the back. The Shaman turned as its flames guttered out, one hand braced against its head in pained confusion. It wore a thick grey beard and Aiden watched a snarl cross its lips when it saw him. It leveled its staff at him, shaken from the effects of Taliner¡¯s [Taunt], and Aiden was happy. There was no low level class that experienced the effects of Lesser Madness and adapted immediately. It didn¡¯t matter the class, they always faltered. And in the chaotic state of the ambient mana, the Shaman¡¯s spell faltered once more. Green flames gathered at the edge of the staff and simply vanished. Aiden crossed the distance, knowing victory was his. His sword pierced the goblin¡¯s skin, went through the ribs, and dug a precise hole in its heart. Thrown by his own momentum, Aiden rammed into the monster, tackling it to the ground as his sword pierce all the way to the hilt. The Shaman fell with a heavy thud and Aiden fell with it, his fall cushioned by the monster he¡¯d slain. [You have dealt a critical blow!] [You have dealt a fatal blow!] Congratulations! You have slain [Shaman Goblin Level 20]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] ¡­ [Level 10 detected.] [Advanced growth restricted until level 10 requirements have been met.] [You are now Level 10!] Dear [Prisoner #234502385739] Your dedication to your very craft, and your will to grow your abilities to the point of greatness, seeking to reach beyond your human limits has graced you with a reward. You are much unlike the others. You are a great being, one who does the simplest of things in the most extraordinary of ways. You are a prisoner of the multiverse, claimed for the crime of breaking existential laws, undeserving of a reward for time served favorably. Please claim your reward. Class options are now available for selection [Prisoner #234502385739]. [Would you like to select a class?] Aiden was too tired for anything, too weak to even be worried at the contradictions in the notification itself. He still had a vague recollection of what the interface showed whenever someone got to level 10, and while most of what he saw jogged his memory, the little part about being a prisoner was completely new. He was sure of it. This was also the first time he was hearing anything about a multiverse. The Shaman twitched under him, then deflated slightly. Aiden didn¡¯t react to it. His interface had told him that the thing was dead, and it was never wrong. What Aiden needed right now was rest. A long and hard one. ¡­. Adaware flipped through the pages of the report in front of him then looked up at the branch manager for the society branch in the capital city of Nastild. ¡°You¡¯re sure this is accurate, Mr. Nude?¡± he asked. ¡°A 10% rise in three days.¡± The elderly man with his monocle worn over his left eye nodded. ¡°Certain, sir. Its rise was measured at a steady growth of 0.0018% every day for the last two months. Then there was a significant drop in growth by about 8% about two weeks ago.¡± ¡°As if someone tapped into its power,¡± Adaware mused. ¡°But that¡¯s impossible. Demonic mana cannot be harnessed.¡± ¡°It cannot be harnessed by humans,¡± Nude corrected him. ¡°But monsters can harness as much demonic power as their body can contain. It is no real secret amongst those who possess significant authority that the kingdoms use this very method the harness Demonic mana to do very specific things.¡± It was not news to Adaware too. But it didn¡¯t mean he was going to confirm anything. ¡°So there¡¯s a possibility that someone or some monster, took a bite out of the demonic mana?¡± Nude nodded. ¡°Then how do we explain the growth?¡± Adaware asked. ¡°10% in a handful of days is a lot. Are you going to tell me that the universe is somehow trying to balance things out; restore it to the rate it is supposed to be at?¡± Nude chuckled lightly. ¡°If you are looking for a conversation where the universe has a will, Guild master, you are looking in the wrong place. I can procure a priest, however, if you wish.¡± ¡°Ha ha.¡± Adaware said the words blandly. ¡°Have I ever told you that you¡¯re my least favorite branch head.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Though it continues to baffle me that you have not removed me from my position.¡± Adaware closed the report and dropped it on his desk. Normally, this was a kind of situation that needed the king¡¯s attention but something told him the king was already aware of it. His interface popped up in front of him. It appeared edged to the side in a way that did not require his attention and he brought it forward with a shrug of will. [Contract Quest Update.] Contract Quest: [Goblin Subjugation] Goblins have been spotted somewhere in the capital city of Bandiv. Investigate this report, confirm goblin threat and conclude extermination. [Objective complete: Confirm goblin location 1/1.] [Objective complete: Confirm goblin 55.] [Objective complete: Exterminate goblin 46/46.] [Reward: silver coins x10] [You have administrative rights.] [Quest is completed.] ¡­ [Possible chain quest discovered.] [Details unknown.] [Reason for possibility: Ded Andit.] [Would you like to create an investigation Quest?] [Y/N] Ded Andit. Adaware knew the name. Nude opened his mouth to say something and he silenced the man with a raised hand. There were perks that came with the title of [Guild master]. One of the perks was access to certain important databases in the kingdom the guild master operated in. If Ded Andit had any records in any part of the kingdom, he could access it from here and it wasn¡¯t long before he found it. [Name ¨C Ded Andit] [Species ¨C Human] [Age ¨C 28] [Class ¨C Locked Lvl Locked] [Affiliation] King¡¯s Army. [Title] Locked. [Skill] Locked. [Stats] Locked. A member of the king¡¯s army had seen something during the conclusion of the quest that had led the system to believe the quest warranted the possibility of having a chain quest? What could he possibly have seen? ¡°Nude,¡± Adaware said, drawing the branch manager¡¯s attention. ¡°Kindly submit a petition to the king¡¯s army requesting a conversation with a Ded Andit, a soldier among their ranks.¡± ¡°What rank, pray tell, is he, sir?¡± Adaware scrolled through the notification. ¡°No idea. But I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll tell us.¡± ¡°And if he is of a high rank?¡± Nude asked. ¡°Then you can terminate the request if they hesitate to grant it. That will be all, Mr. Nude. We¡¯ll dance this dance again same time tomorrow morning?¡± ¡°Yes, Guild master.¡± Nude got up, delivered a pristine bow, and exited the room. When he was gone, Adaware¡¯s attention never left the notification. He¡¯d expected the quest to be concluded in perhaps a week. But two days? That was impressive. He wondered what had made them conclude it so quickly. Had it been easier than he¡¯d thought or had Otid been too annoyed at having to work with a noble bastard that he¡¯d rushed the quest? It sounded like something he would do. It didn¡¯t matter, though. What mattered was that the quest was accomplished and he had a justification for recommending Otid to work with more skilled adventurers under a contract position. Normally, such a recommendation from him would be taken without argument, but that would simply be an abuse of power. He wanted a reason to justify the recommendation. And this was it. He also knew he would have to speak to Taliner. All in due time, he thought, dismissing the notification. All in due time. ¡­ The bed Aiden had been given at the inn was soft, but not as soft as the one in his room in the palace. If he was heavier, he would be feeling the wooden platform under the bed. He had bandages covering his torso and a few more cuts he¡¯d gained over the course of the quest. As for the quest? Well, its completion had already been reported to the society branch. When the Shaman had died, the undead Hobgoblins had simply stopped moving, and Taliner and Otid had finished them off without too much stress as far as he knew. But the fight had done a number on them. From what Aiden had gotten from Ded, both adventurers had been scraping the bottom barrels of their stamina and mana. Aiden had missed knowing how much stamina, mana and life he had left. Without a class he was arguably a regular person, lacking that level of information. But with a class, the interface gave a person details of their mana, health and stamina in percentages. While it added a lot of pressure in certain situations, it also helped in planning. Right now, if he was wounded and weak, he could tell himself he could soldier on and accomplish a task. But if the interface was telling him that his health was perhaps less than ten percent and steadily declining, he could plan around it better. Retreating or advancing would be a decision not made by his gut or general hubris. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Alone in his room, Aiden summoned his interface. The first thing he read was the outcome of the quest. [Goblin Subjugation] Goblins have been spotted somewhere in the capital city of Bandiv. Investigate this report, confirm goblin threat and conclude extermination. [Objective complete: Confirm goblin location 1/1.] [Objective complete: confirm goblin 55.] [Objective complete: Exterminate goblin 46/46.] [Reward: silver coins x10] [Fate has found you. Live to fulfill your calling.] [Quest Completed.] [Reward system is based on contribution. Kindly collect your reward [4.689 silver coins] from any adventurer guild branch or financial institution near you.] Aiden chuckled. The contract felt that he had contributed almost half of the actions that led to the completion of the quest. It was a pity he didn¡¯t need the coins, though. He could still remember a time long ago when he would¡¯ve rushed out of his bed to cash in the reward. It was just after Ted had escaped the palace¡¯s attention and Aiden had run when he¡¯d found out that he was to be questioned. He knew how questions were asked and knew for a fact that he was going to rot in prison since he would have no answers to give and he wouldn¡¯t be believed. That time spent being a wandering adventurer had been tough. Sleeping in the forest whenever he walked into town with a wanted poster of his face right next to Ted¡¯s had been trying times. Being a wandering adventurer had given him a title, but he would¡¯ve exchanged the title for the freedom of being a summoned of the palace rather than a fugitive at any time. As for how he¡¯d gotten to the room in the inn, he had Ded to thank for that. The soldier had helped all three of them return to the adventure society hall to report the completion of the quest. While Otid and Taliner had said a thing or two about going to employ the services of a magical healer, Ded had gotten Aiden¡ªunder his instructions¡ªa room in an inn and a simple, normal healer. So here he was, in a small room with a window that let in all the afternoon sunlight and a body that still hurt. He couldn¡¯t wait to set his class up, get his reward, and return to the palace. The palace healers would fix him up until he was good as new. He could¡¯ve held back on the class selection until he was at the palace, but it made no difference. The thought of the palace brought the thought of the others to mind. Drax, Letto, Ted. Aiden wondered how they were doing. At least one of them, most likely Drax or Ted had to have hit level one or higher by now. If they hadn¡¯t, it would be very surprising. Especially Ted. It was impossible to believe that after fighting off two goblins on his own that Ted would not be at level one by now. And if he was? What happens? Aiden thought. King Brandis would not allow them leave the palace until they¡¯d gotten their classes. According to what Aiden remembered, they would get their classes, then have a mock battle between the group adamant on going home and the group that was not, then Brandis would send them south with two Knights. Aiden thought hard, trying to remember what their first group quest had been. It came to him in hazy thoughts and a phantom pain in his back. Aiden sighed. The cannibal town. He remembered the quest and hated it. There had been nothing but violence, and he had come out of it truly jaded back then. It hadn''t been the king''s intention to send them into something so chaotic, but one thing had happened to another and shit had hit the fan. Did he want to do it again? Left to him he would prefer taking a trip to the eastern borders of Bandiv. If he remembered correctly, there was something there that was supposed to help a person gain a unique skill. A unique quest given within a cave of sorts with certain issues surrounding it at this point in time. He couldn¡¯t remember what the skill it gave was, only that it was a combat skill and a strong one that ignored class limits. There had also been traces of demonic mana in that area so he might have an easy time convincing Brandis to send him there, maybe he could take some of the others as well. Aiden shook his head the moment the thought came to him. It was a unique quest he knew nothing about. He didn''t want his confidence in his own strength to turn out to be hubris only to endanger someone else. He remembered how king Brandis had raised them to be strong. Their quests and actions had been guided and protected until they were strong enough to guide and protect themselves. At a certain level, Brandis had started allowing them to take their own quests and travel out to gain their own experiences. But it had been on the promise that they would return and make their reports to him when they were done. Now that Aiden thought about it, Brandis had made himself something of a commander to them. But that wasn¡¯t the path Aiden wanted to walk in this timeline. He needed strength and he needed it fast. For that, he needed to go to dangerous places. He needed a team too, and none of the people summoned with him could be that team. Their weakness was not the reason he would not take them. Even if by some stroke of luck he returned to the palace right now and found that they were all the same level with him, he wouldn¡¯t take them. The places he was going to required not only level, but skill and experience. Both of which the others were still trying to gain. Aiden dismissed the quest notification and called up the notification of his class selection. [Level 10 detected.] [Advanced growth restricted until level 10 requirements have been met.] [You are now Level 10!] Dear [Prisoner #234502385739] [Your dedication to your very craft, and your will to grow your abilities to the point of greatness, seeking to reach beyond your human limits has graced you with a reward. You are much unlike the others. You are a great being, one who does the simplest of things in the most extraordinary of ways.] [You are a prisoner of the multiverse, claimed for the crime of breaking existential laws, undeserving of a reward for time served favorably. Please claim your reward.] Class options are now available for selection [Prisoner #234502385739]. [Would you like to select a class?] [Y/N] What the hell is with this prisoner number? He thought, not for the first time. It was like the system decided to forget his name on certain occasions. And it had all started since his regression. At least I know whose prisoner I am. But that still didn¡¯t help. What did it mean to be the prisoner of the multiverse? And what the hell were existential laws. It felt like living in Japan just to be informed that you¡¯d broken some Nigerian laws while in Japan and were now a prisoner of Nigeria. It didn¡¯t make any sense. First admins, then prisoner, now multiverse. And I haven¡¯t even left the capital city. Everyday his interface was giving him more questions than answers. At this point he really needed to know who the system administrators were. Could be the gods everyone keeps talking about, Aiden thought, moving through his interface. Ted did say they existed, so he must¡¯ve found something to prove their existence. [Would you like to select a class?] [Y/N] Aiden agreed with a thought. [Prisoner # 234502385739]. By the display of your craft, you have shown a potential for a selection of classes. Kindly choose one which you are most comfortable with. Please note that any decision taken cannot be returned, and class change can only be undergone during class upgrades. [Kindly choose from the below selection.] [Enchanter] You have learnt the art of writing and engraving in the language of this world. You know the words that make you more than what you are. [Enchanted Paladin] You have graced the battlefield with the arcane and the natural. Your enemies will fall to steel and enchanted magic. [Battle Enchanter] You have learnt the art of writing and engraving in the language of this world. You know the words that make you more than what you are on the battlefield. Blood will flow where your enchantments rise. [Multiverse Prisoner] By your crimes against the laws of the multiverse, you have become a prisoner to it. However, you have understood what it means to be a subject of the multiverse and wish to willingly submit to its authority. Spatial affinity is merely one of many boons granted. [Guide] You have a strong desire to lead others, show them the path they desire to becoming who they are meant to be. You know what they can become and wish to lead them to it. [Enchanted Ranger] You are well rounded on the battlefield. You fight with sword and magic. You have an array of skills not confined to a single class. [Time Walker] You have an affinity for time magic and you wish to begin on a path that will lead you to possessing the world of chronology in your hands [Prophet] Due to your past experience, you have been granted access to the gods. Most may not choose you, but certainly one has shown interest in making you their apostle, for no being is offered this class without believing. [Please select a Class fitting to your taste.] Aiden saw the first class offered and couldn¡¯t help but smile. However, the smile died as he went through the classes. The multiverse kept popping up again and again in this life. But if he was really under their command, why was he being offered a class that would lead to conflicts with them? Though it didn¡¯t make sense, he understood why he had a potential for [Time Walker]. It seemed he still somehow possessed a residue of whatever magic had sent him back in time. Maybe it¡¯s using that as a basis. In his past life Aiden might''ve picked it, but he knew how time classes worked now and they weren''t as high class as they seemed. They were mostly used for investigative purposes, even if they were sometimes combat oriented. From the little he knew, they weren''t very diverse. Their skills mainly consisted of viewing events that had already happened or slowing down time within a certain area. Also, he knew a time class user or two from his time in the Order and their class skills were rarely used in fights. If time classes were designed to become extremely powerful, that would be in the later classes, maybe the hundreds and above. Aiden couldn''t really say. Regardless, he took his attention from it and moved on. He wasn''t in a hurry to worsen his position with a possible organization that was strong enough to declare him a prisoner through the system without his consent just for a class he wasn''t sure he could wield well enough to make him as powerful as he wanted to be. [Multiverse Prisoner] was confusing. How had he recognized the power of the multiverse if he had no idea what it truly was. All he knew about the word itself was that it was a conglomeration of different worlds and universes. And that information was gotten from books back home, stories people enjoyed reading. Will it somehow make me walk through worlds? If yes, then that would be the answer to all his questions. His dreams of going home would be possible. Even if it didn¡¯t help him get home immediately, he had a feeling it would put him on the direct path to that goal. But that would also be him accepting this prisoner thing going on in his life. Was being a prisoner to what could possibly be some council of worlds really be worth a possible chance to go home? What if he found the chance but, as a prisoner, wasn¡¯t allowed to go home? He removed his attention from it almost immediately. He wasn¡¯t going to willingly be anyone¡¯s prisoner. Besides, if Ted had found a way once before, then it meant it was possible. They only had to find it again. Aiden definitely wasn¡¯t choosing [Guide]. He knew about the class. It was a non-magical class that carried the skill of [Pathfinder] which was technically some kind of advanced mapping skill, and some other skill that helped get more rewards out of quests and boost specific skills of an ally. That was not him. [Prophet] was a scary class. The system was quite literally admitting to him that the gods were real, even though this world treated them the same way religions treated gods back on earth. Aiden closed his eyes in exasperation. It seemed his options were between the unreasonable and all things enchantment. ¡°Another go at it and I get enchantment again,¡± he sighed. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m destined for all things enchantment. Chances are I¡¯ll pick [Prophet] and end up with the god of enchantment.¡± There was only one answer. He shook the thought from his mind and chose his class. [You have selected Battle Enchanter. Are you sure you want this class? You cannot go back on your decision] [Y/N] As far as Aiden was concerned, being forced to choose a class without knowing what specific skills it would give you sounded like a system flaw. Maybe the admins should be looking at that instead of trying to terminate me. But he knew about all classes that had ¡®battle¡¯ affixed to them. They were all combat classes, specialized in killing in one way or the other. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± [You have chosen Battle Enchanter.] [You are¡ª] [Error Detected!] A sharp pain shot through Aiden¡¯s chest and an involuntary full body spasm went through him. He jerked once, then was pinned down to the bed as if by a massive hand. [Error Detected!] By Multiverse laws [Prisoner # 234502385739] is not allowed a class. What the hell? Aiden thought as he gritted his teeth against the pain in his chest. It felt like someone had taken his heart in their hand and was squeezing it of all the blood it had ever accumulated. Whatever it was, it was trying to kill him. Worse, what the hell did his interface mean by him not being allowed a class by the ¡®multiverse laws¡¯? [Extra levels detected.] [Will you like to brute force your way to a class?] [Please note that forcing your way to a class is in clear violation of your terms as a prisoner of the multiverse.] Of course he wanted a class. Fuck violating the terms of being a prisoner. He didn¡¯t even know how he became a prisoner. He was being asked if he was willing to violate the terms of a contract he never signed. Fuck yes. Aiden moved his mouth to answer but whatever force was holding his heart clamped down harder and he tasted blood. Yes, he thought, but nothing happened. It wants me to answer verbally? Since when? The interface always answered to commands of any form, verbal or non-verbal, intent was all that mattered. Why the hell was it forcing him to voice his response? And why the hell was this segment looking so different from the rest of the interface? It was somehow deeper in how it felt, more personal than mechanical. It took everything in Aiden to say, ¡°Yes.¡± He tasted blood on his lips as the interface switched to a new notification. [Please note that Levels will be sacrificed for this] [You have sufficient levels for this] [You have chosen Class Battle Enchanter. You cannot renege on this decision.] [Cost ¨C 2 levels] [Error Detected!] What now?! Aiden groaned, the pressure on his chest increasing with each notification. [Existent class detected: Enchanter] Please God, no. Aiden didn¡¯t want [Enchanter]. He knew the limits that came with the class. And pushing past those limits was going to significantly hinder him. It was not the worst class out there, but it was not a class designed for the kind of path he was going to end up on in this time. He knew himself, he wasn¡¯t smart enough to take a class and use it to do things far grander than what was the norm. [Enchanter] was arguably a support class in this world and Aiden refused to play support in this life too. [Chosen class Battle Enchanter and existent class Enchanter can coexist] [Would you like to merge classes?] [Cost- 1 level] [Y/N] Aiden braced himself for another bout of pain. He gritted his teeth and put all he had into saying one word. ¡°Yes.¡± This time he felt a warm trickle from one of his nostrils. [Chosen classes are being merged.] [Merging in process.] [Merging¡­ Merging¡­ Merging] [Unique skill detected: Unarmed Engrave] [Mastery of Unique skill is too low.] [Consuming Unique skill.] No! The thought never left Aiden¡¯s mouth. The unique skill had been a boon. Enchanting without needing all the necessary tools would¡¯ve been the best form of enchantment there was. He could¡¯ve created almost any enchantment on the fly. Why was this happening to him? [Merging complete] [You have gained a Unique class] [Weaver] Weavers have always possessed the gift of creation. With the required tools, they weave things into being from the amalgamation of other things. You are extraordinary. ¡­ [By virtue of your existence, a new unique skill has been detected]. [Locked (Mastery 0.00%)] ??? ¡­ [You have gained two class skills] ¡­ [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 0.00%)] The weaver is his own tool. You are your engraver and your canvas. With your body you weave enchantments into being. [Walking Canvas (Mastery 0.00%)] The weaver is capable of releasing a reach of mana upon which all enchantment effects can be extended. The pain in Aiden¡¯s chest subsided slowly. What had once been a tight grip eased into a small hold. Then a small hold became a touch. Finally, it fizzled out to nothingness. Aiden stared at the notification in front of him, panting for air. He¡¯d gotten a class. It had felt like touch and go for a moment there but he¡¯d gotten a class. [Weaver]. He knew a thing or two about the class. Those who had it were crafters of different kinds. They were also domestic based classes. They weaved baskets, some became renowned tailors somehow weaving thread. There were a few who threw in their lot with architecture and engineering and were successful. And all it cost me was three levels, Aiden chuckled darkly. He was beginning to hate whatever the multiverse that claimed him to be a prisoner was. He¡¯d always hated it since he found out that they were the reason he was a prisoner, but he had been warier of them than anything. But this? This was deepening his hate. Instead of dwelling on his emotion, Aiden focused on his class. It appeared in front of him. [Weaver] Weavers have always possessed the gift of creation. With the required tools, they weave things into being from the amalgamation of other things. You are extraordinary. Perks Increased speed and chance of success in all attempted enchantments. Increased understanding of all enchantments. Increased flow of mana. +10% mastery in [Mana manipulation] Stats Dexterity +3, Agility +2, Mana +6, Speed +4, Perception +3. Aiden stared at the details. Every class gave benefits to certain aspects of life. Martial classes increased affinity to whatever martial prowess they fell under. It was impossible for a Level 15 [Thief] to beat a level 15 [Swordsmaster] in a fight with swords. By the same logic, the [Thief] would always outrun the [Swordsmaster]. ¡°So I¡¯m still an enchanter,¡± Aiden muttered, glad that he could breathe easy once more. ¡°Just a special kind.¡± [Achievement Unlocked!] By your actions you have broken the unspoken agreement of the terms of your incarceration under the laws of the multiverse by achieving a class. You have defied laws that have governed existence since the beginning of this era. You have earned a new title! [Defier] Effect: +25% damage increase against all [Multiverse Agents]. Effect: Increased resistance to time and space magic. Aiden¡¯s confusion was only growing. Now his interface was talking about [Multiverse Agents]. Wait. Aiden¡¯s mind worked around the name. What if it¡¯s a class, like [Multiverse Prisoner]? He placed both hands over a tired face, wincing from the pain of his injuries. It was safe to assume that he was now an enemy of people he didn¡¯t know. An active enemy at that. But if he hadn¡¯t run into any of them in his past life, what were the chances he would run into them anytime in this one? Something told him the answer to that was on the high side. For now, Aiden focused on what he knew and understood, and he pulled up his personal information. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 11] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 0.00%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 0.00%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier]. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 20.00%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 13.00%)], [Resilience (Mastery 48.23%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 19.03%)], [Keen eye (Mastery 39.33%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 03.05%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 04.33%)], [Quiet movement (Mastery 05.00%)], [Light steps (Mastery 04.19%)], [Awareness (Mastery 07.39%)]. [Stats] [Dexterity 6], [Agility 5], [Mana 7], [Speed 8], [Perception 6], [Strength 3], [Intelligence 6]. [Life] [Health 42%], [Mana 39%], [Stamina 70%]. Aiden frowned at what he saw. His personal detail was getting congested. What he needed to do was wrap up a lot of his foundational skills and turn them to basic skills. Now that he had a class, there were additions as well. The life section was something he had missed. Being able to quantify mana and stamina and health was an indispensable advantage when going into a quest or combat of any kind. As for stats, everyone got a base stat based on how much they¡¯d grown in all aspects when they¡¯d had no class. The more you were able to achieve before getting a class, the higher your base stats could become. There was a limit to it, though. A human limit. Looking at his stats, they were better than what he¡¯d started with in his past life. In his past life all his base stats had been 1. Only his perception stat had been more than 1. Since mana was the highest class stat he had, Aiden could assume the class required a lot of mana to use its skills. All he had to do now was learn his skills. Shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. He thought of [Enchanted Weave] and information trickled into his brain. It was like remembering a mathematical equation he had once forgotten. It took a moment, but eventually it clicked. As he learnt the skill, his hands came up. He brought both hands and interlaced their fingers one way, then separated them, only to interlace them again in a different manner. A small manic smile stretched his lips as his fingers continued to weave signs, the action sluggish. They looked like Buddhist hand signs but they were not. The skill flashed in front of him. [Enchanted Weave] is in effect. Aiden¡¯s hands came to a stop, fingers interlaced in conclusion, and his interface flashed once more. He felt the effect of what he had done even before he saw the notification. Strength surged through him and he got slightly heavier. You have activated [Weave of Lesser Strength] Effect: 18% increase in Strength. Duration: 00:00:19. Aiden cackled like a madman. He was a freaking weaver of enchantments. No. That was an understatement. With his knowledge of enchantments, he was far more than that. Aiden Lacheart had just literally become a walking enchantment. His mad cackles filled the room. I can work with this, he thought with a manic smile. I can fucking work with this. SIXTEEN: Envoy The first thing Aiden did when Ded came back was leave the inn. It was late in the evening with night creeping in from around the corner. Ded returned with some snacks and was talking about ordering a proper meal when he walked into the room and found Aiden putting his torn shirt on. He argued that Aiden couldn¡¯t leave in such tattered clothing and that he could step out and buy something more presentable for their departure. Aiden¡¯s response was a deep sigh and a quick stroll out of the room. His dress code had drawn a few eyes at the checkout point but nothing too serious. This was the capital city, practically infested with adventurers here and there. A man in bandages and tattered clothes wasn¡¯t that big a deal. Even if he was, he wouldn¡¯t be a big deal for too long. Instead of getting a jepat to ride to the castle, Aiden settled for a stroll. It wasn¡¯t everyday he could just enjoy the outside air without worrying about what would happen next. He¡¯d spent so long in his old life looking over his shoulders everyday. When he was a fugitive, he worried someone would try and capture him for the bounty on his head. When he was in the Order he had been worried that someone would realize he was from the Order and stab him in the back. Unreasonable fears, but fears were rarely ever reasonable. Ded walked beside him, competent as could be expected of any soldier. But Aiden could see the worry in the man¡¯s eyes, the way they darted about frantically. Ded was making sure no one would jump them for one stupid reason or the other while also making sure they weren¡¯t spotted by someone who shouldn¡¯t spot them. Aiden wondered at that. He doubted this far into their summoning that there was anyone that would spot him outside the palace and recognize him. After all, it would be a while before even the nobles found out about the summoning. He always wondered how so many knights were present at their summoning and yet no rumors of him and the others had left the palace for so long. It said a lot about their control. For knights and soldiers and scribes, Aiden could understand, but there were maids and chefs so that didn¡¯t make much sense. ¡°There¡¯s a tailor just around the corner,¡± Ded said, interrupting Aiden¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can get you something befitting of your status before we get back to the palace, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden held back a chuckle. It was funny having someone with a significantly higher level than his fidget over him so much. Now that he thought about it, their level disparity wasn¡¯t so much anymore. He was a level 11 now, which meant Ded was only eight levels above him. In a matter of time I¡¯ll be stronger than him. ¡°My Lord?¡± Ded asked when he got no answer. Aiden turned his head, looked around. ¡°Yes, Ded.¡± He couldn¡¯t see any sign that there could possibly be a tailor¡¯s shop around. He did see a hair salon, though. ¡°I can find a tailor¡¯s shop for you to get some clothes,¡± Ded told him. ¡°That will not be necessary.¡± Aiden touched his hair, checked its length. ¡°Instead, what do you think about my hair?¡± Ded took one quick look at it. ¡°It is beautiful, my Lord. A little unkempt, but that is to be expected.¡± Aiden laughed as they took a turn down another path and the number of passersby dwindled. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for compliments, Ded. I¡¯m not some pompous lord that needs to be praised and complimented at all times. What I was asking is if you think it¡¯s too long. Do you think I should cut it?¡± Ded¡¯s eyes continued darting around. ¡°Depends, my lord.¡± ¡°On what?¡± ¡°On the look you are going for, my Lord. It is common amongst the nobles to keep long hairs that fall to their shoulders and wear it down. Though, it is also popular to pack it up in a neat tail.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Aiden mused. Perhaps he would leave the hair to grow out. ¡°I have a question, Ded. Feel free to not answer.¡± ¡°I will answer any question, my Lord.¡± Aiden sighed. It was eerily like talking to one of the AI chatbots back on earth. ¡°Our summoning,¡± he said. ¡°What do the soldiers say about it back at the palace?¡± ¡°Ded paused. "I do not understand the question, my Lord.¡± ¡°Me and my companions that were summoned in the throne, how come I only hear about it in the palace? Is it that you guys are not allowed out of the palace or what?¡± Ded looked confused. ¡°I do not understand, my Lord.¡± This time Aiden stopped walking. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t understand? What is the punishment for revealing the existence of the summons to outsiders?¡± Ded shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Lord Lacheart, but I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Aiden frowned. Was he playing dumb? He doubted it. Maybe there was another reason. It was unlikely but possible. Aiden reached his hands into the soldier¡¯s hair and Ded stiffened. His hands were raised halfway up as if he was fighting to stop himself from stopping Aiden. Aiden ignored it. If his suspicions were correct, he had nothing to fear from Ded. He parted the man¡¯s short hair from one side to the other, then scattered it. He saw nothing but refused to accept it. This level of inability to understand what Ded was supposed to know could only come from one place. ¡°Turn around,¡± he commanded. Ded obeyed and turned around. ¡°Is everything alright, my Lord?¡± Aiden reached into Ded''s hair again and continued his search. It only took him a few seconds to find what he was looking for. Buried underneath the man¡¯s brown hair was a black mark. Aiden traced it along his head gently, pushing hair aside as he did. Once he was done, he released Ded and sucked in a deep breath to calm himself. Someone had tattooed an enchantment onto Ded¡¯s head. ¡°When did you cut your hair?¡± Aiden asked the soldier. ¡°Two months ago, maybe,¡± Ded answered. ¡°Why, my Lord?¡± Aiden shook his head then resumed their walk. ¡°No reason. And forget about the tailor shop, we need to get back to the palace as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord. But may I ask a question?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about how I know you cut your hair or why I asked, I cannot give you an answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that, Lord Lacheart,¡± Ded said, a little confused. ¡°It¡¯s something else.¡± Aiden could see the castle gates now. They weren¡¯t far away from it. Two soldiers stood guard with longswords at their hip and spears in hand. They were different from the ones that had been at the gate when he had left for his adventure and he didn''t recognize them. ¡°What¡¯s the question, Ded?¡± he asked. From the way one of the guards leaned forward, it seemed they had spotted them as well. Ded let out a steadying breath. ¡°Why me, my Lord?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± Ded repeated. ¡°Jord, friend of mine, said he was the one who¡¯d passed the note to the Knight who was supposed to assign your escort. Dondi was the soldier assigned to you but I was the one summoned to be your escort for this quest. I don¡¯t understand it. Dondi is a known soldier with an actual combat class. He is also of a higher level than me. I don¡¯t understand why I was summoned despite the job being his.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I needed a [Scout].¡± ¡°There are better scouts than myself, my Lord.¡± ¡°And yet I chose you.¡± Ded looked worried and confused. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± He said no more as they passed through the gates. The men standing guard asked questions. Ded provided them his ID and gave a few explanations. They wanted to know why he was bringing in someone that looked the way Aiden did¡ªbandaged and in tattered clothes. Ded gave a simple explanation about how Aiden was an adventurer and a bastard son of some noble somewhere here to make some report or the other to some official of some name or the other. Aiden waited patiently while Ded cleared everything up, presenting Aiden¡¯s ID as proof of verification that he was who he said he was. While he waited, he wondered at something. Someone had told Ded to shave his head a month ago and had proceeded to engrave an enchantment of secrecy on his head. The closer to the brain such enchantments were, the longer the effects. And judging by the fact that the ink was already fading, it seemed there had been no intentions of having the enchantment be permanent. There was a chance the ink fading could¡¯ve been a mistake, but Aiden doubted anyone with the knowledge, skill and level to engrave such an enchantment would make the mistake of using ink that wouldn¡¯t be permanent if they didn¡¯t want to. Aiden wondered how many more soldiers had shaved their head at the same time Ded had shaved his. But this was more than just an enchantment. An enchantment of Secrecy was one of the highest known enchantments in Nastild. Not just anyone could engrave it. At least not on this level. The question of how the enchantment remained active for so long was answered simply. It was in a category of enchantments called adaptive enchantments. They tapped into the mana of the person they were inscribed on and activate each time the person thought about whatever subject was meant to be a secret. As for the actual specifics of how it worked¡ªthe science, so to speak¡ªAiden had no idea. He had never been powerful enough to cast adaptive enchantments of this level. If he asked Ded, would the man have the answers he was looking for? He doubted it. There was a high chance that too was a part of the secret and might alert the enchanter to his awareness of it somehow. He could explain away a lot of the things he knew with his time in the library, but knowing this would not be anything he could explain away. Also, his library gig was practically a bust ever since the unique skill incident. After a while, Ded turned and motioned Aiden in. Aiden strolled through the gate, getting strange looks from both guards. I guess being a noble bastard turned adventurer raises a lot of brows. ¡°Ded,¡± Aiden said as they walked inside. ¡°How many of you were asked to cut your hair two months ago?¡± Ded took a moment to think about it. ¡°All of us, I guess. I heard all the men serving in the palace apart from the knights cut their hair.¡± ¡°What of the ladies?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, my Lord. I only heard about the guys because pretty much all of us were walking around bald for a while.¡± And there hadn¡¯t been questions about the blatantly obvious enchantments on their heads? Or conversations about why they shaved their heads? Aiden frowned as they walked, not liking any of the things he was learning. If the women didn¡¯t cut their hair it meant they had to have put the enchantment on some other part of the ladies. But who would have enough authority to¡­ Aiden smacked his forehead. That was a stupid question. Only the royal family could give an instruction so wide spread in the palace. The question he was supposed to be asking was who in the palace had an enchantment level so high that they could execute an enchantment of secrecy on all the guards working in the palace. Also, and more importantly, this meant that the palace was aware of their arrival long before they arrived. Their arrival hadn¡¯t been some coincidental thing worked around as they had been led to believe. ¡°Well any oaf could¡¯ve figured that out,¡± Aiden muttered to himself. ¡°We literally appeared with an array of Knights and the royal family waiting for us.¡± The important question was why Brandis had gone the extra mile to bind everyone with a secrecy enchantments to make sure word of their summoning didn¡¯t get out. Why go to such extremes? ¡°What did you say, my Lord?¡± Ded asked. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Nothing important,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°I¡¯ll just need you to run an errand for me in a few days, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Beyond the castle walls, my Lord?¡± Aiden looked at him. ¡°You have really got to stop with the whole ¡®my lord¡¯ thing. It¡¯s a bit stiff.¡± Ded stopped walking to bow in apology. ¡°Sorry about that, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden sighed. I guess that¡¯s the best I¡¯ll get. ¡­ King Brandis¡¯ study was just as Aiden remembered it. Walls were lined with shelves filled with books. The double doors behind the chair Brandis sat on were covered in green curtains where they had been covered in beige the last time he¡¯d been here. And the small section of the wall where the King had so carefully kicked the Knight, Derendoff, into was clean and pristine. Without Blemish. ¡°Told you I had people who maintain the building,¡± Brandis said, noting Aiden¡¯s eyes on the wall. Aiden said nothing. He remained on his knee and returned his eyes back to the ground. Today, unlike last time, he was alone with Brandis. Brandis continued to eye him for a moment before he spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if your attire is meant to be some kind of statement on what you¡¯ve been through.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t have to wonder what was wrong with his attire. He¡¯d come straight to the king¡¯s study¡ªpresumptuous of him¡ªafter dismissing Ded, and had gotten the attendant at the door to announce him in. Unfortunately, Brandis had been preoccupied so he¡¯d had to stand waiting for almost half an hour before he¡¯d been granted entrance. So he was here, bandaged and in tattered clothes. He had no sword on him as it had been left with the attendant. One did not have a private audience with the king with a weapon at their side. ¡°My apologies for my current fashion state, your grace,¡± Aiden apologized. ¡°It has not been long since I concluded my quest.¡± Brandis waved his apology aside. ¡°It does not matter. How went the quest? What is the fruit of your labor?¡± Aiden opened his mouth to speak when Brandis cut him off. ¡°My deepest apologies, Lord Lacheart. Where are my manners? You may rise. The gods know I have too many people bowing to me already. I don¡¯t need you and your companions to be one of them. It is a rude thing to expect your saviors to bow to you.¡± Aiden stood up as commanded. ¡°So,¡± Brandis gestured. ¡°You were saying.¡± ¡°The quest was a success, fruitful. Although the bastard son of a noble might have to stop by to claim his share of his reward if not people will start asking questions.¡± ¡°Never mind that. I¡¯m sure you can claim it here in the castle. We have a small room of sorts that has been designated as a financial institute by the commerce society. There are a lot of restrictions but the system still considers it a financial institute. I¡¯m sure you can cash your rewards there.¡± Aiden turned thoughtful. He hadn¡¯t known that. ¡°Are you surprised that I¡¯m not shocked?¡± Brandis asked. Aiden blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, your grace.¡± ¡°The palace aids you with any amount of funds you require. I felt you would¡¯ve been expecting me to protest at your request to get more funds from a quest you didn¡¯t have to do.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not at all, your grace.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Brandis expression fell. ¡°Well, I came up with a whole speech on the fly, just in case you were. You don¡¯t mind indulging this old man, do you?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but as long as it was just listening to Brandis talk, he didn¡¯t see a problem with it. Or was the man stalling, trying to buy time for something to happen? He probably wasn¡¯t. ¡°Not at all, your grace,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°Thank you.¡± Brandis cleared his throat like he was about to give a speech. ¡°If you had been surprised at the absence of any push back on your request, I would¡¯ve told you of how I understand the need to claim your own victories. Some of your peers¡ªI have been told¡ªhave treated the funds we have presented you with as if it were their due. Do not get me wrong, there is a portion of those funds given as a continued apology for being taken from your world without your consent. Then there is a portion that exists as a simple show of hospitality.¡± If only Brandis knew that there were people like Sam who saw no need for an apology for being here. Aiden had a feeling there were a few people who, if they had been asked, would¡¯ve been more than happy to come here. Take away the violence and once upon a time I might¡¯ve been one of them. ¡°¡­What I¡¯m saying,¡± Brandis continued, ¡°is that I know what it means to want to collect money that you deserve.¡± Aiden nodded, not sure what else was expected of him as a response. ¡°So¡­ you said there were fruits of your labor,¡± Brandis said. ¡°What have you gained.¡± ¡°Quite a few things,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you already have a class,¡± Brandis chuckled in good nature. Aiden said nothing. Brandis¡¯ chuckle turned awkward, then worried, then confused. ¡°Right?... You didn¡¯t get a class, Lord Lacheart, right?¡± Aiden held his silence. Brandis¡¯ confusion deepened. ¡°It was a goblin subjugation quest. What happened that you went from Level 2 to level 10 in just two days?¡± ¡°Level 11, your grace.¡± Aiden saw no need to explain that it was actually level 14 that dropped down to 11 for special reasons. ¡°11?¡± Brandis opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. He pressed the heel of his palm into his forehead in sudden fatigue. ¡°If Sir Valdan had not already vouched for how quickly you grow your skills and how disciplined you are, I would be worried right now. I know you all want to level up quickly¡ªthe gods know I¡¯ve received more than a fair share of such petitions from your companions¡ªbut learning the basics before getting a class is more important than you know.¡± Aiden nodded. Willing to alleviate some of Brandis¡¯ worries, he said, ¡°I assure you, your grace, I know all the basics.¡± ¡°And the fact that I believe you is why I am not panicking.¡± Personally, the man looked like he was panicking in Aiden¡¯s eyes, but Aiden didn¡¯t point that out. Brandis adjusted his shirt and leaned forward on his table. It was a simple brown shirt that made him look like a simple man out and about in his own house. ¡°If you are level 11, then surely you have been offered a class. What class did you choose?¡± Here was the tricky part. First, there was no lying to be had. Any competent town had devices and people capable of seeing a person¡¯s details with their permission and, in some cases, without. And as the king of his own kingdom, Brandis had such a skill. There were as many perks as there were sacrifices to the title of [King]. What was tricky was how to present his skill and still hold some level of autonomy over his actions. ¡°Weaver, your grace,¡± Aiden answered. Brandis grimaced. ¡°Weaver?¡± ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°Like those that do baskets or mend clothes?¡± Brandis was confused. ¡°There are some that are into building and architecture. That Weaver?¡± ¡°Yes... and no.¡± ¡°Forgive me, Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis said in a tired voice, ¡°but you might need to explain more.¡± Aiden nodded. But rather than speak immediately, he checked his mana. [Mana 52%] That had to be more than enough for a demonstration. ¡°Rather than explain, your grace,¡± he said, ¡°why don¡¯t I show you?¡± Brandis¡¯ eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Alright.¡± Aiden brought his hands together and weaved a very slow sign. In his mind he saw the enchantment clear as day, but his body had a difficult time interpreting it into hand signs. Skill [Enchanted Weave] is in effect. It took him a moment but Aiden concluded the weaving, and it took effect. His hair stood on end as electricity went through his skin. You have used [Lesser Weave of Lightning] Effect: Deal lightning damage on all attacks Effect: 9% chance to deal stun damage on every attack. Duration: 00:00:33. At level eleven, Aiden¡¯s mind could now recreate higher grade enchantments he knew. But they were only high as compared to what he had been capable of previously. They still remained the lesser form of their original enchantments. They merely carried longer durations, in some cases longer radii or stronger effects. But he couldn¡¯t call them powerful. Not yet. Brandis got up slowly from his chair, like a man who was seeing the impossible. Aiden remained still as the king walked over to him, staring at him as if he was some impossible item in a science lab. Brandis placed a finger on Aiden¡¯s shoulder and some of the electricity crackled up an inch of it before dissipating without any effect. ¡°Enchantment of Lesser Lightning,¡± Brandis said in awe. He took his finger away slowly but didn¡¯t stop staring. After a while, he looked away, suddenly in deep thought, then completely turned away. He took a few steps, picked a book out of one of the shelves, reconsidered, then put it back. He took out another book from the same shelf, read the words inscribed on the cover, then turned to Aiden. ¡°Catch.¡± He tossed the book through the air and Aiden caught it in his hands. The electricity flowed through him and into the book and he dropped it from his grasp for fear of destroying it. Aiden and Brandis just stood there, staring at each other until the enchantment wore off. When it did, electricity no longer going through Aiden, Brandis spoke. ¡°You did that without any items.¡± His voice was doubtful and still in awe. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°And no enchantments.¡± ¡°There was an enchantment your grace.¡± ¡°And you did that with¡­¡± Brandis gestured at Aiden¡¯s hands in silent disbelief. ¡°You did that when you were moving your hands?¡± ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± Brandis walked over to his table and leaned on it. He looked like he did it because he needed the support. ¡°So you created the effects of an enchantment with hand signs.¡± The disbelief in his voice was heavy. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± Brandis shook his head. ¡°Impossible.¡± But the words didn¡¯t carry much weight or confidence. It was like that of someone refusing a fact shown to them on nothing but principle. ¡°You are telling me that with your class you weaved an enchantment?¡± Aiden nodded. He would be lying if he said there wasn¡¯t a small part of him that was enjoying the king¡¯s confusion. Brandis took a deep breath. When he let it out, he was calm again. Kingly. Piercing amber eyes met Aiden¡¯s. ¡°I have never heard of anyone capable of creating an enchantment without at least drawing the enchantment somehow,¡± he said in a deep voice. ¡°What you have just done is unheard of.¡± Aiden almost indulged in the king¡¯s awe by letting him know that he was very much aware of that. He held his tongue at the last minute, though, because it was not information he was supposed to have. ¡°You may not understand this, Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis said with a sudden weight to his words. ¡°But you¡¯re not just a weaver. You¡¯re a weaver of enchantments. You are a walking impossibility, Aiden. A living enchantment.¡± Aiden felt something strange happen then. He wasn¡¯t sure what it was, though. It could¡¯ve been the air or just a weird feeling. Heck, it could¡¯ve been a figment of his imagination. But it wasn¡¯t, because a moment later a voice spoke that was neither his nor Brandis. ¡°Those who do the impossible are often those who change the world, King Brandis.¡± The Sage appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of one of the book shelves as if he had always been there. Aiden tensed at the man¡¯s presence. How long has he been standing there? How didn¡¯t I see him? ¡°My apologies for scaring you, Lord Lacheart,¡± the Sage said. ¡°I often forget that while Brandis is accustomed to this, most people are not.¡± He calls his king by name in my presence, Aiden thought. It seemed intentional, so there had to be a statement in there somewhere. And judging by Brandis¡¯ lack of a reaction, Aiden had a feeling the statement was meant to be important. ¡°There will be an envoy from one of the kingdoms from the south in a few days, Lord Lacheart,¡± the Sage continued, soliciting a frown from Brandis. ¡°You will attend.¡± ¡°He will not,¡± Brandis refused. ¡°None of our saviors will. They are not properties to be paraded around for the entertainment of our guests.¡± ¡°No one is parading anybody, Brandis,¡± the Sage said, almost dismissive, as if talking to a child. ¡°The kingdom of Nel Quan has chosen to intimidate. I assure you that they will come with theirs simply to flex their muscles, metaphorically speaking.¡± ¡°It matters not.¡± Brandis stood by his words. ¡°Just because some guy wants to get into a flexing match does not mean I have to indulge him. I am not a child.¡± ¡°It is not about childish games. It is about confirming dominance.¡± ¡°Men do not play such feeble games.¡± The Sage sighed as if tired of the entire conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you, Brandis, but while real men do not play such feeble games, Kings do. I understood your previous desire to keep this from them and have none of them attend, but it is different now. We have an impossible card to play.¡± ¡°The boy is not a card!¡± Brandis snapped. ¡°And I am not a child! Do not speak to me like one.¡± Silence settled on the room, heavy and thick. In it the Sage looked at the king with tired eyes. ¡°We are all children in greater eyes, Brandis,¡± he said with sad solemnity. ¡°You just refuse to accept it.¡± Aiden felt like he¡¯d just learnt more about the Sage in this single interaction than he had in the entirety of his previous life. The Sage believed there were greater powers than him and was likely aware of them. That was a lot coming from an existence that people considered mythical. Also, Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how to put it, but the man wasn¡¯t the king¡¯s Sage. He was sure of it. It was more like Brandis was the Sage¡¯s king, if that made sense. The Sage returned his attention to Aiden and Aiden stiffened reflexively. He raised his staff and pointed it at Aiden. ¡°I apologize for my lack of decorum but I will now take a look at your personal details.¡± ¡°That is a breach of trust,¡± Brandis objected, but he might as well have been talking to the birds. Aiden felt a gentle caress of the air, then felt something take a hold of his head where he stood. He didn¡¯t fight it because he knew that he couldn¡¯t. He stood silently, held in the grip of fear as the Sage laid his information open before him. How much would the man see? How much would he be able to figure out? The Sage was still an enemy he could not defeat, he was sure of that. Worse would be if the man chose to slay him here, though a large part of him doubted that that would happen. Aiden was reminded once more of how powerless he was in the grand scheme of things. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interesting,¡± the Sage mused after a while. He lowered his staff with a small smile stretching his bearded lips. He didn¡¯t look like a man who¡¯d just found something interesting. He looked like a man who¡¯d just found something truly ecstatic. ¡°Your title, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said. ¡°How did you get it? I speak of [Defier] not [Goblin Slayer].¡± What did the man know of [Defier]? ¡°On the brink of death,¡± Aiden lied. ¡°On the brink of death?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir. I got my class, then I felt a strong pain in my chest that went on for minutes that seemed to stretch on forever. When I came to, it was there, staring at me.¡± It was more lie than truth, or perhaps the word Aiden was looking for was omission. Getting the [Weaver] class had felt like he was dying, and he hadn¡¯t even been sure of its success. And the cost¡­ A unique skill and three levels. Even now he thought it was a steep price. The Sage laughed, shocking Aiden and the King. ¡°[Defier],¡± he said, still laughing. ¡°It has been forever since I¡¯ve seen a person with such a title. Yours seems to be even more significant than theirs with words that I cannot read. You must have defied something you had no right defying. I am a Sage and even I wouldn''t dare to gain that title.¡± He paused with a nostalgic sigh. "Ignorance must be so bliss." Brandis turned to him in shock. ¡°Words you cannot read?! How is that possible?¡± ¡°It is not an impossible thing, my king,¡± the Sage replied. ¡°It is a rare thing, but not an impossible thing. And if you factor in the fact that he also has a locked skill, then it wouldn¡¯t be very surprising.¡± Brandis¡¯ jaw dropped. ¡°A locked skill.¡± It seemed this one wasn¡¯t an impossibility to him, just a rarity. Also, what did the Sage mean by something he had no right defying? Where there things that shouldn''t be defied in Nastild or was he specifically talking about the Multiverse? There were too many questions with too little answers. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Aiden dared to ask. He wasn¡¯t against getting information from someone he considered an enemy. ¡°None at all,¡± the Sage answered. ¡°Our king¡¯s grandfather had a locked skill. The gods lock the blessings of a skill for one of two reasons. Either there are criteria to be met or the owner of the skill is not strong enough to access it, in which case it is done for their own good.¡± That didn¡¯t sound so bad. Aiden hoped his case was the latter. Having a skill with criteria to unlock was ludicrous when he didn¡¯t even know the criteria. ¡°To more immediate matters,¡± the Sage said, continuing his usurpation of the conversation. ¡°Your weaving of enchantments was slow. Do you believe it is something you can speed up? I am aware that in enchantments the better the enchanter is the faster their engraving. I believe your hand signs are your version of engraving. And, honestly, I don¡¯t believe it is meant to be so slow.¡± Aiden agreed. In fact, he was sure of it. His hand signs were slow because he was having a difficult time translating the symbols in his mind to actual signs. It felt more like coming up with his own language on the fly. Even then, the skill was doing more of the translation than he was. Given time he was sure he could be faster. ¡°Can you?¡± the Sage asked. Aiden nodded. ¡°I believe it should be possible.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The Sage nodded. ¡°As for my invasion of privacy in rooting out your personal information, I will not do anything as petty as apologizing for an intentional show of disrespect. I am a being who simply takes what he wants when he can, as long as he can. I am neither a king nor a diplomat that I will have to use kind words. There is neither a carrot nor a stick with me, there is simply what is. I hope you understand, Lord Lacheart.¡± The Sage had already turned and was headed for one of the shelves so Aiden was sure a response from him was not required. As the Sage performed the domineering act of disappearing into one of the shelves, his final words were simple. ¡°King Brandis, fourth of his name, will give you the details of these envoys¡¯ arrival from a distant kingdom.¡± Then he was gone. In his absence, Brandis wore a scowl on his face. ¡°It continues to annoy me when I am reminded by the fact that he cannot be controlled. He is kinder on normal days, though, less whirlwind-y.¡± His jaw ticked, then hardened. ¡°Sages are a natural disaster unbound by the laws of time," he continued. "I guess we can only be glad that there are so few of them and their locations are unknown.¡± That was another piece of information that Aiden had never had. He wondered what specifically Brandis meant by Sages being unbound by the laws of time. Was it that they didn¡¯t die of old age or was he speaking of something on a more magical principle? All he had were more questions. More things to research in the library of Living Truth when he finally made his way out of Bandiv. He really needed a plan now. The town of cannibals, he decided, would be his next quest as it had been in his previous life. Then the cave in the southern borders, then the library of Living Truth. For now, he would address controllable matters. He turned to Brandis. ¡°So what is it about this envoy, your grace?¡± SEVENTEEN: Names Yul Kwen had been to Bandiv once upon a time. It had been a large kingdom, vibrant and full of life, much like Nel Quan. And if there was anything she could say for a fact, it was that she hated the kingdom of Bandiv. Her father had fought for the kingdom when she was a child, standing alongside the king of Bandiv to conquer a [World Scenario]. The result had been tragic. Her father dead. And what did the kingdom do to acknowledge it? Nothing. They forgot the face of their savior and simply went about their lives. Her father had fallen to the scenario along with other powerful soldiers from Nel Quan, and King Brandis, fourth of his name had sent gold and a share of the scenario rewards in honor of the fallen. That was all. The very thought brought a scowl to Yul Kwen¡¯s face. The kingdom had lost great men during that scenario. So many great men. ¡°Yul.¡± Yul Kwen took her eyes from the window of her carriage to pay attention to her companion. She shared the carriage with a man with piercing brown eyes and hair the color of the moon, grey with a touch of blue. He was called Jang Su and when she¡¯d met him, the first question she¡¯d asked him had been about his hair. Jang Su had given a simple answer. And even now, she wondered at it as she stared at his hair. How does one make their hair a different color permanently in a world without magic? If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, Jang Su claimed it wasn¡¯t magic. He had called it dye. A creation of his people designed to change the color of hair and other things. It was amazing that such a feat could be achieved without magic. ¡°Yes, Jang Su,¡± she answered, then remembered to add: ¡°And it is Yul Kwen. I understand our friendship, but we must maintain decorum while we are here.¡± Jang Su nodded but kept a smile on his face. He was young, a year younger than her to be precise. He had three ear rings on each ear. From one earring dangled a cross, another was a simple ring, and the third held a thin rectangle with what looked like a rising sun on it. The second ear had the exact same arrangement. His nose was also pierced. A single nostril carried a single dot, and so did his lip. Jang Su was tall and when they stood she had to tilt her face up to meet his eyes. But despite how intimidating his piercings made him look, and how odd his grey-blue hair was, he was a kind soul at heart. Yul Kwen liked Jang Su for it. ¡°So what is this place like, Yul¡­ Kwen?¡± Jang Su finished with a frown. ¡°Have you been to this kingdom before?¡± Yul Kwen opened her mouth, ready to berate the kingdom for all the evil that it was, but stopped herself. Her mother had warned her not to poison Jang Su¡¯s mind with her bias. He was the most powerful of his friends but it did not mean that he was the most powerful there was. He was an impulsive twenty-year-old, and she didn¡¯t want him making mistakes she would have to step in to rectify. ¡°It is a kingdom much like ours,¡± Yul Kwen answered, attempting at objectivity. ¡°Their king has been called a wise man, patient and understanding. They say his judgement is just and he leads by example.¡± Jang Su cocked a brow. ¡°They?¡± Yul Kwen was distracted for a moment. Her eyes studied his face, always mesmerized by how easily he cocked a single brow, how it changed his entire face. He looked less like his age and more like a man who knew gentleness. She shook herself from her distraction. ¡°Yes, Jang Su. They. There are records of his activities. Who he is. What he can do. What he has done. His Level remains unknown as all Monarchs aim to achieve and his kingdom is rumored to have a Sage.¡± ¡°Like Master Lao Bek?¡± Yul Kwen snorted. ¡°You do remember that Master Lao Bek is not his real name, correct?¡± Jang Su nodded. ¡°However, it is the one I call him.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t see why?¡± ¡°If I am to speak to someone on occasion, I would prefer that they had a name.¡± ¡°And you chose Lao Bek.¡± Yul Kwen stared out the carriage window once more, watched as they went past a shop that sold the most colorful flowers. ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°What does what mean?¡± Jang Su asked, feigning ignorance. Yul Kwen held back a sigh. She could hear his boyish grin in his words. He was ever so flirtatious every once in a while, and the grin was a trademark. Her mother had advised her not to refuse his advances of love if she harbored similar feelings. However, Yul Kwen was not to prove a distraction. Jang Su was destined for a greater fate than to end up with her. If she was lucky, when fate was done with him there would still be something left of Jang Su to love and be loved by. ¡°Lao Bek,¡± she said. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Jang Su shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything. I just made it up.¡± That surprised her. ¡°And yet you gave him the name?¡± ¡°He needed a name. I gave him a name.¡± Yul Kwen couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. Was this how it was where he came from? Did names have no meaning? ¡°I would suggest that when we return, you apologize to the Sage,¡± she told him without turning her attention to him. ¡°You apologize for giving him a name without meaning. Then, if he is still interested in being addressed by a name, you will give him one with a befitting meaning.¡± ¡°Are names that important to your people?¡± Jang Su asked. There was no grin or teasing in his voice. Only genuine curiosity. Yul Kwen nodded, remembering something her mother had told her once, not long after the death of her father. ¡°A man is his name,¡± she said to him. ¡°So all names must be important.¡± Jang Su shook his head in what seemed like disappointment. ¡°I can agree that a man is his name,¡± he said. ¡°But you sound like a man¡¯s name is what gives him importance.¡± ¡°It is where his importance begins, Jang Su.¡± Jang Su folded his arm, still sitting with a straight back. ¡°And what is the meaning of yours, Yul Kwen?¡± Yul held out her hand to him and he unfolded his arms and placed his hand on top of it, palm up. It was another thing she liked about their friendship--she rarely ever had to explain what she wanted with her words. She leaned forward and traced a symbol on his palm. ¡°Yul,¡± she said. ¡°Means Devourer.¡± She traced another symbol. ¡°Kwen means father. My name, Yul Kwen, is written so.¡± She traced her name across his palm. ¡°When written so, it means A father¡¯s devourer.¡± She looked up and found him staring at her. Their eyes met and she saw a sadness she couldn¡¯t quite place there. Was he sad for her? ¡°So you¡¯re a father¡¯s devourer?¡± he asked. ¡°I am my father¡¯s devourer,¡± she corrected. ¡°I am who he sends when he needs something done.¡± Silence filled her momentarily and she dropped his hand. ¡°At least that was his intention.¡± Jang Su nodded in understanding. ¡°But things did not turn out that way.¡± ¡°They did not. Instead, he was taken from me by¡ª¡± she silenced herself before she made a mistake. Jang Su waited for her to complete the sentence. Ever the patient man. She did not. ¡°And what is yours, Jang Su?¡± she said instead. ¡°What does your name mean?¡± Jang Su sat back against the carriage. He folded his arms over his chest and crossed a leg over the other. ¡°Like you, my parents believe that names are important, and so are their meanings,¡± he said. ¡°A man¡¯s name is the beginning of a man. I do not share those ideals, though. Names are important but their meanings are not. A man is not given importance by his name. A man gives his name importance.¡± ¡°If your parents believe as I do, then your name must have a meaning.¡± ¡°The name my parents gave me has a meaning, but I changed it when I was old enough to Jang Su.¡± ¡°That is a disrespect to your parents, Jang Su.¡± Yul Kwen¡¯s mother would be appalled if she heard this. ¡°And the name your parents gave you, what is it? What does it mean?¡± ¡°It means to be born of the heavens.¡± Jang Su didn¡¯t look happy with the name. Yul Kwen offered him her own hand, palm up. ¡°And what is this name?¡± He smiled but shook his head. ¡°Something tells me that if I give it to you, you will call me by nothing else, Yul Kwen,¡± he said. ¡°So I will not. You have met me as Jang Su, and I will remain Jang Su to you.¡± Yul Kwen pouted but schooled her expression immediately. Judging by Jang Su¡¯s expression, he had seen it but chose not to address it. He knew her too well. He was right, though. If he had given her the name, she would¡¯ve addressed him by it anytime they were alone. Names were important by their meaning and by those who bestowed them. He had to learn this. Understand it. But she would not force it on him. ¡°And Jang Su?¡± she asked as the carriage pulled up to the gates of the castle of King Brandis, fourth of his name and king of Bandiv. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Jang Su stared emptily at nothing. ¡°A man gives meaning to his name by what he becomes,¡± he said. ¡°For now, I am nothing. But it is my hope that one day parents will name their children after me, and when they ask this question, their parents will say it means to be a hero.¡± It was an ambitious dream. But it was the same thing Yul Kwen¡¯s mother hoped for. That one day, Jang Su would achieve the title of [Hero]. ¡°So for now,¡± he smiled fondly at her. ¡°I am nothing. So Jang Su means nothing.¡± Yul Kwen reached out and took his hand. ¡°You are not nothing, Jang Su,¡± she assured him. ¡°You are a guest to the queen of Nel Quan. And the crown princess of Nel Quan calls you friend. Until you become the hero, Jang Su has every right to mean friend to the crown. And all will know this one day.¡± Jang Su¡¯s smile deepened, but he said nothing. And as deep as it was, it did not reach his eyes. In Yul Kwen¡¯s opinion, there was too much sadness in his eyes for a man his age. But who was she to judge? She had no idea how life was in the world called Earth. Before long, their carriage came to a stop and she knew they were at the palace. The soft footfalls of a jepat¡¯s hooves echoed outside her door before someone spoke. ¡°We are here, princess.¡± Yul Kwen gave no answer to her retainer. She turned to Jang Su, instead. ¡°Shall we?¡± Jang Su smiled and leaned across to open her door. It opened to two lines of knights leading from her carriage to the palace entrance. A red carpet ran all the way from her carriage to the palace doors so that she would not step on the ground until she was within the palace walls. At the center of the Knights stood one man. He was tall and simple, lacked a domineering presence much unlike his father. When he saw her, he spoke. ¡°The crown prince, Deneret Brandis, son of King Brandis, fourth of his name, king of the kingdom of Bandiv, welcomes Yul Kwen Sook, crown princess of Nel Quan.¡± Yul Kwen looked at Jang Su. ¡°What do you say, Jang Su of Earth? Is this a welcome you can get used to?¡± Jang Su gave her an easy smile. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Liar. He clearly didn¡¯t care for it. It was a flaw she would need to help him rectify in time. The hero of Nel Quan could not be a man lacking in ambition. The world had to be at his feet. Nel Quan deserved nothing less. Yul Kwen stepped out of the carriage and onto a soft velvet carpet. ¡°Let us meet our host.¡± ¡­ He weaved the final sign just in time, and the notification flashed before the piece of wood struck. Class Skill [Enchanted weave] is in effect. Power went through Aiden, it strengthened his muscles and hardened his skin. You have used [Weave of Lesser Endurance]. Effect: 16% increase in endurance. Duration: 00:00:16. The piece of wood struck his back and shattered on impact. Aiden felt the weight of the blow but neither the pain nor the damage. It was good to know that he could tweak the duration if he focused enough. ¡°Is this necessary, Lord Lacheart?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you measure your speed in time?¡± Aiden arced backwards, stretched. ¡°Because anybody can do something in the nick of time. What I¡¯m trying to do has to be instinctual.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not measuring how fast you can make the signs. You¡¯re measuring¡­¡± Valdan paused. ¡°What exactly are you measuring?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already figured out how fast I can make the signs, Sir Valdan,¡± Aiden said. ¡°That¡¯s movement speed. What I¡¯m measuring is reaction time.¡± Valdan held up the shattered piece of wood. ¡°And how does this help?¡± ¡°Seeing how well I work under pressure. If I¡¯m too slow, there¡¯s pain. And I have to pick what enchantment I¡¯m casting on the fly. Each enchantment works for different purposes. Speed, if I feel it can be avoided. Endurance if it cannot. Strength if I wish to take it.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°I find it intriguing how quickly you have adapted to this,¡± he said. ¡°You fight with enchantments well.¡± Aiden snorted, turning his attention elsewhere. They were in their usual training ground with the sand covered ground and the sun descending as the evening slowly crawled to night. Today, they were not alone. At one end of the training ground, where the crack in the ground Valdan had made still existed, Letto practiced knife techniques with a soldier Valdan had brought with him on Aiden¡¯s request. From what Aiden could see so far, Letto had little to no talent for the knife but he had more promise with it that most of the other close range weapons he had ever touched since coming here. ¡°Do you think they can hear us from here?¡± he asked Valdan. ¡°Nerot is a level 22 [Blade master]," Valdan said. "His skills allow him a lot of things, but far hearing is not one of them. So we are fine, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aiden nodded, he didnt want people eaves dropping on his conversation unless he knew. ¡°What do you know of the envoys coming to visit?¡± ¡°The envoys from Nel Quan, my Lord?¡± Aiden knew the name, knew the kingdom. He¡¯d even been there a few times. In his past life, their true fame during the demon king war was in General Jang Su. He had arguably been the greatest of them all in his lifetime, stronger even than Drax had ever been. What Aiden wanted to know was their current relationship with Bandiv. The Sage was aiming to use him as a piece in some kind of game he was playing with them, and Aiden wanted to know all he needed to know. The Nel Quan he knew was the Nel Quan of a few years forward. The kingdom now was a mystery to him. ¡°How important is the kingdom?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°To Bandiv it is important enough.¡± Valdan tossed the shattered piece of wood aside. ¡°About a decade ago, the kingdom helped ours to complete a [World scenario]. World scenarios are vastly different from Quests in the sense that they are escalating events.¡± Aiden knew what a world scenario was, but he allowed the Knight continue. ¡°A world scenario is what happens when a series of unique quests and or scenarios have been failed or ignored for too long and they have somehow created a compounding effect. Enough failed quests will eventually become a scenario but not all scenarios start from quests. And the more scenarios that are failed, the larger the level of the scenario they become. Eventually, a scenario capable of destroying a kingdom is called a world scenario.¡± ¡°And what scenario was this?¡± Aiden asked. Valdan shook his head. ¡°I was not a part of the king¡¯s knights at the time so I do not remember the name, neither did I benefit from the scenario. What I do know is that a significantly high level beast tamer had somehow managed to tame an entire monster horde and wanted revenge on someone. I believe Bandiv was in his way and the king refused him and his horde passage.¡± ¡°And Nel Quan was called in?¡± ¡°Yes. From what I know, the horde was too much for the force Bandiv had. In summary, a temporary alliance was made, and Nel Quan lost its king to the scenario. So while we are allies, there are those who continue to hold the kingdom responsible for the death of their king.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Aiden mused. ¡°So the relationship is amiable on the front-end but quite volatile at the back-end. Noted.¡± ¡°Why do you ask, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°I¡¯m to attend the banquet the king is hosting for them. I just wanted to understand the political bearings. I doubt my presence is to directly play any political games, but I¡¯ve come to learn that when diplomats and political figures gather, there is always a game and there are always pawns. I¡¯d rather be a knowledgeable pawn.¡± Valdan¡¯s armored head tilted downwards in a way Aiden had come to recognize as an uncomfortable thinking gesture. ¡°If that is the case, perhaps they have brought their own,¡± he muttered. ¡°Their own what?¡± Aiden asked. Valdan paused. Then he shook his head. ¡°Nothing of import, my Lord.¡± He bent down and picked up another piece of wood from a stack. It was brittle and weak. Normally, no amount of force could swing it hard enough to cause Aiden any real damage. But Aiden couldn¡¯t say what could be done with it in Valdan¡¯s hands. Valdan didn¡¯t immediately swing it. He turned to watch Letto¡¯s training, instead. ¡°Did you notice a talent in Lord Smith, my Lord?¡± he asked. ¡°Because I do not see it.¡± ¡°Not a talent,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Merely helping out someone I know.¡± ¡°But why the knife? Denid is a good instructor, and she will not be pleased to hear that he is learning to use the dagger.¡± Aiden waved his worry aside. ¡°Letto will never be good with the sword so there¡¯s no point in forcing him to continue on its path. He¡¯s less noble warrior and more sneaky thief.¡± ¡°He does display an unhealthy lack of confidence when he fights," Valdan mused. "Nerot seems to be getting bored already.¡± ¡°Then someone should remind Nerot that he¡¯s not here to be entertained. He is here to teach.¡± Valdan¡¯s response shocked Aiden. The knight chuckled. Aiden turned to look at him. ¡°Do not hold it against him,¡± Valdan said, ignoring Aiden¡¯s look. ¡°When I invited him, he was hoping he would be teaching you how to gain a skill not a different lord. You have become something of an interest amongst the soldiers, after all. At least Ded¡¯s continued interactions with you have given him a certain level of fame.¡± ¡°Fame?¡± Aiden asked, surprised. ¡°Yes, Lord Lacheart. Fame. You are the only known Lord among your peers to leave the palace. And rumors of a ¡®Noble¡¯s bastard¡¯ aiding in a goblin subjugation involving a Level 29 Goblin Shaman and two level 20 undead Hobgoblins has spread across the city to those who care to listen.¡± Aiden snorted in amusement as he held back a laugh. ¡°Level 29? Level 20?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the rumors say,¡± Valdan said dismissively, as if the correct details didn¡¯t matter. ¡°You are also the only Lord to be summoned to the king¡¯s study without first writing a petition. And you receive special training, different from your peers. It is a palace, Lord Lacheart. And people talk. Your importance is lost to no one.¡± Well, that was interesting. Aiden hadn¡¯t been a subject of rumors since that one time at the Order when people thought he¡¯d successfully stolen from the leader¡¯s private chambers. The truth was he had actually gone in to save Zen from being stupid and following up on a stupid bet, only to find out that Zen wasn¡¯t stupid. The head of the Order had caught him the moment the door opened and had simply sent him back to his living space. ¡°It was a level 20 Goblin Shaman.¡± It was all Aiden knew to say. ¡°Do you know what rumors, stories, and legends have in common, Lord Lacheart?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The truth is always lost in the embellishment of how beautiful the story can be. And only the fewest people care. That said, please stop sending a soldier of the palace out of the castle on your personal errands. The boy still has a lot to learn.¡± It was unfortunate that Aiden wasn¡¯t going to stop sending Ded out until he got the information he was looking for. He at least knew that much. ¡°I¡¯ll take it under advisement,¡± he said. Off in the distance Nerot took Letto down with a leg sweep and a stab to the chest with his wooden knife. Judging by the pained grimace on Letto¡¯s face, the entire ordeal must¡¯ve been really painful. ¡°Do you know that the King asked if you would be fine with your brother joining our sparring sessions?¡± Valdan said out of nowhere. Aiden hadn¡¯t known that. ¡°I did not,¡± he answered. ¡°What did you tell him?¡± ¡°I told him that unless your brother is as talented as you with the sword, it would not be a good idea.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because not all competition, Lord Lacheart, is good competition.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know if Ted¡¯s talent with the sword could match what he was capable of right now, but despite being a [Summoner], Ted had been quite the swordsman in their past life. Good enough in the long run to give Drax a very difficult time. ¡°I say this because I was actually of the opinion that you would not like to share these sessions with other people.¡± ¡°And you were right.¡± Aiden gave him a grateful smile. ¡°But a wise man once told me that I will need people if I want to go far and not just fast.¡± Valdan nodded sagely. ¡°Does that mean that I should be expecting more people? I can always find suitable soldiers to assist.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves, Sir Valdan,¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°Letto¡¯s only here because he needs special attention to meet up with the others. And yes, over time I will ask for recommendations to help some of the others where they are lacking should I ever notice it. But I¡¯m not doing this to make friends.¡± ¡°As I once heard a wise lord say,¡± Valdan shrugged. ¡°Progress not perfect.¡± Valdan seemed to be misunderstanding something, and Aiden felt compelled to clear it up. He had once had people he called friends, but none of them currently resided in the palace. And none of them ever did. ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something, Sir Valdan,¡± he said to the knight in a serious tone. ¡°I know what is coming. I have an idea of it. I¡¯ve read the books, seen the theories, understood the speculations. If we do not stop what is coming, and it comes, there will be nowhere to run. At the risk of sounding like a worse person than I already am, I am not helping my peers because I have suddenly developed a soft spot for them. I am helping them because once I am done going as fast as I can, I need them to be strong enough so we can go as far as we can.¡± The moment the words left his mouth, Aiden knew they were the wrong things to say. He still held some level of malice towards the others for turning their backs on him the moment they''d learned that Ted was the Demon King in his past life, he just hadn''t know it was still this deep. He had been angry, felt betrayed because they were all from Earth together and they had power. They could''ve stood by him, stopped the man hunt for him. But they hadn''t. You need to stop holding them accountable for what they did in a lifetime that no longer exists, he told himself. He needed to put away the bias of his past life. Yes, there could be a repeat in this one, but it was a possibility not a certainty. People were the results of the decisions they made based on the experiences they had. Things could be different this time. Valdan looked down at Aiden for a while, then he shook his head. ¡°That, my Lord," he said, "is a sad way to think.¡± He raised the piece of brittle wood in his hand and swung it without preamble. Aiden reacted quickly. Class skill [Walking Canvas] is in effect. He felt his mana burst out of him and fill the air, six feet around him as his hand weaved a quick sign as fast as he could. Class skill [Enchanted Weave] is in effect. He completed the hand sign as the brittle wood struck him. You have used [Weave of Lesser Flame] Effect: Fire damage Duration: 00:00:18. Radius: 0.00013km. The wood ignited as sparks filled the air around Aiden. The temperature rose and the air burned. A moment after, the piece of wood caught aflame. Aiden had failed this one. Even if he had been faster than Valdan¡¯s strike, which he had not been, all he would¡¯ve accomplished was ensuring that he wasn¡¯t struck with a brittle wood but a burning, brittle wood. I would¡¯ve helped give them fire damage, he thought with a frown. Valdan stood in the midst of the growing sparks the enchantment left around them, unbothered. Aiden knew what the enchantment at its highest level could do. It was a force to be reckoned with, capable of setting even the air ablaze. Unfortunately, what could create a sea of fire at a certain level could only create sparks and significant heat at his level, the way his skill allowed him to use it. ¡°Again?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden looked at the knight with a frown. The man was going to be anything but gentle for the rest of the training, and he knew it. But Aiden was no quitter. ¡°Again.¡± EIGHTEEN: Ball Letto flopped down tiredly on Aiden¡¯s bed. He bounced once, then bounced again intentionally. Sitting on one side of the bed, Drax shot him a scolding look. ¡°It¡¯s not your room, Letto,¡± he chided his friend. ¡°Don¡¯t go spoiling the bed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s enough spring in the bed to bounce a thousand Lettos,¡± Aiden said, rummaging through his wardrobe for the attire he was to wear. ¡°Let him bounce.¡± Ted laughed. ¡°Look at you being all nice to Letto. Who would¡¯ve thought that not so long ago you were avoiding him.¡± Aiden pulled out the attire he was supposed to wear and held it up to study it. ¡°For the last time, Ted,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t avoiding Letto.¡± ¡°Just me then,¡± Drax said. ¡°And I still don¡¯t know why.¡± Ever since Aiden had gotten Valdan to get Nerot to teach Letto, Letto and Drax had taken to spending their time after dinner in Aiden¡¯s room, or Ted¡¯s room, whichever one they were occupying at the time. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re really wearing?¡± Ted asked Aiden. He was lying on Aiden¡¯s carpet and had a clear view of Aiden and what he was doing. Aiden raised the attire a little higher. After being informed of the envoy coming to the kingdom by Brandis and being told that he was to be in attendance, a tailor had been sent to his room. And true to the palace¡¯s reputation, the tailor wasn¡¯t simply a tailor, he was an elderly man with the actual [Tailor] class. The entire tailoring process had been quick and smooth. Aiden¡¯s measurements had been taken in a manner that would¡¯ve seemed otherworldly on earth. The elderly man, who had said he should simply be called Tailor, had stared at Aiden for a full second before asking what design he would fancy. Aiden¡¯s request had been born out of nothing but nostalgia. Everything was simple. He had simple pants, lack. It was tight enough to be presentable for a ball but free enough to allow him easy movement. The tailor had suggested a simple buttoned tee-shirt, white with a dragon design on one side of the shirt. Aiden had agreed to the color but protested to the dragon design. The tailor was trying to make a statement and it wasn¡¯t the kind of statement Aiden wanted to make. People did not walk around wearing dragons in the kingdom. Aiden¡¯s nostalgia was the brown trench coat that currently swallowed up the rest of the attire. It had been measured just right and the tailor had crafted it as he wanted. He stared at it now, remembering his days in the Order. ¡°Going for that John Constantine vibe?¡± Letto asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone at the ball will get the joke.¡± Aiden had a feeling there would be one or two who would get the meaning. After all, he knew much about Nel Quan and what exactly they were capable of as a kingdom. He hung the attire back in the wardrobe and took his shirt off. ¡°Why weren¡¯t we invited for this party again?¡± Drax asked. Ted tossed something in the air and caught it. ¡°Because we weren¡¯t.¡± ¡°And Aiden gets special treatment,¡± Letto said. ¡°Do you know all the soldiers have a running bet.¡± ¡°On what?¡± Aiden asked. He hadn¡¯t heard anything about a running bet. Then again, his only source of information about the king¡¯s army was what Valdan and Ded told him. And Valdan rarely had anything to say while Ded was now the content of rumors and was rarely privy to them. He also spends most of his time outside the castle these days. Aiden felt that perhaps the search he had the soldier doing was proving fruitless. Maybe I should just let it be. Aiden shook his head. He couldn¡¯t do that. For the future he was trying to achieve, he needed a team, and he had to find the person Ded was looking for if he was going to get this team he needed. ¡°¡­Did you hear me?¡± Aiden blinked, turned to Letto. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said the soldiers have a running bet on whether Valdan will leave with you when the king finally allows us start going out on quests or not.¡± Letto turned and laid on his stomach. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m more interested in this mock battle I keep hearing rumors about.¡± Drax frowned. ¡°Yea. I heard of it, too. The king is trying to match us against Derrick and his people.¡± Aiden almost laughed. Derrick and his people. If only they knew that Derrick wasn¡¯t the leader of that clique. But it didn¡¯t matter. He put on the shirt and changed his pants. By the time he¡¯d slipped into his boots and was staring at the trench coat the others had continued onto a different conversation. With a sigh, Aiden put the coat on. It was a party, but he just didn¡¯t feel right going in without any weapons. ¡°Just out of curiosity,¡± Letto said. ¡°Will there be girls at this party?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a party,¡± Drax said. ¡°What kind of party doesn¡¯t have girls?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ball,¡± Aiden corrected, not even knowing why. ¡°Ball. Party.¡± Letto shrugged. ¡°Same thing.¡± Ted chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s really not. The kinds of girls you run into at balls are liable to get you hanged for some dumb reason. Got challenged to a duel once and almost lost my pecker.¡± Aiden froze. ¡°What did you say, Ted?¡± Ted stopped tossing what he was tossing and Aiden saw it was a very small ball of yarn. ¡°Got challenged to a duel once and almost lost my pecker?¡± ¡°Where?¡± Drax asked, confused. ¡°East side of the devil¡¯s gulf,¡± Ted answered, unbothered. ¡°They had the best moonshine and the¡ª¡± ¡°I call BS,¡± Letto laughed. ¡°I already asked around and nobody in the entire palace knows what moonshine is, or any alcoholic spirits. The closest thing they¡¯ve got is some sharp drink called a Telilop. Slaps like a motherfucker. Apart from that, they¡¯ve got beers of too many kinds and wine for the high class.¡± Drax looked at him. ¡°And why would you have this information?¡± ¡°Because they offered it as a substitute for moonshine, duh.¡± ¡°And why will you be asking about moonshine?¡± ¡°Because you can tell a lot about a place¡¯s ability to party by how strong their moonshine is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a thing,¡± Ted pointed out. ¡°And so is the devil¡¯s gulf,¡± Aiden said. All this paranoia was making him forget that sometimes Ted liked to say random things and fit together a story just to throw people off. It tended to help a lot in certain situations. Once upon a time Ted had confused an adventurer well enough that the man had given his quest up to them just so Ted could stop talking. Aiden adjusted his coat. He was almost late. ¡°Alright, guys, I¡¯ve got to go,¡± he told them, stepping over Ted on his way to the door. ¡°I¡¯ve got a carriage waiting for me outside.¡± Letto shivered visibly. ¡°How can you ride comfortably when you know what¡¯s pulling your carriage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a jepat, Letto,¡± Ted said. ¡°Think of them as horses.¡± ¡°Tried and failed. Those things are really horrible.¡± ¡°Seconded,¡± Drax said. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what it said about him that he had no issues with them. It says that you¡¯ve spent eleven years riding on them. It would be a problem if I had issues with them. ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, opening the room door. ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t wait up. I¡¯ll probably be late.¡± As he closed the door behind him, he thought he heard Letto say something about a wine cellar and inviting Ariadne and the others over for a drink. Aiden hoped he was wrong but doubted it. As he made his way out of the palace to the carriage that would take him to the venue of the ball, he wondered why he hadn¡¯t heard anything about this party in his past life. Was this a new development or simply an event they¡¯d just never been aware of? He really hoped it was the latter as he climbed into the carriage, flanked on both sides by two soldiers on armored jepats. The last thing he needed was a massive change from what was supposed to happen that he had no control over. Aiden took his seat with a quiet sigh. Occupying the opposite seat on the carriage was Valdan. He wore party appropriate clothes, nothing too fancy, with clean black shoes that almost emulated his black hair currently packed back in a ponytail with a silver sheen to it. The Knight took one look at Aiden¡¯s attire and narrowed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s quite the attire,¡± he commented. ¡°Looking to make some kind of statement, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Looking to make ten statements, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡­ If the ball hosting the envoys from the kingdom of Nel Quan had truly occurred in his past life, Aiden could see why they had not been aware of it. Not only was it not hosted in the palace, it was hosted by the Derenof. They were the noble house of the kingdom that boasted the best artificers. Blacksmithing, enchanting. Name it, they excelled at it. It was a good thing that they remained the most loyal house to the crown for all Aiden knew. The manor that hosted the event was not their main house, merely one of many houses scattered across the kingdom. Their main manor resided in the city of their ruling in the south. Each Lord had one. A manor in the capital city. It was where they resided on occasions when the king had a need to hold council with all his lords. The carriage slowed to a gentle pull as they joined a slow line of arrivals. Each lord and lady and dignitary of one kind of the other making their entrance slowed the procession. Protocols demanded it, and an attendant made an announcement for each person that arrived as they entered the building. ¡°Do we have to wait until our turn?¡± Aiden asked Valdan. ¡°Normally I would say yes,¡± the Knight answered. Then his eyes panned to Aiden¡¯s leg. ¡°But all that tapping screams high levels of nervousness. Are you alright, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden looked down at his leg, then placed a hand on it to stop the tapping. It succeeded. ¡°I¡¯m not one for crowds,¡± he lied. The truth was that he knew what was happening, and it was very surprising to him. He was remembering the last time he¡¯d been in a carriage to attend a party. Zen had been on the other seat, they had not been invited, and they were getting ready to commit a sin that would make them the enemies of the whole of Nastild. Aiden didn¡¯t know how it worked, but in the event that the entire messed up framework of fictional time travel was real and there currently existed a timeline where he had gone to save Ted and had just disappeared, he hoped Zen and the others had made it out of the palace and back to the Order safely. ¡°If you¡¯re not one for crowds, Lord Lacheart, you might be in for a very terrible night.¡± Valdan pulled the small curtains masking the windows of the carriage and gently knocked on the window. He slid it open as one of their escorts trotted over to it on his jepat. ¡°How many carriages away from our turn are we?¡± he asked the man. ¡°Four, sir.¡± Valdan nodded in thanks, slid it back shut and drew the curtain. He turned to Aiden. ¡°There you have it, Lord Lacheart. Just a little patience and the evening will be over.¡± ¡°Is there no alternative way we can take?¡± Aiden asked. He knew for a fact that there was a secret entry just through the side of the building that the noble children tended to sneak out people that were not supposed to be sharing their bed on occasion. Every manor had one, created as if it had somehow become some kind of tradition for the noble houses. ¡°Unfortunately not, my Lord,¡± Valdan replied with a shake of his head. Aiden pressed his lips into an uncomfortable, thin line. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this a little too much, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°And why would you think that?¡± ¡°Maybe the smile on your face.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said. Then he chuckled. In the end, no alternatives were presented and none was taken. They waited their turn until their carriage came to a stop. Valdan and Aiden stepped out quietly and made the short stroll to the entrance. While Valdan walked with the pen-ultimate decorum as was to be expected of a Knight, Aiden walked with a casual gait, hands tucked in the outside pockets of his trench coat. Valdan shot him a look once or twice before they even got to the entrance where the knight gave the man present a folded piece of paper. Behind the man, the doors to the manor were closed. The man opened it, gave it a quick glance, then slipped it over to another attendant who slipped behind the door. The attendant gave Valdan a smooth smile and spoke in the common tongue of Nastild. ¡°You may enter, Sir Valdan.¡± The doors opened and Valdan and Aiden strolled into the building, preceded by a loud yet soft voice announcing them. ¡°Sir Valdan Dirtwater,¡± it boomed, ¡°and his accompaniment, Lord Aiden Lacheart.¡± Aiden almost stumbled over his feet. He skipped a step and caught himself before an embarrassing stagger. Valdan led him to the side of the room, giving him an odd look. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me that you intend on stumbling for the entirety of this event, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden looked at him like he was mad. He¡¯d known the Knight¡¯s name, remembered only the first name from his past. ¡°Your family name is Dirtwater?¡± he asked, giving the knight a wide-eyed look. ¡°Yes,¡± Valdan answered, confused. ¡°I am from a city named Noella. Before my knighthood, I was Valdan of Noella. However, becoming a knight means that I require a family name. I chose Dirtwater as it means greatness from nothing.¡± Aiden held his tongue, remembering that Valdan did not speak English and that all their communication was in the Nastild tongue. ¡°It means greatness from nothing,¡± he repeated, holding back an amused smile. ¡°It does,¡± Valdan confirmed, still puzzled. ¡°I started out as a nobody from some backwater street in Noella and made my way to the top. I have not achieved greatness, not true greatness, but I will achieve it.¡± Valdan motioned and they walked over to the nearest empty table and stood as everyone else did. ¡°¡®What¡¯s the ¡®S¡¯ stand for?¡¯¡± Aiden muttered to himself. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t catch that.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Nothing important. Was just thinking of a race that writes the word hope with one letter.¡± ¡°They must have a really interesting written language," Valdan said. "I can only imagine how many stories they can put on a single parchment.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Aiden simply shook his head, a slight smile on his lips. Greatness, huh¡­ He¡¯d never been one to dream of greatness. Even before being dragged into Nastild, he¡¯d never really thought much about life after college. Get a job, get a family, live happily ever after. There had been more precise dreams before Tasha, his ex and childhood sweetheart, had done what she¡¯d done. But they were gone. ¡°Greatness¡­¡± it was an odd concept to him, though he¡¯d heard it a million times. ¡°Yes, greatness,¡± Valdan said as a Lord and Lady were introduced. ¡°Every man must strive for it. Not all men will achieve it. Yes. But all men must strive for it. Some earn it, some are born to it and some, like yourself and your companions, are destined for it.¡± Aiden had no response to that. He was about to change the subject when a familiar name was announced. It drew his attention straight to the entrance, silence on his lips and a sadness in his eyes. ¡°Lady Yul Kwen Sook, crown princess of the Kingdom of Yul Quan,¡± the voice announced. ¡°And her accompaniment, Lord Jang Su. Escorted by their entourage.¡± Behind them were twelve other people. Eight men and four women in all. Valdan looked between Aiden and the princess and said, ¡°In a foreign kingdom a princess needs to have her entourage, especially when she is the crowned princess.¡± Aiden said nothing. ¡°You should probably stop staring, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan whispered. ¡°The kingdom of Nel Qwan is known for their beauty, yes, and it is known that Yul Kwen is amongst the most beautiful, but you are making yourself seem like every other young lord from every noble family present. I would advise control. One must not stare at a lady so blatantly.¡± Aiden paused at Valdan¡¯s words. ¡°This is noted, Valdan.¡± The knight blanked at the use of his name absent of his title but did not protest. He sighed in acceptance. ¡°I guess it was only a matter of time before you dispensed of my title.¡± It only struck Aiden then what he had done. ¡°Apologies, Sir Valdan,¡± he said quickly, taking his eyes of the man with blue grey hair and sad eyes. ¡°I was distracted. It will not happen again.¡± ¡°It is fine,¡± Valdan waved his apology aside as princess Yul Kwen and her entourage were personally shown to a table by an attendant. ¡°I had thought you capable of naught else but your training. It is a comforting thing to be reminded that you are still a child capable of being distracted by beauty.¡± ¡°Beauty, huh.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t disagree. In his past life he hadn¡¯t seen the crowned princess of Nel Quan until a year from now when he had crossed paths with Jang Su for the first time as well. And like most people, he¡¯d developed a crush on her for her beauty almost immediately. But he¡¯d grown out of it quickly enough. No. What held his eyes was Jang Su. Aiden knew the man from his previous life. He knew the man for the man he had become not the boy currently standing beside the princess. The General of the Nel Quan army. The man to storm the Demon King¡¯s castle with an army of eight hundred when the crowned princess of Nel Quan had been taken hostage by the fifth general of the demon army. Aiden knew that the demons had eventually come to call Jang Su a monster. He knew that the demons had come to hold him as one of the greatest foes they had ever faced, respected him for his style in battle. He also knew of the man¡¯s demise at the hands of Voss the destroyer of Vass. For all Aiden had known, Jang Su was the one who had been most deserving of the title of [Hero]. More deserving than Drax. Like Aiden, he wore an attire that stood out from that of everyone else. Where Aiden wore a trench coat, Jang Su wore a clean Japanese-styled kimono. ¡°The man beside her,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Jang Su, was he? He walks with a fighter¡¯s quality.¡± Aiden nodded. Of course he would. Jang Su, while not the only one to acquire his unique class, was the first to acquire it. Even so early into their arrival in Nastild, he¡¯d embodied the concept of who he was so strongly that the system had identified it as a class in this world. Aiden expected nothing less from the first man on Nastild to acquire the class of [Samurai]. Every person present remained standing for a while longer. They did not associate with a different group from the one they came in with. Groups familiar with each other exchanged, at best, a greeting or two in the form of a wave or a simple acknowledging bow. Valdan gave a wave or two of his own and had a few bows. Aiden was struck with nothing but a few odd looks. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was from his attire or people trying to figure out who exactly he was and how important he was that he was present with a knight. He did catch Jang Su¡¯s attention, however. Jang Su watched him with curious eyes from across the room along with three other of the princess¡¯ entourage and exchanged a few words with her. The entire room remained this way, on their feet and having nothing to take but the occasional sip of wine from one passing attendant or the other that moved with trays of wines in wine glasses. Eventually, the slow trickle of announced lords and ladies and guests came to an end, then the attendant made the final introduction. ¡°Introducing,¡± the voice called out in the most reverent voice of the evening. ¡°The royal family. King Brandis, fourth of his name, king of Bandiv. Queen Brandis, queen of Bandiv, Princes Deneret and Vaskot Brandis and Princess Elaswit Brandis, sons and daughters of the crown.¡± Brandis walked in with an unquestioned authority in his steps. Unlike the rest of his family, there was nothing extravagant about his clothing. His shirt was simple and his pants black. He wore the shoes of someone expecting to do battle. If not for how clean he looked, his golden blond hair and amber eyes, he could¡¯ve been mistaken for anyone. No, Aiden thought, correcting himself. Not anyone. Even without the glamour, king Brandis carried himself like a man above men. He walked with a controlled stride, fitting for a king. Aiden would¡¯ve liked to say it made the man unique but he had seen enough kings in his life to know that the powerful learned to wear their power like a second skin. Even in a dungeon a king could still remind anyone of what he was. It was something a simple man could not do. There was silence as the royal family entered. Brandis and his family exchanged simple waves and nods of greetings until they made their way to a space set aside just for them. It was a rectangular table, long enough to house the entire family on one side of it. The chairs looked like they cost enough money to buy a small house. When Brandis and his family sat, only then did the party truly come alive. People mingled. Words were exchanged. Aiden watched as the groups intertwined with themselves. He picked out a glass of wine from a passing attendant with a tray and took a sip as he watched. Everything unraveled easily. And as the nobles talked amongst themselves, there was no limit to how frequently they stopped by to share greetings with the crowned princess of Nel Quan. It was not lost to Aiden that most of the men that approached princess Yul Kwen were on the younger side of the age group. They were mostly the heirs and young lords of one noble house or the other. As the ball proceeded, time waning on by until they were over an hour into the event, the crowned prince, Derenet, got up and extricated himself from the royal table. Brandis¡¯ eyes watched him discreetly until he vanished into the small chaos of people. Elaswit followed after, leaving Brandis and the queen with their younger son. There were a few people who stopped by to exchange greetings with Valdan. They treated him as one would treat a younger brother or a junior at school. Aiden couldn¡¯t recognize them all but he knew enough to guess that some of them were knights of the kingdom, even if not specifically under direct command of the king. ¡°Sir Tenet was my teacher before I became an official knight,¡± Valdan told Aiden when they were alone, free from the constant hassle of exchanging greetings. ¡°He taught me the proper ways of court.¡± ¡°As long as he didn¡¯t teach you how to fight," Aiden joked. "If not I¡¯ll have to ask why the palace assigned you to me when I could have the best thing.¡± ¡°The palace assigned me to you, Lord Lacheart, because¡­¡± Valdan¡¯s words trailed off at the smile on Aiden¡¯s face. ¡°Ha ha, very funny. Though, I must admit to be very surprised at how well you¡¯ve carried yourself thus far.¡± The ball had been going on for slightly over an hour and, while he wanted to, Aiden was yet to take a seat even once. There were chairs at every table, clearly. But in a place like this, surrounded by people with significant levels, even the ladies were more than willing to be competitive in every way. Aiden knew most people were always looking out for who would seat first. It was an odd culture. The higher levels would not sit first because it would be displayed as some level of physical tiredness. Those with magical oriented classes would also not want to sit first because it would be viewed as some form of weakness to the classes with martial orientation. Aiden had always thought it was a stupid thing. Some events could go on from the beginning until its end with no one taking a seat save the king, if one was present, or the host. Even the envoys from Nel Quan remained standing. Aiden must¡¯ve stared at them a little too long because Valdan had to draw his attention to a couple that was coming their way. ¡°Lord Derenof and his daughter, Lady Nella,¡± he whispered quickly. Aiden turned in their direction with a warm smile on his lips and lowered the hand holding his glass of wine. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Lord Derenof greeted. Aiden raised his glass slightly in greeting. ¡°Lord Derenof.¡± The lord stopped in surprise, then collected himself. ¡°Ah, I almost forgot you have Sir Valdan at your side. So you are the Aiden Lacheart.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure he wanted the title of ¡®the¡¯. ¡°You are in no trouble, I assure you,¡± the lady, Nella, leaned over to touch Aiden gently on the forearm. ¡°My father was just curious to meet the man my older brother had so stupidly almost killed.¡± An alarmed look crossed Valdan¡¯s face but the knight schooled it immediately. As for Aiden, he didn¡¯t have to think to know who they were talking about. Former knight, Derendoff was from the Derenof family. Not really a hard guess, Aiden thought. In fact, judging by the similarities of their names he should¡¯ve figured it out the moment he¡¯d heard Derenof''s name. He also looks like the father. ¡°Anyway,¡± Nella continued, ¡°we just thought we¡¯d stop by and apologize for my brother¡¯s stupidity. It is not the first time he¡¯s doing something uncalled for, and we¡¯re very sure that it will not be the last.¡± ¡°I remain grateful to the king,¡± Lord Derenof said. ¡°When he was informing me of my son¡¯s insanity, he spoke of a justified need to grant you the unfortunate honor of witnessing a [Sight-bound] punishment.¡± Valdan bristled beside Aiden. ¡°I am so glad he did not,¡± Nella said. ¡°I know my brother, and that punishment will not send him into hiding. Instead, he would rage and hold a grudge. It is more likely to send him into a life of either excessive hunting or a life of crime.¡± Lord Derenof patted his daughter¡¯s hand that rested in the crook of his elbow. ¡°A life of hunting will probably do him no good. Your brother would pick the life of crime.¡± ¡°He could just leave the kingdom,¡± Valdan blurted. Judging from the look on his face after the words had left his mouth, it was clear that he had not intended to speak. Nella laughed as if he had said something funny. ¡°Oh, Sir Valdan. My brother would rather die than exile himself.¡± Aiden understood why they suggested a life of hunting or a life of crime. An honorable man would¡¯ve chosen a life of hunting since it was almost impossible to suffer the fate of [Sight-bound] if there was no one in the kingdom that was stronger than you. Unfortunately, the life of crime was another option because killing a fellow human provided more gains than killing a monster. There were scribes and polymaths in kingdoms all over Nastild that continued to theorize on why that was. Some felt it had something to do with the similarities of the mana while others refused the theory because monsters killing monsters did not grow their levels so quickly. Aiden could just imagine a former knight wreaking havoc on the kingdom¡¯s streets. ¡°Regardless,¡± Derenof said, pulling Aiden from his thoughts, ¡°we just wanted to stop by and offer you our apologies for his sake.¡± Nella nodded. ¡°The gods know he won¡¯t.¡± They turned to move on to their next point of interest when Derenof stopped to ask a question. ¡°Just out of curiosity, do you know why my son tried to end your life? If it¡¯s not too much to ask.¡± Aiden¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. After a while he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not too much to ask,¡± he answered. ¡°However, while I remember for a fact that it had something to do with something the king said in reference to myself, I cannot for the life of me remember what it was.¡± Derenof watched Aiden a little longer before nodding and walking off. ¡°I hope you enjoy the ball, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said over his shoulder. Aiden tipped his glass in response. Once they were gone and out of earshot, Valdan grabbed Aiden by the arm. ¡°Sir Derendoff tried to kill you?¡± he asked in a sharp whisper. ¡°Former knight Derendoff,¡± Aiden corrected. ¡°He is no longer a knight. The king declared him stripped in my presence. But yes, he did.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Something about the scriptures in regards to me and a few of my companions developing a unique skill.¡± Valdan paused. ¡°Hold on. I thought you just said you had no idea.¡± Aiden cocked a brow at him. ¡°I thought you asked because you knew I was lying.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I just asked because it¡¯s something you do to show worry. You ask questions, even though it¡¯s been answered before.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Aiden grunted as Valdan went on to doing other things, yet never leaving his side. Aiden hadn¡¯t really thought about it before. Zen used to do it a lot, asking what most people called pointless questions. One of the reasons he and Aiden had gotten along was because Aiden never berated him for it. Sometimes it got annoying but he never held it against Zen. The worst he¡¯d ever done was not answer. And you didn¡¯t answer a lot of questions. Aiden wondered if Zen in this timeline was better off left to join the Order. It wouldn¡¯t be until a few years, though. Aiden knew Zen¡¯s mannerisms and knew he could work with him even now. I trained intakes in the Order, he thought. I can prevent him from having the Order life and still train him to be strong, can¡¯t I? It would also dissolve Zen¡¯s greatest sacrifice of not being able to be there for his sister. It would be a significant change to the flow of events. Even if it wouldn¡¯t have a significant effect on the Order, it would have a significant effect on other things. Aiden¡¯s eye caught Derenet leaning over Brandis at the table, exchanging quick words with him. The frown that creased Brandis¡¯ forehead said the words were anything but simple as his eyes moved to the Nel Quan envoys. Aiden tapped Valdan on the shoulder, then nodded at the envoys when he had his attention. ¡°Did you notice anything strange about the people they¡¯ve spoken with just now?¡± Valdan gestured at someone to be patient as he answered. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Did you see them speak with the crowned prince?¡± ¡°Yes, but that should be a given. He is the prince, and she is a princess. And they are both crowned.¡± Aiden gestured at the king. ¡°Anything deep enough for the king to know can¡¯t be a given conversation.¡± Valdan turned to Brandis¡¯ table and found prince Derenet approaching them. He dropped his unfinished glass of wine on the table and sighed. ¡°It is not unheard of for such things to happen at an event with envoys from other kingdoms. Even the Lords and Ladies are known to do it when they host each other.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Aiden asked. Valdan adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. ¡°I was wondering why the king asked that I accompany you to this event.¡± Aiden blinked. ¡°I thought I was the one accompanying you.¡± ¡°No.¡± Valdan was folding his sleeves. ¡°It is not unheard of for both parties to want to test their mettle. For that, they match their weakest knights present against each other. They claim it is a show of power. Personally, I just think it¡¯s for sport. That¡¯s why all these manors have a room dedicated specifically for such things.¡± Aiden had witnessed this a few times. They didn¡¯t match the powerful knights because it could be seen as an insult and a show of aggression. Knights worth their weight in gold did not fight simply because they had to. They were too experienced and too noteworthy. The last thing you needed was to let your potential rival or enemy know that their strongest knight was stronger than your strongest knight. It was basically an admittance of weakness. Valdan was done with his sleeves by the time Derenet was close enough. ¡°Win or lose,¡± he told Aiden, ¡°make sure you learn as much as you can from our spar. It is always a good thing to learn what you can of other fighting styles. Though I don¡¯t understand why he would wish to use me. With my titles the advantage will be skewed heavily in my favor. It is not like him.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t understand what that last part meant. When Derenet got to them, Valdan bowed in greeting. ¡°My prince.¡± Derenet acknowledged the greeting with a nod. ¡°Sir Valdan. I hope you are enjoying the event.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Derenet greeted. Aiden¡¯s bow could be described as a nod. ¡°Prince Derenet.¡± The prince seemed surprised that Aiden knew his name or perhaps it was the level of his bow. ¡°I am ready to serve whenever,¡± Valdan said. ¡°As it pleases the prince.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t going to complain at the chance to watch Valdan spar at a level that was worthy of straining him. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Derenet looked from Valdan¡¯s eyes to his folded sleeves. ¡°I was wondering why you were folding your sleeves. Unfortunately, Sir Valdan, tonight is not that kind of night.¡± ¡°Well that blows,¡± Aiden chuckled. ¡°I was really looking forward to seeing Sir Valdan go up against someone that is his equal.¡± ¡°Then I fear I must disappoint you more,¡± Derenet said. ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure if it is entirely a disappointment. Princess Yul Kwen Sook of the royal family of Nel Quan has requested a sparring match between you and one of her¡­ retainers. And my father has approved it. What level are you?¡± Aiden looked from the prince to Valdan. ¡°11?¡± ¡°Good. Her weakest retainer just hit level 13. The disparity is not so much. Come with me.¡± Aiden followed the prince, slightly surprised. It didn¡¯t take long for the surprise to leave. This is what the Sage and the king were talking about, he realized. This was the game that King Brandis had not been interested in playing. Aiden was beginning to believe this ball had also taken place in his past life. The only reason none of them had heard of it was because it was two more weeks before they were let out of the palace, enough time for discussions of it to have died down. And the reason they had not been invited to it was because none of them had touched level 10 at this point. The king would¡¯ve had to refuse the request on the grounds that they were too weak which, in itself, would¡¯ve been a show of weakness. Standing before Brandis at the royal house¡¯s table with his hands clasped behind his back, Aiden waited to be addressed. When Brandis spoke after a look of contemplation on his face, it was not the exact words Aiden had expected him to say. ¡°Can you fight in that?¡± Aiden looked down at his trench coat. He had fought a lot of battles in a trench coat in his past life, even inculcated everything he knew about fighting into it. ¡°It will not be a problem, your grace.¡± Derenet stood behind the king, and at having Aiden address his father with the title, he frowned. The queen¡¯s expression was only one of amusement. Brandis¡¯ expression, however, never changed. ¡°Will you fight?¡± he asked. ¡°I am sure my son has explained the situation to you, and I want you to know that you can refuse.¡± Derenet¡¯s expression turned to shock. ¡°Father, that will be¡ª¡± ¡°I will not hesitate to turn her request down,¡± Brandis said, cutting Derenet off. ¡°Yul Kwen has been given authority over her retainers and has every right to present them for this¡­ display. Now she will not be disrespectful enough, no matter how she views this kingdom, to challenge me directly. It is why she has challenged you. But understand that I have every right to delegate authority to you or not. If he says he will not, then there will be none of this tonight.¡± ¡°You will have me admit weakness, father?¡± Derenet asked, flabbergasted. ¡°I have told you countless times not to invest yourself in these things, Derenet. They are nothing but pointless posturing. Wild jepats showing their rectal brightness in a pointless display of superiority.¡± Brandis turned to look at his son. ¡°A man who knows how to fight will win a lot of fights. But a man who knows when to fight¡­¡± ¡°¡­Will never lose a fight,¡± Aiden finished. It was something he¡¯d heard before, but not from Brandis¡¯ lips. Derenet scowled but held his tongue. ¡°If I tell you to go down there and acknowledge that you do not have the authority to sanction this fight,¡± Brandis told him. ¡°You will. I will not subject one of our saviors to this pointless barbarism.¡± The queen looked unbothered and the younger prince, Vaskot, remained silent, taking interest in his meal. At sixteen, four years younger than his brother, he was not considered an adult and knew what conversations he was meant to pretend to be ignorant of. Derenet nodded. ¡°Yes, father.¡± Then Brandis turned to Aiden. ¡°Aiden Lacheart, will you fight?¡± Aiden stared back at amber eyes and remembered something the head archivist of the Order had once said after explaining an execution of a Lord¡¯s son by the Lord at the simple request of a king. A king¡¯s request is a difficult thing to refuse. There were often layers to it, possible futures, potential favors, hidden threats or promises. Sometimes it was not intended or planned, but it was there. Always there by virtue of being a request made by a king. But this was not it. Aiden could refuse here and nothing would be said on the matter. Staring into Brandis¡¯ eyes he knew this. Derenet would have a lot to say, but a prince was only as troubling as the king allowed him. In any normal position, the answer to fighting an opponent two levels stronger was often a no. But Aiden¡¯s very existence made this position anything but normal. His hand twitched and thoughts whirled in his head. His body had an answer even before his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll fight, your grace.¡± His voice was simple, spoken at a casual tone. But in the silence of the room Aiden had not noted, it was loud. ¡°Then a spar we shall have.¡± Brandis rose from his seat and the crowd was already moving. ¡°But we will not have it in the arena,¡± he announced loud enough for all to hear. ¡°There will be rules to be kept. This is a friendly display, not an aggression amongst animals. We will clear a space for them, and they will merely show us what they are capable of. Now clear a space!¡± The flow of the crowd changed, and in a matter of moments there was a large clearance at the center of the banquet hall. Yul Kwen and her entourage stood at the edge of the circle and one of them leaned in for her to whisper into his ear. Once she was done, he stepped into the clearing. ¡°They will fight unarmed,¡± Brandis announced as Aiden stepped into the clearing. ¡°And they will fight without skills. This is to be a show of skill not mindless aggression.¡± Yul kwen curtsied. ¡°As your grace wishes.¡± Aiden and his opponent stood facing each other. ¡°A pleasure to meet you,¡± the retainer said in the common tongue. ¡°I am¡ª¡± ¡°Haruto Takanashi,¡± Aiden finished to his opponent¡¯s surprise. ¡°And I am Aiden Lacheart.¡± If his math was correct, Haruto was probably twenty years old right now, maybe twenty-two years. The man had also gained the [Spearmaster] class. ¡°You have the class of [Spearmaster],¡± Aiden continued when the man opened his mouth to speak. ¡°As a show of good faith, I will also inform you of my class. I achieved the [Weaver] class.¡± Haruto¡¯s eyes narrowed at him. He doesn¡¯t believe me, Aiden thought. I wouldn¡¯t either. Regardless, Haruto took a combat stance and Aiden knew his opponent was not going to take him lightly. Good, Aiden took a simple stance of his own. I wouldn¡¯t want him to. Brandis stood tall at his table, arm raised high. ¡°Is the representative of Nel Quan ready?¡± He looked at Yul Kwen and she nodded. Her expression was calm. Brandis turned to Aiden. ¡°Is the representative of Bandiv ready?¡± Aiden met Jang Su¡¯s gaze, not the king or the princess, then nodded. Brandis brought his hand down. ¡°Begin!¡± Haruto wasn¡¯t large. He had an inch or two on Aiden and they were likely in the same weight class, but he moved quickly. He crossed the distance in a single forward dash, readying an attack. It was an open hand, thrust forward like the blade of a spear. Aiden stepped into it. slapped the attack aside, deflecting it from its path, and slammed his fist into Haruto¡¯s throat. The room fell silent. Haruto dropped to his knees and doubled over. He clutched at his throat, gasping in pain while his body twitched. Aiden turned, looked at everyone around. He saw shock on a lot of faces. Brandis was doing his best to conceal a smirk. Valdan had no such compunction. He smiled like a man whose team had just won against the odds. Yul Kwen was the opposite of Brandis. Her frown was barely concealed, while Jang Su watched in surprise and amusement. Aiden met Jang Su¡¯s eyes once more simply because he could. The reaction of Jang Su told him that the man knew what he was about to do next. Jang Su smiled, eyes never leaving Aiden¡¯s as Aiden¡¯s next word filled the air. ¡°Next!¡± NINETEEN: The Demon of Nel Quan Yul Kwen stared in anger. She knew she had not been insulted, however, she felt insulted. She¡¯d told Haruto his duty. He was not allowed to deal any significant harm to the man he was to face, but he was to show an unquestionable display of dominance. Crush his spirit if he could. Her mother had advised her not to do anything that would foster enmity amongst the summoned even if they were of different kingdoms because in the end, should the Demon King rise, they would all need to work together to face them. A massive display of dominance could as easily breed enmity as it could establish a hierarchy. It was a calculated risk Yul Kwen was willing to take, and her mother had always taught her to take calculated risks. And if a person bred enmity from being outclassed then they were clearly not men worthy of power. So what in the name of the false gods had happened? First, the man, Aiden Lacheart, had announced Haruto¡¯s own name and class. This was something she would have to inform her mother of. King Brandis had spies within Nel Quan, and exterminating all of them was to be a priority on their return. Then the fight had begun and ended in a single moment. All she¡¯d done was blink and Haruto was on the ground, convulsing like a choking child. And as if that was not enough, the fool had the audacity to do the unreasonable. ¡°Next!¡± Aiden called. Had they taught the boy nothing of decorum? Yul Kwen schooled her expression and turned to another of the summoned. She was about to speak when she caught an odd look on Jang Su¡¯s face. The man was smiling. And it wasn¡¯t the kind he often showed her. It wasn¡¯t one of curtesy or something flirtatious. It wasn¡¯t patronizing or shown out of simple kindness. It wasn¡¯t even a smile of amusement. What she saw was a genuine smile. One that touched his eyes. Whatever he had seen, it had impressed him, pleased him. She didn¡¯t even have to ask to know what he wanted. Yul Kwen let out a resigned sigh. ¡°They will not allow it,¡± she said. ¡°The level disparity is too high.¡± The silence of the crowd, born of obvious shock, had dwindled into a small buzz of mutterings. Those around were pleased, but not entertained. Still, they would speak of this for a very long time. ¡°What will not be allowed, princess?¡± one of her retainers asked, a man over thirty years old. She waved him away. ¡°Not you, Gerand.¡± Jang Su¡¯s attention had still not left Aiden Lacheart and his strange too-long-jacket. ¡°They will not allow it,¡± she repeated. Jang Su¡¯s smile did not waver. ¡°And yet it must happen.¡± She willed as much firmness into her voice as she spoke again. ¡°They will not allow it.¡± Jang Su was at level 20 with a unique class that was unheard of anywhere. To make a request to have a level 11 face a level 20 would be an insult, a stain on the name of Nel Quan. And the level 11 was a [Weaver] for that matter, if he was to be believed. He wasn¡¯t even a combat class. ¡°And yet,¡± Jang Su said once more, still smiling, ¡°it must happen. It is inevitable.¡± He raised one hand, the one he most often kept hanging on the hilt of his sword, the only one in a sleeve. Yul Kwen grabbed his robe¡ªkimono¡ªdiscreetly, hoping to stop him. For the first time since Haruto went down, Jang Su looked at her and she saw the fire in his eyes. She had seen it in a lot of men¡¯s eyes, men that would not be dissuaded from the madness they wished to plunge themselves into. She knew then that she would not dissuade him. He would insult the name of her great kingdom. Win or lose, there would be no victory for Nel Quan in the game they played this night. And she would bear the responsibility of it all. She was older and had lived in this world longer. She was supposed to be able to stop him. But by the life of her, she knew she could not. Jang Su raised his hand, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°The level disparity between us may be high,¡± he said. ¡°But would you be willing to indulge me in a spar, Aiden Lacheart?¡± Aiden smiled. It was almost as wide as Jang Su¡¯s, then he bowed respectfully. ¡°It would be an honor.¡± Brandis turned to Jang Su, confused. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Jang Su, your grace,¡± Jang Su answered with a bow. ¡°I am level¡ª¡± ¡°15,¡± Aiden said before Jang Su could finish his statement. Yul Kwen paused, slightly confused. Was it possible that their spies had provided them with the wrong piece of information? It was. Jang Su was the only summoned that trained away from his peers. His training was under a significantly high level master. Spying on such a person with a level beyond the 200s, as much as anyone knew, was an impossibility. It could not happen unless the person allowed it. Jang Su was the first to recover from his surprise. ¡°I am actually¡ª¡± ¡°Level 15,¡± Aiden repeated. There was something in his voice, an adamant tone that insisted he not be disobeyed. Yul Kwen knew it and knew it well. Her mother had used it often. He knows Jang Su is not level 15. She looked at Brandis. The king¡¯s expression revealed nothing, yet she couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Did the king know whatever piece of information his summoned was preventing Jang Su from sharing? He had to know¡ªhe was the king. And if he did, then there was no way he would allow¡ª ¡°Fifteen,¡± king Brandis mused. ¡°The disparity is not that much.¡± Yul kwen¡¯s jaw dropped. She knew she was supposed to school her expression at events such as this but she couldn¡¯t believe this. The king was allowing it? This was madness. Either King Brandis didn¡¯t know or he had gone mad. Beside her, Jang Su¡¯s smile threatened to tear his face apart. He was like a boy just given a new gift, something so amazing he hadn¡¯t even known he¡¯d wanted it. He left her side so fast it was like he practically jumped. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± he said, squatted beside Haruto. ¡°You did good, my friend. You did good.¡± He helped him up and guided him back to Yul Kwen and the entourage. She took the moment to grab Jang Su by the lapel of his kimono. ¡°Win,¡± she told him vehemently. ¡°It is important that you must.¡± He looked into her eyes as if she was a child trying to tarnish something most sacred while he was an adult who was understanding of why she would do such a thing. ¡°All I can promise you, Yul Kwen Sook,¡± he said solemnly, ¡°is that I will fight.¡± Then he was gone from her reach. Yul Kwen frowned. She hated this sense of honor and integrity he liked to carry around. Yes, it was sometimes admirable. But he was still young. What did he know about honor and integrity? What was the honor in a level 20 losing to a level 11? She blamed this entirely on the man he¡¯d taken to calling Lao Bek. A man of Jang Su¡¯s age should not be so obsessed with honor and integrity to the extent that he was. Still, despite his level, for some reason she worried. After all, Jang Su did not have his sword. ¡­ Aiden stood quietly waiting to test his mettle. He faced Valdan every day, but no matter the disparity in levels between them, the knight was always taking it easy on him. What Aiden needed was a fight that would test his ability to the fullest. A battle to see just how much he could handle. If he remembered correctly, one of Jang Su¡¯s companions had once commented on how Jang Su had always been ten levels above them during his funeral. There was always a possibility that it had been an exaggeration, but there was also a possibility that he was about to fight a level 22 [Samurai]. Jang Su came to a stop in front of him after helping Haruto back to the envoys. Aiden bowed when Jang Su stopped. It took Jang Su by surprise, but after a moment, Jang Su bowed back. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about fighting a twenty-year-old boy, even if all he could see was the general who the demons had feared and acknowledged so greatly that it had even given him a system title. There had been legends of his training even then, Aiden thought, taking off his trench coat. The last thing he wanted was to give Jang Su any more advantage than necessary in this fight. ¡°I must say, I did not expect that,¡± Jang Su said in English. He had a Japanese accent, even if it was only slight. ¡°But I guess not everyone is oblivious of some Japanese customs.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Aiden replied, not oblivious to the confused expression on everyone¡¯s face around them. ¡°They have already told you of us.¡± Jang Su¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°They have not told you of us? But you knew of Haruto?¡± ¡°They have not told those I was summoned with either, but I already know of you.¡± ¡°They should¡¯ve told you all.¡± Jang Su frowned. ¡°You should¡¯ve told the others.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not mine to tell. Not yet.¡± ¡°Then how do you know?¡± This was a problem Aiden had seen the moment he''d opened his mouth and revealed Haruto''s information. Mainly, he''d done it to disorient the man and show off a little, but it had brought the problem of how he knew what he knew. What Brandis didn''t know. Now, he had to rectify the problem. ¡°I have my ways," he answered. Jang Su looked at Brandis then back. ¡°It is wrong that they have not told you.¡± Aiden almost smiled. So the honor Jang Su had chased until the day he died was one he¡¯d carried since the beginning. Eleven years of unshaken sense of honor. It was commendable. ¡°Would you like a sword?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Though I doubt there is a katana around here anywhere. I haven¡¯t seen one since I arrived here.¡± ¡°How did you¡­¡± Jang Su stopped himself, looking down at his kimono. ¡°My attire.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering something since you arrived, though. If you would indulge me, why do you wear your kimono that way?¡± Jang Su looked down at his left hand hanging out of the front lapel of the kimono so that the left sleeve was left empty. All Aiden¡¯s memories of Jang Su were either of him wearing his kimono properly or waging war in a samurai armor. ¡°It is an old samurai custom,¡± Jang Su answered. ¡°A samurai wears their kimono this way when they are without a master. A Ronin does the same. Or so I heard back home. Before coming to Nastild, I mean.¡± Aiden nodded. It meant he must¡¯ve gotten a master as at the time they¡¯d met in his past life. ¡°As for a weapon, I believe I am fine without one,¡± Jang Su added. He reached for his empty sleeve, adjusted the kimono and started tying it into a knot around his waist so that his left side was left uncovered, revealing only the black shirt he wore inside. Aiden folded up his trench coat and placed it on the ground. ¡°I guess that would make sense.¡± Aiden rubbed his jaw in thought. ¡°Your class should also account for unarmed combat.¡± Jang Su¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Yes,¡± Aiden answered his unasked questions as impatient murmurs began to rise amongst the spectators. ¡°I am very much aware of your class. Still, I do not mind facing the Demon of Nel Quan without his sword.¡± Jang Su blinked. ¡°What did you call me?¡± ¡°Nothing important.¡± The murmurs were rising now; impatience growing ever louder. ¡°We have kept our spectators waiting for too long,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Shall we begin, General?¡± ¡°How about we make this entertaining,¡± Jang Su said, taking a combat stance. It looked like he held a sword in front of him with both hands, but there was no sword and his hands were not fists. ¡°If you win, I will grant you one request to the best of my ability. And if I win, you will explain why you have called me two things I know nothing about.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Aiden looked at Brandis, and the king shook his head in dissatisfaction before raising his hand. ¡°Is the representative of Nel Quan ready?¡± ¡°Yes, your grace,¡± Jang Su answered. ¡°Is the representative of Bandiv ready?¡± Aiden nodded. Brandis brought his hand down. ¡°Begin!¡± Jang Su closed the distance immediately. His speed surpassed Haruto¡¯s and Aiden took a moment to adapt. Jang Su already had him before he was even ready, hands grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt. Aiden knew the technique immediately. He stepped in, slipped his feet between Jang Su¡¯s legs to prevent himself from being thrown. Before he could affirm his defense, Jang Su was already throwing him. Aiden locked his hands around Jang Su¡¯s arm as he braced for the fall. When he hit the ground, he grit his teeth against the impact. His hands held firmly on to Jang Su and he threw his leg around the man''s arms. Allowing the momentum of his throw give him leverage, Aiden brought Jang Su down with him. Jang Su hit the ground but twisted away from Aiden¡¯s hold before Aiden could switch his technique into a submission arm lock. They were back on their feet almost immediately and commendable murmurs moved through the crowd. It wasn¡¯t voiced by many, but it was voiced by enough. Jang Su¡¯s smile never left his lips and Aiden rushed him. Aiden struck with open hands that he switched into closed fists. He didn¡¯t go just for the face. He ducked and weaved and added as much flair into every combination. Jang Su met him, deflecting and evading. They moved, spiraling the large center that was their sparring ground. For a moment, Aiden had Jang Su on the back foot. It was taking a lot out of him just to keep up with the man. Even with all the technique he knew, matching Jang Su''s speed and strength was taking all the stamina out of him. It was taking far too much stamina out of him. His flow and rhythm was waning. Then Jang Su took advantage of a break in Aiden¡¯s combo and separated from him with a massive back step, only to close the distance immediately. Aiden¡¯s last strike was a grab that caught the air before Jang Su was on him once more. Jang Su came at him from below, body bent at an odd angle so that he struck at him with an upward thrust. Aiden leaned back, allowed the blow scrape past him. Then Jang Su brought the blow down. Aiden acted quickly. His feet carried him back, away from the blow that would take him in the chest. The blow came down, hit the ground, and Jang Su vaulted forward with a kick, leveraging on it. Aiden deflected the kick with both hands, sending it aside. It did little to disorient Jang Su, and the moment the man faced him, they went into a flurry of blows. They stood deep within each other¡¯s space, striking and blocking. Standing so close, there was no space for evasion. Each strike had to be blocked or deflected before it crossed a certain point and landed. The encircled each other as if executing a dangerous waltz, their footing doing as much work to control the fight as their blows. The sound of fists meeting open palms and thrown elbows being stopped filled the silent air. Aiden struck with his leg never going above waist level and Jang Su stopped it with a raised knee. The moment their legs met, Jang Su maneuvered his, stepped on Aiden¡¯s foot and brought the strike down. Aiden winced at the pain of being stepped on by someone who¡¯s strength stat was clearly superior to his own, but was quick to slip his foot free immediately. The distraction was instant and he barely stopped the elbow strike thrown at his nose with an open palm. The flurry lulled back into its odd pattern of attacks and defense. Until a notification flashed in front of Aiden. [Stamina 58%] Aiden frowned as he avoided a leg strike from Jang Su, pushing his speed to keep up with his opponent¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t allow the fight draw out longer than it already was. He was already using all the skills in his arsenal to fight on par with someone with superior stats than his. It was taking everything he had just to stay afloat in the battle. And it was drinking his stamina like a man starved of water. Yet, he would be lying if he said he was not enjoying himself. Aiden executed a quick and complicated flurry of blows. By design, the switch up confused Jang Su. The man¡¯s strikes faltered and Aiden caught his hands and pinned them down. Jang Su¡¯s smile deepened as their faces met. ¡°I would not advise a battle of strength,¡± he said in English. ¡°As you probably know, I¡¯m level 20.¡± ¡°Thank you for confirming that,¡± Aiden said, then he switched his grip and pushed forward, forced Jang Su back. Jang Su brought his pushback to a stop after two steps, then tried to break Aiden¡¯s hold. Their hands bobbed once before coming back down to the level Aiden had kept them. Jang Su stared at their hands in confusion, then at Aiden. When he tried again, it was more of a display of skill than strength. Aiden strengthened his hold, kept their hands in place. ¡°There are ways to pin any man down,¡± Aiden said, groaning under the strain of keeping Jang Su¡¯s arms locked down. ¡°It will take far greater technique to release yourself than you think.¡± [Stamina 44%] ¡°Nope,¡± Jang Su disagreed. ¡°It¡¯s really not that complicated.¡± Then he head-butted Aiden. The crowd erupted in cheers as Aiden¡¯s head reeled back from the blow. His vision blurred and he fought to secure his hold on Jang Su¡¯s hands. Jang Su was already moving. He shook his arms one way, then another. Aiden¡¯s hold did not budge, but it took a lot out of him to ensure it. [Stamina 38%] Jang Su threw another head-butt as Aiden¡¯s head came back but Aiden was ready for it. He angled his head just right, tucked his chin into his neck and braced for impact. When their heads met, Jang Su was the one reeling back from a cut lip. But Aiden was not unaffected. His head thrummed and his vision worsened. [Stamina 36%] His hold on Jang Su waned, his strength failing. Jang Su¡¯s hands went into another frenzy, turned one way, then another. Aiden knew he could not keep his hold so he switched it from a hold to a grip, then spun himself into Jang Su and flipped them. Aiden used a full body throw, tossing himself as well. It sent Jang Su soaring through the air. Jang Su hit the ground and rushed quickly to his feet as if he felt no pain, arm flailing defensively in the air to keep Aiden and any follow up attack away from him. Aiden dived at him, tackled him with a wrestler¡¯s spear. He felt the strength in Jang Su¡¯s core give under the force of his shoulder as he knocked the wind out of him and brought the both of them back down. They hit the ground hard and Aiden¡¯s interface flashed in front of him once more. [Stamina 31%]. Oh shut up, he groaned as he slipped his arms under Jang Su¡¯s left arm, locked his hands over the right side of his neck, and squeezed. Jang Su struggled against his hold. He went for strength, trying to break Aiden¡¯s lock. Aiden bent himself into the technique, squeezed with all his muscles. [Stamina 28%] Come on, then. Tap! [Stamina 26%] Jang Su¡¯s strength was waning. Aiden could feel it in the lack of resistance against his lock. The air was silent, the crowd mute in anticipation. Then pain flared in Aiden¡¯s side and he buckled under the force of it. Somehow, Jang Su had reached across with almost no space for any significant momentum and punched him in the side with enough force to shake him. [Health 97%] Aiden¡¯s hold cracked under the impact of the blow and Jang Su pulled himself from it. To Aiden¡¯s surprise, Jang Su didn¡¯t disengage. Instead, he grabbed Aiden and moved to somehow throw him even from their position. Aiden braced himself as Jang Su rolled over him, using the momentum of the roll to force Aiden to go with him. Before Aiden knew it, Jang Su had risen to his knees and was throwing him over his shoulder. No you don¡¯t. Aiden moved his center of gravity, transitioned from being thrown over the shoulder to an upper arm grapple that sent Jang Su moving with him. Jang Su followed him down and his head hit the ground at an odd angle before he forced them apart with a strong kick to Aiden¡¯s chest. Each of them slid along the ground but not so far apart. They were back to their feet as quickly as was possible, staring at each other, shoulders heaving as they panted heavily. Aiden¡¯s eyes locked on his stamina. [Stamina 19%] Fighting someone stronger that knew what they were doing with everything he had was far too taxing for him right now. If Jang Su kept going, Aiden was going to lose due to insufficient stamina. There was nobody present who wouldn''t have noticed it at this point in the fight. Not an entirely bad way to go, he thought, smiling. At least he¡¯d left Jang Su panting almost as much as himself. Jang Su¡¯s eyes ducked to something nonexistent in the air and Aiden almost chuckled. ¡°How many percent do you have left?¡± he asked in English. ¡°Stamina¡¯s thirty-eight,¡± Jang Su panted. ¡°You?¡± ¡°Nineteen.¡± Jang Su laughed. ¡°Call it?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Sure. This one¡¯s yours.¡± Jang Su dropped and sat down carelessly on the ground, exhausted. Aiden laughed and did the same, doing his best to control his breathing. The moment they both hit the ground, the crowd erupted in cheers. They didn¡¯t even wait for Brandis to call it. In all fairness, they hadn¡¯t waited for Brandis to call Haruto¡¯s loss either. Brandis stood in place for a minute, gave the crowd some time to get their cheers out of their system before raising a hand to silence them. ¡°The winner¡­¡± He looked from Aiden to Jang Su. Aiden nodded towards Jang Su when his eyes met with Brandis¡¯. He knew the verdict and wasn¡¯t going to argue it. Even if Jang Su had sat down first, Brandis knew the truth. Brandis sighed. ¡°The winner,¡± he declared, ¡°is Jang Su, representative of Nel Quan.¡± Some of the members of Yul Kwen¡¯s entourage made short and quick gestures of victorious celebration before schooling themselves at a reproachful look from their princess. Another round of murmurs filled the crowd. It was debatable but not displeased. Apparently, everyone had something to say to each other about the spar. Before Aiden could pick himself up from the ground, Jang Su raised his hand, drawing attention to himself. ¡°Just for the record,¡± he said when silence returned. Aiden saw Yul Kwen¡¯s expression dip into worry. ¡°Lord Lacheart made a small mistake about something.¡± That held everyone¡¯s attention and Aiden almost laughed. Ever the honorable one. He had no idea what could¡¯ve happened to make a man of twenty so obsessed with honor, so much so that he held it to his heart for years up until his death. ¡°And what is that mistake, Lord Jang Su?¡± Brandis asked. Jang Su took another moment to catch his breath before answering. ¡°Lord Aiden Lacheart is level 11 but I am not level 15.¡± Behind him Yul Kwen dropped her face into her hand as Jang Su finished. ¡°I¡¯m actually at level 20.¡± The crowd erupted in a new type of cheer. Jang Su gave Aiden a smirk and Aiden laughed as the chaos grew around them. At his table, Brandis shot Aiden a quizzical look. When Aiden saw it, he remembered that some of his posturing tonight would cause him some issues. He would have to answer questions he wasn¡¯t supposed to know anything about. When he looked away from Brandis, Jang Su was standing in front of him, holding a hand out to him. Aiden took it and allowed Jang Su pull him up. ¡°And he calls me the Demon of Nel Quan,¡± Jang Su said when he was standing. ¡°What level 11 spars a level 20 to a standstill?¡± ¡°One that used every technique in his arsenal. And we can¡¯t really call it a standstill, can we?¡± Jang Su chuckled in amusement. ¡°I never expected to run into another student of a Sage," he said. "I didn¡¯t even know you guys had a Sage. You¡¯ve got to tell me how you convinced him to teach you his style of fighting, though. Mine keeps on refusing.¡± Student of a Sage? Aiden blinked, the glory of their spar forgotten immediately. ¡°Wait, what?¡± TWENTY: Worries Moztin was a high class wine created from something called moztin berries. One of the things Aiden knew about moztin berries was that Alchemists used it in a few of their concoctions, they increased the efficiency of poisons, drawing them out to their strongest capacity. With the addition of another alchemical solution he could not remember, a certain level of perfect harmony could be achieved. Specifically, it was designed to give almost all levels a good enough buzz. Jang Su held up his glass of wine, stared at its contents. ¡°So you¡¯re saying Moztin might as well be an alchemical concoction?¡± Aiden twirled the wine in his glass, keeping a discreet eye around them. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that it¡¯s designed to get the really high leveled people drunk,¡± he said. After their spar, Aiden had had more than his share of nobles and knights come to greet him. The conversations were short and simple. He¡¯d displayed exquisite fighting acumen. It was impressive that he¡¯d lasted so long against someone nine levels higher than him. Where did he learn to fight like that? A noble or two had thrown in how powerful they were in the kingdom and something about their third or second daughter with considerable power in the family but no inheritance position being a beautiful fit for him. Aiden had answered them in the only way he knew how to answer such conversations in his current situation. With lies. Now he was seated with Jang Su, drinking Moztin and dancing around the subject while his mind came to terms with what he¡¯d learned. When they had a little touch of freedom again, the hovering nobles listening to them turning away to other endeavors, Aiden got up. ¡°Shall we take this elsewhere? I¡¯ve heard that this manor has a refreshing balcony.¡± Jang Su got up with him and they made their way up a flight of stairs answering greetings and returning bows, accepting compliments and claps on the back until they were out of massive glass doors that escaped onto a large balcony. Free from attention, Aiden returned them to the real reason for their conversation. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the kingdom of Nel Quan has a Sage,¡± he muttered, not sure Jang Su knew the weight of the information he¡¯d given away. Jang Su nodded, loose strands of moon-blue hair billowing in the night¡¯s breeze. ¡°I know, what kingdom has what Sage is usually a high kept secret but¡ª¡± Aiden snorted. A high kept secret? Jang Su had no idea what he was talking about. Even kings didn¡¯t know what kingdoms had a Sage. There were five known Sages on Nastild and that was a rumor very, very few people were aware of. Aiden hadn¡¯t even started to learn of these things until he¡¯d joined the Order. In fact, as far as he could remember, Drax didn¡¯t even know that Brandis¡¯ advisor was a [Sage]. This was throwing him for a loop. ¡°Are you done?¡± Jang Su asked with a cocked brow. ¡°If you are, I was just saying that¡ª¡± ¡°Good evening, Lord Jang Su.¡± Both of them turned to find a young woman in a dazzling blue dress littered with enough glitters to blind a man under enough light. She walked onto the balcony, closing the door behind her gently. The curtains at the glass door were drawn aside so that anyone without could see within and vice versa. On the inside, Aiden caught a few people watching the woman as she approached them. She blushed when she got to them, chuckled shyly. ¡°I hope I pronounced that right. It is a unique name, after all.¡± Jang Su gave her a kind smile, polite. ¡°You did, my Lady.¡± The woman gave Aiden an equally kind smile. ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden gave her a subtle nod but said nothing. ¡°I just wanted to say that your first spar was truly amazing,¡± the woman said. ¡°That¡¯s the fastest I¡¯ve ever seen any spar go.¡± Aiden nodded again. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± The woman turned and offered her hand, palm down to Jang Su with the other hand placed atop it. ¡°My name is Evelina Contrell of house Contrell.¡± Jang Su moved to take her hand and Aiden reached out to stop him by the wrist. Normally, he would have more tact, but there was nothing normal right now. He had just discovered another kingdom with a Sage, and this other kingdom also had its own summoned people from earth. Also, if he was to be believed, Jang Su was the student of said Sage. He wasn¡¯t sure which one was messing with his mind more. ¡°Lady Contrell,¡± he said. Evelina smiled and dropped her hand. ¡°Call me Evelin. My mother is Lady Contrell.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Lady Contrell. Lord Jang Su will be returning to his homeland eventually, and I have developed something of a kinship with him on account of the fact that he arguably whooped my ass a few moments ago.¡± Evelina winced at hearing the word ¡®ass.¡¯ ¡°So while what you were about to do would¡¯ve made for an interesting scandal,¡± Aiden went on, ¡°you will have to find another envoy of the Nel Quan kingdom.¡± A new blush filled Evelina¡¯s face. Where it had once been from some level of shyness, it was now from embarrassment. She gave Aiden a confused look, then an embarrassed one. Then she opened her mouth and no words came out. Finally, she just turned and left. Jang Su looked from Aiden to the retreating woman, then back. ¡°What was that?¡± Aiden gestured it away. ¡°It is customary to show interest in a man who you are just meeting by offering him your hand with a hand over a hand as she did. If the man takes it, it is a sign that he¡¯s interested as well.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Jang Su said, surprised. ¡°I know.¡± Aiden waved his worry aside. ¡°It would¡¯ve been a scandal, an interesting one, but a scandal nonetheless.¡± Jang Su dropped his glass of wine on top of the balcony¡¯s banister. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you would have been fine either way. What matters is how you got a Sage to teach you.¡± Jang Su shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t. He just saw me on the day of our summoning and told me that I¡¯ll be training with him. The others don¡¯t even know what he is. They just think he¡¯s a powerful swordsman.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°Swordsman?¡± ¡°Yea. He wears a robe and carries a sword without a guard.¡± ¡°Mine walks around with a staff and uses magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± Jang Su reached for his drink, paused, then ignored it. ¡°If your Sage uses magic, then how did he teach you to fight unarmed?¡± That wasn¡¯t a long stretch. Aiden had a feeling there was no form of combat Brandis¡¯ Sage didn¡¯t know. Still, he shook his head. ¡°I told you, he didn¡¯t teach me how to fight. In fact, I¡¯ve only seen him twice. And I don¡¯t think he knows that I know he¡¯s a Sage.¡± Jang Su frowned. Aiden could see that he didn¡¯t believe him. The question was why? ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden emulated his action and placed his own glass of wine on top of the banister. ¡°Tell me this. Why do you think I¡¯m being taught by one?¡± ¡°First, there¡¯s no way you know he¡¯s a Sage without someone telling you, and most of the people in Nel Quan¡¯s palace don¡¯t know theirs is one, they just think he¡¯s an adviser to the crown. And two, you fight like a Sage.¡± That caught Aiden¡¯s attention. ¡°You¡¯ve fought yours unarmed?¡± ¡°All the time. He says it¡¯s good to know how to fight against someone with a weapon and someone without a weapon. There was a point in our fight when you were using the same moves he was using.¡± Aiden ran a shaky hand through his hair. Now he needed to know if Brandis¡¯ Sage was paying attention to this party. Brandis was here so it was likely. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Jang Su looked at Aiden with a touch of worry. ¡°Are you okay? You look like someone just told you your dog died.¡± Aiden shook his head absently. "Never had a dog." As for the important thing, he couldn¡¯t really put it to words. He¡¯d gone all out in this fight. Used everything he knew about unarmed combat. It had been the only way to try and win in his situation. ¡°Just tell me two things,¡± he said, voice shaky. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just a strange fighting technique of this world?¡± Jang Su nodded. ¡°Certain. He told me himself. He said he couldn¡¯t teach me because it was a technique only Sages can use. To teach me was to somehow break a Sage rule or something.¡± This is bad, Aiden thought. This is very bad. ¡°What¡¯s the second thing?¡± Jang Su asked. ¡°The fighting technique¡­¡± his words trailed off and he shook his head. ¡°Never mind. I already know the answer to that one.¡± There was only one fighting technique he had used during their spar that was truly unique even in this world. ¡°Is there a problem, Aiden?¡± Jang Su asked, worried. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just trying to remember where I actually saw it since I wasn¡¯t actually taught. Also, I need a favor. I know I lost, but I need a favor. Do you think you can help?¡± Jang Su spared a moment to look at Yul Kwen where she was speaking to some Lord down below them along with her entourage before answering. ¡°As long as its within reason.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Aiden was glad for that. ¡°First, I know you guys are already thinking of how to get rid of the spies in Nel Quan because I know Haruto¡¯s class.¡± ¡°We are. Yul is already running mad about it.¡± This part was important. It had been a bit of his plan for when he began to possess knowledge he couldn''t get from a library. He had planned to use it later in the future, but he''d gotten carried away and messed up with his displayed knowledge before his spar. ¡°You can try,¡± Aiden said to Jang Su. ¡°God knows every kingdom has a spy in every kingdom. What I want you to know is that I have my own connections. They are not the kingdom¡¯s spies and, try as you might, you¡¯ll never deal with them.¡± Jang Su looked at him through narrowed eyes. ¡°Okay¡­ but I¡¯ve not heard the request. Just what vaguely sounds like a threat.¡± Aiden waved his words aside. ¡°Not a threat. Another thing you should know is that this kingdom knows nothing about my connections. And yes, not even our Sage.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t know we have one, though.¡± ¡°I have learnt that they are a difficult existence to get information on.¡± Aiden picked his wine glass and took a sip before placing it back down. ¡°Even your kingdom doesn¡¯t know that we have one. For safety reasons, I will advise we keep it that way. Bandiv never finds out about Nel Quan and Nel Quan never finds out about Bandiv.¡± ¡°Not that I¡¯m refusing, but why?¡± ¡°Because while I didn¡¯t know you guys had one, I know a thing or two about them. There are five known walking on the face of Nastild. Only five. No one knows were any two are at the same time except themselves. It has been like this since the beginning of them. No idea how long that is. I fear for what would happen if they found out that there are two people, that are not them, with the knowledge of where two of them are at the same time.¡± Jang Su opened his mouth, then closed it. ¡°I¡¯ve fought with mine enough times to know that that is a more worrying threat than even you know. The queen does not oppose him. Ever. She makes it look like she values his counsel but sometimes it feels like she just never opposes him.¡± ¡°Mine talks to the king like he¡¯s a child when it¡¯s only the three of us in the room.¡± ¡°That¡¯s terrifying.¡± ¡®It is," Aiden agreed. "As I was saying, Bandiv is very unaware of my connections and I would like to keep it that way. But I slipped up tonight, displayed knowledge the king doesn¡¯t have and I¡¯m not supposed to have.¡± Jang Su rubbed his chin. ¡°He¡¯ll have questions.¡± ¡°Yes. How I knew Haruto¡¯s name and class. How I knew your level.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± Jang Su asked. Aiden paused. ¡°Not exactly. Levels are a complicated thing. You could¡¯ve increased your level between my last update and when you got here. My point is, I don¡¯t want him to know. If he knows, a lot of things will change.¡± Jang Su sighed. ¡°You do know that the story of you having your own high level spies is almost impossible to believe, right?" Aiden nodded. He''d initially planned to implement this maybe six months to a year down the line but... But your stupid mouth that''s what. But this story would come to light late, for now only Jang Su needed it to help with his lie. "I know," Aiden agreed. "I see." Jang Su didn''t look like he saw. "So what do you need me to do?¡± ¡°When he asks me how I know what I know, I¡¯m going to lie," Aiden said. "I¡¯ll tell him that I overheard it during a conversation you were having with your companions. There is a chance he will believe me. We are kids in his eyes, new to this world, he would believe such a slip up. The problem is if he finds a way to try and confirm it.¡± ¡°I see what you mean.¡± Jang Su stared into the starry night sky. ¡°You want me to admit to having such a conversation. I¡¯ll handle it on my end. Now, your turn. You lost.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°On a technicality.¡± ¡°Nope. You lost. Why did you call me General?¡± ¡°Because of the way the others deferred to you,¡± Aiden lied without missing a beat. ¡°I know it¡¯s probably because of how close you seem to be to the princess, she¡¯s always gravitating to stand beside you. But calling you General was meant to throw you off.¡± Jang Su chuckled. ¡°And Demon of Nel Quan?¡± ¡°Your hair. It¡¯s naturally that color, doesn¡¯t look like a magical augmentation, and people here with that color of hair usually have it magically altered. Only demons and monsters have naturally oddly colored hair.¡± This time Jang Su shook his head in amusement. ¡°Mind games through and true. But how did you know it¡¯s naturally this color and not an augmentation?¡± ¡°Humans on Nastild have brown, black, blonde and the occasional red hair. All the other colors are, let¡¯s call it, magical dye. But they are brighter than yours. Yours looks more natural. Also, we have someone who also had a touch of dye when we got here. It¡¯s now just their natural hair color. It¡¯s just not very visible.¡± Jang Su touched his hair. ¡°Lao Bek, my Sage, said the summoning was the reason. Something about recreation based on our state at that point. He says it naturalized everything. Still, can¡¯t say I know how I feel about the mind games you were playing with me and Haruto. Tell us things to throw us off balance before the fights. It didn¡¯t work on me so that¡¯s something.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°What can I say? I was about to go up against someone that was nine levels above me. I needed every advantage I could get.¡± Aiden stared at the stars in the night sky as thoughts returned to his mind. He thought of memories of his past life and problems of this one. He¡¯d barely been here a month and he already had problems he didn¡¯t have until Ted had become the Demon King. He knew the sin of knowledge, the transgression of knowing where two Sages were at the same time. Both Sages also lived in two of five kingdoms that had summoned people from earth. It was a problem, and most likely not a coincidence. ¡°Penny for your thought?¡± Aiden looked at Jang Su. ¡°Sorry, just wondering what I¡¯ll do when my Sage finds out that I have a fighting technique that belongs to him that I¡¯m not supposed to know.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Relief was heavy in Jang Su¡¯s voice. ¡°If that''s the case, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Nothing gets past them. If you saw it somewhere and picked it up, then its very likely that your Sage wanted you to learn it. They tend to work in mysterious ways. That said¡­¡± He picked up his wine glass and turned to the door. ¡°I have to return to my people. The princess gets worried when I¡¯m gone for too long.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Aiden Lacheart,¡± Jang Su said, offering him a handshake. Aiden took it. ¡°You, too, Jang Su. Try not to take any man or woman¡¯s hand offered in courtship on your way back.¡± Jang Su stiffened. ¡°The men do it, too?¡± Aiden gave him a wide grin. ¡°Who knows, General Jang Su? Who knows?¡± Before long, Aiden was left alone to the cool breeze of the night, the starry sky staring down at him, and the worries in his head. Sages did work in mysterious ways. That much was true. And sometimes they knew things and didn¡¯t worry about it. So he shouldn¡¯t have anything to worry about. Knowing the fighting technique wasn¡¯t supposed to be something to worry about. But Jang Su was wrong about one thing. Aiden had to worry about it. He had to really worry about it. Because Jang Su had just told him that he knew some secret Sage fighting style. And it was the exact fighting style they taught in the Order. What the hell is going on? ¡­ The breeze was gentle, soft against his dark hair. Vass liked it here. Here nobody bullied him for not having parents. Nobody looked at him with pity like the maids in the palace did. Nobody looked at him with fear like every single person of authority did. In the palace he was either pitied or feared. There was no in between. It was a better reaction than the one he¡¯d had before he¡¯d been brought to the palace. Before the palace he¡¯d been a street child, bullied and oppressed for not having parents by those that had and for being weak and scrawny for those that didn¡¯t have like him. He had a friend or two but they were in the same boat. Weak and preyed upon. They understood their friendship. Comfort and lies in the name of hope. They shared their happiness where they could find it, but never their pain. It wasn¡¯t a friendship forged in fire, merely one forged in mutual grief. They were the weakest, lying at the bottom of the food chain. Too weak to bound together and challenge their oppressors, they accepted their fate at the bottom. When one was being bullied, the others hid, protected themselves. They were young but they were not foolish. Grief dissolved certain delusions of grandeur from a person¡¯s mind. So when one was done taking their beaten, they knew they could always find the others and forget themselves in the blatant lies that were dreams designed to console themselves. Dreams of becoming great warriors when they were eighteen and received their very own interface and a chance to be powerful. Dreams of being taken pity on and picked from the street the way they¡¯d often seen strays get picked by random strangers. Dreams that one out of the three of them would never get to see. But Vass was living one of those dreams now. Picked from the street by a random old man with curious and intentional eyes. The man had no name, merely a staff and long beards. He was clean, cleaner than anyone Vass had ever seen in Bracknin. But he was also quiet. Vass had never been expected to be brought to the palace. He¡¯d even accepted the fate that he was to be used for some experiment. It wasn¡¯t the first time there were stories of alchemists and necromancers doing human experiments of some kind. But here he was, the weakest member of the palace yet the most feared and pitied by proxy and existence. Knights bristled each time they walked along their way only to have their path cut off by his very presence. Some of them thought he liked doing it, liked to stand in their way and look at them like they had no other future but what he was going to tell them. It hadn¡¯t been until later on when the old man had told him he had other uses apart from playing errand boy to the king. No one had known but he had been present at the summoning, hidden away in a corner as he had played his major yet small part in the event. The old man had patted him on the head, told him he¡¯d done well, then sent him on his way when all was done. So yes, Vass loved living in the palace and away from his old home, but he hated how those who lived in the palace looked at him. He was very sure that Derenet, the crowned prince hated him. If he was to still be around when the man became king, he was sure to be hanged. But there was nothing he could do about it. He would be hanged and another young child would take his place. Vass let out a tired sigh and looked up at the starry night sky. He liked it here, out in the forest. The stars didn¡¯t care here or there about him. He was as equal to them as any other man and woman that looked up at them. And the trees didn¡¯t judge him. Old and tall and large as they were, they kept the rain at bay and the sunshine waiting patiently away. And the breeze. If he lied to himself hard enough he could believe that it loved him. Loved him in a way his mother never had. The sound of something snapping dragged Vass from his thoughts. He loved this place because no one ever came here, so panic filled him and he turned quickly, feral like a threatened feline. The person he saw had a familiar face. ¡°Hungry?¡± they asked, holding out a bowl of something that smelled sweet. Vass said nothing, stared in worry as the person came forward. He saw the Lord and struggled to remember his name. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± the young Lord said, drawing closer. He placed the bowl gently on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t bite.¡± Vass looked down at the contents of the bowl. It was owl meat. His favorite. He eyed the young Lord and slowly inched towards the bowl. The young Lord smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you remember me,¡± he said. ¡°But we¡¯ve met before.¡± Vass remembered it now. He was the jovial one that kept giving him kind glances. Vass knew his family name, but not his own name. But the name echoed in his mind as the lord said it. ¡°I am Lord Lacheart,¡± the Lord said with an easy smile. ¡°But you can call me Ted.¡± TWENTY-ONE: Rue Brandis ¡°Back!¡± Aiden spun, hands weaving a quick sign. His interface flashed quickly. You have used [Enchantment of Lesser Speed] Then he darted away, blitzed through the distance so that the swords came down on nothing. When he came to a stop, it was amidst a small cloud of dust. He gave Valdan an incredulous look. ¡°What was I supposed to do with ''back''? They were coming at me from all sides.¡± Valdan shrugged. ¡°I called out the most fatal attack.¡± ¡°That was a distraction and you know it.¡± Drax was panting hard. ¡°And you still managed to escape it.¡± Beside him Letto dropped to sit down on the ground. They¡¯d been sparring for an hour straight and Aiden was impressed with their growth. Anita dropped her shortsword and joined Letto on the ground. ¡°Can¡¯t believe the clone didn¡¯t work,¡± she muttered. Aiden held his hands in front of him. The effect of the enchantment was still flowing through him. Speed remained in his muscles, waiting for him to make a move. With normal enchantments, there was a trigger to them, an off-switch of sorts. All you had to do was cut of your flow of mana to the enchanted item and it would seize as long as it was not the kind of item with an area of effect function. For Aiden, however, [Enchanted Weave] did not work the same way. So he had to be careful of which enchantments he used and when. Valdan said there were skills like that but as the mastery increased, he would learn how to deactivate it. Aiden really hoped so. The last thing he wanted to do was use a lightning enchantment and be unable to turn it off when his enemy decided to turn up with a bucket of water. The wooden sword he¡¯d used was chipped and cracked, suffered under the weight of all the blows he¡¯d had to parry and defend. He tossed it aside. ¡°Can someone tell me why Ted hasn¡¯t been joining us these past few days?¡± Anita asked. It had been a week since the ball, a week since Aiden suggested Drax and Anita be added to his training with Valdan. At first, the Knight had simply gotten them other soldiers that could help with their training, but today was their first time sparring against Aiden. As for Ted, Aiden could still remember how the conversation had gone. Ted had turned him down politely. As eager as he was to get strong, he wasn¡¯t that eager. ¡°He¡¯s not interested,¡± Drax said. ¡°He was nice about it, though.¡¯ ¡°And Sam?¡± she asked. Aiden didn¡¯t remember inviting Sam. ¡°I don¡¯t remember inviting Sam,¡± he said. Letto gave Aiden an awkward look. ¡°I did. But he refused. I think he really doesn¡¯t like you.¡± I don¡¯t like him, too. ¡°Ever figured that there might be a¡ª¡± Aiden cut himself off with a deep breath as the speed slowly ebbed from his body. He felt it the moment it was all gone. As for inviting Sam, Letto hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Not entirely. Yes, it was not his place to extend the invitation without Aiden¡¯s permission, but Letto was often everybody¡¯s friend. He always wanted to be. But that wasn¡¯t Aiden. And try as he could, he wasn¡¯t willing to help Sam get as much power as he wanted. It didn¡¯t matter how much of the future he changed. Drax would be an enemy of Ted if Ted became the Demon King but he was still a good person. What Sam became was a far cry from a good person. Call him biased, but Aiden couldn¡¯t shake it. And I¡¯d kill him again if he tries to walk that path. Aiden ran a tired hand through his hair and checked his [Life] stats. [Life] [Health 100%], [Stamina 42%], [Mana 15 %] He still had a long way to go with his enchantments. The mana requirement for each enchantment when he used [Enchanted Weave] was almost double the mana requirements for activating an enchanted item. Which meant he had to work with lesser enchantments when using the class skill and support it with enchanted items. ¡°How exactly does that clone skill work?¡± Letto was asking Anita as Aiden checked his stats. ¡°It¡¯s an effect of the [Doppleganger] class,¡± she answered. Aiden turned away from the group as Drax¡¯s attention went to Anita¡¯s explanation. Taking a stroll in Valdan¡¯s direction, he pulled up his interface. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 14] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 12.20%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 08.00%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier]. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 57.03%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 42.90%)], [Resilience (Mastery 50.03%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 21.03%)], [Keen eye (Mastery 99.99%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 45.04%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 14.33%)], [Quiet movement (Mastery 64.00%)], [Light steps (Mastery 89.19%)], [Awareness (Mastery 100.00%)]. [Stats] [Dexterity 6], [Agility 5], [Mana 7], [Speed 8], [Perception 6], [Strength 3]. [Life] [Health 100%], [Stamina 42%], [Mana 16 %] ¡°Sir Valdan, I need you to do me a favor,¡± he said as he approached the knight. ¡°And what would that be, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Throw something at me when I¡ª¡± Something flashed at him, quick as a whip, and Aiden ducked away from it. His eyes followed it and found that the item was small, almost unnoticeable. A small pebble. He stared at Valdan mouth agape. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°Was it not what you wanted?¡± Valdan asked casually. ¡°You wanted me to throw something at you when you least expect it.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Did you expect it?¡± Aiden frowned. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I believe I have done you a favor. Did it suffice?¡± Aiden was already looking at the notification in front of him. [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Keen Sight (Mastery 100.00%)] ¡°Yea,¡± he answered. Valdan nodded. ¡°Then you¡¯re welcome.¡± With that, he glanced over at the others. They remained conversing. [Foundational skill with perfect mastery detected.] [Multiple foundational skills with perfect mastery detected.] [Congratulations!] [You have achieved perfect mastery in the necessary foundational skills.] You have gained skill [Detect (Mastery 02.10%)]. He pulled up his skills once more. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 57.03%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 42.90%)], [Resilience (Mastery 50.03%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 21.03%)], [Detect (Mastery 02.10%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 45.04%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 14.33%)], [Quiet movement (Mastery 64.00%)], [Light steps (Mastery 89.19%)]. Now that he had the basic detection skill, he was one step closer to leaving the palace. [Keen Sight] and [Awareness] were now simply a part of him, passive benefits of the [Detect] skill. Once he got [Quiet movement] and [Light steps] to perfect mastery, he would get the [Stealth] skill. Then whether Brandis likes it or not, I¡¯m out of here. He spared one glance at Drax, Letto and Anita. They may or may not be fine in the end but that was not his problem right now. They had two to three years before the chaos kicked in. After all, there would be stray demons lurking around before the Demon king. ¡°Hey, Aiden!¡± Anita hollered at him. He folded his arms, still standing beside Valdan. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Did you hear about the mock battle the king is setting up?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s like us against Derrick¡¯s team.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You know you¡¯re on our team, right?¡± Aiden had been giving it a lot of thought and he¡¯d already made a decision on the mock battle. He was currently the highest level among them as far as he knew and there were still some of them that hadn¡¯t gotten to level 10 yet. Letto being one of them. After his encounter with Jang Su, another part of the timeline had changed. Brandis had changed his plans. The first thing the king had done was have both groups go out under supervision and start working on their levels. Most of them were already close to level 10 so it hadn¡¯t been too time consuming. Aiden had paid attention to almost none of it. His only interest was in Drax and Ted. True to what he knew, Drax unlocked the [Knight] class which gave him superior mastery over sword and shield. Ted unlocked the [Summoner] class which gave him mana affinity and tilted his [Charisma] skill towards monsters of certain kinds along with human beings. Those remained the same as they had been in Aiden''s past timeline. Aiden turned to Valdan. Before he could say anything, the Knight shook his head. ¡°You will not be participating in the battle.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°The king has granted your request. He has given you leave to explore beyond the capital city. To the South, as you requested.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Valdan put his hand to the hip of his shield and a small enchantment engraving came alive in the softest blue. His hand dipped into it and pulled out a rolled up parchment. The parchment was held together by a piece of twine that was sealed with the engraving of the king. Valdan handed it over to Aiden, and he took it but didn¡¯t open it. In the past week, he''d discovered that more time spent in the palace while waiting for their first quest was simply a waste of time. So he''d switched up his plan a little, moved his destinations around. ¡°In there is a letter to the Naranoff house,¡± Valdan said. ¡°They will be your host for the duration of the time you will spend there. Also, you have been granted clearance, by that letter, to use the teleportation center.¡± ¡°What of my request for a companion?¡± ¡°All you have to do is pick a companion of your choice. The letter accounts for a plus one. So anyone will suffice as long as they agree.¡± Aiden looked down at the parchment. You have used skill [Detect]. ¡­ Item: [Royal Decree] King Bandis the fourth has penned a royal decree instructing that the wielder of this decree [Lord Aiden Lacheart] be granted all necessary requirements and extended hospitality by House Naranoff. This is to be extended to any plus 1 of his choosing at [Lord Aiden Lacheart¡¯s] discretion. Refusal will be seen as disobedience to the crown. The [Detect] skill was amazing. Official documents like this possessed some level of interaction with the system. As such, he didn¡¯t have to open it to know its contents as long as he possessed the [Detect] skill. If this had been penned by someone without an official position sanctioned by the system or someone that was not a scribe, the best the skill would¡¯ve gotten him was probably that it was a rolled up piece of paper. At a higher mastery it would¡¯ve gotten him more. And if whoever penned it in an official capacity had chosen to place a secrecy enchantment on it, it would¡¯ve gotten him less. Aiden tapped the paper against his hand in thought. Now he just had to speak with his plus one. ¡°When will we be leaving?¡± Valdan asked with what seemed like a reluctant tone. Aiden blinked. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me?¡± Valdan paused. ¡°Am I not?¡± ¡°Why would you be?¡± Aiden gestured at the other three people seated on the ground. ¡°You¡¯ve got your work cut out for you while I¡¯m away.¡± Valdan¡¯s helmeted head tweaked downwards. ¡°I thought¡­¡± he muttered, letting his words trail off. Aiden cocked a brow realizing what was happening. ¡°You thought you were my plus one?¡± Valdan nodded. Aiden chuckled, then patted Valdan on the arm. ¡°Oh, good friend. As much as I would love to go with you, I had someone else in mind. Besides, if I take you, who would train these children?¡± ¡°We heard that!¡± Anita shouted over the distance. Valdan looked from her to Aiden. ¡°Isn¡¯t she older than you?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re all older than me. I think I¡¯m the youngest of all the summoned.¡± Valdan disagreed. ¡°You¡¯re nineteen. I¡¯m sure there is one of you that¡¯s eighteen.¡± Aiden had no idea who that was. The youngest Aiden remembered was Letto, and the boy was older than him by a few months. ¡°Anyway,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Someone has to teach them.¡± ¡°They can be returned to their respective teachers.¡± Valdan folded his arms, there was something petulant about the stance. ¡°Private sessions were only meant for you, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden stroked his jaw. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And what exactly do you see, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°That you actually want to come with me.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Aiden laughed, slapping the armored arm once more. ¡°I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything I can do about it. I just thought you wouldn''t be interested in leaving the capital that''s why I didn''t plan for it. I honestly thought you''d like to remain as close to the king as possible.¡± Valdan looked down at his arm where Aiden had patted him, then at Aiden. ¡°It is not that I want to come with you or not. It is simply that I was under the assumption that I would be coming with you, seeing as I handle all your tutorship.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t handle my magical lessons.¡± ¡°You do not study magic, Lord Lacheart. You do not have the affinity for it.¡± Aiden looked at the knight through narrowed lids. ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± Valdan shrugged and looked away. ¡°Merely stating a fact, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Well, I learn enchantments and you don¡¯t play a part in that, so there.¡± Aiden stuck his tongue at him, surprising even himself with the childish behavior. He still wasn¡¯t over the fact that two lifetimes and he still couldn¡¯t learn magic. ¡°Anyway, if my plus one refuses, I¡¯ll consider having you for my plus one as long as you have no problem with it. We can practice my French while we are at the portal.¡± ¡°French?¡± Valdan asked, confused. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The language of love, Sir Valdan,¡± Aiden said, then started making his way for the exit. ¡°The language of love.¡± Now he needed to speak with Ted. The mock battle would be useless to him. The time Ted would use to prepare for the battle would be better spent preparing for the rest of their stay in Nastild. Besides, he needed to get them ready for the first quest the king had for them. After all, nobody had known the town had actually been cannibalistic and he wasn¡¯t going to go giving out information that would put him under more suspicion than he already was. The fact that Brandis was yet to summon him regarding how he had the information he had on the Nel Quan envoys when he, the king, didn¡¯t have it, was still troubling Aiden. ¡­ ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t want to come?¡± Ted was lying down on Aiden¡¯s bed, playing with what looked like a small fire breathing lizard. It had green scales and the head of a bearded dragon. It was also as long as Aiden¡¯s forearm. Ted ran a finger along the top of its head and it spat out a tiny gust of flame. ¡°Do you know that the flame lizard has the potential to grow as large as a horse?¡± Ted said, still rubbing its head. ¡°And a jepat can use its feces like fired projectiles. It is their preferred way of combat against smaller opponents.¡± Aiden came and sat beside Ted on the bed. The flame lizard hissed at him and he smacked it on the head with the parchment to deter it from any unruly behavior. The summoned creature scurried away from him, moved closer to Ted. Ted gave him a look. ¡°Isn¡¯t that document supposed to be important?¡± ¡°It is, but aren¡¯t you supposed to be happy to leave the palace?¡± Ted rubbed the creature¡¯s head once more before it slowly started dissipating into smoke. Ted waited until it was completely gone. ¡°Three minutes,¡± he noted with a frown. ¡°Too short.¡± ¡°What level are you?¡± Aiden asked, genuinely curious. So early into being a summoner, three minutes for a summoned creature was a good number. Rather than answer, Ted waved his hand as if casting a spell and an icon appeared above his head. [Theodore Lacheart¡ªSummoner (Level 15)] Aiden just stared. He had a lot to say about what he was looking at. An entire book worth. But his mouth was momentarily too stunned to speak. He¡¯d literally gone through a small army of goblins and killed a Goblin Shaman. He was level 14. In your defense you¡¯re supposed to be level 17. It was a logical excuse but it still didn¡¯t make sense. And he¡¯d been thinking not very long ago that he had the highest level amongst all of them. I guess pride always comes before a fall. Still, that was that and this was this. Aiden brought them back to the conversation at hand. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me why you won¡¯t come with me,¡± Aiden said. ¡°That¡¯s because I like the palace, and the people, and where I am.¡± Ted made a gesture with a finger and a geometric sign appeared in the air then burst into smoke. ¡°Also, there¡¯s a small mock battle Brandis is setting up and I really, really want to whoop Derrick¡¯s ass.¡± When the smoke cleared out, there was a massive spider on the bed. It was one-foot-tall and almost three feet wide on account of its long and thin arachnid legs. It turned, multiple eyes looking around as if it had no idea where it was. Ted gave it a friendly wave when it looked at him. ¡°I also made friends I¡¯ll miss if I go,¡± Ted continued as the spider slowly crawled up to him. ¡°So you go. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Aiden was a little stuck on the sight of a spider cuddling his brother¡¯s face as if it was a totally normal thing as he got up from the bed. One of the things Aiden had been hoping for was to use their time on the road to explain his situation to Ted. They¡¯d spent enough time together since coming here, and while their bond was not as strong as it had been in his previous life, it was strong enough. At least Ted would ask questions but wouldn¡¯t discard him as someone with a mental case. But that plan was now a bust. ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden conceded with a sigh. ¡°But how about we take a stroll outside the castle walls before I go.¡± Apart from the goblin hunt they hadn¡¯t been outside the castle walls together. If they wouldn¡¯t travel together, then this was his chance to explain to Ted. Ted looked at him, squinted in thought. Then he hummed thoughtfully. It was as if he was considering a reason for going out. As if he knew all the reasons they would spend time together outside the palace and was weighing if he was interested. In the end, his answer was simple and nonchalant. ¡°Nope.¡± Aiden halted his steps towards the door and turned. ¡°What?¡± Ted turned and laid on his back. ¡°Nope.¡± He popped the word enthusiastically as the spider took its time climbing on top of him. The sight gave Aiden a very wrong feeling. He didn¡¯t know if Ted liked spiders. ¡°Why not?¡± he asked, then pointed at the spider. ¡°And that¡¯s creepy.¡± Ted raised his hand and scratched the spider behind its head. ¡°It is?¡± His face was thoughtful and his hand paused mid-scratch before continuing. ¡°I guess it is. But I¡¯m a summoner, summoned animals are quite literally my arsenal. I can¡¯t say I won¡¯t summon a snake because most people find it terrifying. Or a spider because it¡¯s a bug. If it works, I¡¯ll use it.¡± Aiden saw the sense in that. Besides, he only pointed out how creepy it was because it was creepy. And the spider isn¡¯t what¡¯s creepy, it¡¯s that he¡¯s treating it like a dog. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question, though.¡± Ted moved his hand from the spider¡¯s head and it dropped its body on top of him, nuzzling its head against his chest. ¡°Aida,¡± Ted said, unbothered by the spider. ¡°We¡¯ve spent every evening together hanging out for the past month. I know it¡¯s good that we¡¯re getting closer because God knows we were a mess back on earth, but we can¡¯t hang out all the time. Apart from the ball and when you went for that your contract you told me about, when last did we spend an evening apart?¡± Never. Every evening they ate their dinner and Aiden and Ted just hung out in their room. Most of the time they didn¡¯t even do a lot of talking. They were just present. ¡°Judging by the look on your face, you have the answer to that question.¡± Ted¡¯s head was hanging over the edge of the bed so that he looked at Aiden upside down. ¡°Which means that I¡¯ve spent all my evenings and nights with you. Now you might enjoy hunting for power and going to bed, but I enjoy female company and getting laid. It might make me sound like some kind of sleaze but I haven¡¯t gotten laid in two months.¡± Aiden raised a finger while wanting to say something, then dropped it. What was he going to say? ¡°Do you need the evening to yourself?¡± he asked in the end. ¡°I can always spend the night in your room if you think my room would be better.¡± Ted cocked a brow. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to get laid tonight. Nastild doesn¡¯t have protection but there are actually enchantments that help with that whole thing. Or you can always pu¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make this awkward, brother,¡± Ted sighed, interrupting him. ¡°We are not going to talk about the birds and the bees as if we¡¯re both virgins. I know for a fact that you are not, and in case you don¡¯t know, I am not. No one¡¯s getting laid tonight. Anita and I are just hanging out. That¡¯s all.¡± Aiden heard everything but was more focused on something else. ¡°What¡¯s it doing?¡± he asked. Ted looked at the spider on his chest. It had four legs pressed against the sides of its head. ¡°It¡¯s emotionally linked to me,¡± he answered. ¡°It¡¯s a summoner thing. I guess since I really didn¡¯t want to hear what you were saying it really doesn¡¯t want to hear what you were saying. Since I was going to cover my ears, it covered the side of its head where there would be ears if it was my head. You know, for someone who spends a lot of time in the library, you really know nothing about summoning.¡± Aiden knew a few things about summoning. And that level of connection didn¡¯t show up until around level 50 when a manifesting class skill was gained. Maybe that¡¯s why he grew so fast, Aiden thought. His class was already a powerful version of itself from the beginning. Aiden conceded with a sigh, then opened the door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ted asked. ¡°Out,¡± he answered. ¡°I need a breath of fresh air that¡¯s not palace air.¡± He also needed to talk to Valdan about being a plus one since Ted wasn¡¯t going. Since the trip was in two days, they¡¯d need some time to get set. Maybe not Valdan, but Aiden definitely needed some time to pack. ¡­ Queen Rue Brandis sat quietly in her chamber, sewing. The space was large and simple. Blue walls served as a backdrop to a room with a simple desk and a simple chair. There was a massive rug with the design of a nettlek with its six cute and furry limbs and big round eyes and its fluffy body. Rue Brandis wasn¡¯t one for the dragon designs the palace knew and loved all the time. The light in her room was dim, the bulbs that littered the walls to grant illumination turned off. Her only source of light was from a candle that sat atop what was supposed to be her reading table. But she wasn¡¯t a reader like her husband so she guessed it could just be called a table. ¡°Come in,¡± she called. The door to the room opened. Her guest peeped inside the room as if expecting to see someone else before entering and closing the door behind her. ¡°I¡¯ve told you to stop doing that, mother,¡± her daughter, Elaswit, chided her softly. ¡°It scares the maids. Even if your class allows you feel every living thing around you, wait for the person to knock.¡± Queen Rue paused her activity and looked up at her daughter with a fond smile. Everyone said Elaswit looked a lot like her and she agreed. The only part of her that she¡¯d gotten from her father were her amber eyes and her strong ability to be very uninterested in the kingdom¡¯s politics. Elaswit was very much like Brandis in the problem solving department, give her a weapon and point her towards the problem. It was a simpler solution than silver tongues and false smiles. Elaswit locked the door behind her and took a sit on one of the chairs, eyes on the piece of cloth on her mother¡¯s lap. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked. Rue raised the cloth up for her daughter to see. It was thick and beige and so far she had sewn a geometric design into it. Elaswit cocked her head to the side trying to make heads of the design. ¡°Is that an enchantment of¡­ nope.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Got no idea what that is.¡± Rue turned the embroidery to look at it, then paused. ¡°Oh, I got the lenal inversion wrong.¡± She folded up the embroidery then placed her thread and needles on the table. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said. ¡°Still trying to get that life enchantment working.¡± ¡°No, mother, there¡¯s already a healing enchantment,¡± her daughter disagreed. ¡°What you¡¯re trying to do is create a life enchantment. I know you¡¯re a powerful enchanter with a life affinity but people don¡¯t invent enchantments. You know that.¡± Rue sighed. Only a powerful enchanter could birth a strong child with no sense of adventure. Sometimes she blamed how she¡¯d raised Elaswit and her other children for the way they were. Her and Brandis were taking a different approach for their third child, and at sixteen, not yet blessed with his own interface, he was already dreaming big. He was the one that gave her the idea she was currently using for her attempt at creating a life enchantment. Very much unlike her daughter. Elaswit sat before her with her hair worn down. It was brown as her mother¡¯s and long, and she moved it so that it fell down one side of her shoulder. She was not as pretty as Yul Kwen from the Nel Quan kingdom, but she was plenty beautiful. And Rue did not believe it was a mother¡¯s bias. ¡°You were the one that called me, mother,¡± Elaswit said after a moment of being stared at. ¡°And if you want me to go talk to some pompous Lord¡¯s child to dissuade him from making some stupid decision, then the answer is no. I¡¯m still getting stupid letters from the Darnwis boy in the west. What makes him think you can court a self-respecting woman with letters thought up and written by your scribe?¡± ¡°It is about a young Lord¡ª¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Elaswit interrupted her mother, rising from her chair. ¡°Not doing this. Young Lords are the worst lords.¡± Rue sighed. Her daughter was often impatient and she had no idea where she got it from. ¡°Sit child,¡± she said softly. ¡°Before I enchant you into a cripple for the duration of this conversation.¡± Elaswit froze. She looked at her mother with part worry and part disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t do that¡­ right? There aren¡¯t enchantments for that¡­ right?¡± Rue laughed. How she loved her kids and their various reactions. Derenet, her first, wouldn¡¯t dream of cutting their conversation short in such a way, and their last would simply think of what enchantment would counter the possibility of a crippling enchantment. ¡°You have no idea what an enchanter of my level can do,¡± Rue told her daughter with a fond smile. Elaswit frowned. She had realized it was a joke and a cautioning at the same time. ¡°And what level is that, mother?¡± Rue cleaned her lap of left over threads. ¡°Lower than your father¡¯s and significantly higher than yours. Now take a seat so I can tell you about what I require of you.¡± Elaswit¡¯s frown never left her face but she took her sit. ¡°Now,¡± Rue sat forward. ¡°What do you know about the young Lord Aiden Lacheart?¡± TWENTY-TWO: Of Noble Blood This was uncomfortable. Aiden fought the urge to keep his eyes forward and focus on what was outside the carriage window as the carriage trudged along. He¡¯d been given the basic information of his story before the journey had begun by Vass. It had been a weird encounter simply sitting in his room, on his bed, while the young boy narrated the king¡¯s message like an automated machine. He was to maintain his alias used for his adventuring. He was a bastard son of some secret noble somewhere who was into adventuring and had gained favor in Valdan¡¯s eyes. He was not Valdan¡¯s student even though he trained with Valdan as it was not a simple thing to be squire to a knight. Aiden could work with all of that. As for the details of the trip. They would find their way to the teleportation center. There, they as well as their jepats and carriage and all that they had with them, would be teleported all the way to the South where they would be received by a waiting entourage from the Naranoff family. The family was already aware of their visit and would treat them with all the hospitality for the duration of their stay. As for why Aiden hadn¡¯t heard the information directly from the king, it was because the king had been occupied at the time. Vass had told Aiden this, and somehow he had a feeling it was not an important part of the message as far as Brandis was concerned. One did not ask why a king did not deliver his messages personally. They simply took the message however it was delivered. Aiden¡¯s real problem was in the complete hitch in his plan. She sat down opposite him, staring directly at him. He was forced to stare outside at views he knew all too well just to avoid making eye contact. Princess Elaswit Brandis. Aiden played around with his memories, remembering what he could about her. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t been close with any member of the royal family in his past life. All he knew of them were rumors and open secrets. A strong one he knew about Elaswit was that while she had her mother¡¯s ability to be cultured and feminine, she was more inclined to her father¡¯s way of things. There would be not politicking with her. If she had questions, she would ask. If she felt that a challenge was necessary, she would challenge. She had the [Butcher] class which gave her a very powerful advantage in a situation where she had to fight multiple opponents. And she used the class to its extremes in battles from what Aiden knew. Why is she here? He had asked Valdan the very same question when he had arrived at the carriage this morning to find her already seated within, waiting for them. Valdan¡¯s response had been simple and very lacking of information. ¡°She has business in the South.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve liked to go into his old knowledge to claim that she in fact had never had business in the south, but he could not. That was the thing with his past life, he only knew what he knew. And in his earlier days, there had been a lot of things he hadn¡¯t know. At this rate he could not count on his knowledge of the miniscule things. All his actions had already set the miniscule things askew. He had clashed with Jang Su in unarmed combat, killed a Goblin Shaman that may or may not have gone on to do other things, and gained the direct attention of king and Sage. Don¡¯t forget you¡¯ve also helped ensure the first person to know the location of two Sages outside of yourself. ¡°Does Lord Lacheart intend to stare out of the carriage for the duration of our trip, Sir Valdan?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Is this how he is when he travels?¡± Valdan wasn¡¯t dressed as a knight currently, merely a simple man on a trip with his hair tied back in a blue ribbon. ¡°Unfortunately, princess,¡± he said in a respectful tone, ¡°this is to be my first trip with the young lord, one I almost did not attend.¡± ¡°So you do not have the answer.¡± ¡°I do not. However, we did take a carriage to the ball hosted for the envoys from Nel Quan and there wasn¡¯t so much outside the carriage staring.¡± Aiden held back a scowl as they passed the adventure society hall. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Elaswit said, addressing him directly. ¡°Princess.¡± He did not take his eyes off the road outside. ¡°You may call me Elaswit in the presence of Sir Valdan or when we are alone,¡± she corrected. Aiden fought the urge to raise a questioning brow. When they were alone? You did not suggest etiquettes to be addressed when alone unless you either expected that events would lead you to be alone with the person or you planned on being alone with the person. ¡°I will remember that, Princess,¡± he answered. You¡¯re thirty years old and you do not know how to have a conversation with a woman, he chided himself. It was a worrying thought. Well, technically, I¡¯m nineteen and she¡¯s twenty-two. Also, I talked with Taliner just fine. It¡¯s a princess I¡¯m having an issue with. ¡°May I take this to mean that I am intentionally being ignored, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden drew his attention from the boring road outside to look at amber eyes that watched him with a piercing purpose. Now all he had to do was figure out what that purpose was. He gave her a polite smile. ¡°Not at all, Elaswit.¡± The princess¡¯ expression went flat in an instant, empty. No, empty didn¡¯t even come close to defining it. It was void-like, lacking of even emptiness itself. Well that¡¯s an interesting expression. Beside Aiden, Valdan covered his mouth with a hand and failed to successfully suppress a laugh. Aiden shot him a glare. ¡°Not the time, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°Says the man who called the princess by her name,¡± Valdan chuckled. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe the usually stoic knight was currently lacking in decorum. It was as if he became a different person when he was out of his armor. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, she asked me to¡­¡± Aiden let his words trail off as he returned his attention to the princess. By the gods, he¡¯d just realized what he¡¯d done. It was not unheard of for the elite to make such a request in the name of being polite. It was like inviting a friend to join you in a meal out of politeness. The polite response was to refuse the meal with equal politeness. Nobles did it all the time. You may call me Addlewit. To which the response would be. Oh no, Lord Anded¡ªor something like that¡ªI wouldn¡¯t dare. And he had just dared. ¡°My apologies, Prin¡ª¡± Elaswit cut him off with a raised hand. ¡°You have nothing to apologize for, Lord Lacheart. I was the one who asked that you call me by my name in the presence of Sir Valdan alone. I just didn¡¯t think you would be so quick about it.¡± The last part she muttered to herself. Aiden nodded. Unsure of what to do next, he took his renewed interest in the roads outside. He was unlikely to refer to her by name anytime soon. The trip to the teleportation center was longer than Aiden knew it was meant to be. The carriage followed a roundabout route. Whether it was for safety due to carrying the princess or something else was anyone¡¯s guess. Conversation within the carriage was scant. Words exchanged were few and in-between. Valdan spoke with Elaswit on the activities of the palace Knights, and she spoke to him on what she knew about the actions of the adventure society. Aiden learned that the guild had put in a request for Ded, though the princess had referred to him as a random soldier by the name of Ded. Valdan had pondered on it and given Aiden a few looks here and there. Aiden met none of them. If the adventure society was looking for Ded, then that was between the society and Ded, for now. Granted, Aiden was going to ask the soldier what the inquiry was about when he got back. It was good to know that they¡¯d been able to get in touch with Ded in-between his trips for Aiden. Remembering the task Ded was accomplishing for him made Aiden frown. He hadn¡¯t gotten to see the soldier before this trip, which meant he would spend his time in Naranoff territory with no idea of an update. When they got to the teleportation center, their carriage slowed down. The place was a wide clearing close to the center of the capital city. It was a massive stone circle as wide as two houses with countless enchantments carved into the stone and smoothed over. Aiden had used it a few times in his life. Not necessarily this one, but ones in different kingdoms. Once, when they had gone to help the kingdom of Nel Quan defeat a powerful demon that had been terrorizing its outskirts. Another had been on one of the quests Brandis had sent them on beyond the kingdom, to a ruined city were they had reclaimed an artifact. A massive battle axe Derrick had ended up using since it fit his fighting style best. The elevated platform of round stone with its countless enchantments was not the teleportation device, however. The teleportation device was the two massive tusk-like erections that flanked it on both sides. They were as high as a duplex and as wide as an elephant. Actual words were inscribed into them. From what the history of Nastild told, the words were as old as time, inscribed by people who lived so long ago in a civilization so ancient that the meaning of the words had since been lost to the annals of history. There were priests who claimed that they were words written by the gods in the language of the gods once upon a time when they walked Nastild. Their carriage came to a final stop at the center of the circle. ¡°Oh,¡± Valdan said, reaching into his pocket as they came to a stop. ¡°This is for you.¡± He held out a folded up piece of paper and Aiden took it with a touch of confusion. He held it in front of him but didn¡¯t open it. He could feel the princess¡¯ eyes on the paper. ¡°I ran into Ded this morning,¡± Valdan said in way of explanation. Aiden froze, paper still held in his hands. His grip tightened a little. ¡°Did you read it?¡± he asked. Valdan was hesitant. Yes, you did, Aiden concluded. He couldn¡¯t entirely blame the knight. He was sure that Valdan had taken his time to persuade Ded to hand it over to him so he could pass it on since they were traveling together. He probably thought it was important. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. And simply being folded up, it would take a very high level of will power not to have a look at what it was. ¡°You know the soldier called Ded?¡± Elaswit asked suddenly. Aiden nodded, not looking up from the paper. ¡°And you share correspondence?¡± she continued. ¡°What would a low ranking soldier need with someone of your position? And I ask from genuine curiosity. I have been told that I am often bland enough to come across as rude and pompous so I feel it is important to point that out.¡± Valdan looked at her and she shot him a glare. ¡°And while I am very capable of those traits,¡± she continued. ¡°I assure you that this is not it.¡± Aiden nodded absently. He wasn¡¯t really paying attention to her words if he was being honest. His mind was more on the result of Ded¡¯s task. ¡°If I may ask, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan ventured cautiously. ¡°Are those individuals you are searching for?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how to answer the question. The details on the piece of paper meant a lot to him, but they would mean nothing to Valdan. However, he couldn¡¯t help the feeling of secrecy. There were secrets that could mean nothing to the world but could mean so much to a single person that they would hesitate to share them. Outside the carriage, enchanters and mages were working on the teleportation device. The mages chanted their spells while the enchanters scribbled away at the ground, adding enchantments to already existing enchantments. None of them were truly activating the device. Instead, they were preparing the event and setting their destination. Teleportation magic the likes of which they were about to use did a lot of damage to the environment around it when activated. It burned the ambient mana and scorched almost everything. The job of the enchanters and the mages was to ensure that nothing was destroyed beyond repairs. ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden recognized Elaswit¡¯s voice but was already on to what was necessary. He unfolded the piece of paper and looked at its contents. The words were simple. Zen. Shewa. Tanor. Vran. Olstead. Balt. Only two of the six names were not struck out. Shewa and Olstead stared right back at him. His contact was yet to find them. ¡°Brace for impact,¡± Valdan said. His words were simple and without alarm. ¡°You should listen, Lord Lacheart,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°Teleportation magic is not something to be trifled with; it leaves most people disoriented and shaken. I have seen mages who have been left unable to cast a spell for hours after a teleportation.¡± Aiden smiled weakly, still looking at the names. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s a good thing I don¡¯t have a talent for magic.¡± Outside the carriage someone shouted, ¡°IMPACT!¡± Then the world around them erupted in the darkest blue. ¡­ Lord Naranoff sat at his desk, studying the reports in front of him. There were a lot, always one person or the other with some complaint or the other. A baker divorcing his wife for infidelity and disagreeing with how the court had handled it. A farmer who believed his neighbor had set wild jepats upon his field to ruin his crops. What makes these people think just anything can be appealed to me when they disagree with the court. He¡¯d seen at least four such complaints already and had half the mind to be done with every other complaint. Sadly, he was not that kind of Lord. It was not all the time that one delegated. If he left everything in the hands of delegates he would be a lord who knew nothing of the happenings in his lands. Also, he did often find interest in the absurdity of some request. There was a slight knock on his door as he read the documents before it was opened. ¡°Announcing,¡± his attendant¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Lady Nella Naranoff of house Naranoff.¡± Lord Naranoff sighed and looked up from the parchment in his hand in time to watch his daughter stroll into his office in all mocking haughtiness. Behind her his attendant stood with an apologetic expression. He was an elderly man with white hair and was already balding at the top. His class [Scholar] had never gotten the chance to grow as the man had never found interest in its skills. He¡¯d spent most of his early years trying for a combat class, swinging the sword and thrusting the spear when he should¡¯ve been reading books and theorizing. He¡¯d given up on the path for a combat class a little too late. The best he¡¯d gotten was the spearman skill, and even that never went beyond the fifth percent mastery. Even now, Naranoff couldn¡¯t remember why he gave the man this job. Pity, maybe. He motioned at the man, waving aside his apologetic expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Kalid.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Kalid gave a bow at the waist before leaving and closing the door behind him. With Kalid¡¯s absence, Naranoff turned his attention to his daughter seated on one of the chairs in the room. She wore a nice purple gown, tightened by a corset that enforced her curves, and held her hair up in what he could only describe as a complicated bun. It was the complete presentation of a Lady out and about. If only she¡¯d agree to put on makeup. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re dressed like a damsel about to go out with her friends?¡± he asked. ¡°A lady should always look her best,¡± Nella answered with fluttering eyes. Naranoff shook his head with a smile. If only that were true for you. ¡°If a lady wanted to always look her best,¡± he countered, ¡°she would remember to apply makeup.¡± Nella, his daughter, snorted in a way that was most unladylike. ¡°I hate those things. Always makes me feel like I¡¯m wearing a mask. They make my face heavy.¡± ¡°Those are not the words of a lady, Nella.¡± ¡°Then think of me as a lady in training, father.¡± Nella adjusted on the seat and crossed her legs. ¡°You summoned.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Naranoff cleared his front of the unimportant parchments and opened one. It carried the reason for her summoning. ¡°Before we continue, please stop making my attendant announce you in. You are my daughter and he would be more than happy to announce you as my daughter.¡± ¡°And where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Nella laughed. ¡°Besides, old Kalid loves the attention. He gets to make me feel all important and he gets to have someone look for his trouble. Everyone just treats him like your attendant and forget he¡¯s a human who likes to be bothered from time to time.¡± Naranoff had no idea what she was talking about. ¡°Again,¡± she said. ¡°You summoned. Is it about Derendof? Has the king released him?¡± ¡°Gods no,¡± Naranoff snorted. ¡°The king still holds him prisoner as per my request.¡± Nella let out a low whistle. ¡°Brother will not be happy to learn of that when he¡¯s eventually released.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Naranoff waved her words aside. ¡°The gods know I¡¯m tired of the boy as is. Thirty years of age and he still acts like a spoilt brat. But that¡¯s my fault I guess.¡± ¡°It is. You and mother spoilt him to rot.¡± Naranoff chastised his daughter with a look. ¡°We spoilt you to rot, too. How come you turned out fine?¡± Nella cupped her face in both hands and gave him a flattering smile. ¡°I¡¯m just built different, daddy.¡± Naranoff shook his head, smiling. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re just young and will become stupid at thirty. How old are you again? Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight?¡± Nella¡¯s flattering smile turned into a scowl and she threw one of the seat cushions close to her at him. Naranoff ducked on his chair and it flew over his head. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m twenty-two,¡± she said. ¡°Still?¡± ¡°I challenge you to say that when I have a bow and arrow.¡± ¡°And I challenge you to have a bow and arrow.¡± Both of them kept each other¡¯s gaze for a while, then they started laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t think most lords are this rude to their daughters,¡± Nella said. ¡°I know a few of the Ladies that would go bawling their eyes out if you told them this.¡± ¡°Well, like you said.¡± Naranoff made a vague gesture with his hand, a simple twirl. ¡°You¡¯re built different.¡± Nella adjusted on the seat, smiling fondly. It was a while before she schooled her expression. ¡°Why have I been summoned, father?¡± Naranoff nodded, expression going as serious as his daughter¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s about the cave in the south.¡± ¡°I thought we¡¯ve already controlled the spread of the demonic mana.¡± ¡°We did, but it¡¯s growing again. It¡¯s causing a problem for the adventurers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± Nella said flatly. ¡°We¡¯ve already instructed them through the society to stay clear of it.¡± ¡°We have,¡± Derenof agreed in a tired voice. ¡°But you know how they are. They keep venturing within in search of a unique skill. You know those things aren¡¯t easy to gain, especially when you already have a class.¡± ¡°And they are willing to risk death for it? That¡¯s stupider.¡± Naranoff didn¡¯t have anything to say to his daughter on that. Despite being among a handful of noble ladies who liked the gritty side of life¡ªcombat and the likes¡ªshe remained, ultimately, of noble blood. She did not understand what it meant to be a true adventurer starting from the bottom of the barrel. They had to claw and scrape and climb their way to the top. Most adventurers never got past the level fifty wall. Most adventurers never got a unique skill. Some adventurers never even hit level 50. But Naranoff had made sure that every one of his children had gotten a unique skill before reaching level 10. They had not needed to struggle or suffer. They had not needed to risk their lives. They¡¯d had tutors and had been trained in a manner that ensured it. And when they hit the level 50 wall, there would be people there to guide them as there had been for him. Every noble did it for their children. A noble that did not was already a failure as a noble. Sometimes he wondered if he should¡¯ve allowed his children suffer, though. His father had made him suffer as a child but nothing beneath the suffering befitting of a noble. Who am I kidding, no loving parent wants to watch their child suffer. Nella did not know what suffering was, but she still had character. And not everybody had to suffer to have character. ¡°You¡¯re doing that thing again, father,¡± Nella¡¯s voice cut through his thoughts. Naranoff shuffled a stack of papers, simply looking for something to do with his hands. ¡°What thing, child?¡± ¡°That thing where you have a whole internal monologue.¡± ¡°No monologue.¡± Naranoff dropped the stack of papers back. ¡°As I was saying. The adventurers continue to be¡ªin your words¡ªstupid, in search of a unique skill. And despite the society¡¯s warnings, they will continue to be.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said the guild should just tell them it¡¯s demonic mana in the cave,¡± Nella scoffed. ¡°That will get them to stay away. The gods know everybody avoids the thing like a plague.¡± ¡°And rightly so,¡± Naranoff said, pointing a finger at her. ¡°Only a fool sees demonic mana and runs to it.¡± ¡°Then tell them.¡± Naranoff shook his head. ¡°We cannot. It will cause panic. In moments, the whole town will hear of it and the resulting panic will stifle the town¡¯s economy. The reason you¡¯re here is because we intend on resolving this issue once and for all.¡± Nella¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You.¡± Naranoff folded a piece of paper very neatly. ¡°You, my dearest daughter, will be going to investigate the cave.¡± ¡­ Elaswit watched Aiden as the mages and enchanters worked whatever they had to work outside the carriage to ensure a smooth and less harmful teleportation. For those inside the carriage, the only thing they needed to worry about was appearing where they were supposed to appear. There were points in history where people were known to appear in the middle of nowhere during a teleport of this level. Sometimes the mages and enchanters got it wrong. Sometimes the receiving teleportation space wasn¡¯t calibrated properly to receive them. Sometimes it was something else entirely. She¡¯d heard from her father once upon a time that they¡¯d lost an entire company of mages and enchanters during one of their trips when she was a child. Some mage or enchanter had failed to do their work aptly and the rebound form the teleportation had practically fried the mana in a very wide radius. He had left the story at a simple end. The group had died. It was only when Elaswit was older that her mother had given her the gory details. The grotesque forms, the molded and melted flesh. There had also been something about the walking dead but her mother had been quick to point out that the last part was just a joke. In front of her, Aiden Lacheart was staring down at a piece of paper as if it held the secrets to his world in it. His eyes were serious yet scared. She could see a mix of satisfaction and worry in them as he contemplated whatever it made him contemplate. It piqued her curiosity to know what news could possibly shake a boy who had only been in this world for a month so greatly. A simple piece of paper had never been more enigmatic in her life. ¡°Brace for impact,¡± Valdan said to Aiden. His words were simple and without alarm. Aiden didn¡¯t even flinch. From the little Elaswit had learned of the young lord so far, he wasn¡¯t one for politics. He was simple and straight to the point, much like her father. It was no wonder he favored the young lord. There had also been the thing with him calling her by name. She still wasn¡¯t sure if it was an ignorance towards decorum or his way of telling her that he was not from her world and was not interested in any games the people of her status liked to play. Aiden¡¯s continued uninterrupted attention to his piece of paper was becoming worrying. If the boy did not pay attention to himself and prepare for the effects that would come, they could well have him vomiting all over the carriage when they arrive at their destination. Elaswit had seen stronger men than him puke all over the place on their first teleportation. ¡°You should listen, Lord Lacheart,¡± she told him. ¡°Teleportation magic is not something to be trifled with. It leaves most people disoriented and shaken. I have seen mages who have been left unable to cast a spell for hours after a teleportation.¡± None of her words were a lie. Aiden smiled weakly, still looking at the piece of paper. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s a good thing I don¡¯t have a talent for magic.¡± Outside the carriage someone shouted, ¡°IMPACT!¡± Elaswit took a deep calming breath. Aiden continued to look at his piece of paper. Maybe I should¡¯ve added the vomiting part. Then the world around them erupted in the darkest blue. Elaswit¡¯s senses vanished, taken from her by whatever powerful magic ran through the stones that ensured such a massive long distance teleportation. Elaswit grew blind, deaf, and mute. Her world was nothing. It was a disorienting feeling. Up was down and down was up. She thought with her stomach and her brain rumbled from a lack of food. The soles of her feet felt clammy and she balled them into fists and released them. Through it all she focused on her breathing. In through the eyes, out through the navel. How she hated teleportation. Then she crashed back into her seat. Her body jerked as if under the recoil of blasting a powerful spell and it took her a few seconds to reorient herself. Did I ask myself to breathe through my eyes and out my navel? She groaned, remembering her own words to herself. If there was one thing she hated about teleportation, it was how stupid it made her feel once it was over. The few seconds she took to reorient herself were already time spent. She couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time. Reaching under her seat with her foot, she pulled out a pan and kicked it in front of Aiden, prepared for this very moment. She knew the pride of men that led them to stupid acts of bravado. Aiden Lacheart probably thought he could withstand the effects of the teleportation or simply wanted to test his mettle against it. The outcome was obvious. ¡°I''ll be happy if you can¡ª¡± Elaswit¡¯s words died on her lips at the sight in front of her. Valdan was a panicked mess hovering over Aiden. His hands kept reaching out to the young lord yet never touching him. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± he said with genuine worry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lord Lacheart? What happened? Can you hear me? Where does it hurt?¡± Worse than his words was Aiden. The young Lord was in a bad state. Aiden was kneeling on the carriage floor, paper crumpled in his fist, balled tightly as if holding on for dear life. He was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily like a man on the verge of death. Blood dripped from his nostrils, mouth, and ear as he fought to gather himself. More blood stained his clothes. His mana and stamina levels had to be at rock bottom from what she was seeing. In everything Elaswit knew about teleportation magic, this was not a registered sign or symptom. The only physical effect was nausea and vomit. The magical effect was skills not working properly for brief periods of time. This¡­ this is not it. Valdan was already calling out of the carriage for a health potion. Aiden¡¯s breathing slowed, but his trembling went nowhere. Where he had once stared at a piece of paper, he now stared at nothing. When Aiden finally looked up from the ground, she found he was also bleeding from his eyes. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± he stuttered in terror. Elaswit left her seat to kneel down in front of him. She wished she had some kind of healing magic, something to help him. But she did not. ¡°What was what?¡± she asked, but he didn¡¯t seem to be listening to her. What was happening made no sense. Teleportation was never this bad. Aiden''s bleeding eyes trembled in terrified eye sockets. Elaswit had never heard more confusing words than the words Aiden uttered next. ¡°I,¡± he said quietly, ¡°can¡¯t fight that.¡± TWENTY-THREE: Resilience ¡°IMPACT!¡± Aiden heard the words loud and clear, felt the mana in the air thin the way it always does before every teleportation. He¡¯d been teleported enough times to know how it worked. It wasn¡¯t about mana strength or level or anything of the kind. You either withstood it or you did not. The ones who did not were people who didn¡¯t know how to prepare themselves. Or at least that was what he¡¯d been told. Fear was another thing that affected teleportation effects. The world turned a dark blue. It was deep and all consuming. Then Bandiv vanished. Aiden held his list in his hand, wondering at the names that weren¡¯t crossed out. He¡¯d sent Ded to a certain broker of information and had been funneling a certain portion of his daily stipend from the palace into payment for this broker¡¯s services. Ded was the go between for them for now, until Aiden was ready to meet the man. In Aiden''s old life, he¡¯d eventually found a team that worked for him in the Order. They had not all been part of the Order, though. In fact, two of them had been mercenaries not adventurers. He wasn¡¯t surprised that the broker couldn¡¯t find Olstead. Aiden had no idea how long Olstead had been in the Order before he¡¯d joined them. For all he knew the man might¡¯ve always been in the Order. Shewa was a tricky situation. After their breakup in his past life, she¡¯d driven Aiden mad enough times that sometimes he¡¯d looked at Spell Binder and wondered just how bad it would be if he got a little too close to her during one of his swings whenever they were working together. He had never done anything close enough to that but he¡¯d wondered. Still, she was one of the best at what she did, and he knew how to handle her to an extent. Thinking of her made him feel odd. While she had been a terrible girlfriend, she hadn''t been without her good and her reasons. Besides, it wasn''t like he had been perfect. He''d had his issues too. The names on the list belonged to his team. His old team. They were the people he required to do the jobs he knew he needed to do. But some of those names were sentimental. Zen for one was replaceable if Aiden was being honest. His name was only on the list for sentimental reasons. But did he really want them? Were they even good at what they did now as they had been in his previous life? Eleven years were a lot of years. Aiden paused as he noticed something wrong. He knew how teleportation worked and had been waiting for the disorientation that came with it, but his mind was still functioning properly. Right now thinking was supposed to be difficult. His brows furrowed in thought as he tried something. Aiden raised his hand in front of him, brought it up then back down. Up¡¯s still up. And down¡¯s still down. Something was wrong. Finally, he raised his head from the piece of paper and looked around him. The darkness of deep blue surrounded him. He was still in the carriage, seating. Beside him was Valdan and in front of him was Elaswit. The princess had something of a pained expression on her face, like she was trying to take a really huge dump. Everything was also frozen. This wasn¡¯t right. Then Aiden watched as the carriage slowly dissolved. Bits and pieces flowed away like sand in the air as it disintegrated right in front of him. Around him. It started from the roof, releasing them into the emptiness of the darkness around them. When it got to their head level, Elaswit¡¯s arm shattered like a crumbling sand castle and was blown in the nonexistent wind. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. Was this what happened during a teleportation? Many theories he¡¯d read simply believed that teleportation magic somehow folded the space around them so that the teleported simply appeared on the other side. Teleportation was practically instantaneous after all. Others speculated that it worked on the same principle as those who had teleportation skills. The magic tore a hole in the world and deposited the teleported on the other side. But this? This was literal disintegration. And it wasn¡¯t even pretty. He started when Valdan¡¯s thigh burst into smoke and Elaswit¡¯s head followed immediately after. There was just something wrong about sitting opposite a headless princess. Calm down, Aiden. This is just teleportation, nothing¡¯s wrong with them. Even then, it was an odd sight. But why am I aware of everything? He¡¯d experienced at least eight long range teleportations in his life and he¡¯d been awake for none of them. There had always been a process. Teleportation came with disorientation, confusion, then reorientation. It was a standard process. And when you came to Nastild the first time it was with geometric signs, a summoning circle appearing over your head, then you just disappeared. The same rules hadn¡¯t been followed this time. He remembered it clearly. Ted had watched him crumble like sand. He¡¯d seen it too as he¡¯d lost his hand. Just as everything around him was going. There was something in there, some alteration that had affected him. Probably a side effect from coming back in time. There was¡­ Everything crumbled as one. They did not take their time like they already were, they just turned to dust and scattered away, blown away by a nonexistent wind. Aiden was left alone, sitting on the air with a piece of paper in his hand. He looked around him and found the darkness swirling. It was moving, sifting through itself. It felt as if it was an extremely thick mist and someone kept shooting balls of air into it. Wait, he thought, looking around, realization coming to him. I¡¯m the ball of air. The darkness wasn¡¯t what was moving, he was. But he couldn¡¯t feel his movement. As far as he was concerned he was stationery. So what the hell was¡ª [Resilience 50.03% --> 62%.] ¡°What the hell?¡± Aiden stared at the notification in front of him. That was well over a ten percent jump. Mastery didn¡¯t take such a skip unless you were under a very significant amount of pressure. And he wasn¡¯t. Or was he? This was new to him. Teleporting without actually teleporting was unheard of. Even people that used teleportation skills didn¡¯t know what happened between when they teleported and when they arrived. According to the few he¡¯d met, it was like blinking. One moment they were at point one and the next they were at point two. What was the possibility that simply being aware during a teleportation was already taking a blow to his resilience? [Resilience 62% --> 67%.] Aiden looked around. Now he was getting scared. There were mysteries in the world of Nastild, mysteries he had failed to uncover in his past life. But this was not one of them. This was not even a mystery. It was an accepted truth. On earth, the mystery of what exactly the earth¡¯s core looked like up close was not something you considered ever uncovering. It wasn¡¯t even on the list. Right? Before long a sudden jerk went through Aiden. It was like somebody struck him all over the body with only one blow. It was sudden and immediate. [Health ¨C 82%] ¡°What the hell?¡± [Mana ¨C 68%] Aiden stared at the alert. Why was he losing mana? And why the hell was he suddenly dying. [Stamina ¨C 88%] He rushed up from his seated position and another physical blow struck him all over the body. It staggered him but he did not fall. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. [Health ¨C 78%] [Mana ¨C 63%] [Stamina ¨C 82%] This wasn¡¯t right. Simply being here was killing him. He needed to get out. How did someone get out of a teleportation? Aiden¡¯s mind ran through everything he knew about Nastild and the functions of the world and found nothing to answer his question. It was unsurprising, though. There was no answer to this. ¡°I need to get out of here,¡± he muttered, still, panic slowly wrapping itself around him. Even the attacks he was receiving were not leaving pain. They were just chipping away at his life stats. [Resilience 67% --> 71%.] It was also building his resilience. But at what cost? What good would making it to perfect mastery in [Resilience] do for him if he was dead? Aiden¡¯s mind was still racing when the atmosphere changed. It was still as dark as he remembered it, but mountain peaks seemed to be appearing in the distance, stretching as far as the eyes could see. And there was something behind them. As if it was being kept away. Compelled by his curiosity, Aiden squinted at it, trying to make heads or tails of what he was looking at. He wasn¡¯t even sure he was staring at mountain peaks. They could easily be illusions, figments of his imagination. His mind trying to find familiar logic in the illogical. You have used skill [Detect]. Only one word came to mind at the sight of the notification. Shit. That was not a good sign. If [Detect] was activating involuntarily, then it meant there was something to detect. Please let it be the mountain peaks, he prayed. Please let it be the mountain peaks. It was not. There was a darkness behind the mountain peaks. It was darker than everything else. And now Aiden could almost make a shape out of it. It was like an entire horizon that dwarfed the mountain peaks. Larger than life itself. The air around him grew heavy and a heavy pressure brought Aiden down to his knees immediately. It crushed him on all sides and forced the air out of his lungs. It came with pain and he couldn¡¯t breathe. [Health ¨C 78% --> 63%] [Mana ¨C 63% --> 48%] [Stamina ¨C 82% --> 59%] Aiden coughed up blood. His body trembled and his hands shook. The pressure did not let up. You have used skill [Detect] Aiden¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t focus on the notification. Just at the edge of his vision his life stats continued running down. He felt his blood trickle from his own ear. His vision grew blurry. His heart beat slower in his chest with each passing moment. [Resilience 71% --> 83%.] His chest tightened and he felt something warm in his stomach. He tasted metal in his mouth. Against his will, his gaze was pulled back to the mountain peaks, drawn to it. To the dark horizon beyond it. It terrified him. The horizon dwarfed the mountains, dwarfed everything. He knew in that moment that he wasn¡¯t looking at a horizon. Whatever that was, dwarfing everything, it was not a horizon. [Health ¨C 63% --> 32%] [Mana ¨C 48% --> 21%] [Stamina ¨C 69% --> 12%] He was dying too quickly. It was as if the realization was killing him as well. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe it. A second chance at life and he was going to die from simply living. It wasn¡¯t even ludicrous enough to be funny. It was a terrifying thing to know you were dying but not know why. It was a horrible way to go. But Aiden knew why. He knew it deep in his soul. He was staring at the reason he was dying. Against his will, his skill continued to activate. You have used skill [Detect]. He was using the skill but he wasn¡¯t seeing the effect. Nothing was¡ª A simple notification appeared over the horizon. A bleep when compared to its vastness. But Aiden could read it. [Multiverse Agent Lvl ?????] ¡­ [Resilience 83% --> 92%] ¡­ [Health ¨C 32% --> 18%] [Mana ¨C 21% --> 02%] [Stamina ¨C 12% --> 08%] Then the horizon moved. Aiden understood what it meant when powerful men claimed that fear was a very powerful force. It was about to kill him, after all. ¡­ Everything crashed into Aiden in one swift motion. It was like stars colliding. One minute he was staring at the impossible, the next he was back in a world. The air around him trembled and he sucked it in with every breath. He filled his lungs, dying even as he did. He could smell blood. He could taste blood. There was sound too. A lot of sound. He felt other things around him but he couldn¡¯t react. He was terrified of moving. His fist held on to a tiny piece of paper with the most unimportant piece of information right now. The familiar brown floor of a carriage stared back at him, stained red in his own blood. Between him and the carriage ground was a simple notification. [Health ¨C 02%] [Resilience (Mastery 98%)] None of them mattered. He heard his name but wasn¡¯t sure he was allowed to answer. Could the [Multiverse Agent] hear him? Even now, back in the real world, was he free from it? Was he even allowed to breathe? There were more mentions of his name. People were trying to talk to him. He was sure of it. But his mind refused to function properly. Aiden knew he had to ground himself, focus his attention on something real. Where was he? He hadn¡¯t forgotten, but he needed to still remind himself. He was on a trip to the south, to the hospitable manor of house Naranoff. Why? Because time was moving too slowly, and he couldn¡¯t just sit idly by and twiddle his thumbs while waiting for Brandis to send them to the town of cannibals. He wanted to check out the cave in the south, see if he could get a unique skill while he waited. Right? Or was there more? The tension was ebbing from his body. His fear and panic were subsiding. He could breathe freely again. He heard his name once more but it didn¡¯t come from any familiar voice. ¡°What the hell?¡± he muttered to himself in a weak voice, the experience of what had just happened going through him. What had he just witnessed? Was that what he had made an enemy of? Was that what a [Multiverse Agent] was? How did he even fight such a thing? How did you fight something that dwarfed mountains and spanned horizons? Something that killed you without even being aware of you? The answer was simple. ¡°I can¡¯t fight that.¡± It took a few minutes of panicking and chaos before the carriage settled down. Valdan looked like a mess. His hair was chaotic and unkempt from running his hand through it every two seconds. Aiden wasn¡¯t entirely sure if the knight was worried over the king¡¯s guest or a training partner or a friend. It was difficult to tell. No it isn¡¯t, he thought as he held a health potion in his hand, his palm wrapped around the round tube. That you can¡¯t tell says more about you than him. Aiden paid the thought little attention as he uncorked the potion. His hand continued to tremble. In front of him Elaswit was panicking as well, but hers was more contained. She looked more confused than worried. Aiden¡¯s shaking hand moved the potion to his mouth. ¡°Slowly, Aiden,¡± Valdan said with a soothing voice that couldn¡¯t hide his panic. ¡°Don¡¯t rush it.¡± Aiden put the potion to his mouth. The liquid inside the glass container was green, as all health potions are. It tasted like tea and freshly cut grass. [Health 02% --> 08%] Aiden drank slowly. They¡¯d given him health first because it was most important. There was no importance in stamina or mana if health hit zero. Everyone waited. The panic around was subsiding as Aiden drank. Valdan had sent anyone who could see inside the carriage away. When he was done with the potion, emptied its contents into his stomach, he dropped the empty vial unceremoniously and eased himself back to a sitting position. He remained on the carriage floor. [Health 74%] He was in the safe now, unlikely to die from being squeezed a little too hard by someone a little too strong. Valdan gave him another vial. ¡°What¡¯s it up to?¡± ¡°Seventy-four.¡± Aiden took the vial from him. The second vial contained blue liquid. It seemed mana was next. As Aiden uncorked the second vial and started drinking, Valdan looked more worried. ¡°That¡¯s a full health potion from my personal stash,¡± he said. ¡°Aiden, something¡¯s very wrong. What happened?¡± Aiden finished the mana potion and his mana stat came up. [Mana 88%] He looked at the empty vial then at Valdan. He shook the vile gently. ¡°A full mana potion from your personal stash?¡± Valdan nodded, frowning. Well that was a rookie move. Everyone knew that you didn¡¯t use a full strength potion unless you were in a combat situation and needed to full points. Also, they were more expensive than the partial recovery potions. ¡°Can I get a partial for stamina?¡± Aiden shook the empty mana vial once more. He dropped the empty vial on the ground. ¡°This one only got me up to the eighties.¡± Valdan stared at the empty vial. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t think so. It was rare but there were instances where a person was so damaged that their life stats needed natural time to heal. Damages like those were more qualitative than quantitative. For instance, if someone of his level survived a blow from someone with levels in the hundreds, such a thing would lead to such a situation. Aiden eased himself back and sat on the ground. He finally took notice of Elaswit. The princess didn¡¯t look so worried anymore, but she was giving him an odd look. Aiden cocked a brow at her. ¡°You good?¡± She shook her head. The action was slow, reflective. ¡°What kind of world did you come from?¡± she asked. ¡°What was your world like?¡± Aiden paused. He hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°It was a fun world,¡± he answered. ¡°Video games. Electricity. Internet. It wasn¡¯t so bad. For the most part it was peaceful too.¡± Thinking about earth made him smile. It was nostalgic. ¡°Are you sure? Was there no violence?¡± Elaswit frowned. ¡°You are a sharp contrast to what you describe of your world. Even the look on your face says you miss it. But¡­¡± Valdan stuck his head out of the carriage and a moment after, he returned with a vial of yellow liquid. Aiden took it from him. ¡°Partial recovery?¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°Designed to give at least a thirty percent increase.¡± Thirty percent worth of stamina was better than what he currently had. Aiden¡¯s breathing was normal now. His stamina had increased by a few percent by its own. He could breathe better. With his health and mana increased, he was practically in good health. He uncorked the stamina potion but didn¡¯t put it to his mouth. ¡°What do you mean by a sharp contrast?¡± he asked Elaswit, instead. ¡°Pain,¡± she said without missing a beat. ¡°You handle it too well for someone your age. The teleportation disoriented you so badly, for some reason, that you practically almost died. And yet¡­ here you are, like this was simply a walk in a park. What kind of world did you come from that you have no fear of death?¡± I have no fear of death? Elaswit had no idea just how wrong she was. Aiden was yet to meet a living being that did not fear death. If it was capable of thought, death would definitely terrify it. There were those that welcomed death, but they were different. You could not fear what you crave. ¡°I fear death, princess,¡± he said, staring down at the yellow liquid that would recover his stamina. His memory took him back to a time when he had done something daring and stupid, a time when his interface had informed him of his own death. Aiden shook the thought from his head. ¡°I just do not let it control my life. But every day I escape death is a day I do not die. I can¡¯t spend such days remembering that I might die.¡± Elaswit frowned and Valdan placed a hand on Aiden¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± he told him. ¡°Even your response is not something to come from a child who lived life in a peaceful world. I know you stand by your words that your world was good, but it is hard to believe you. Perhaps you grew too accustomed to the world you lived in that you think whatever it was putting you through was normal. I would like to see this world if I one day can, Lord Lacheart. I would like to see a world that made you so at so young an age.¡± Aiden looked the knight in the eye. You¡¯re living in it. He left the words unsaid and instead said, ¡°I strongly believe that will not be possible.¡± Then he drank the stamina recovery potion. [Stamina 8% --> 14%] ¡­ [Stamina 32%]. TWENTY-FOUR: Nella
Clothes and bowls of water were brought into the carriage. Since there was no practical place to take a bath, Aiden was left to clean himself of his own blood with wet clothes as best he could. The entire ordeal was uncomfortable. In the end, he abandoned the task with a degree of petulance deserving of his current age. He wasn¡¯t going to spend all this time cleaning blood from his skin if his clothes were still going to be bloodied regardless. ¡°We can find a place for you to change into spare clothes,¡± Valdan suggested when Aiden voiced his opinion. ¡°Like hell we will,¡± Aiden scowled. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to house Naranoff so I can get an actual bath and a change of clothes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more interested in getting the bastard who messed up once we get back,¡± Elaswit scowled. ¡°They almost got a guest of the kingdom killed for their silly mistake.¡± Aiden paused. He and Valdan looked at her. ¡°What?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°Obviously someone made a mistake in preparation for the teleport,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°No one almost dies from being teleported.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. The last thing he wanted was this turning into a witch hunt. ¡°You know you and Sir Valdan came out completely fine, right?¡± he said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m ready to bet the entire entourage came out completely fine.¡± He turned to Valdan. ¡°Has there been any complaint outside?¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Are you saying that this entire thing might have something to do with your composition?¡± Elaswit asked. Aiden nodded. ¡°That is very likely.¡± ¡°Then I must inform my father. It is his intention to have you and your companions use the teleporters for your tasks. The last thing we want are such problems turning up.¡± Aiden waved her worries aside with a gesture. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. The problem is likely specific to my constitution. Also, can we please get back on the road. The task I came here for is one I must complete as quickly as possible. I would very much like to return to my brother as soon as I can.¡± Valdan sighed. He stuck his head out of the carriage once more, and with a few spoken words, they were moving again. ¡°Why just you?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°No idea,¡± Aiden said. ¡°It¡¯s merely a possibility. It has been speculated that I would react differently to space magic after what happened the day I arrived. I probably have a different reaction as compared to the others.¡± Elaswit¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Speculated by who?¡± ¡°A certain old man that your father keeps in his company.¡± That sufficed to silence Elaswit. It seemed every member of the royal family knew not to question the words of the Sage. ¡°About this task,¡± Valdan said as their journey continued. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I, too, would like to know your reason for coming so far down south,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°You do understand that the Naranoff house is the family of former knight Derendoff, right?¡± Aiden knew that. Aiden was seated now, allowing the gentle sway of the carriage relax him as they moved along cobblestone. ¡°Would you be willing to tell me what business you have in the south as well, princess?¡± he returned. ¡°Elaswit,¡± she corrected. ¡°In the presence of Sir Valdan and no one else, it is Elaswit to you, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°I thought it bothered you when I obeyed.¡± ¡°It did not bother me. Merely took me by surprise how quickly you took to it.¡± ¡°Me, too,¡± Valdan said. ¡°It was like you were waiting for it.¡± Aiden shot the knight a look. Valdan was not fazed. ¡°Well, princess,¡± he said. ¡°What brings you so far out to the south.¡± ¡°Honest answer?¡± Elaswit crossed her legs. ¡°Nothing.¡± Valdan looked at her. ¡°You came with us for no reason, princess?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to call it no reason, exactly. To be more precise, I heard of your intended departure and figured that the presence of the princess will carry more weight and authority than a piece of paper.¡± ¡°That piece of paper was penned by your father,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°By that very fact, it is system bound. Refusal by the receiving party to obey it will have repercussions.¡± ¡°And yet, it is still ultimately a piece of paper, Lord Lacheart,¡± she smiled with false innocence. ¡°That said, may I call you Aiden? Only in the presence of Sir Valdan, of course. All this Lord and Lady is taking a toll on me.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°You may do as you wish. Your gods know I¡¯ve been trying to get Sir Valdan to call me by my name since forever. He continues to act like it is anathema.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only made the request of me a handful of times, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said, aghast. ¡°And that was in our earlier days.¡± Aiden intentionally ignored the knight to continue. ¡°The first time he called me by my name was after he almost took my head off with a sword skill. At least I believe it was a sword skill.¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart!¡± Valdan protested, suddenly nervous. Again, Aiden pretended not to hear. ¡°My life flashed before my eyes. It was terrifying. Lesser men would¡¯ve wet themselves.¡± Elaswit smiled, noticing what he was doing. She leaned forward in interest. ¡°And was it fun? Your life?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°It was filled with images of a man sparring with me, too uptight to even take off his armor.¡± ¡°Yet, said man tried to kill you.¡± Aiden shivered dramatically. ¡°It was vastly unknightly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even a word,¡± Valdan protested. ¡°I will like to put on the record that this level of treatment can be considered in some spaces to be bullying.¡± ¡°So is using a sword skill on a classless at level 49, sir Valdan,¡± Elaswit retorted, eyes and smile still firmly fixed on Aiden. ¡°Is my father aware of this?¡± Valdan stiffened and Aiden laughed. ¡°Please do not terrify my knightly friend, princess,¡± he said with an amused smile. ¡°He tends to grow terrified when the king is involved.¡± ¡°I remember telling you my name, Lord Lacheart.¡± Elaswit¡¯s smile seemed teasing. ¡°What do I have to do to make you remember it?¡± Aiden stared at her for a while, contemplating. He leaned forward, suddenly discovered a headache and fought to hide his reaction to it. Since no one said anything, perhaps he was successful. He rested his forearms on both knees and met Elaswit¡¯s eyes. They were a soft amber, a copy of Brandis¡¯ but without the age and steadiness that came with the time and accomplishments. ¡°Careful, princess,¡± he said softly. ¡°What would happen if your brother were to find out you were having me call you by name?¡± Elaswit shrugged. ¡°He¡¯d make some noise and I¡¯d beat him up to make a point.¡± ¡°Vicious.¡± ¡°True.¡± Elaswit shrugged easily. ¡°And yet, you don¡¯t seem put out by my viciousness.¡± Valdan looked between the both of them. ¡°Please tell me this isn¡¯t happening.¡± Aiden chuckled. ¡°Yes, sir Valdan. This isn¡¯t happening.¡± Elaswit finally looked at Valdan. ¡°And should my father learn of what isn¡¯t happening between Lord Lacheart and myself, I will deny it quite equivocally.¡± Aiden gave Valdan an apologetic smile. ¡°Me, too, my friend.¡± Valdan groaned and put his head back. ¡°This is my fault. I was the one that wanted to be a plus one.¡± Elaswit slapped him on the knee in a casual gesture. ¡°Cheer up, sir knight. Some air outside the castle every now and again is good for you.¡± She turned back to Aiden. ¡°Now, about that task you have to do in the south.¡± Well, I guess that¡¯s how far I can avoid it. ¡°When you tell me yours, princess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to assist in making your travels and endeavors smoother,¡± she said still smiling. ¡°And no, my parents do not know of my intentions. I told my mother that I was coming down south for a breath of fresh air. Though I believe she harbors thoughts that I might be coming because you are.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s never a good thing to lie to one¡¯s mother, princess. However, if you must insist, I¡¯m here for the cave.¡± Everyone paused. ¡°The cave?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°As in the cave?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°And how did you learn of the cave?¡± Valdan continued, pointedly. ¡°Another piece of information from the library?¡± Princess Elaswit looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s something Lord Lacheart does,¡± Valdan explained. ¡°He spends so much time in the library that any odd piece of information he has that he shouldn¡¯t have usually ends up coming from the library. In case you do not know, Lord Lacheart, we all know it¡¯s a lie most of the time.¡± Aiden shrugged. The library story was already a bust. Especially since the unique skill incident. ¡°It¡¯s a vast library, Sir Valdan. Anything can be found in a library so vast. But yes, I am going for the cave.¡± Elaswit looked between the both of them before asking. ¡°And how did you learn of the cave?¡± ¡°The soldier, Ded. He¡¯s been gathering information for me. Things I would be unable to learn within the palace.¡± Elaswit sat back. ¡°That would explain the correspondence then. Surely Sir Valdan would not be able to get the kind of information you seem so interested in. But what is your intention for this cave?¡± Valdan frowned. ¡°Before that, Lord Lacheart, how long have you been aware of this cave?¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Aiden knew what Valdan was aiming at. The cave was rumored to give unique skills for any who conquered it. They said it had been months since anyone entered and came out with a unique skill. However, people didn¡¯t venture into it very often anymore since adventurers and mercenaries were now often known to not return. Aiden knew the story, people were dying, the adventure guild branch in the south had declared the cave off limits until it could be confirmed safe. At least safe enough as far as the word could go for adventurers. The reason was simple. The cave had been corrupted by demonic mana. It wasn¡¯t enough to be an issue. It was definitely little enough to still be covered up, though anyone could make the argument that that was only the case because not many people knew what demonic mana looked and felt like right now, except those in power. For now, the adventure guild was covering that little bit of information up. ¡°It was after my unique skill, Sir Valdan,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°However, I have come to the conclusion that I need¡ª¡± ¡°A unique class skill,¡± Valdan interrupted with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it might be too much of a risk? Adventurers have been reported to go missing in that cave recently.¡± Despite his own words, Aiden could see the contemplation on the knight¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t surprised. With the new bit of information he¡¯d learned of the knight, it was no surprise at all. At level 49, he had most definitely hit the wall to level 50, and it was common knowledge for those who rose high enough that possessing a unique class skill was one of the things that helped in breaking that wall. But a unique class skill only made it relatively easier. Unlike most levels, a person needed more than just experience and skill mastery for every fifty levels. At level 49, one needed to practically create their own skill, a skill strong enough for the system to register, to get to level 50. The trick, as Aiden had learnt in the Order, was in the amalgamation of all the class skills. The world of Nastild called them conditional skills or techniques. You had to use all your class skills in the right way at the right time to finally discover a final skill. It was a person¡¯s ultimate technique, so to speak. Considering the new direction of his class, Aiden had a feeling he would struggle to achieve level fifty in this timeline. ¡°Is this true, Lord Lacheart?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Even I know of the deadliness of the cave. Did my father sanction this outing even though he knew this?¡± ¡°Not directly,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°What exactly does not directly mean?¡± ¡°It means, he is not aware of the fact that I am here for the cave,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°But knowing your father, he has certainly put the possibility of me going there into consideration.¡± Valdan shook his head, still contemplating. ¡°Lord Naranoff will not agree to this.¡± ¡°I do not doubt that for a second.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°Then how do you wish to convince him?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Am I to be your trump card in this? I have some skills worthy of adventuring but I do not¡ª¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t help the laugh that escaped him. ¡°Sir Valdan. Princess. It seems my age continues to blind you in some way.¡± He shook his head, battling to rein in his laughter as it worsened his headache. ¡°The princess I can understand. But you, Sir Valdan, you should know me well enough by now. I am not like the nineteen-year-olds you know.¡± Elaswit looked at Valdan and Valdan nodded. ¡°He is not. He thinks in the most outlandish ways, completely different from what I¡¯ve learned of his companions.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t need me,¡± she said. ¡°Then how do you intend to convince Lord Naranoff?¡± Aiden folded his arms and stared out at the beautiful city Lord Naranoff governed. ¡°Who said anything about telling him?¡± ¡­ The Naranoff house was about an hour¡¯s ride away from the teleport center. When they arrived, their entourage was double its size. It seemed the reception that had been waiting for them at the teleport center had basically been the same size. They dismounted in relative silence. The princess exchanged a few words with Valdan, then exchanged a few words with some of the attendants that had come with her. Everyone waited while she did this. Only when she was done did processes conclude. Like most manors, the main house was situated at the center of the estate. The building itself almost rivaled the castle, and Aiden had a feeling the only reason it did not was out of respect for the crown. After all, a noble did not simply compete with their king in such things. Lord Naranoff himself was not at the door to greet them. Instead, there were three maids, two butlers and a woman in a combat attire, complete with light armor, a large quiver at her hip that held large arrows like the ones used by samurais, a long bow strapped to her back and two falchions on both hips. She screamed [Archer] class. ¡°You still uphold your dastardly hobbies, I see,¡± Princess Elaswit greeted the woman with a warm smile. ¡°How long has it been, Nella?¡± She approached the woman with open arms and they hugged as comfortably as Nella¡¯s attire allowed. They separated after a moment but did not part. Elaswit¡¯s hands remained firmly on Nella¡¯s shoulders and Nella¡¯s on hers. ¡°We saw not too long ago, princess,¡± Nella said, smiling widely. ¡°At the ball. Remember? My family was the host.¡± ¡°You can barely call that a meeting.¡± Elaswit dismissed. ¡°That was some kingdom trying to show off their merchandise or something.¡± ¡°Last I heard, none of the participants were knights.¡± Nella cocked her brow inquisitively. ¡°Or squires for that matter. Are there happenings in the palace that we low elites should be informed of?¡± Elaswit took her hands from Nella¡¯s shoulders and laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. But if there was, you know how my father can be. As long as his machinations are concerned, we are all low elites.¡± Nella paused as if having just remembered something. ¡°By the gods,¡± she said, ¡°where are my manners.¡± Then she turned to the maids and butlers beside her and gestured them forward. ¡°Hurry up, now. Help them with their things. Please, let¡¯s all come out from under the sun and take a breather in the manor.¡± She finally took her eyes of Elaswit as her aids went to work. Her eyes settled on Aiden and she stopped in her tracks once again. Her eyes widened in worry. ¡°Are you alright, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden looked down at his blood stained attire, unbothered by it. He was more impressed by how the maids and butlers had seen his blood stains and said nothing. They¡¯d simply gone about their requested business. Elaswit placed a hand on Nella¡¯s arm to calm her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± she said. ¡°An odd reaction to teleportation magic. Never seen the kind.¡± Nella looked from the princess to Aiden, then back. Her worry did not dampen. ¡°I¡¯ve seen terrible reactions to teleportation,¡± she said. ¡°But nothing that involved blood.¡± Personally, Aiden was tired of standing so he walked forward. He stopped a few paces away from Nella, making sure not to stand in the way of the servants. ¡°Would you be inclined to worry less if I said I slipped and fell?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you fight, Lord Lacheart,¡± Nella replied. ¡°You didn¡¯t slip and fall. I doubt you even know how to.¡± Aiden knew how to. His time in the Order had ensured that he learnt a variety of things, some of which were sorely embarrassing. But this was no place to be proving a point. ¡°Then let it be said that I slipped and fell¡ª¡± he gestured dramatically at Valdan ¡°¡ªon Sir Valdan¡¯s honorable fist.¡± Valdan opened his mouth, sputtered incoherent words. ¡°I never touched the lord,¡± he finally declared in a slight panic. Nella laughed and some of her worries seemed to dissipate with her laughter. She had a nice laugh very unfitting of her present attire. Elaswit laughed as well. ¡°It is always a pleasure to see a knight all flustered.¡± ¡°Reminds me of when we were younger and you used to come visit often.¡± Nella¡¯s smile widened in mischief. ¡°Remember how we used to try and make the knights give a reaction beyond ¡®my lady¡¯? I swear, Sir Ivaned got completely confused when I¡ª¡± Elaswit moved quickly, cutting off Nella¡¯s words with a hand over her mouth. She looked back as if making sure no one else heard, but Aiden was more than certain that there was no maid around that did not. Aiden cocked a questioning brow when his eyes met Elaswit¡¯s. ¡°We were children,¡± she said in way of explanation. Aiden¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. Although it did get a little teasing. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Elaswit frowned at him but said nothing more. Aiden couldn¡¯t help the half-smile that touched his lips. As for Nella, she looked between the both of them puzzled. Then, after a short moment, a smile touched her lips as well. It was mischievous. It was a pity that Aiden knew nothing about the individuals of the Naranoff bloodline. All his knowledge was of the house as a whole. When all the attendants had picked their carriage clean and a stable boy or two¡ªat least Aiden believed they were stable boys¡ªled their carriage away, Elaswit spoke once more, addressing the official status of their visit. ¡°Where is your father?¡± she asked Nella. Nella hesitated, then her shoulders deflated slightly. ¡°Busy,¡± she said apologetically. ¡°We¡¯ve been having issues with the adventurers for a while now and he needed to attend to a certain situation.¡± Elaswit frowned. ¡°By himself? Does he not have knights for that?¡± ¡°He does.¡± Nella gestured to the only maid left with them and the girl shuffled off to the side to give them some space. ¡°But you know how my father likes to attend to certain issues himself. The adventurers have all but gone up in arms over the issue.¡± ¡°And the issue?¡± Elaswit pressed. Nella worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She shrugged after a while. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a secret at this point,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s more of an open secret and I¡¯m sure the palace knows of it. But there is a cave at the outskirts of our domain. Adventurers used to venture into it in search of a unique quest. Most of them hoped to get a unique skill.¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°This is known.¡± ¡°What is not common knowledge, however, is the number of adventurers that have been venturing into the cave and not coming out in recent days.¡± Aiden¡¯s attention focused on the conversation while he did his best to look only mildly interested. ¡°He should send out a decree as the lord that none should enter, then,¡± Elaswit said as if it was the simplest solution. ¡°He has,¡± Nella said. ¡°But that¡¯s the thing about adventurers, they are citizens of the kingdom but not entirely subjects of the crown.¡± ¡°All are subjects of the crown,¡± Valdan said simply. Aiden knew better. Adventurers were a grey area when it came to being subjects of the crown. He¡¯d seen the agreement the first king of Bandiv had signed with the first guild master. He wanted a decentralization of military might to a certain extent, so he had given the adventure guild a certain level of autonomy. The adventurers were not beholden to the crown but they were to respect it. An adventurer could not be judged by the crown for crimes against his fellow adventurer but he could be judged for his crimes against a citizen and subject of the crown. Choosing the path of an adventurer removed you from all default benefits of being a subject of the crown as well as all the requirements. However, in return, it placed you under all benefits of the adventure guild as well as its requirements. It was a complicated matter where all matters of the adventurers were left to the capable hands of the adventure guild and the crown had no hold over it. However, there were certain factors that constituted exceptions, factors that allowed the crown intrude on adventurer business. The agreement with king Brandis the first was signed and sealed and sanctioned by the system. Oddly, what most people did not know was that there was an Order representative who¡¯d served as witness to the effect, amongst other people. It was why the Order also had a copy. But Aiden kept that all to himself. Nella looked at Valdan with disappointed but accommodating eyes. ¡°Spoken like a knight of the crown. However, you are wrong. And now I realize that I liked you better when you were flustered.¡± Aiden stepped in smoothly. ¡°Try not to hold it against him, Lady¡ª¡± ¡°Nella,¡± she cut him off abruptly. ¡°To you, I am Nella. It¡¯s the least I can do considering my brother¡¯s rashness.¡± Elaswit looked from Nella to Aiden as if waiting for his reaction. Aiden had no idea what he was going to do. Once upon a time he¡¯d had almost no interactions with the princess, now here he was finding out that she now had expectations of him. ¡°This is noted,¡± he replied cautiously. ¡°What I was trying to say is that Sir Valdan is a knight of the crown, such stiffness is to be expected of him as regards matters pertaining to the crown.¡± ¡°I know. And that¡¯s why I preferred when you left him flustered. That said,¡± she gestured to the maid who remained patiently waiting. ¡°If you follow Vanisi here, she will lead you all to your rooms.¡± She stepped to the side and Elaswit grabbed her by the arm. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± ¡°Sadly, yes.¡± Nella really did look sad to say so. ¡°Unfortunately, my father has taken it upon himself to add me to this matter of the cave. He has said that I should gather a team and investigate this cave and the issues surrounding it. He wants a solution as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°And if you were to find the issue?¡± Aiden asked, knowing that she wouldn¡¯t. Up until the end of his life, there had been no discovevred issues regarding the cave until the Demon wars had begun when the Demons had turned it into a base of operation for a short time. A few more people had gotten the unique quest and many more people had died or gone missing before then. The issues surrounding it had never been resolved. At least not by house Naranoff. But he wasn¡¯t going to just leave it at that after hearing such a piece of information. He looked at Valdan with all the intent he could muster into his eyes without giving anything away. It took a moment but the knight caught his look. Aiden popped his brows as subtly as he could then cocked his head at Nella. ¡°Ehh¡­¡± Valdan let the word drag out as he slowly turned to Nella, clearly unsure of what exactly was expected of him. ¡°I would¡­ say¡­ we¡­?¡± Aiden almost slapped his forehead. He¡¯s a lost cause. ¡°Yes, sir Valdan?¡± Nella asked. ¡°You would say that we what?¡± Valdan looked at Aiden and everyone turned to him. Aiden acted normal. ¡°Sir Valdan?¡± Valdan turned back to Nella. ¡°I would be more than happy to be of assistance to you if you do not mind. A knight is always a useful aid in such matters.¡± Nella took a moment to think about it before shaking her head. ¡°Nope,¡± she said. ¡°My team is already full. Today will be our third day of investigations. Besides, we have enough knights as is and as useful as they are, I actually hate adventuring with knights. They¡¯re always so chivalrous and charming. It¡¯s always ¡®not there, my lady this¡¯ and ¡®would you like to sit on my shoulder while I wave my massive sword that¡¯. You all are just too much.¡± She shivered visibly and the maid smothered a laugh with her hand. ¡°See,¡± Nella pointed at the maid. ¡°Even Vanisi knows this. But if the princess wanted to come, I certainly wouldn¡¯t say no.¡± She wiggled her brows at Elaswit. Elaswit smiled fondly but shook her head. ¡°It would drive the entire city into confusion if anyone found out that the princess was here for adventuring.¡± ¡°Untrue.¡± Nella waved the worry aside with a flick of the wrist. ¡°It¡¯s been ages since the last royal portrait. I¡¯m sure no one will recognize you.¡± ¡°The royal portrait was updated last year,¡± Elaswit pointed out flatly. ¡°Everyone will recognize me.¡± ¡°Then we can give you a mask.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for adventures, Nella.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Nella pouted, then changed her attention. ¡°What of you, Lord Lacheart? Would you be happy to join me?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your team was already full?¡± Aiden asked. She smiled at him flirtatiously. ¡°There¡¯s always room for an enigmatic young lord that travels with a knight and a princess.¡± Elaswit smacked her on the arm. ¡°You are a lady. Behave.¡± Nella stuck her tongue out at her. ¡°Right now I¡¯m an adventurer and we¡¯re sometimes known to be sleazy. Anyway, toodooloo. Vanisi will show you to your rooms. I had them picked out already. And I¡¯ll find you the moment I return.¡± With that, she skipped her way down the road and towards the exit that was quite far from where they were. It was an odd sight to see a lady who looked like she was preparing for war with her hair braided back skipping down the road. Elaswit let out a sigh when Nella was far enough. ¡°I swear I love that girl, but she¡¯s growing up too slowly.¡± To Vanisi, the maid, she added: ¡°Please show us to our quarters.¡± Vanisi walked inside the house and they followed. ¡°What happened back there, Lord Lacheart?¡± Valdan whispered as they walked. ¡°What happened,¡± Aiden whispered back, ¡°is that we need to spend more time together so we know what each other needs without having to use words.¡± Valdan looked puzzled. ¡°That¡¯s a strange thing to say.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re a strange thing to say.¡± ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Me neither. I think I just need a bath and a change of clothes.¡± TWENTY FIVE: Knight of The Crown Lord Naranoff did not show up on the day of the arrival of Aiden, Valdan and the princess'' arrival, neither did he show up the next day. Nella proved herself to be a well enough host and after a few moments of confusion, Aiden was informed by Valdan that house Naranoff had no lady of the house. Lady Naranoff had died a year ago during a specific daring adventure she had embarked on. It turned out that Nella had inherited her love for adventures. Aiden wondered if the woman¡¯s continued love for adventuring was because she loved it or some kind of love for her mother. A tribute of some kind perhaps. He didn¡¯t know how these things worked since he¡¯d never lost someone very important to him. He had lost people in his past life, but none of them held any true sentimental value to him. There had been an adventurer he had made friends with before Ted became the Demon King, but they were more like relatable acquaintances than friends. Members of the Order had died every now and again, and while it had hurt, it had felt more like losing a colleague than a friend. Some things remained difficult to understand until they were experienced. Aiden¡¯s training with Valdan did not stop. On the day of their arrival, however, he trained alone in his room, mastering his class skills as much as he could. He learnt more with every mastery increase. One of the things he found out was that there was no enchantment fitting of his level that he could engrave that he could not weave. [Enchanted Weave] ensured that the enchantments applied to him. Unfortunately, even the ones that were meant to be cast as AoE enchantments. When he cast [Enchantment of lesser silence] he became silent. It was an odd experience. His heartbeat became almost nonexistent to him. Everything else functioned perfectly. He could hear the wind in his ear but the sound of his feet touching the ground did not reach him. It was as though he¡¯d silenced himself. Out of curiosity, he had punched the wall and had heard almost nothing. The sound was there, but it wasn¡¯t as loud as it should be. All enchantments worked on a principle of affecting mana. Enchantments that were meant to affect areas instead of items were engraved on tools that could be broken. The way they worked was that when broken, the enchantment funneled its purpose into every shattered piece of the item as it spread to establish its domain. It was possible to limit the default reach of an enchantment by limiting the range of impact, but it was like deciding to limit the range of a bomb. With enough planning and tools, it would be possible, otherwise it was a hard task to manage. So as far as [Enchanted Weave] was concerned, Aiden was the item. Casting AoE enchantments did nothing but apply the effect, like every other enchantment, on himself. Thus, [Enchanted Weave] had taken the enchantment that was supposed to cast a silent bubble that kept sound in and turned Aiden into the bubble. That was as much of [Enchanted Weave] as he learnt. On his first night, Aiden took his dinner in his room. Valdan did not call for him or stop by to speak of training, and Aiden felt it was probably because of what happened with the teleportation. The knight was probably giving him time to rest. Aiden spent the second day walking the estate grounds. It was almost as large as the palace grounds, possessing a room for every fathomable home activity possible. It had four wings for all four cardinal points. From what Aiden learnt, the west wing was out of bounds. No one was to enter unless explicitly summoned. The north wing was specifically designated for guests. Currently, Aiden and Valdan were the only guests housed in it, and Aiden was certain it was no coincidence. What he didn¡¯t know was if it was Lord Naranoff¡¯s idea or if it was Brandis ensuring the secrecy of Aiden as much as he could. Valdan came for Aiden on the evening of the second day a few hours before dinner. If they had remained at the palace, it would¡¯ve been the time for their sparring. Aiden was practicing AoE enchantments when he came, combining [Enchanted Weave] and [Walking Canvas]. While the former was a main skill of its own, the latter felt more like a supporting skill. The only thing [Walking Canvas] did was extend Aiden¡¯s mana so that it reached outside him. Surprisingly, it only reached about six feet in radius. When he used it, his mana decreased by only a single percent. When he deactivated the skill, the percentage decrease was reverted. Still, if he held the skill active for too long, his mana percentage would eventually start decreasing, even if at a slow pace. The main mana consumption only happened when he activated [Enchanted Weave] alongside it, and it varied. Using both class skills together turned every enchantment he weaved into an AoE enchantment, regardless of what enchantment it was. At least that was applicable for the enchantments he could currently weave. Aiden had a working theory on why that happened. Valdan knocked on his door while he was in the middle of deactivating [Walking Canvas]. The constant use of the skill for the last two days had raised its mastery to 9% and its range had increased by a few inches. The increase was arguably inconsequential, especially when his interface liked to measure distance in kilometers, but it was progress. ¡°One moment,¡± Aiden called out when the knock came again. He walked up to the door and placed a finger against it. All the doors had basic enchantment locks but Aiden had tweaked his own a bit. It was a safety precaution in case someone out there somehow had a master key that could unlock the enchantment from outside the room. It was not common but it was not unheard of. Aiden unlocked the door and opened it to the sight of Valdan outside his armor. Aiden leaned against the door frame and smirked. ¡°Have you come to get me to practice without your armor, sir Knight?¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed in mild annoyance. ¡°You are too old to be teasing someone capable of killing you in one blow, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°You do remember that I¡¯m only nineteen, right? I¡¯m really not that old.¡± Valdan pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Apologies, Lord Lacheart. It is often easy to forget. I guess you aren¡¯t too old for such antics.¡± ¡°You are here to drag me to training, though, right?¡± Aiden asked. Valdan nodded. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Then please, lead the way.¡± Their stroll through the manor wasn¡¯t as long as its size would indicate, at least it didn¡¯t feel so long. Valdan walked with quick steps as most knights do. He led them through the hallways and down the stairs until they went into a room. The room was large, hot, and filled with countless maids running around as they prepared one meal after the other and accomplished one task after the other. Valdan had brought them to the kitchen. Aiden felt uncomfortable as they made their way through the kitchen, not because of anything but the fact that they were getting in the way of normal peoples¡¯ tasks. Every maid and cook and help scrambled to get out of their way, most paused their tasks just so they could bow and greet. Valdan¡¯s responses were simple. He nodded to every bow and responded to every word with words of his own. When they came out of another door, it was into the evening air. Aiden suspected he knew why they had taken the back door, and through the kitchen at that, but he wanted to be sure his thoughts were the same as Valdan¡¯s. ¡°Any reason we had to disrupt the life of the nice people?¡± he asked as they walked towards another building in the evening air. Valdan looked at him from the side of his eye. ¡°You look like you already have your suspicions,¡± he said. ¡°I do,¡± Aiden confirmed, ¡°but I would also like to have them confirmed.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Since we arrived, I have felt like we have been kept under surveillance.¡± ¡°The Lord is keeping an eye on us?¡± Aiden asked, though he didn¡¯t think that was the case. Valdan shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s more like someone is watching us on their own. It just feels off.¡± ¡°Personally, I wouldn¡¯t think too much about it,¡± Aiden said. The path they followed curved and brought them closer to the next building. ¡°I¡¯d argue it¡¯s a spy from one of the other lords. Lord Naranoff suddenly gets three important guests worthy of clearing out his entire guest wing? Any spy not wondering what exactly is happening deserves to lose their job.¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°But that¡¯s the problem. I¡¯ve seen a few spies in my short time working under the king. This does not feel like it.¡± Aiden thought about it, worrying his bottom lip between two fingers. ¡°Could be a spy from a different kingdom. No one says they have to limit themselves to the palace.¡± ¡°Nel Quan?¡± Valdan suggested. It was possible. If they were aware of the fact that Bandiv had their own summoned ¡®saviors¡¯¡ªwhich they were¡ªAiden would not put it past them to set a spy to watch his every action. He had almost bested their best in unarmed combat and displayed information he should not possess. He was also the only ¡®savior¡¯ in Bandiv they were aware of. But would they go this far? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Aiden doubted it. But he rethought his opinion soon after. If Jang Su told their Sage of my fighting style, then it won¡¯t be very surprising. Aiden let out a sigh. If that was the case, he would be in a different kind of problem. A Sage¡¯s attention was not an easy thing. The attention of two Sages would be worse. Brandis had referred to them as a natural disaster which, if Aiden was not mistaken, was also the way some people referred to the Order. And if Sages fought like the Order, it meant they shared a relationship with the Order. The question was what was the relationship. Was the Order of the Sages or were the Sages of the Order? It was a troubling question. ¡°That¡¯s a deep sigh for a child of nineteen,¡± Valdan said. They were at the building now and it looked more like an arena than a simple building. Valdan opened the door and walked in, and Aiden followed. ¡°How old are you, Sir Valdan?¡± Aiden asked as they walked up a flight of stairs. Valdan started but schooled his expression. ¡°Forty, Lord Lacheart,¡± he answered. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just curious. In my world those at the age of nineteen are more correctly referred to as teenagers or young adults. It takes a certain age to see a nineteen-year-old and call them a child.¡± Valdan smiled. He was showing more expressions these days than in his earlier days with Aiden. ¡°And does forty fall under the category of said certain age?¡± Aiden gave it a quick thought. He would call a nineteen-year-old a child, and he was only in his thirties. ¡°Personally, I wouldn¡¯t say it does. But there are some that might differ.¡± The stair case ended at another door and Valdan, ever the serving knight, opened it and waited for Aiden to walk through. It released them onto a balcony. The building was one of a wide extension of four other buildings that walled in a large space. Below them was a training ground, almost as wide as a small stadium. There were people engaged in training. On one side the people wore armors and swung real swords and real spears, each one customized, some even flashy. Those that used the bow practiced with real arrows, sharpened tips designed to pierce more than just flesh, and their bows were equally customized. On the other side of the space, the inhabitants used simple long swords of the Bandiv design. Their combat and training was less demanding than their counterparts and their spars were less entertaining to watch. Even those of them that used the bow used simple long bows and simple arrows fired at wooden dummies from over a good pace. Aiden leaned down, rested his arms on the balusters in front of him. ¡°What are the requirements for knighthood, Sir Valdan?¡± Valdan did not emulate him. The knight remained standing, arms folded over his chest. ¡°They are a lot,¡± he answered. ¡°Humor me with the most important.¡± Aiden never took his eyes off of those fighting in their armor. ¡°For one, the most important of them all, you have to achieve level forty,¡± Valdan said. ¡°To serve as a direct knight of the king, you have to achieve level forty-eight.¡± ¡°And at level 49, you¡¯ve only been a knight of the king for¡­¡± ¡°Three months.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Sage had assigned him to the ¡®baby knight.¡¯ ¡°What else?¡± ¡°You have to have achieved something of great significance to the kingdom. It does not have to concern the kingdom as a whole, but it needs to have a significance. It is better if you achieve it yourself. If you are a part of it, then you need to have been a significant part of it.¡± ¡°And how does one tell if the part was significant?¡± ¡°There are ways. At least the king can tell. The System gives the royal family great power over these things.¡± Aiden nodded. It was probably one of their title effects. On Nastild, titles weren¡¯t only for combat benefits. Some were political and some were of other varieties. Bakers often had titles that enhanced their baking skills. Artisans had the same. ¡°What else?¡± he asked. This time Valdan turned to look at him. ¡°You seem to be waiting for some specific piece of information. Perhaps if you told me what it is, I could confirm it for you.¡± Aiden adjusted his arms on the railing. He continued to watch the armored trainees as two sparred and one slipped below a dastardly blow from their opponent and slammed their blade into their opponent¡¯s torso. There was a flash of an enchantment on the recipient¡¯s armor before they were blasted back. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve said,¡± Aiden said to Valdan, ¡°seems difficult. But it does not account for why there are so few knights under the employ of nobles. And while king Brandis has a grand array of knights, I know for a fact that they do not number more than two hundred.¡± Valdan frowned so deeply that it was almost a scowl. ¡°That is information that even I do not possess, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said. ¡°I would advise that you treat all pieces of information given to you by the king in public or private as secrets of the crown.¡± Aiden spared Valdan a simple look. ¡°I will take that into consideration.¡± It wasn¡¯t information Brandis had given him. Valdan shook his head but his frown faded. ¡°The reason Knights are so rare is because there is a title you must possess before you can apply as well. You need it to become a knight to anyone.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°[Giant Slayer].¡± Aiden let out a low breath. Even in his previous life he¡¯d never gotten any title by that name. By its name alone, he had an idea what it entailed. ¡°And how many levels is that?¡± he asked. ¡°Levels?¡± ¡°The opponent you are supposed to slay,¡± Aiden clarified. ¡°How many levels above you are they meant to be?¡± Valdan smiled, genuinely impressed. ¡°It is nice to know that your continued time in the library continues to yield fruits. Still, I guess it¡¯s not a difficult thing to decipher, given the name.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°It is not.¡± ¡°Twenty.¡± This time Aiden let out a very slow whistle not a high one. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Valdan agreed. ¡°And so are the benefits. It gives plus ten percent damage when fighting an opponent ten levels stronger than you and higher. It crashes out at thirty levels above, I think.¡± ¡°You think?¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°You haven¡¯t faced an opponent higher than thirty levels before, I take it.¡± Valdan snorted. Somehow it came out derisory. Self-derisory. ¡°[Giant Slayer] is the requirement to become a knight, Lord Lacheart. To become a knight of the crown, you need something else.¡± Valdan unfolded his arms and placed both hands on the railing. He leaned into them and his face hardened as he stared out at nothing. Aiden saw too much grief behind the man¡¯s eyes, because he wasn¡¯t looking at a knight right now. Right now he was looking at a man, a man whose experience had molded him. A man with an experience he would rather not have had. Aiden couldn¡¯t help himself. Unable to stop himself, he asked, ¡°What do you require to become a knight of the crown?¡± ¡°For that, you need a different title.¡± Valdan turned and met Aiden¡¯s eyes. His eyes were dark. His eyes were steel. ¡°You need the title [Inevitable].¡± Not many people knew the title, but Aiden did. He said nothing and Valdan nodded. ¡°You know it, too,¡± Valdan said, as if he had been expecting it, then he stared out at nothing once more. ¡°You know too many things for someone that has only been here for a month, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden stared down at the training ground. The people below were beginning to notice them. Trainings were beginning to slow as they all looked up one after the other. Valdan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, it was too strained. Too forced. It didn¡¯t lighten the mood. Aiden knew what it took to gain the title [Inevitable]. He¡¯d met a few masters in the Order with the title. Derenet had also gotten it at some point in his past life. How, continued to remain a mystery to Aiden. It was a powerful title but Aiden wouldn¡¯t wish it on anyone. Not even his enemies. While [Giant Slayer] required you to kill an enemy twenty levels higher, [Inevitable] wasn¡¯t just an upgraded version of it, it was a sadistic version of it. To achieve it, you had to defeat at least one opponent forty levels higher than yourself as well as three opponents twenty levels higher in the same fight, with a health stat of less than twenty percent. And all this was to be done alone. It was not a feat people set out to achieve. It was not a feat people were supposed to achieve. Such feats were the side effects of people thrust into horrible situations by fate. What did a man have to do to survive such a situation? ¡°Do not pity me, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said, his voice strong. ¡°It is a part of my life, one that has passed. It made me a better man. A better Knight.¡± He paused. ¡°Do you, perhaps, know the benefits of the title?¡± Aiden nodded. A thirty percent increase in damage to all opponents with a higher level than the title holder, regardless of how many levels. Ten percent increase in damage given to all allies within a certain distance against opponents with levels higher than them. Thirty percent damage reduction to all forms of damage once the title holder¡¯s health fell below ten percent. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a forty percent chance of surviving a single killing blow. And Brandis has almost two hundred such men under his command. How the hell did he not win the Demon wars so easily? ¡°So do not pity me,¡± Valdan repeated. ¡°The gods blessed me with more than enough to compensate for what I lost.¡± To go through such a situation. Aiden could not imagine it. But it was too high to be a requirement. It was literally suicide. ¡°How does the crown have that many people?¡± he asked. What was the population of Bandiv? If he remembered correctly it was supposed to be somewhere between eight million and ten million. Valdan paused, then looked at Aiden like he was stupid. ¡°Not all knights serving under the crown are knights of the crown, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden paused. ¡°How do you mean?¡± The sounds of clashing blades and arrows thudding into their targets was gone now. In their place was the silent rise of muttered conversations. ¡°We have [Knight],¡± Valdan explained. ¡°And we have [Knight of the Crown]. These are two entirely different titles. One answers directly to the king and is above reproach by anyone. Not even the queen. The other can be scolded by a noble should the moment deserve it.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know this. He didn¡¯t know any of this. He knew there were a select few amongst the knights that always rode with the king in battle, but he¡¯d thought they were perhaps the strongest of the knights, maybe the most loyal. Aiden¡¯s mind went back to the ball where he¡¯d faced Jang Su and finally understood what Valdan had meant when he¡¯d said the advantage would¡¯ve been skewed horribly in his favor if he''d fought. With the titles and the experience, it would¡¯ve been unexpected of him to lose. ¡°Mind you,¡± Valdan continued. ¡°There still remain imbeciles who try to attain the position on their own. Often times we find promising knights or simple squires or even soldiers dead and desiccated in territories known to hold monsters with far greater levels than theirs.¡± Aiden snorted and turned back to the training grounds. ¡°Well that¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Valdan agreed. Only a handful of those training were not looking at them. ¡°But I do not completely fault their stupidity. To be a [Knight of the crown] is to hold the highest military power second only to the king. Apart from the king, only a more powerful [Knight of the crown] may stand against an order you have given.¡± ¡°And that rarely happens.¡± Aiden squinted down at the men below. Was that¡­ He really hoped it was not what he thought it was he was seeing. ¡°The title, despite giving you near autonomy, also comes with its own System benefits.¡± Valdan wasn¡¯t paying attention to their new audience. ¡°So, yes. It rarely happens. It would be stupid to go through all that, gain the title, just to lose it over something stupid. Mind you, Lord Lacheart, despite the gravity of this specific requirement, it alone will not serve to make you eligible for the title, neither will it guarantee you the title. The king gives, after all, and he also takes away.¡± ¡­Blessed be the name of the king. It was a bastardization of a Christian line Aiden knew from the bible, but it was a fitting response. ¡°With all these questions,¡± Valdan said. ¡°I must ask, do you wish to become a knight, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden stood up straight and stretched, hands held over his head. ¡°Nope.¡± He leaned back down onto the railing and his eyes fixed on one of the trainees below. He didn¡¯t like the way the woman was looking at him. ¡°Knighthood is too grand a thing for a man like me. And I do not joke when I say that I am not worthy.¡± Valdan shook his head in disagreement. ¡°Every man alive is capable of being worthy, Lord Lacheart. Never forget that.¡± That much was true, but something else was taking Aiden¡¯s attention away. And he did not like it. If it was what he thought it was that was happening, then this was a problem that just kept on giving. ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°By the virtue of being granted the title of [Knight], every knight gets their own company of soldiers to command, right?¡± ¡°Right. The Knights that are required to be at the palace at all times take a small number along with them while the remaining are left behind.¡± ¡°Left behind where?¡± ¡°For Knights who have their own land and home to protect, they are left there. For knights belonging to a family yet to have their own house and home and land, then they are left with the family.¡± ¡°And what happens when such a knight has their title taken from them?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°The soldiers and squires alike are returned to the home of the knight, pending redeployment in the event that there is no lord or knight that wishes to take them under their service.¡± Aiden sighed as he got the answer he already knew. ¡°Which means that all of Derendoff¡¯s subordinates are currently being employed by the Naranoff family, pending their reassignment.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡± Aiden stood up straight and ran a hand down his face. ¡°Isn¡¯t that interesting.¡± He was completely certain of it. The woman below was definitely giving him the stink eye. And so were a bunch of other trainees. Valdan finally turned his attention to the group. ¡°Oh.¡± Took him long enough. Aiden almost laughed. ¡°Oh, is right.¡± ¡°Would you like to train elsewhere?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°We could perhaps ask Lady Nella for a different location. I''m sure they would have something to accommodate us¡± Aiden waved the suggestion away. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m fine right here," he said, then turned and looked around. ¡°How do we get down there?¡± TWENTY-SIX: Like Throwing Down The Gauntlet For the next two days Aiden had the most awkward training sessions he¡¯d ever had the displeasure of experiencing. He trained under the attention of watchful, baleful eyes. He and Valdan trained only their techniques with no skills and the others watched them like hawks waiting for their prey to make a mistake. None of the eyes were directed at Valdan. And knowing what he now knew of Valdan, Aiden didn¡¯t fear suddenly being jumped by many people during training. Not all the soldiers showed such open hostility towards him during training, however. There were those that always kept to themselves, training and honing their skills in practice. Every now and again there was always a soldier a little too enthusiastic, willing to show off some powerful skill or the other. Aiden remembered the woman who led the league of extraordinary baleful eyes displaying a powerful striking skill with a battle axe any chance she got. It charged a deep blue blade of mana over the blade of the axe that was as long as almost five feet and fired it over a distance with a swing. Aiden thought it was stupid. It was a powerful technique, but it still remained stupid to display it so blatantly. If you disliked someone well enough, the last thing you wanted to do was show them some of the things you were truly capable of when you knew the both of you could come to blows. And Aiden had no doubt there would be blows on the training ground. He had met people like this multiple times. Men and women with blind loyalty to their masters. Subordinates who didn¡¯t care who was in the wrong or who was justified, they fixated on their superior¡¯s adversary and directed all their anger there. Coming to blows was inevitable. Especially since every time he was about to leave there was always someone who decided that they wanted to stab a training dummy in the chest with a sword and leave it there. Lord Naranoff finally appeared on their fourth day in the manor. It was late in the evening and Aiden was doing his best to increase the mastery of his skills when a maid knocked on his door. Skill mastery could only be improved so much when it wasn¡¯t a foundational skill or a basic skill. There was a limit to how much a person could increase maybe a [Basic Swordsmanship] skill mastery from just swinging a sword or sparring with an opponent. Sadly, most of Aiden¡¯s skills had reached that threshold. Aiden opened his door, ready to collect his tray of food, as house Naranoff liked to feed him so extravagantly, but was met with a maid and no tray. She bowed at the waist. ¡°Good evening, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Evening, Vanisi.¡± For some reason the very same maid that had shown them to their rooms on their first day was the one that always brought his food. Aiden had a feeling she had been assigned to him to deal with any requests he made. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been eating too much and you¡¯ve decided to put me on a diet, Vanisi.¡± Aiden gave her a warm smile. ¡°Am I, per chance, being starved?¡± Vanisi tilted her head up slightly to look at him and he saw a touch of a smile on her lips. Aiden was a fan of those who worked servitude jobs. While he would not claim that he made or had ever made close friends of them, he could say he always tried to do anything to make serving him even less uncomfortable. A joke every now and again was always good enough to make them less uncomfortable. ¡°No such thing, Lord Lacheart,¡± Vanisi answered, returning her eyes to the ground. ¡°You know you can rise at anytime, right?¡± Aiden bent at the waist so that he could meet her eyes, still smiling. ¡°Or would you like me to bow with you?¡± Vanisi came up hurriedly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if she was truly panicked so he added quickly: ¡°I was merely joking, Vanisi. So what¡¯s happening today?¡± Hands placed gently in front of her stomach, Vanisi said, ¡°Lord Naranoff has returned and wishes to have dinner with everyone at the dining hall.¡± Aiden paused. He scratched his jaw in thought. ¡°Just between you and I,¡± he began with an awkward smile. ¡°How do my chances of saying no look?¡± Vanisi smiled back, it looked more like a suppressed laugh, the beginning of a chuckle. ¡°Abysmal.¡± Aiden nodded. I guess I¡¯m having dinner with the lord of the manor. ¡­ Tonight was Aiden¡¯s first time in the dining room of the Naranoff family on account of having all his meals in the room. Vanisi always delivered them at every meal time and came for the emptied plates when bringing his next meal. The dining hall was as large as could be expected. A chandelier hung from the high ceiling, casting the room in blue light. Other bulbs hung from the walls, their lights dimmed to give some form of aesthetic appeal to the room. The dining table itself was large enough to host at least twenty people. It could hold more but Aiden didn¡¯t do the pointless task of counting. All he knew and was interested in knowing was that the table was rectangular, covered in a fashionably designed table cloth, white with golden embroidery, held a seat at each end of the table and at least ten chairs on each side. There was a candelabra very close to both ends of the table complete with lit candles, and the table was set for five. Aiden was the last to arrive. Lord Naranoff sat at the head of his table. To his side, princess Elaswit sat like a proper lady. To his left, Nella sat down like she couldn¡¯t be bothered, you could put her plate on the ground and she¡¯d look more at ease. Beside her Valdan sat like a proper gentleman. Aiden took the empty seat beside princess Elaswit. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± she greeted in a quiet voice as he pulled his chair out and sat. ¡°Princess,¡± he returned. ¡°You have scarcely been seen since we got here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s balderdash,¡± Aiden said as Valdan touched the cutleries beside his empty plate simply because he could, arranging what did not need arranging. ¡°Vanisi has been seeing me quite often. So has Sir Valdan and a handful of squires and soldiers.¡± ¡°Well I have scarcely seen you since we got here.¡± There was a note in her voice that he was more than happy to ignore. Befriending a princess was proving to be an amusing thing. She was just a girl with female interactions when not in her official capacity, but she was also a princess. She was, arguably, always in her official capacity. And one needed to watch their words with royalty. Unfortunately, Aiden had a bad habit of forgetting people¡¯s capacity until he was reminded of it. ¡°Well,¡± he leaned a little towards her, lowering her voice, ¡°if you¡¯ve missed me, princess, all you have to do is say so.¡± Elaswit gave him a look with a raised eyebrow and Aiden gave his words some more thought. ¡°My apologies,¡± he said. ¡°That was corny and cocky of me. Won¡¯t happen again.¡± Elaswit returned her attention to her empty plate. She adjusted her cutleries, though Aiden noted they didn¡¯t need arranging. If you¡¯ve missed me all you have to do is say so. Really? What are you; the male lead in a corny romance novel? Aiden fought back the embarrassed groan that threatened to escape him. When he raised his head to officially greet Lord Naranoff, he caught Nella staring at him and Elaswit. She pointed at the both of them with her fork. ¡°And when did this become a thing?¡± Elaswit groaned like a tired older sister. ¡°There is no ¡®thing¡¯,¡± she said, matter of fact. ¡°Nope.¡± Nella shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s definitely a thing.¡± She paused, then gasped dramatically. ¡°Has princess stone cold made her first real friend?¡± Her eyes narrowed diabolically and Elaswit shot her a glare. ¡°I will have you know,¡± she said, ¡°that [Archer] classes should not tease classes beyond their level of violence.¡± Nella pouted and turned to her father. ¡°Lord Naranoff, I wish to report a slight perpetrated within your territory.¡± Lord Naranoff groaned and placed his head in his hand. For some reason he looked like a stressed father of ten. ¡°Please submit an official report through the official channels in three weeks,¡± he said in clear reluctance. ¡°Once the report has been reviewed, the house will get back to you in two to five business days.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Aiden looked at Valdan. When he caught his attention, he mouthed, what¡¯s happening? Valdan shrugged, looking equally confused. Elaswit smiled but shook her head. ¡°Nella, you should really stop dragging adults into the matters of children.¡± ¡°Says the childish adult,¡± Nella said. ¡°If it were your house you¡¯d be reporting me to the king.¡± Lord Naranoff groaned again. This time it was louder. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been transported ten years in the past.¡± ¡°Oh come off it, father,¡± Nella said, then twirled her fork between her fingers. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying the attention.¡± Lord Naranoff shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m really not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about this, Lord Naranoff,¡± Elaswit apologized, her tone official. ¡°I will do my best to keep my friend on her best behavior during my remaining stay here.¡± Lord Naranoff nodded in acceptance of the apology. ¡°Please do,¡± he said. ¡°And if you can, teach her how to apply makeup like a proper lady. She has the dress code down¡ª¡± he gave Nella who was currently dressed in pants and a shirt a tired look ¡°¡ªat least when she wants to. The make up, I believe, is where her problems lie. I know my words will later come to bite me in the back but sometimes I worry that the only men that will ever propose to her will be adventurers.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with adventurers?¡± Nella asked, petulant. Aiden knew what was wrong with adventurers. ¡°As harsh as it might sound,¡± Lord Naranoff said with a careful voice, ¡°nobility should marry nobility. And if they cannot, then they should marry one who is worthy of nobility.¡± And by that very logic, adventurers were out of the equation. Adventurers were more brute force and less tact when it came to most things. They were not political in nature. Swinging a sword at the problem was most often the better solution in their world than having a conversation, while it was the opposite in the world of nobility. Yes, Lord Naranoff was right. It was harsh, but should an adventurer lead a noble house, the other houses would eat that house alive. ¡°I see your point, Lord Naranoff,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Although it is no slight to their person, the average adventurer is not cut out for the world of a noble.¡± ¡°As the average noble is not cut out for the world of an adventurer,¡± Lord Naranoff replied. ¡°Ventel is prim and proper,¡± Nella said. Everyone paused and Elaswit gave her a questioning look. ¡°Ventel?¡± ¡°Ventel is an exception to the rule,¡± Lord Naranoff said to his daughter. ¡°And if I¡¯m not mistaking, in his own words, and I am paraphrasing here, aren¡¯t you like a sister to him?¡± Nella pouted. ¡°Only because he hasn¡¯t gotten to see me in a gown.¡± Aiden almost laughed. Ventel sounded like an interesting man. Who would dare to friendzone a daughter of a powerful lord in the kingdom? ¡°Again,¡± Elaswit said, with as much politeness as her impatience could handle, ¡°who is Ventel?¡± ¡°Some young adventurer my daughter has taken a liking to,¡± Lord Naranoff answered. ¡°I must say I do like the young lad. He might¡¯ve come from less but he has the makings of a lord. Honestly, I would take him as a son-in-law in a heart beat. Alas, my Nella is too much of a sister to him for that to happen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have him courting me before the year runs out.¡± ¡°I do not blame the young man.¡± Lord Naranoff sighed dramatically, pretending to ignore his daughter. ¡°He is too dashing a man, and the adventuring life is already stress enough. I would not wish the strain of a woman in his life when he can find a lady.¡± Elaswit chuckled in easy entertainment. Then she caught the look of amused confusion on Aiden¡¯s face. ¡°This is entirely normal,¡± she assured him. ¡°I used to come here a lot as a child.¡± ¡°She¡¯d come here and have all the young boys blushing down to their necks at her beauty,¡± Nella added. ¡°And she was always so fun, not stuck up like her brother.¡± Elaswit laughed. ¡°How Derenet hated coming here. He always wanted to spend time going on father¡¯s hunts instead.¡± Lord Naranoff scoffed. ¡°Bless the king for having a firm hand. The kinds of things your father hunts would kill his children by just being present.¡± Aiden¡¯s mind went straight to the [Multiverse Agent]. Not for the first time he dreaded his return trip through teleportation. ¡°So true,¡± Elaswit agreed. ¡°That said, I¡¯ve spent more time here as a simple girl than I have spent in any other noble house as a princess. Lord Naranoff is like something of a favorite uncle.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I remain confused as to why you have come to visit us as a princess without telling me why?¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°I promise you, Lord Naranoff. You have nothing to worry about. Lord Lacheart is merely here to take on adventuring tasks to help foster his growth as an adventurer. My purpose here is for a vacation.¡± ¡°Your documents say that you are here on official duty.¡± Elaswit waved a casual dismissal. ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of paper, not even system sanctioned. It was the only way I could take advantage of Lord Lacheart¡¯s use of the teleportation center without making it seem like I wanted to simply follow the enigmatic young lord on some dashing adventure. I assure you that the king and queen know I am merely abusing my office to take a vacation.¡± Her words seemed to appease Lord Naranoff. ¡°And how long will you be staying?¡± he asked. Elaswit turned to Aiden. ¡°For as long as he is, apparently. Which shouldn¡¯t be too long.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I have business elsewhere by the end of the new week so I cannot dally for long.¡± ¡°Well, if you need any help smoothing things over with the adventure society, just let me know. I will be more than happy to help.¡± Lord Naranoff placed his hand on a small napkin beside his set plates and a small enchantment lit up in a soft green glow. Maids started entering the dining hall after that, pushing trollies with covered plates of food. There were three maids in all and they set the table, stacked it with each plate or bowl, then uncovered them. The room was filled with the sweet smell of meals of different kinds almost immediately. Aiden¡¯s stomach was pleased. When the table was set, the maids made their exit in equal silence and they were left to serve themselves. ¡°Until then,¡± Lord Naranoff continued as the others began filling their plates, ¡°my training grounds are your training grounds. Some of the men present served under my son during his time as a knight but were sent back home when he lost his title. So the few that are privy to what happened may not like you very much.¡± Aiden nodded, remembering the uncomfortable attention they¡¯d been giving him. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± he said. Lord Naranoff shook his head in dismay. ¡°I hope they haven¡¯t done anything untoward.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not at all, they just tend to go overboard with their training when I¡¯m present. I believe its some form of intimidation tactic. Childish antics. I¡¯m more interested in what they do when I¡¯m leaving the grounds. Now that I think of it, it seems ceremonial, somehow.¡± Everyone around the table had started eating by now. Aiden¡¯s plate was full but he was yet to take a bite. ¡°And what is that, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°They keep impaling their dummies with their swords. So far there are currently four swords stabbed into one poor defenseless training dummy.¡± Aiden shook his head in mock dismay. ¡°I won¡¯t be surprised if there¡¯s fifteen by the time I¡¯m gone. Can a training dummy even hold fifteen swords, I wonder.¡± Everyone stopped eating. The room was heavily silent. Actually, Valdan wasn¡¯t bothered. Aiden looked around. They were all staring at him except for Valdan who continued his meal, unbothered. Just my luck, he sighed. ¡°It means something, doesn¡¯t it? It¡¯s not just some intimidation tactic.¡± Lord Naranoff nodded. ¡°It does. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you are a [Weaver] right? I believe you made mention of it at the ball.¡± ¡°I am,¡± Aiden confirmed. ¡°And if it¡¯s alright with you, would you mind telling me your level?¡± Aiden knew that it was impolite to ask another person their level unless in an official capacity. In this instance, he didn¡¯t mind. Besides, Lord Naranoff had been polite about it. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m level 14.¡± ¡°A level 14 [Weaver],¡± Lord Naranoff mused. He turned to Valdan. ¡°Yes, Lord Naranoff,¡± Valdan said before he could say whatever he wanted to. ¡°His class is known for its non-combat use even if Lord Lacheart has found a way to use it for combat. With that, his choice to ignore such gestures can be viewed if brought to the public as reasonable. Amongst the soldiers it would be viewed either as cowardice or condescension. None of which matters.¡± ¡°Some of those soldiers are squires who hope to one day become knights,¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°Some by title and some by class.¡± ¡°Then that will be a problem for the future. And I assure you that it would be a problem Lord Lacheart will more than be able to crush.¡± ¡°And I am yet to know what is happening,¡± Aiden chipped in. Lord Naranoff turned to him. ¡°My apologies. You said you are a son of some noble house that has refused to name itself.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°And prior to this you have known no noble culture or military culture.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°I am sure Sir Valdan is unaware of what is happening as I¡¯m sure he would¡¯ve told you.¡± ¡°Oh no, Lord Naranoff,¡± Valdan interrupted. ¡°I am very much aware of it.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve said nothing?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Nella asked. Valdan did not turn to her as he answered. ¡°Lord Lacheart is quite literally above such petty squabbles, and I don¡¯t mean by his title as lord. I mean by his capabilities as a man. And since he didn¡¯t ask, I saw no need to tell.¡± ¡°Well now he¡¯s asking,¡± Aiden said. Lord Naranoff paused for a moment, looking to Valdan. When Valdan made no attempt to speak, he spoke. ¡°Their gesture is one done when there is an outsider amongst their ranks,¡± he said. ¡°The nobles do it, and so do soldiers. At the end of an event, they take a sword or a spear or a knife, it could even be an arrow, and they stab it into the most human-like object present. The outsiders know themselves and it can be viewed as an official challenge.¡± ¡°Like throwing down the gauntlet,¡± Aiden mused. ¡°Yes, but the gauntlet is more of an action amongst knights. No knight is so uncouth as to use this method. This is more for squires and soldiers and noble brats seeking a duel.¡± ¡°So every sword currently there is a challenge.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Alright. And let¡¯s say I do not know who put what sword where, how do I know what sword belongs to who?¡± Lord Naranoff gave it some thought. ¡°In cases where the swords being used are not customized they would inscribe their names or initials either on the blade somehow or on the hilts. Only fools would make such a challenge and not do that.¡± ¡°And how long will the challenge stand? I can¡¯t be expected to believe that the sword will be there forever.¡± ¡°It is customary to leave it until midday the next day or until the owner of the territory deems it fit to remove the weapon.¡± Valdan waved the entire conversation aside. ¡°I say we leave them be. They are just children trying to do evil under the protection of culture. If any of them had the balls, they would make a move without waiting for a challenge.¡± ¡°He has a point,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°But just out of curiosity. If I wanted to accept their challenge¡ª¡± Valdan raised his eyes to meet Aiden¡¯s. ¡°¡ªI said just out of curiosity,¡± Aiden clarified. ¡°If I wanted to accept their challenge. I just had to pull their sword out, right?¡± Valdan was still staring at him. ¡°You pull their sword out and stick it in the ground,¡± he answered slowly. ¡°Then you either wait or return before nightfall of the same day. In some cases, you could remove it and find the owner to hand it over personally.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°You all have strange cultures. No offense.¡± ¡°None taken,¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°You learn that the higher you go in a caste, the stranger the culture becomes.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t think it was really about the higher a person went, though. The Order had a strange culture of their own. There was only one kind of challenge and it was always to the death. But you had to be worthy to make the challenge. You would cut your palm and make your way to the person you wanted to challenge and rub your blood down the person¡¯s face unhindered. If you were stopped even once before your blood got to their face, you forfeit the right to make that challenge. It was a barbaric culture for a place as civilized as the Order. And Aiden had only ever made a death challenge once. Valdan was right. These were children playing children¡¯s games. It was also funny to realize that he¡¯d already known of the custom. It was just some random piece of information in his brain that he never bothered to remember. To him, it had always been that unimportant. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. Mundane conversations were held but mostly between the princess, Lord Naranoff, and his daughter. Everything else proceeded smoothly. When dinner was concluded, each of them returned to their rooms and turned in for the night. ¡­ Latvud had been a squire by class and title for two years now and had been serving under house Naranoff¡¯s name for the same period of time. And in all his time serving, he had never seen something as stupid as what he was witnessing right now. It was early in the morning, just after the break of dawn. First light had pierced the skies and every creature on Nastild, save the nocturnal were rising from their slumber. ¡°¡­And eight.¡± The voice was simple and clear in its finality, but also amused. It was like the owner was curious about something he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to think of as important. ¡°¡­ And that should do it.¡± Latvud watched as the visiting lord stuck the final sword in the ground, forming a ring of swords and two spears. Then he sat in the middle of the ring. He had officially accepted the challenges posed to him. ¡­ All eight of them. TWENTY-SEVEN: Dangerous The sun was up by the time The first person showed up. It was a young soldier from what Aiden could tell. He remembered seeing the man around a few times. Though he called him young, the man was probably older than twenty-five. The man hesitated at the entrance, stunned. After a moment, he gathered his wits about him and went about his day. He cleaned as best he could, arranged as best he could. The man checked up on the dummies and the weapons but made no attempt to get close to Aiden. Aiden didn¡¯t blame him. It was safe to say that none of the swords belonged to him and he didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with what was happening. It was two hours past first light when everyone else started trooping in. And soon the challengers started to show themselves. It was in the scowls Aiden saw. Most of the soldiers scowled, but the challengers had a specific type of scowl. Somehow they managed to make it condescending. They looked like predators spotting a prey. Aiden sighed. How unfortunate. When even the armored trainees came in Aiden finally got up. He stood in the middle of a ring of six swords and two spears and looked around at everybody. ¡°Let me make one thing clear!¡± he announced, drawing the attention of even those that wanted no part of this to him. ¡°I am not a nice person. I am not kind enough to play games. By the virtue of these weapons, you have all made your decisions. You have challenged me and not the other way around.¡± Mumbles rose slowly from the crowd but one of the armored trainees stepped away from the section where only they trained. He wore light armor and no helmet. It seemed he was yet to put on his complete armor. ¡°Silence!¡± the man declared. Everyone obeyed immediately. ¡°He is the challenged!¡± the man continued. ¡°You may not like him, but you will accord him the respect due of the challenged.¡± Aiden nodded to the man. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I did not do it for you,¡± the man replied coldly. ¡°I like nothing about you but respect is important. Cultures must be respected.¡± Aiden nodded. That was quite unfortunate because the man wasn¡¯t going to like what he was going to say next. ¡°As I was saying,¡± he continued. ¡°I am the challenged and that¡¯s fine and good. But I came here for my own reasons and this little display of yours has chosen to delay my plans a little bit. That said, if I am forced to play your games, then you will be forced to play mine. I will face you to first blood, to surrender¡­ even to the death.¡± Aiden saw scowls turning into grins, feral smiles widening. One particular scowl turned scared and the man paled. ¡°However,¡± Aiden went on. ¡°I will do all this on only one condition. We will face each other without active skills. If you agree, then we can play this game of yours. If you do not, then understand that I will place all your swords and spears back in that poor dummy and you can riddle it all you want and you will continue to be ignored until the day I leave.¡± ¡°You cannot!¡± someone shouted from the crowd. ¡°It is not allowed!¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°And yet I will.¡± ¡°You will go against culture?¡± another asked, the voice feminine. ¡°Your culture,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°Not mine. Say what you want, but as someone famous once said, ¡®I¡¯ll do what I¡¯ll do and you do what you can do about it.¡¯ Now hurry up. Make your decision and let¡¯s get this over with. I have more important things to do than play these childish games.¡± He stepped out of the ring of swords while the muttering resumed. He could hear the anger. Good. Angry opponents made mistakes. Unsurprisingly, the armored man did not step in to quell it as he had done once before. Aiden didn¡¯t know if it was because the mutterings were necessary due to the need for deliberation or because he was not going to ask them to respect a man who did not respect the culture. Probably the latter, he thought as he picked up a sword from the training pile. He checked it as he waited. It was too worn out. He dropped it and picked another. It took him going through the process on four swords before he found something good enough. It could¡¯ve been weighted better but¡­ What the hell, why not? Aiden turned away from the swords and walked over to a clear space. There had been eyes watching him through the process and some of those eyes had grown serious. It seemed there were people who¡¯d understood what he had been doing. He placed the tip of his chosen sword on the ground and started walking. It drew a line in the sand as he moved until he¡¯d made a large and complete circle. When some eyes started glancing up, Aiden followed them. He was not surprised to find Valdan standing behind the railing they¡¯d stood to observe the soldiers on their first day here. Beside him, Nella stood with a puzzled expression. When Aiden was done with the circle, he stood inside it. A man walked out from the crowd and over to the ring of swords. He was around Valdan¡¯s age, at least he looked it, and walked proudly. He pulled a sword from the ring and approached Aiden. He entered the circle Aiden had drawn, garnering everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I will face you with no skill,¡± the man said, trying his best to glance discreetly at the range of the circle. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it,¡± Aiden told him. ¡°The circle is meant to distract you and guide me. I hope not to fall outside it. Think of it as me challenging myself.¡± He swung his sword in a single downward slash beside him. ¡°Then I, too, shall not step outside this circle,¡± the man said. Aiden would¡¯ve mistaken it for some level of honor if he hadn¡¯t heard the tone of the man¡¯s voice. The man was condescending. It was unfortunate and didn¡¯t matter. Aiden was not honorable, and rarely was he fair. Everything was mind games. Knowing of the circle, the man would always have a portion of his mind on its boundaries. Aiden had angered them, now he was distracting his opponent. When you faced uneven odds, you played every card to your advantage, just to be sure. ¡°You will begin on my call!¡± Valdan¡¯s voice boomed over the entire training space. Whether it was because they knew who he was or because of Nella standing beside him, no one objected. Some of the armored trainees even straightened up, stood at attention. Valdan placed his hands on the railing. ¡°To what grounds?¡± Aiden asked. His opponent glared at him, condescending blue eyes focused. ¡°The death.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°To the death it is.¡± ¡°Begin!¡± The man charged forward, sword held low and to the side in two hands. He was fast, but not fast enough. When you wish to take the initiative and strike first in a duel, the take off in a charge was just as important as every other action. The man¡¯s take off had been poor. It seemed he had an active skill that helped him charge forward. Such sloppiness in a charged take off was only this bad if you relied on such a skill too much. Your body tended to forget how to do it properly without assistance from the skill. Aiden simply stepped forward. He felt himself ease into the version of himself that had once been an instructor in the Order. He had been significantly more powerful then. But there were things that didn¡¯t change simply because you stopped being powerful. He leaned back on his first step and let the man¡¯s upward swing skim past his face. It had been designed to take his neck, and without hesitation. A death blow with a lot of power behind it. The man spun into the swing, exposed his back for a moment before following up with another on his turnaround. The second attack was sloppy and Aiden parried it easily, sent the sword skewing up and away. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. In return he stepped forward and brought his sword down in a simple forward cut with both hands. The man hurried to block it. Caught in an awkward position, his defense was successful but sloppy. Aiden followed up with a simple side slash as he stepped forward again, footing casual but precise. His opponent hurried to block that too as he took a step back. Aiden swung again, stepping forward with each swing. Head. Shoulder. Waist. Stomach. Head. Each swing was basic, simple. Each swing was powerful. It was always the first thing he taught new recruits. The basics were powerful. They were greater than what most people thought. The trick to overpowering an enemy with the basics was to ensure that every swing, as simple as they were, was intended to kill. By the eighth deflection, his opponent glanced back, against his better judgement, checked how close he was to the edge of the circle. And that was the distraction. Aiden switched, swung his sword down with one arm this time. The man hurried to defend himself. Panicked by his distraction, he swung his sword against Aiden¡¯s with both hands. If Aiden had used both hands as he been doing since the beginning of the fight, the blow would¡¯ve been defended perfectly. But he wasn¡¯t. The man swung too hard, and while it deflected Aiden¡¯s blow, pushing his sword arm back, it left the man wide open. Aiden didn¡¯t worry about his sword. He kicked the man in the chest, instead, and sent him falling on his butt and outside the circle. Aiden turned and walked back to the center of the circle. He stood there, sword held out to his side in one hand. The tip of the blade tapped the sand slowly and in a steady rhythm. The silence of their audience was deafening. The man picked himself up and looked down at the scuff marks he¡¯d left in the line of the circle as he¡¯d staggered out of it. He looked from it to Aiden and back. Aiden said nothing. He allowed the man decide which one of his words was more important. To the death or that he would not leave the circle. Everything is a game of the mind. Aiden saw when the man made a decision. His entire face squeezed in a scowl, twisted in anger. He hurried back to his feet and stepped back into the circle. To the death it is. He charged Aiden once more, sword slashes coming in a horrid flurry. Aiden did not retreat. He stepped into the attack, sword raised in both hands, deflecting each blow. The sounds of metal clashing filled the silent training ground. Anger fed strength, but it most times starved technique. The man¡¯s anger fed power into his blows, certainly depleting his stamina faster until the man¡¯s attack slipped up again. He broke his own flow in between combos and Aiden stepped into it. He slipped into the man¡¯s attack on a downward, swing caught the swinging arm over his shoulder, and tossed the man over him with a shoulder throw. Aiden winced at almost nicking himself with his own sword. The man hit the ground with a loud thud. Aiden moved quickly. He stepped on the wrist holding the man¡¯s sword and placed the tip of his sword against his neck. ¡°Yield,¡± he said. The man spat at him, which was stupid, because the distance between them was a lot and his spittle just ended up falling to the sand. ¡°To the death!¡± the man ground out. Aiden raised his head to look at their silent audience and the man moved. It was a simple twitch cut off when the tip of Aiden¡¯s sword pierced the fabric of his shirt and cold steel touched flesh. He looked back down at the man. ¡°Yield.¡± The man was defiant. Honor or pride? Aiden wondered. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. He had been a good person once, then his brother had left him, a kingdom had turned against him, and he had joined the Order. Aiden moved the tip of his blade to the man¡¯s shoulder, the one that belonged to the arm holding the sword. He drove his blade into it slowly. The man gasped in pain. His free arm rushed up to grab the sword. The action moved his shoulder awkwardly and Aiden watched the man¡¯s eyes widen in pain as he let out a pained scream. He did not stop pushing his blade. The man did not stop scrambling. He was raising dust. Eventually, he pushed through his pain and grabbed the blade of Aiden¡¯s sword in his hand. He tried to pull it away and Aiden wondered how much faith the man had in friction. Too much was the answer. Aiden pushed his blade deeper. When the man tried to pull the sword out, test his strength against Aiden¡¯s, he only succeeded in cutting his palm and fingers on the blade. He let out another scream, releasing the blade. Aiden pushed a little more and a notification flashed in front of him. [You have dealt a critical blow.] At the same time, the man¡¯s eyes flashed to the air in front of him. His interface was probably alerting him to how much health he¡¯d lost. Critical blows often took out a chunk of health. Aiden pushed further, he was making sure not to strike bone. ¡°Yield!¡± the man bellowed. ¡°I yield!¡± Aiden stopped. The blade was almost through to the other side. He drew his blade free and stepped away from the man. He checked his stamina. [Stamina 91%] Chances were the man¡¯s level wasn¡¯t that high. Maybe he should¡¯ve asked for the average level of the people here. The man picked himself up but his sword arm hung limp and his sword fell from his hand. There was a small patch of blood in the sand and now it dripped down the man¡¯s limp arm from the injury in his shoulder, soaking his shirt. The man looked at Aiden then at his sword. His head twitched to the side and Aiden noted how he refused to look at his comrades. He left his sword in the circle as he staggered his way out of it. Defeat and pain affected a person gravely, especially when they expected victory in its place. Aiden wondered how this would affect the man. Perhaps I should keep an eye on him. He walked over to the scoffed line of the circle and redrew it with the tip of his bloodied bladed then turned to the crowd. There were no sneers or scowls left. No one was looking down on him now. ¡°Next.¡± ¡­ By the fourth challenger, Aiden¡¯s stamina was at sixty-two percent. The entire arena was silent. The armored trainees watched with rapt attention as a boy younger than everyone present ran a gauntlet on those older than him. The fourth challenger chose until surrender and surrendered after being forced out of the circle. Aiden had not yet used any complicated sword techniques. The basic sword movement of the Order was proving sufficient even if it was taking more of his manner to win in the way he was with it. The sixth man was the first spearman amongst the challengers. There was a part of Aiden that wanted to face the man equally with a spear but he wasn¡¯t so stupid. While the spear was a weapon he was capable of using, he did not have the [Spearmanship] skill. Challenging someone with their weapon of choice when you did not have the skill to back it up wasn¡¯t just hubris, it was stupid. It didn¡¯t matter how well he¡¯d known the spear in his past life, Aiden just couldn¡¯t bring himself to that level of stupidity. The fight was a little tricky. The man employed the advantage of a spears reach and had sharp and fast thrusts. Aiden had needed more than the basic sword skills to fight him. It had pushed his footsteps up a notch and forced him into more complicated techniques. The fight took far more stamina than the others had and Aiden finally broke a real sweat. But defeat did not befriend him here. Valdan and Nella watched in silence even as he overpowered the man and dealt him a fatal blow to the thigh, rendering him unable to fight. When the man struggled some more, the butt of his spear pressed against the ground to help him stand, Aiden walked up to him and shoved him in the chest with his foot. ¡°Stay down,¡± he told him in a calm voice. ¡°Every man should know when he¡¯s lost. You did not choose to the death so I have no compunction to watch you bleed to death here.¡± The man was helped out of the circle by two others and led out of the training area, most likely in search of a healer. Maybe it was from seeing Aiden work harder against the spearman, maybe not, but the next spearman was a little too cocky with his attacks. It was not on the part of blatant carelessness, but it was enough to put him in trouble. At a point the instructor in Aiden almost lost it at how many mistakes he was making with every stab or sweep and he was tempted to humiliate the man for no more reason than humiliating him. But he did not. However, he ended the fight in a more disgraceful way than any of the others. He slipped through the reach of the spear, drew close enough to render the spear an uncomfortable weapon of choice and knocked the man out with a fist to the face. He let the man fall to the ground in an unceremonious heap. Only one sword remained in the ground now as Aiden pulled up his stamina. [Stamina 38%] It was low, but enough for one more person. A childish waste of time. That¡¯s what this is. He waited for a while, and when nobody stepped out to claim the sword, he asked, ¡°Is that all?¡± It was midday and the sun was bright in the sky, beating down on the world of Nastild. ¡°Yes!¡± a feminine voice answered. Aiden turned in its direction and found the woman that had been displaying her axe skill any chance she had. ¡°You use an axe,¡± he said simply. ¡°I do,¡± she answered, defiance in her voice. ¡°Yet you declare that this is all despite the sword in the sand. Am I to assume that it is yours, despite your favored use of an axe?¡± ¡°I will not fight you without a skill.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Then you will not fight me at all.¡± He drove his blood stained sword into the sand, where it stayed, hilt pointing to the sun, and walked out of the training area. There were no words in his wake, no jeers or compliments. Only silence. He did not have to look back to know that he had given every soldier there, squire or not, something to think about. He was weaker now, younger too. But experience had not fled him. [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 59.00% --> 61.06%)]. [Unarmed combat (Mastery 49.00% --> 52.01%)]. [Resilience (Mastery 98.00% --> 98.13% )] [Light steps (Mastery 94.09% --> 95%)]. At least the entire ordeal had not been a complete waste. Aiden read his notification as he stepped out of the entire training area and out into the open compound of the Naranoff estate. The air here did not have the smell of blood and sand and steel and sweat. The entire encounter had increased his mastery in some of his skills but not enough. It seemed his skills had reached the threshold of how much mastery he could pull out of them in situations that were not overtly stressful. Stress was the key word, and while what had happened inside the arena had been tasking, strenuous maybe, it was not stressful. There was only one surefire way left. No greater stress than something life threatening, I guess. He was a good distance down the path back to the mansion when Nella and Valdan caught up to him. When they did, Valdan had only one thing to say. ¡°That was brutal.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t too bothered by it. ¡°They needed to learn,¡± he replied. ¡°Blind servitude is a deadly thing. Most people are blinded by their loyalty. Such things lead to the most unnecessary losses. It took the first man a while but he finally realized that this was not a cause worth dying for.¡± Valdan nodded, but whatever was on his mind had gone nowhere. ¡°A cause worth dying for.¡± He sounded very thoughtful, reflective. ¡°I have no response to that,¡± Valdan said. ¡°But one thing I can say for certain is that some of the people there now fear you, while others now respect you.¡± None of that mattered. Aiden shrugged. ¡°At least they¡¯ll stop impaling that poor training dummy.¡± Nella was still yet to say something, but she looked like she, too, had a lot to say. Her face was fixed in something thoughtful. There was also a dire touch to it. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Aiden asked. In her early twenties, he was sure there was much she had not seen. She might often hang out with adventurers but he was certain the worst she had seen was monsters being monsters or humans being humans. He doubted she had ever gotten to see such a show of empty cruelty before. What he had done to the first man without batting an eye might¡¯ve stuck with her. Nella said nothing. She continued to stare thoughtfully. Only when they reached the main house did she speak. Her words were precise and her expression was torn between worry and acceptance. ¡°You are dangerous, Lord Lacheart.¡± TWENTY EIGHT: Ask Me Why House Naranoff¡¯s mansion was not as quiet as most houses at night. The maids never slept, at least that was how it seemed, but Aiden knew better. The night maids were simply different from the day maids. But it wasn¡¯t the maids he had to pay attention to. It was the soldiers. At night they paraded the halls, keeping watch of everything that happened. There were also more than a handful that paraded the compound. Aiden stepped out of his room in his trench coat all buttoned up. on his hip was a longsword of the Nastild design he¡¯d brought with him from the palace. He made his way on a simple casual stroll down the hallway, simple steps carrying him down a simple path. The maids on about their business that saw him spared a glance at his odd attire before their eyes moved to his swords. The swords were all the deterrent they need to resume minding their business. A Lord out and about in the middle of the night carrying swords was rarely ever a good sign. He got to an intersection in the hallway and was about to pass when movement in one of the hallways caught his attention. Aiden stopped, turned to the closest maid cleaning a vase and gestured her away. Confused, she looked from him to the vase she was cleaning. Aiden didn¡¯t want to scare the woman away but he also didn¡¯t have the time that was needed to convince her carefully. So he met her eyes and tapped the pommel of his longsword suggestively. The woman¡¯s eyes widened and she fled the hallway as quickly as relatively calm steps could carry her. Now let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t interpret that to mean I need help and call a soldier. Alone, he peeked around the corner of the hallway. At its end was a soldier patrolling the grounds. He had a longsword strapped to his waist and had an air of tiredness about him. There was a high chance that he would simply greet Aiden and be on his way, but Aiden didn¡¯t need anyone of any relative importance seeing him tonight. Maids were okay. They would talk, but only amongst themselves. Before their gossips would reach powerful enough ears, Aiden would be done with this place and be on his way. Until then¡­ You have activated class skill [Enchanted Weave] Constant practice paid off. Aiden¡¯s hands moved in quick succession and the effects of an enchantment were already going through him even before his interface updated him. You have used [Lesser Enchantment of Silence]. His heart grew silent. It¡¯s beating became almost non-existent in his ears. It was a neat trick as far as he was concerned. A good substitute until he learned the [Stealth] skill. He peeked around the corner again and saw the soldier pause to look at something. Aiden took his chance without hesitation. He cut across to the adjacent hallway and hurried his way down the path. Aiden had two rooms to check tonight, and if the results were promising, then his task tonight would be relatively easy. If they were not¡­ well, his task tonight would be tiring. He did not use the enchantment of silence much as he skulked his way around the mansion. Sometimes simple quiet steps were all it took to move past the guards. By the time he got to his first destination his mastery of [Quiet movements] had increased. [Quiet Movement (Mastery 68% --> 71%)] Sometimes Aiden wished skill growth in Nastild was the same way it was in video games. The moment you perform an act, you gained the skill. All you had to do after that was level up the skill. But on Nastild you had to work for everything. It¡¯s why normal people don¡¯t grow fast. There was some adventurer somewhere that had been adventuring for thirty years and still wasn¡¯t at level 50. It was a sad thing, though it was a normal thing for the indigenes of Nastild. Aiden dismissed the notification as he pressed himself against the wall beside Nella¡¯s room door. He knew Nella had a study, but from the little he¡¯d learned about her these past few days, she didn¡¯t seem like one to take her study seriously. There was also the fact that he¡¯d heard two maids arguing over who would clean her study. Both of them wanted to since the ¡®lady of the house¡¯ never used it, which meant it was never a mess. Aiden paid attention to the lock and activated a skill. You have used skill [Detect]. The information he was looking for came immediately. Details hovered over the door knob. [Basic Lock] A basic lock designed by a smith to be unlocked from without or within with a key. You will need a key to unlock this door. Aiden scoffed. The system and its many suggestions. A [Thief] or a [Rogue] would¡¯ve seen a different suggestion. It didn¡¯t matter, however. Just to be sure, he placed his hand against the key hole and activated [Basic Enchant]. He felt his mana pool out of him and into his hand. When it made contact with the door handle through his skin, it simply fizzled out. Skill [Basic Enchant] does not take effect. That was a good sign. It also said a lot about Nella that she didn¡¯t have an active enchanted lock. He didn¡¯t know if it was going to make things easier for him or not. But that was unimportant, he had come prepared for the worst. He squatted down to the level of the door knob and went to work. He pulled out two thin strips of iron, commissioned before he¡¯d left the palace for a task just like this. Sliding both inside the key hole at different angles, he started to shake it about. Three shakes in, he stopped. The task was getting loud and loud was not a good thing. There was the possibility that it was all in his head but he couldn¡¯t risk it. He released the pins and weaved himself into an enchantment. You have activated [Lesser Enchantment of silence]. When his hand touched the pins and he resumed his work, he barely heard anything. That was good. He¡¯d learned since that any enchantment he was under from the effect of [Enchanted Weave] automatically extended to anything he touched. His shoes, his clothes, the swords at his hip, the pins for picking locks. And the locks by extension. Even if Nella was standing in front of the door, she wouldn¡¯t hear him working. He really hoped the information he¡¯d gotten that said she¡¯d gone out for an expedition as an adventurer and wouldn¡¯t be back for two days was right. The last thing Aiden wanted was to open the door and find her staring at him like some kind of pervert. After a moment, he felt the click he was looking for. He turned the knob gently and felt the second click. The door was open. A cautionary glance around told him that he remained alone. With the certainty, he pushed the door open and slipped inside the room. He retrieved the lock picks before closing the door behind him. The first sight he was met with was a message from his interface. You have learned [Lockpicking (Mastery 00.02%)]. That¡¯s odd, Aiden mused as he dismissed the notification. Usually, his skills started at nothing lower than 02.10%, even if it wasn''t all of them. But this was low, very low. Did I have the lockpicking skill before? He gave it a quick thought and the answer came to him. He hadn¡¯t. Lockpicking was a skill that belong almost exclusively to classes like [Rogue] and [Thief]. [Enchanter] and [Weaver] had no business developing such skills after gaining their class. Aiden dismissed his thoughts and focused on the attention at hand. Nella¡¯s room was, in a simple word, a mess. The bulbs were still activated and they cast the room in a soft blue light. It was oddly funny how Nastild had created their own LED lights. Aiden didn¡¯t know how it was funny, he simply found it funny. You don¡¯t get LED lights in fantasy novels now, do you? Nella¡¯s bed, at the center of the room, large enough to hold eight people without complaint, was scattered. The yellow sheets were a mess and the duvet was on the ground. Her pillows were littered all over the mattress. It was almost as if she¡¯d been trying to sneak a lover out in a hurry so that her father wouldn¡¯t catch him. There was a massive curtain that covered an entire wall and Aiden assumed there was probably one of those massive double doors that opened out to a balcony behind it, like the one in Brandis¡¯ study. He ignored it as he walked into the room, one careful step after another. The brown walls were unadorned except for the single portrait of a woman that looked like an older version of Nella that hung just above her bed. Probably Lord Naranoff¡¯s wife, Aiden thought. He might have to find out how she died just out of curiosity. Aiden spotted what he was looking for on the other side of the room and hurried over to it. [Lesser Enchantment of silence] was still in effect so his steps were muffled, almost non-existent. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the fact that he had a substitute for the stealth skill. He crossed the room and made his way to the only reading table present. It had a reading bulb right next to it that was turned off. Lighting wasn¡¯t important right now, besides, the room had enough blue light for him to see almost anything, even fine print. At least as much as a person could read with blue lights. On top of the table were three pens and nothing else. Far neater than the bed. Aiden ignored it and went for one of the drawers. Nella said her and her adventurers were currently mapping the cave and that she had a copy of the place that was still a work in progress. Aiden wasn¡¯t hoping for a perfect map, just a framework he could work with. He pulled a drawer and paused. Does she have no sense of privacy? He wondered as the drawer opened. It was confusing to see someone of her status not lock her drawers or have an enchanted lock. I¡¯ll be happy to run into a booby trap at this point. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He looked into the drawer and found it empty. A sigh escaped his lips. Go figure. He closed it and opened the next one. There were more pens, some torn up pieces of paper and some cosmetics. He picked one of the cosmetics up just out of curiosity. It was designed for powdering. On the east side of the room was an entire vanity mirror next to the wardrobe. It was complete with a small wardrobe of its own. You have got to be kidding me. The remaining drawers were basically the same thing. More cosmetics, some pens and an arrow head made of what he could only imagine was ivory. Things he felt belonged at the vanity mirror. If it¡¯s not in the drawer, where would she keep it? It was mind befuddling. Aiden was beginning to come to the conclusion that there was likely no map in her room. Had he chosen wrong? Should he have gone to the study, instead? His mind kept going through the possibilities. The study had always been his second option. Nella¡¯s room was only the first because of what he¡¯d heard from the maids. Or maybe¡­ Aiden went to the vanity mirror. It was a long stretch but if Nella was keeping her makeup at the reading table, there was always the possibility that she was using the vanity for the wrong reasons as well. He went to the vanity. The third drawer opened up to a few folded up pieces of paper. It was simply insane. Aiden found what he was looking for by the fifth folded up piece of paper. It was a poorly drafted map, an insult to cartographers all over his world and Nastild. It possessed nothing but lines, but Aiden had been in enough caves to know what an attempt at mapping one looked like. Careful not to make too much of a mess, he opened up the map in front of him. Let¡¯s see if your brain still works the way it used to, he told himself. It did, but not exactly the way it used to. It took Aiden almost five minutes before he memorized enough of the entrance to the cave to be comfortable. When he was done, he folded the piece of paper back up and returned it to the drawer and slid it shut. Sneaking out of the room was easier than sneaking in, so was avoiding the guards on his way out. A few stairs of sneaking around and a few hallways later, Aiden found himself at the hall downstairs. There, he discarded the entire demeanor of someone lurking around and strolled down the stairs like a young lord out and about even at this time of the night. Standing guard at the front door were two soldiers. One look at them and Aiden recognized them from the training ground. The moment they spotted him, they did the most ridiculous move of placing their hands on the hilts of their sword. Aiden cocked a brow as he approached them. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It is the middle of the night, Lord Lacheart.¡± There was definitely no respect in how the first man addressed him. ¡°You cannot leave.¡± Aiden took a casual stance and folded his arms. ¡°By some chance,¡± he said. ¡°Am I a prisoner in this house?¡± ¡°You are not,¡± the second answered. ¡°But you cannot leave the house so late at night.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes went to the man¡¯s hand on his sword¡¯s pommel. It was casual, but his second hand, his draw hand, was anything but. In fact, it was twitching. ¡°It is never a good idea to take a threatening stance against an opponent,¡± he told them. ¡°It makes you an enemy, and I don¡¯t take too kindly to enemies.¡± The man that had spoken first drew and inch of steel free. ¡°This is not some honorable duel, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°It is not,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°And I didn¡¯t consider any of them an enemy.¡± He didn¡¯t have time for this. If anything, he was supposed to be facing this level of problem at the gate. It seemed his small display at the training grounds hadn¡¯t done its job properly. Maybe I should¡¯ve killed the first man. He shook the thought from his mind immediately. That was Order thinking. Not everybody deserved to die because they were being stupid. ¡°Alright then.¡± He shook out his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with and I can apologize to the Lord of the house tomorrow.¡± The second soldier looked unsure, his eyes glancing between his partner and Aiden. He looked indecisive even as he reached to draw his weapon. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Everyone stopped. Aiden recognized the voice. He did not take his eyes of the men in front of him as he answered. ¡°Princess.¡± ¡°Is there a reason you are leaving without me?¡± The men in front of him released their swords and Aiden turned to answer the princess, afford her the respect she was due, and stopped. Princess Elaswit was walking down the stairs, her hair braided back and wrapped around in a bun above her head. More importantly, she was wearing a vest and pants with combat boots. Behind her, strapped to her back, was a massive cleaver as long as a longsword. Why the hell was she dressed for an adventurer¡¯s expedition? ¡°I forgive you,¡± Elaswit said, taking advantage of his pause. ¡°Sorry¡­ what?¡± Aiden stuttered. ¡°When a Lord sees a beautiful woman, he is meant to compliment her on her beauty,¡± Elaswit explained as she got to the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Her dress, her looks. At the slightest, her massive cleaver. You have not. And you have failed to even after getting caught trying to abandon me when we¡¯ve made plans. And yet, I forgive you.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. Elaswit gave him a soft pat on the cheek as she walked past him. Aiden struggled to calm himself as he grit his teeth. He reminded himself that he was a child, nineteen-years-old, and the princess was older than him by at least two years. You are not a thirty-year-old man being patted on the cheek by a child. He repeated the thought twice before successfully calming himself. Besides, if he was a thirty-year-old man living by the logic of his old life, the princess would still be older than him. Aiden turned to find Elaswit speaking to the guards. ¡°Names, class, and levels,¡± she said in a flat voice. ¡°Princess¡­¡± one of them began, but she cut him off with a raised hand. He was no doubt about to point out how rude it was to ask such questions outside of one¡¯s official capacity. Sadly, Elaswit did not seem to care for such decorum in this moment. ¡°Understand this, soldier,¡± she said softly. ¡°Lord Lacheart is within this house based on a royal decree from my father, the king. This decree declares and commands that he is to be granted the highest level of hospitality. The fact that I have arrived here with him should say much on that.¡± She looked from one soldier to the other, met their eyes. ¡°Despite that, not only have you treated a Lord, a man well above your station, like a prisoner in a house where he has been promised the highest level of hospitality, you have also drawn your sword on him.¡± ¡°Princess,¡± the guard who¡¯d been hesitant to draw his blade said hurriedly, panicked. ¡°No swords were drawn.¡± She met his eyes. ¡°An inch of steel drawn is a sword drawn, guard. On a guest and your superior by law of the crown. And without provocation. Now, unless you wish for me to inform the lord of this manor about this.¡± She paused for dramatic effect. ¡°Your name, class, and level.¡± ¡°Notel,¡± the guard replied. ¡°Slasher. Level 16.¡± Elaswit turned to the second guard. ¡°Baltada,¡± he said, eyes turned down and a frown on his lips. ¡°Knight. Level 17.¡± Elaswit scoffed in derision. ¡°I will remember the both of you. Now open the doors. Lord Lacheart and your princess have a task to deal with.¡± In a matter of seconds, the doors were open and Aiden and Elaswit were walking out of the building. ¡°It may seem mean to you,¡± she told both guards as she past them, ¡°but you could¡¯ve easily lost your lives today.¡± Both guards kept their heads low. ¡°Ask me why, Baltada,¡± she instructed. Aiden watched the entire thing, unsure how to feel about it. ¡°Why?¡± Baltada asked. ¡°Because Lord Lacheart does not possess a combat class,¡± she answered. ¡°Yet, at level 11, on no more than acting on custom, he bested a level 20 with a combat class. He has taken what life has dealt him for creation and domestication, and turned it into something capable of so much harm. Remember that the next time you cross his path.¡± With that, she turned and left. ¡°Let us depart, Lord Lacheart,¡± she instructed as she passed him by. Aiden followed, still unsure of how he was supposed to feel about what had happened. It was¡­ He didn¡¯t have the words for what it was. ¡­ Aiden and Elaswit rode in the midnight air, their jepat going through the city¡¯s backstreets as fast as they could quietly manage. The rest of the ordeal at the estate had gone smoother. Aiden had intended on covering the distance to the cave on foot but Elaswit had been against it. She¡¯d turned them towards the stables and had gotten them two jepats. At the gate, the guards obeyed her every word. Elaswit was the princess of Nastild and she knew how to use her power. ¡°Do you disagree with the way I have handled this so far?¡± she asked him as they rode along the outskirts of the city. ¡°Why would you imagine I do?¡± he said. ¡°Because you have been quiet since we left the estate.¡± ¡°I have been quiet, princess, because I am not a man of many words.¡± ¡°You seem to speak enough when Valdan is around, though.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Aiden directed his jepat into a sea of trees and down an inclining slope and Elaswit followed behind him. She caught up shortly after, her jepat trudging alongside his. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question, Aiden.¡± The strain she put on his name was indicative of the fact that he¡¯d used her title instead of her name. It made Aiden wonder if she had known what he had come to the city for. She had, after all, told him to call her by name when they were alone or in the presence of Valdan. Maybe she¡¯d expected to be riding alongside him and Valdan for this task. ¡°Did you know what I wanted?¡± he asked instead. ¡°How did you know that this would happen?¡± ¡°I am my father¡¯s daughter,¡± she said. ¡°When someone in your position decides that they want to leave the comfort of the palace for some reason or the other, it begs the question of why. I asked around and it wasn¡¯t difficult to learn that everything you¡¯ve done since coming to my world has been in the name of power.¡± Aiden grunted. It was the only response he could give as their jepats trudged across a small stream of flowing water. ¡°So,¡± she continued when the sounds of splashing water wasn¡¯t in the air, ¡°it was safe to say that a requested trip this far north was for power. Couple that with your uncanny display for possessing information you should not, I knew you were up to something.¡± Aiden turned to her as he slowed his jepat. She had been paying attention. ¡°Did you put yourself up to this?¡± he asked. Elaswit laughed. ¡°Now what would give you the idea that I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°First thing, princess¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Elaswit, Aiden.¡± ¡°¡ªI do not possess an uncanny level of knowledge,¡± Aiden continued without missing a beat. ¡°I possess knowledge because I ask questions and I¡¯m lucky. Second, despite everything I¡¯ve done, you¡¯ve never taken any interest. If you had, I would know. And third, this feels more political than direct. Direct is for you and your father. Your mother and prince Derenet are the political ones and since you don¡¯t listen to your brother, I¡¯m inclined to believe your mom¡¯s the reason you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°And my youngest brother?¡± Aiden paused. ¡°Vaskot?¡± He tried to remember what he knew of the boy. He knew what kind of person Vaskot had become but not the kind of person he was. It took him another moment to realize that princess Elaswit was investigating, in a manner of speaking. ¡°I have no idea,¡± he answered. ¡°I will tell you that I¡¯m impressed you even remembered his name,¡± she said. ¡°Almost everyone ignores him.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t surprised. Everyone ignored Vaskot. Aiden had certainly ignored him in his past life. ¡°He¡¯s a part of the royal family,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone should know the names of the royal family.¡± Aiden looked around, calculating how far he¡¯d gone as they lulled back into silence. One of the pieces of information he¡¯d gotten before leaving the palace was a map of the Naranoff territory. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, they were in the right geographical area. Why didn¡¯t I look at the map once more? ¡°Where are we going, Aiden?¡± Elaswit asked, as his jepat marched in a circle. Aiden¡¯s head remained on a swivel, thinking. Would¡¯ve been easier on foot. His brain worked better on foot. ¡°If I said I wasn¡¯t going to tell you,¡± he answered. ¡°Will you turn back?¡± Elaswit snorted. ¡°You should know me better by now.¡± Aiden paused on his search and looked at her. ¡°You do know that I have spent, in sum total, less than a day with you, Princess.¡± ¡°And yet you avoid me like you know me and don¡¯t like me.¡± Elaswit gave him a fake smile. It was oddly warm, friendly. Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d be friends with a princess in this life. ¡°So, would you like a map?¡± Aiden paused. She¡¯d had a map the entire time? He shook his head. Of course she did. He held a hand out to her. ¡°Yes, please.¡± She laughed and offered one to him, pulling it from somewhere behind her. It was rolled up. ¡°Three soldier belts and no maps. You should rethink your life choices, Aiden.¡± Aiden took the rolled up map. ¡°My life choices are just fine, Elaswit.¡± He unrolled the map, held it out in front of him, then frowned. Not enough moonlight. He rolled it back up and gave it to her. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell me you¡¯ve gotten it that fast.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t. There¡¯s not enough moonlight to see with.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there enchantments that give you the ability to see at night?¡± ¡°There are.¡± Aiden frowned, looking around once more. ¡°But those enchantments are above my current level. I can¡¯t use them even if I wanted to.¡± He turned, his jepat trotting along with him. After a while, he pointed. ¡°That¡¯s east.¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°Then that¡¯s north.¡± He pointed again. Elaswit nodded. ¡°Then¡­¡± he pointed. ¡°That¡¯s south.¡± He turned and kicked the jepat into a trot. Elaswit followed. They rode for almost half an hour before Aiden found what he was looking for. He reined in his jepat, and dismounted. Elaswit did the same. When they were done tying their jepats to a tree, she asked, ¡°So where are we?¡± ¡°The cave.¡± ¡°The cave.¡± Elaswit looked at him. ¡°As in the cave the cave? The one Nelly¡¯s investigating?¡± ¡°Nelly?¡± ¡°Nella Naranoff. I call her Nelly.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Well, yes. Nella¡¯s cave.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m trying to get a unique skill.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t people been dying and getting missing in there?¡± There was a note in her voice. Aiden knew it well enough. It was fear, which wasn¡¯t illogical. He started walking forward, downhill. The forest grass was slowly being overthrown by sturdy ground. ¡°You can always wait out here, princess,¡± he said over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a few hours.¡± ¡°You want me to stand out here in the open for a few hours?¡± she panicked, then rushed after him. ¡°There could be other monsters out here.¡± Aiden looked at the handle of her cleaver poking out from over her shoulder. ¡°Aren¡¯t butchers supposed to be badass?¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m a butch¡ª¡± She paused. ¡°It¡¯s the cleaver, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked with a sigh. Aiden nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the cleaver.¡± Butchers were the most common class known to use cleavers in combat. They walked another few steps, still going downhill. The ground grew firmer with every step. Aiden kept his attention on the path around them. The trees. The small sounds of insects chirping. The life of the forest. Elaswit had a few things to say, all of them mundane. Aiden kept his attention on the task at hand. It was a little unfair of him, but now that he knew she wasn¡¯t here simply because she could be, he was keeping his replies close to his chest. Back in the palace, the others were most likely getting ready for their mock battle. He wondered if Letto had finally hit level 10 and what class he would¡¯ve chosen. If there was anyone whose life he¡¯d impacted intentionally in this timeline, even if it was in a small way, it was Letto. There was a part of Aiden that wanted Letto to be offered a class better than [Thief]. Elaswit realized that Aiden wasn¡¯t in the mood for much talking when she asked a question about him and returning to earth and he¡¯d replied with a grunt. After that, she¡¯d remained silent. When they got to their destination, Aiden stared at the entrance with a tired expression. He¡¯d really been hoping, but hope wasn¡¯t always a friend. ¡°So what do we do about that?¡± Elaswit asked. Aiden shrugged. ¡°We continue with what I came here to do.¡± At the entrance to the cave, eight jepats stood idly. Some people were here. Aiden only hoped they were adventurers. If they aren¡¯t, you could just kill them. Or not. He hated when he thought this way. TWENTY-NINE: The Cave I Inside the cave was dark. There was no bioluminescent moss or trickle of light from a localized ecosystem. It was simply dark. Aiden led the princess forward with slow steps. He kept his attention on the path with hands and feet. Poking at rocks or elevated grounds, touching ridges as they moved. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring a light?¡± Elaswit asked in a low, annoyed voice, though it was clear that she wasn''t annoyed at him. Aiden shook his head, smiling. ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t bring a light?¡± he whispered back. ¡°That better not be a smile I¡¯m hearing in your voice,¡± Elaswit shot back. For some reason Aiden was finding this conversation hilarious. He had a light, a single orb in one of the pockets of his soldier¡¯s belts. But he definitely wasn¡¯t going to use it now that he knew there were other people in the cave with them. Not for the first time he wondered if they were going to be competition or assistance. Aiden preferred none. From what he knew of the unique quest, no group had ever been issued the quest. That was also why he had always intended on coming alone. Guided by what he remembered of the beginning of the cave from the map he¡¯d gotten from Nella¡¯s room, he led them down a turn. It was tight so that he and Elaswit practically had to shimmy their way through, him less than her, walking sideways one after the other. Aiden wasn¡¯t bothered as they came to a crossroad. Elaswit looked at him, dusting off her her clothes. ¡°Which way?¡± Aiden nodded left, then kept on walking. Going right would simply lead them in a loop and send them back to the entrance. The cave was like a natural maze, after all. ¡°How the fiddlesticks are you navigating this entire place?¡± Elaswit asked as they wandered on. ¡°I can barely see you in this darkness.¡± ¡°With my hands and feet,¡± Aiden answered easily. ¡°Did you know, princess, that if you do something like this long enough, you might get the compass skill?¡± ¡°No. I did not.¡± Elaswit didn¡¯t sound impressed by the piece of information. ¡°The compass skill is the first step to learning the cartography skill.¡± Aiden led them down another crack in the wall. ¡°All [Cartographers] have the cartography skill.¡± ¡°I would assume they would.¡± ¡°And did you know that while expensive, maps grafted by adequate cartographers are rarely if not ever wrong?¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart, I feel like you are running up to a point here.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure but Elaswit was beginning to sound out of breath. That wasn¡¯t supposed to be happening. He checked his stamina. [Stamina 99%] Was the princess¡¯ stamina poor? It wasn¡¯t unheard of for people to have surprisingly low stamina. But she was a [Butcher]. Her class was supposed to have a sufficient amount of stamina. ¡°The point I¡¯m heading to,¡± he continued, ¡°is that did you also know that all maps drawn up with the assistance of the cartography skill are system sanctioned maps? And all maps drawn up by [Cartographers] have a system feature that allows you read it even in the dark.¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Elaswit snapped. ¡°You are getting quite talkative. Get to the point.¡± ¡°My point is why do you nobles not have maps drawn up by actual [Cartographers]?¡± Aiden¡¯s hands patted around a low hanging rock and he bent under it. ¡°Watch your head.¡± ¡°Ow!¡± Elaswit¡¯s voice echoed and Aiden looked behind him at her. ¡°I said watch your head.¡± ¡°Well you said it a little too late.¡± ¡°Alright. Just bend, love.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bending. Don¡¯t rush me.¡± There was a pause. ¡°I hate this. This is not an adventure, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°No one said it was going to be.¡± He held his hand out to her. ¡°Give me your hand before you go bumping into anything else.¡± He stopped when he felt her palm on top of his. There was a part of him that had been expecting her to protest. She was also right. He could barely see her in front of him. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Elaswit said with a touch of worry. ¡°Why are we stopping?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. ¡°No reason. I just didn¡¯t expect you to obey so quickly.¡± Her hand tightened around his. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t expecting to be called ''love'' inside a cave. So everything¡¯s right with the world once more.¡± Aiden stiffened and she laughed. ¡°I would just like to say that I found it cute,¡± she added. Aiden grumbled under his breath. Why the hell had he called her love? ¡°Forget it ever happened,¡± he said with a touch of embarrassment as he held her hand and continued forward. ¡°I can¡¯t really say I¡¯m surprised,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°Considering the way you¡¯ve been calling me lately, I think it was just a matter of time.¡± ¡°The way I¡¯ve been calling you?¡± Aiden asked, confused. It was difficult navigating the darkness while holding on to her hand. ¡°How have I been calling you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Elaswit answered. ¡°But since we left the estate your ¡®princess¡¯ has been sounding less like a title and more like an¡­ I¡¯m not sure what the word I¡¯m looking for is exactly. But I know its been nice.¡± Aiden frowned into the darkness. They were coming to the end of what he could remember of the map. How the hell has it been sounding? Princess is princess. Am I suddenly calling it wrong? ¡°Got it!¡± Elaswit declared suddenly. ¡°It¡¯s been sounding teasing.¡± ¡°Princess,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Yes, Lord Lacheart.¡± He could hear the teasing and the laughter in her voice. It told him that tonight was going to be a long night. ¡°You¡¯re holding my hand a little too tight,¡± he told her. ¡°I know,¡± she said, slightly embarrassed but not letting go. ¡°People don¡¯t know this but I¡¯m actually a little terrified of the dark.¡± Aiden hadn¡¯t known that either. ¡°Well, you can think of this as training to conquer your fears.¡± Elaswit gave no reply. She was silent for the next few minutes and Aiden was beginning to wonder if he had said something wrong. You think, he thought as he started navigating unmapped territory. Maybe when someone tells you one of their fears you console them instead of telling them to face it. But people had to face their fears at some point. For Elaswit, this was the perfect place to face her fears. It made perfect sense. Yes, but you don¡¯t say that immediately. You empathize first, then offer it up as a suggestion. Aiden frowned. Great, now I¡¯m disagreeing with myself. ¡°Aiden.¡± Aiden stiffened a little. The tone of Elaswit¡¯s voice was serious. ¡°Yes, princess.¡± ¡°May I ask a personal question?¡± ¡°If I say no, will you still ask it?¡± ¡°I will not.¡± There wasn¡¯t really much about Aiden¡¯s life that was very personal so he didn¡¯t see why not. ¡°Sure,¡± he said. ¡°You can ask.¡± ¡°Did you have a girl you were courting back in your world?¡± she asked. ¡°I mean do you have a girl you were in a romantic relationship with in your world?¡± Aiden took a moment to think about his answer. It was funny how Aiden¡¯s mind went to the three women he¡¯d had relationships with in his past life before settling on Tasha, his ex, the actual only girl he¡¯d dated that was from earth. ¡°I did not,¡± he answered. ¡°That was a significant pause,¡± Elaswit noted. Aiden could feel a touch of breeze against his skin now. There was a draft. Which meant that there was an opening somewhere near by. ¡°It was a pause because it seemed like a heavy answer,¡± he said. ¡°Now pay attention, we¡¯re going to be moving faster. I don¡¯t want you running into anything.¡± ¡°Yes, love,¡± Elaswit teased. She wasn¡¯t going to let him live that down and Aiden just knew it. He followed the draft, hand patting against rocky cave walls as he moved. It was very likely that the cave walls had markings for directions but they were useless to him this dark into the night. ¡°Why?¡± Elaswit asked suddenly when the draft was getting more noticeable. ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have a romantic other?¡± ¡°Because I didn¡¯t.¡± Her questions were making him remember Tasha more, and it was slowly annoying him. Tasha had been his friend. They¡¯d been close. A true friends to lovers young adult story. He still couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d kept on making moves on Ted. Even now, so many years later, when he thought of it with an objective mind, he still couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Did she even miss me? He caught himself wondering. I know I broke up with her but¡­ Eleven years was a long time to miss someone that broke up with you. But now that he thought about it, there was a very minute part of him that wished she¡¯d missed him. There was a part of him that missed her. Not the girlfriend but the friend. ¡°You¡¯re quiet again, Lord Lacheart.¡± There it was again, the teasing tone. Aiden still wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about it. Was the princess flirting or just teasing? ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. ¡°It¡¯s what happens when I do this thing called thinking.¡± ¡°Maybe Valdan was wrong, then,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t mature. Maybe you¡¯re just silently rude. It can sometimes be mistaken for maturity in the young.¡± Aiden paused. She was right. He¡¯d been a little rude to her tonight. But that was only because he had wanted to come on this task alone. That and the fact that he wasn¡¯t accustomed to long conversations about his personal life. But it was no excuse for rudeness. It was a reason, but reasons were not automatically excuses. That he had a reason for doing something did not justify it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the words left his mouth reluctantly. ¡°One more time for the beautiful lady in the back,¡± Elaswit said, smiling. ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry. Now can we play the quiet no talking game. I think I hear voices.¡± Aiden also saw light. He led them slowly around a corner and they saw something he did not expect to see. Just beyond them was a clear and open space. It was covered in grasses and wild plants with a clear blue pond at the center. Bioluminescent plants filled the place with light and concentrated moonlight streamed in from a high opening that Aiden couldn¡¯t get a look at without entering the open space. The ray of light reflected off the pond to give it a soft bluish visage. The plants were colorful, red, blues, purples and yellows. It looked like a meadow right out of a fantasy story. I guess I was wrong about the lighting, Aiden thought as he eased himself down to a crouch behind a large rock. He pulled Elaswit down with the hand she was still holding and gestured for silence with a finger to his lips. The meadow wasn¡¯t the only thing that was present, though he couldn''t really call it a meadow. There were voices, too. And they echoed with every simple word they spoke. Unfortunately, Aiden recognized one of the voices. ¡°I swear,¡± the female voice said. ¡°This is getting more annoying each day.¡± Elaswit¡¯s grip on his hand tightened and he nodded. Nella and her team were currently investigating. ¡­ Nella turned and kicked a large piece of rock that came up to her knee not for the first time. They¡¯d been going in circles since the afternoon when the light streaming in from the high opening was sunlight yellow. Now it was moonlight blue. And where were they? Nowhere better. At this point she could make her way back to this little oasis with her eyes closed. Alright, maybe not with her eyes closed. But she knew at least eight different ways to get to this place. ¡°You¡¯re going to have calm down, Nella,¡± Ventel said, his voice soft and smooth. ¡°I say we regroup and come back later.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Drunid said. He was a short burly man, heavily bearded, whose primary weapon was an axe. He wasn¡¯t so short as to be called a dwarf but they often teased him about having a distant relationship to the dwarven race. ¡°I¡¯ve been out all day,¡± he continued. ¡°What I need is a bed and a good rest.¡± Nella shook her head. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°The problem is right here.¡± She stamped her foot on the ground. ¡°This entire place is a complete antithesis of everything we¡¯ve seen in this cave. The solution to our problem must start from here.¡± ¡°Then we go home, clear our head and start again,¡± Ventel said. ¡°The cave will still be here when we come back.¡± ¡°But some fool could just as easily wander in and get lost or die as far as we know.¡± ¡°Which is the odd part about this entire thing,¡± Chelni said. She was the ranged support of the team. Her class granted her the ability to use spells. ¡°Every time we come here we find at least one dead adventurer¡¯s body in one of the tunnels, but never any monster.¡± ¡°And no one¡¯s seen the kind of creature that¡¯s killed them,¡± Nella groaned, then sat on the ground in resignation. ¡°Never seen talon marks that precise,¡± Folna said. Folna was the party tracker and their walking bestiary. There was no monster indigenous to the levels below one hundred that he didn¡¯t know. At least none native to Bandiv. It made Nella consider the possibility that some kind of migration had somehow occurred. Not for the third time she pitched the idea to him again. Folna shook his head. ¡°I get that we¡¯re basically on the outskirts but monster migrations aren¡¯t that simple. If some new species somehow migrated all the way here, someone would¡¯ve spotted them long before they got to the cave.¡± ¡°My worry is that it¡¯s not attacking us,¡± Chelni complained. ¡°At this point I¡¯ll even fight a monster I know will kill me just to have something to do.¡± ¡°The lassie¡¯s right,¡± Drunid said. ¡°This be the most boring adventure I¡¯ve ever had.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t an adventure,¡± Nella scowled at the both of them. ¡°This is an investigation to keep adventurers alive.¡± ¡°Adventurers die everyday, Nella.¡± Folna tossed a rock into the pond. ¡°It¡¯s basically the life we¡¯ve chosen.¡± The rock dropped into the pond without a sound. ¡°Can you please stop doing that, Folna,¡± Chelni said. ¡°It¡¯s very disturbing.¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t like the way I throw?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the water, asshole,¡± Drunid said. ¡°Stone shouldn¡¯t enter water without making a sound. It¡¯s just wrong.¡± ¡°You wanna know what¡¯s wrong?¡± Nella picked up a small pebble. It was smooth and clean. ¡°This entire place. It¡¯s too perfect. Then there¡¯s also the monster.¡± ¡°What about the monster?¡± Chelni asked. ¡°The fact that it¡¯s attacking adventurers but not attacking us is a problem,¡± Ventel said. ¡°It means that it¡¯s picking its prey.¡± ¡°Which implies some level of intelligence,¡± Folna added. Drunid turned and spat in the grass. ¡°I hate intelligent monsters. Assholes the lot of them.¡± Nella looked up at the opening and frowned. She could see the moon looking down at them but it was too clear. It was almost as though if she looked hard enough she could see its contours. Her class [Archer] gave her perks that helped and skills that helped those perks. For instance, [Precision Sight] helped her focus on a target without losing it even if it wasn¡¯t stationary. When the skill was in an active state, her attention on her target was practically automatic. Its passive effect, however, allowed her see better when she focused on something. But by the life of her the moon had never been this clear in her life. It was as if this place was the closest to the moon she¡¯d ever gotten in her life, which was completely false. The answer¡¯s in this place. It¡¯s got to be. The mana was too clean. The air was too fresh. And when Drunid drank from the pond against everyone¡¯s insistence that he not do something so foolish, he called it the most watery water he¡¯d ever had the pleasure of tasting. Nella looked around again and was sure of it. The place was too perfect. That alone was a sign. The second sign of its importance was how most of the cave paths somehow led back here. She refused to believe it was a coincidence. The real issue, however, was the single spot in the entire place that felt so horribly eerie. She turned to Ventel. ¡°Any ideas on the bad feeling we keep getting?¡± Ventel moved his attention to a wall. It was covered in green grass as high as seven feet, just like all the walls in this place. He shook his head. ¡°Nothing.¡± Folna walked up to the wall and placed his hand against the grass. ¡°Yup, still does the same thing.¡± Nella wasn¡¯t surprised. Any time they touched the wall, their interface lit up with their mana stat and they couldn¡¯t dismiss it. For the duration of their hand being on it, their mana percentage would just keep fluctuating. Rising and falling. It was the same with all of them. Another thing that worried Nella was how they were yet to come in contact with any demonic mana. She knew her party wouldn¡¯t recognize it if they saw it, but the reports of adventurers that had survived described it perfectly well. But it had also been more than ten days since the last report. What was the possibility that something had absorbed all the mana? It was a terrifying thought since the only known creatures that could absorb demonic mana were found in the scriptures and legends. They called it demonic mana because the scriptures described it as the type of mana demons and the Demon Kings to ever walk the face of Nastild used. It was powerful and destructive, and whenever it started to rise on Nastild, the Demon king would rise with it. At least that¡¯s what the churches say. ¡°I still say we should leave that wall alone,¡± Drunid said. ¡°Those cracks running all the way up it are definitely not safe.¡± Drunid was right. From under the luscious green was a crack that began to spread and branch out the moment it rose out from under the grass. It was as large as a hairline fracture and spread like the roots of a tree until it rose as high as the eyes could see, covering the entire wall. Folna stepped away from it. ¡°Do you know what annoys me most about it?¡± he asked no one in particular. ¡°That it¡¯s got more class than you?¡± Chelni chortled. ¡°You¡¯re always a child,¡± Folna said, shaking his head. ¡°What annoys you about it?¡± Nella asked. If they allowed Folna and Chelni go at it, they could be here for another full day. ¡°It¡¯s the notification I get whenever I remove my hand.¡± ¡°The one about the feature?¡± Folna nodded. ¡°It keeps saying I do not meet the requirements to access the feature.¡± ¡°Which means what?¡± Velnet asked. ¡°You lack a skill? You¡¯re not the right class? Your stats are not sufficient?¡± ¡°Probably the first one or the last one.¡± Folna scratched his head in annoyance. ¡°Seeing as you people don¡¯t get the same notification, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got the right class. It¡¯s probably the skill that I don¡¯t have or the level.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s clearly not magical,¡± Drunid said. ¡°If it was, Chelni would get a notification, too.¡± Folna groaned in frustration and scattered his hair violently. ¡°Fuck it! I¡¯m going home. I hate not knowing. I say we brainstorm on this and let the adventure society know when we come up with an answer. Until then, I need to sleep.¡± Velnet walked up to Nella and placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I agree. We should all go home and return when it¡¯s bright and clear.¡± Nella grumbled something incoherent but couldn¡¯t argue the fact. Her eyes were already groggy. ¡°What do we do about the spare jepats outside?¡± Drunid asked. ¡°I say we sell them,¡± Chelni said a little too quickly. ¡°We didn¡¯t find their owners so I say it¡¯s safe to assume they''re dead. No need leaving them out here. Some creature will just eat them.¡± There was a small argument over the matter that Nella was not a part of. Drunid thought Chelni was nothing but a dishonest conniving thief and Velnet, ever the honorable one, thought they should return the jepats to the adventure society since there was a high chance that they belonged to adventurers. In the end, they left the clearing with no more answers than the ones they¡¯d had when they went in. The journey out of the cave was simple. They¡¯d traversed the cave enough times to know which way to go and not to go even in the dark and it didn¡¯t take them long to find an exit. ¡°Did you guys notice anything at the pond?¡± Chelni asked when they were outside. ¡°Like your thieving tendencies?¡± Drunid sneered. ¡°Suck it.¡± She made an obscene gesture at him. ¡°I¡¯m talking about when we were leaving. It felt like we weren¡¯t alone.¡± ¡°It always feels like you¡¯re not alone in there,¡± Folna said. ¡°Try not to think about it.¡± ¡­ [Lesser Weave of Silence] Effect: 15% nullification of sound made. Duration: 00:00:00. [Lesser Weave of Silence] has elapsed. Aiden released his breath and turned to Elaswit. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked her, genuinely worried. She was breathing too hard. He¡¯d had to activate the weaving and grab her hand to mute the sound of her breathing so that they didn¡¯t get caught. Elaswit nodded then audibly gulped in some air. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just the darkness, it makes me claustrophobic.¡± So the panting wasn¡¯t because of her stamina. Aiden paused. ¡°Wait. You get claustrophobic in the dark and you begin to hyperventilate.¡± She gave him a weak smile. ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°And you still entered a cave with me?¡± ¡°I knew I¡¯d be fine.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know if he should be impressed that she¡¯d gone on for so long in the dark despite her reaction towards it or to be stupefied at the stupidity of the decision. You were the one that wanted her to face her fears, though. Aiden frowned. They were still holding hands, and he released her as he walked into the lit clearing. The moment his feet touched the grass he knew exactly what Nella and her team were talking about. A single breath of air felt like food for the lungs. And the mana? He could already feel his body regenerating the mana he¡¯d used for the [Lesser Weave of Silence]. That was enough to confirm his suspicion. ¡°Wait there,¡± he told Elaswit, pointing at a large rock. ¡°Sit there and don¡¯t touch anything.¡± Elaswit frowned but obeyed. ¡°You know the entire kingdom would lose its mind if they found out you were ordering their princess around like this.¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°They¡¯d lose their mind if they found out their princess was sneaking about in the middle of the night.¡± He walked in the direction of the wall Nella and her team had referred to as eerie. As he approached it, Elaswit was saying something about how sneaking out in the middle of the night was not new amongst noble blood. Aiden didn¡¯t care about any of that. Instead, he was more focused on the crack in the wall. He leaned forward, studied it. It had a pattern to it. A single hairline crack sprouting from beneath the grass, branching out and about. There were smaller cracks in between some of the lines, almost imperceptible with the moonlight, but Aiden saw them. He moved closer, almost placed his eyes on top of one of them. ¡°Don¡¯t go blinding yourself.¡± Aiden started, almost letting out a surprised yelp. He turned to find Elaswit standing behind him with an innocent expression. ¡°How the hell did you sneak up on¡­¡± Aiden let his words trail off as the answer came to him. ¡°You have the stealth skill.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°Almost everybody has the stealth skill, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed in a frown. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to sit over there and not move?¡± ¡°You did,¡± she agreed, then shrugged. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m a princess. I¡¯ve been spoiled all my life so now I¡¯m stubborn.¡± ¡°Not stubborn enough, apparently,¡± Aiden muttered, returning his attention to the crack, fascinated. ¡°You sat down in the beginning.¡± ¡°So what is it?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve found something.¡± ¡°I believe I have. But we¡¯ll have to wait quietly for a while before I can confirm it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it might be dangerous and I don¡¯t want your friend and her group busting in here and getting caught up in it once I confirm it.¡± ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t need more hands?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. Now go back and have a sit while I confirm that this is what I think it is.¡± Elaswit gave him some space but she did not sit down. Aiden paid it no attention. He was used to being the leader of his own groups and giving out orders to people who were more than happy to obey. Now, he had to remind himself of the fact that his life was not that way anymore. He took his time studying the cracks in the wall, peering in as deeply as he could at the lines and cracks. It didn¡¯t take him long to confirm what he wanted to confirm. ¡°Fascinating,¡± he muttered. ¡°So this is why people rarely ever solved it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s fascinating?¡± Elaswit asked. Aiden held his hand out to the crack but did not touch it. ¡°Do you know what an array is?¡± ¡°Orders and patterns?¡± ¡°Simplistic but correct,¡± he confirmed. ¡°Now have you heard of natural arrays?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing its arrays but in nature.¡± ¡°Also correct,¡± Aiden said, a smile touching his lips at the sight in front of him. He¡¯d only ever seen a handful in his life, and the enchanter in him was bursting at the seams with excitement. ¡°Did you know, princess, that most of the things humans create, technological and magical, are inspired by things in nature?¡± Elaswit folded her arms. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°In my world, humans created planes to fly because they saw birds flying in the sky. We rode horses, then built carts, then created cars so we could cover long distances. We once lived in caves so we built houses for convenience. We drew pictures and made art because we saw amazing sceneries and wanted to take them home with us or appreciate their beauty.¡± ¡°No idea what a plane or a car is, but okay. I got the horse and the cart, though.¡± Elaswit sounded fascinatingly bored. ¡°I believe you¡¯re getting somewhere, though.¡± ¡°Most people don¡¯t know it, but in your world, humans have learned to use magic from nature as well. They watched and learnt and recreated.¡± Aiden paused, suddenly apprehensive. ¡°I need to see how far this goes. I need to see all of it.¡± Aiden stepped away from the crack, looked around the wall. When he found grooves he could use, he started climbing, studying the cracks as he ascended. ¡°Humans are the greatest innovators and the greatest imitators,¡± he continued the higher he went. ¡°They find beauty in anything and imitate it. Then, from their imitation, they innovate. A rhinoceros has a horn that pierces so they create implements that pierce so they can kill. Then they learn that they don¡¯t have to get close to kill with these implements if they can simply throw it. Imitation begets innovation.¡± Aiden paused at a certain height, a wide smile on his face. ¡°What have you found, Lord Lacheart?¡± Elaswit asked from her place on the ground. Her voice echoed throughout the pond. ¡°The source of human imitation,¡± he answered, then began his descent. When he hit the ground, he dusted his hands. ¡°You¡¯ve said everything,¡± Elaswit told him. ¡°And yet you¡¯ve said nothing.¡± Aiden turned to her. ¡°Humans learn from the world, princess. You get your spells from nature. The lightning in the sky. Volcanic eruptions. The rain. You study the process, feel it, then emulate it.¡± He laughed in excitement. ¡°This!¡± He turned and gestured at the entire wall. ¡°This is where you get your enchantments. They are rare and few between. This, dear princess of Bandiv, is a natural array of a grandly magical nature. This is a natural enchantment.¡± A moment of silence settled between him and her. At the end of the moment Elaswit cocked a brow. ¡°You¡¯re a nerd, aren¡¯t you?¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°N¡­ no,¡± he stuttered. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Elaswit placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright if you¡¯re a nerd. Some of us have to be nerds so the rest of us can be cool.¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Whatever. All I¡¯m saying is that the reason for all the confusion is because nobody recognized this wall. There¡¯s probably a smaller number of people than you can imagine that can identify a natural enchantment by sight.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why hasn¡¯t anyone noticed it until now. You can¡¯t tell me all the adventurers are stupid.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s a natural enchantment, which means it grew naturally and over time. The right cracks aligned themselves as they grew until one in a million chances of a pattern was created to form the enchantment. For all we know it could only be a few days old or a few weeks old. I¡¯ll need more time and tools to figure that one out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making enchantments sound far more complicated than they are.¡± Aiden laughed. She had no idea just how complicated enchantments could get. The enchantments most people used below level hundred were child¡¯s play. And you weren¡¯t a proper enchanter until you were enchanting in the level two hundreds. ¡°So how do we activate it?¡± she asked. ¡°The right way.¡± Aiden rubbed his hands together. ¡°I bet we¡¯ll find a bunch of enchanters on the other side of this wall.¡± He placed a hand on it, and true to the words of Nella¡¯s teammates, his mana percentage fluctuated. [Mana 92%] [Mana 98%] [Mana 86%] [Mana 91%] He frowned at that. That wasn¡¯t an effect of a natural enchantment. There was only one thing that caused mana fluctuations of this level at lower levels. His mana stat would normalize eventually, though. But from what he knew, the normalization was a characteristic of being summoned. Their mana adapted to demonic mana effects quickly. I guess they were right, there¡¯s demonic mana behind this wall. And the natural enchantment was keeping it trapped inside. It was as if nature was somehow protecting itself. Aiden¡¯s interface flashed in front of him. [You meet the requirements to use this feature] ¡­ [You have discovered your first natural array] A sharp pain pierced Aiden¡¯s heart and his legs almost buckled beneath him. [Error! Error! Error!] [You have not discovered your first natural enchantment] [You have encountered a natural enchantment once before] ¡­ [System repairs recommended.] [Prisoner # 234502385739] stand by for system repairs. [Pending system repairs in progress.] [System repairs 02.00%] Aiden looked at the new notifications and frowned. Ever since spotting his first monsters in this timeline the [System repairs] was only at two percent? At this point he had a feeling repairs would be taking place forever. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Elaswit asked. Aiden nodded. ¡°Just some issues I¡¯m sorting out.¡± He returned his attention to his interface a new messages popped up. [Would you like to activate natural enchantment Cavernous guide?] [Y/N] There was only one answer to the question. His study of the natural enchantment proved on a surface level that all it did was cause rearrangements on the level of the cave. He didn¡¯t know how long exactly, but he knew that for at least a day the cave would revert back to its original layout. It was magic on a legendary level. ¡°Yes.¡± Skill [Basic Enchant] is in effect. Aiden felt his mana drain out of him as its percentage took a nose dive. [Mana 92%] [Mana 72%] [Mana 61%] [Mana 39%] [Mana 21%] The drain didn¡¯t worry him. The only danger surrounding harmful natural enchantments was the fact that during its activation you couldn¡¯t use any mana skills and it was arguably dangerous to terminate the process before it was complete. The cracks in front of him lit up in blue lights and he caught Elaswit staring at it in awe. He couldn¡¯t blame her, all the cracks and patterns lighting up were truly beautiful. Once the enchantment was properly activated, the natural array would return his mana back to him. [You have activated natural array: Cavernous Guide] ¡°That¡¯s neat,¡± Elaswit said suddenly. ¡°I just got the quest. It¡¯s a unique quest.¡± Aiden¡¯s lips pressed in a thin line. He¡¯d really been hoping that wouldn¡¯t happen. Worst case scenario, he was hoping it would be like some kind of shared quest where they¡¯d both get the reward at the end. I guess I¡¯ll just settle for killing more monsters and leveling up, he thought. I really hope there are monsters. Elaswit frowned. ¡°Aiden, I think there¡¯s a problem.¡± Aiden kept his hand on the wall as he looked at her. He found her staring at the empty space in front of her, most obviously her quest. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked with a touch of worry when he saw her face. She looked terrified. As if her worst fears were about to eat her alive. Pale faced. She looked back at him with the same terror. ¡°It¡¯s asking me to kill gargoyles.¡± Well¡­ that¡¯s definitely a problem. Aiden knew gargoyles. They were nasty things. And they weren¡¯t supposed to show up in Nastild for another two years. None was supposed to be less than level 42. Why the hell are gargoyles showing up now? The creatures were quite literally the first advent of the Demon King. Does that mean the Demon King is going to show up earlier? Panic warred with logic in Aiden¡¯s head. Is Ted going to be the Demon King sooner than I thought? ¡°Aiden.¡± Elaswit¡¯s voice pulled Aiden from his thoughts. ¡°What do we do?¡± she asked. Aiden didn¡¯t know. For now, he had to help her with the unique quest. Unique quests weren¡¯t quest you just abandoned. You had to either fail it or complete it. Abandoning them could have a great variety of consequences. In this case, the gargoyles could probably invade the Naranoff territory. And since no one had fought gargoyles in forever, there would be significant casualties before there would be victories. A new notification flashed in front of him and he realized they were in deeper problems than he thought. [You have triggered a Unique Scenario] [Unique Scenario: Advent of the Demon King 1.] You have found the first known point of invasion of the Demon King into this world. The young followers, eager to make a name for themselves, have found their way into this world ahead of time. They are paving the way, raising an army. Vanquish the early signs of the Demon King¡¯s arrival before it is too late. [Scenario objective: Defeat Gargoyle 0/18.] [Scenario objective: Defeat Gangnar the starter] [Reward: Unique skill.] This was a problem. THIRTY: The Cave II Aiden remained unsure. One did not simply walk away from a [Scenario] or a [Unique Quest]. He turned to Elaswit and scratched his head. ¡°I triggered a scenario. What does your quest say specifically?¡± he asked. ¡°I could just show you,¡± she offered. Before Aiden could reply, not that he was going to, an interface appeared between the both of them. It displayed the entire quest Elaswit had gotten. [You have triggered a Unique Quest] [Unique Quest: World Healing.] You have found a unique point hidden behind a natural array. Beyond this point lies dangers and perils that continue to wound your world. Exterminate these problems and buy your world the time to heal. [Quest Objective: Defeat Gargoyle 0/31.] [Reward: Unique skill.] [Accept?] [Y/N] It sounded simple enough as far as it went. There was no mention of Demons or invasions. That was a good thing. But she was required to kill more gargoyles than Aiden was. ¡°Aren¡¯t Gargoyles mythical creature?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°They went extinct ages ago, before my great grandfather.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aiden agreed, still thinking. ¡°And they are mentioned quite often in your holy books. Nasty things they are. Skin capable of turning stone-like. Noses that can smell blood from a mile away. Claws that can cut through stone.¡± He frowned as he listed some of their characteristics. Still, Gargoyles were only troublesome to people who didn¡¯t know how to fight them. ¡°But don¡¯t you think thirty-one¡¯s much?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Maybe.¡± Aiden remained standing in front of the entrance while Elaswit remained beside him as her interface faded from between them. They were going to have to tackle this very problem. Together, preferably. Again, unique quests and scenarios were not things you simply walked away from. No, Aiden thought, remembering the rules of quests and scenarios. Scenarios were what you couldn¡¯t turn away from. They remained active no matter what happened, and you didn¡¯t get a choice on whether you wanted to do them or not. They happened and that was it. A notification of a scenario wasn¡¯t an offer, it was simply a notification. Your interface telling you that something was happening, that you had stumbled upon something. Quests were different. They were not evolving. You could leave them how you found them and come back whenever you liked to find them the same way you left them, waiting for you. The only time they changed was if some scenario or some other quest somehow affected them. Or if someone started them and failed to finish them properly. As long as Elaswit left the unique quest alone and didn¡¯t accept it, she would be fine. Aiden turned to tell her to let it lie only to find a sheepish smile on her face. ¡°Tell me you didn¡¯t do what I think you just did,¡± he said with a groan, not hopeful of a positive response. ¡°First, I would like to apologize,¡± she began, not looking apologetic at all. ¡°Unique skills are a rare thing. You only get one every ten levels and I already have mine for the next few levels. It¡¯s kind of a rare chance to get two within ten levels. I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡± Aiden grunted, his brain already re-strategizing. ¡°Besides,¡± she went on. ¡°You got a scenario. There¡¯s quite literally no turning back.¡± ¡°There was turning back for you, Princess.¡± ¡°And you genuinely believe I would¡¯ve left you to go on your own?¡± she asked, arms folded in petulance. ¡°Do you think that little of me?¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°No, Princess. It would¡¯ve been easier to convince you to go back and get reinforcements while I do my best to handle the scenario and stall for time, whatever that might entail.¡± Elaswit squinted at him in suspicion. ¡°Why do I feel like that would¡¯ve just been a lie to get me out of here while you try and handle things yourself?¡± Because it would¡¯ve been. ¡°Does it really matter?¡± Aiden asked, instead. ¡°It does.¡± Elaswit pointed a finger inside the opening, towards the new path ahead of them. ¡°My mana keeps fluctuating, so I can arguably say I only have seventy percent mana at this point. You may not know this, but there¡¯s a specific type of mana that every one knows to stay away from and it causes this very effect on the mana pool of people with less than fifty levels.¡± Aiden knew but wasn¡¯t going to tell her that. ¡°So you could be down to twelve percent mana,¡± Elaswit continued, ¡°and attempt to activate a skill that uses ten percent mana only to find yourself with one percent before the conclusion of the skill. I can¡¯t have you making such an error. It could cost you your life.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t believe he was having this conversation. He was more than happy to have someone play devil¡¯s advocate to all his ideas but not this adamantly, and not when he knew exactly what he was doing. He¡¯d fought enough Gargoyles in his life time to know that the only one that would pose a threat to him in this scenario would be the named Gargoyle. But despite how he felt about this argument, he knew that Elaswit was having it from a place of kindness and logic. Personally, Aiden would not let anyone do this scenario on their own. ¡°I¡¯m just one savior, Princess,¡± he told her. ¡°Your kingdom has fourteen more back at the palace.¡± ¡°By that logic is it okay to sacrifice a subject of the crown when we don¡¯t have to simply because the crown has countless more?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Still,¡± Aiden said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have accepted the quest. A unique skill is not that important.¡± Elaswit snorted. ¡°The whole unique skill thing was just a well placed lie. I was coming with you, regardless.¡± Aiden cocked a brow, unsure of what to say to that. In the end, he settled for something less dramatic. ¡°Then why did you accept it?¡± ¡°Because it is a unique quest happening in the same place as a unique scenario,¡± she said. ¡°Accepting the both of them and doing the both of them requires the same effort as accepting one of them and doing one of them, but only one of those options guarantees more rewards.¡± ¡°That¡¯s debatable.¡± Aiden looked at his mana notification and the fluctuations were slowing down. ¡°Your quest needs you to kill thirty-one Gargoyles while my scenario needs me to kill far less.¡± Elaswit paused. ¡°How less?¡± ¡°Eighteen Gargoyles and one named Gargoyle.¡± Elaswit turned thoughtful and silent. ¡°Which means the quest and the scenario don¡¯t have the same outcome,¡± she said finally. ¡°Then why did you get the scenario and I the quest? Shouldn¡¯t I get the scenario as well?¡± That question had an answer Aiden didn¡¯t know, so he simply shrugged. ¡°No idea.¡± Elaswit paused. ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden peered into the new area revealed to them behind the natural enchantment. It was a cavernous as the cave but had bioluminescent moss scattered along the walls for lamination. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®oh¡¯?¡± He reached a hand out, crossed the boundary that separated the both sides of the cave. ¡°I just realized I had asked a stupid question,¡± Elaswit answered. ¡°This is my world, not yours. It was unreasonable of me to be asking you questions about it.¡± Aiden almost chuckled. Nastild was kind of his world also. It pained him to admit it but there were things about earth, miniscule pieces of information he already couldn¡¯t remember. To him they were like the things you learned in school and remembered for the sole purpose of passing your exams. The knowledge quite literally went with the submission of the paper. ¡°It¡¯s just that you always seem like you know a lot,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°And you do spend a lot in the library so I guess my mind just assumed that you would know the answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Princess,¡± Aiden answered, then took a step across the boundary. ¡°It¡¯s not unreasonable. Would you like to know a secret about the whole library thing and knowing too much?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± she answered, her tone puzzled as she followed him across the boundary. ¡°It¡¯s not that I know it all. It¡¯s that when I say the things I know, I imbue it with enough confidence. Trust me, it doesn¡¯t matter how unreasonably wrong you might be, if you say it or do it with enough confidence, everyone will accept it as long as no one knows better.¡± Elaswit shivered but not from any cold. ¡°That¡¯s creepy.¡± ¡°Yes, Princess,¡± Aiden agreed with a smile. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity, will I ever get you to call me Elaswit again?¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡­ Aiden had been right. There was no difference between this part of the cave and the part they¡¯d come in through. As far as he knew the walls were the same by texture and, from what the small illumination he¡¯d gotten from the small oasis had shown him, looks. Navigating it felt no different from when they¡¯d entered except for the fact that he could see far better here. Elaswit followed quietly behind him as they walked and he paid her the occasional attention, making sure she was fine. As they walked, traversing the labyrinth of a cave in silence, Aiden picked his brain, remembering what he knew about Gargoyles. The first and most common thing everyone had known about them was that they were part of the Demon armies cannon fodder. They made up one of three creatures that graced the frontlines in the war. Countless but ultimately middling. But they had a weakness. If you couldn¡¯t overpower one with raw strength or level, then skill was the only way. ¡°How much do you know about Gargoyles?¡± Aiden asked as they walked, taking a turn to the right where the road forked. ¡°Old, mythical, extinct.¡± Elaswit¡¯s words were simple, though she sounded a little annoyed about not knowing anything about them. ¡°My father needs to know about this.¡± ¡°And he will,¡± Aiden said. ¡°But only once we are done with this dilemma we find ourselves in.¡± Elaswit made a sound somewhere between annoyed and thoughtful, then she scratched her braided hair in frustration. ¡°I remember a part of the scripture saying something about how they are weak to fire based spells,¡± she said after a while. ¡°Maybe it was light.¡± ¡°Heat based,¡± Aiden corrected. Fire spells worked well enough, but for a light spell to work it needed to be a spell that left high concentrations of light. Enough light that you could feel the heat coming from it. It didn¡¯t matter how the light presented itself. ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Aiden continued, leading them and making sure he didn¡¯t touch the moss and algae that illuminated their path, ¡°none of us have a fire or light based skill. Unless you secretly do.¡± He paused to give her a patient look and she shook her head. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said simply. ¡°My class doesn¡¯t have any business with spells. [Butcher] is more brute force and violence than anything else. I do have some enchanted items and one artifact, though.¡± ¡°Does any of the enchanted item have heat based effects?¡± Elaswit shook her head. Aiden wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°What of the artifact?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t have one either,¡± she said. That wasn¡¯t exactly what Aiden was asking. Artifacts by themselves were powerful items from a forgotten time. Each one varied in what they could do but it was accepted that they were all powerful in their own way, carrying various effects. There were limited artifacts that probably had only twelve of them in the world or something like that. Then there were simple artifacts that were countless. They weren¡¯t infinite, per say, but they were a lot. Enough that you could find a couple of people who carried different variations of them. As one of royal blood, Aiden had no doubt that Elaswit¡¯s artifact was going to be powerful. What he was asking was what artifact she had. However, such a question was something to be approached cautiously. ¡°I was asking about what an artifact is,¡± he explained. ¡°How it works, what it does.¡± ¡°They are old magical items,¡± she said, happy to explain. ¡°From what we know on Nastild, they are from a forgotten time. Civilizations far more powerful than ours. And they are very powerful.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Aiden said, allowing the word trail off as a request for her to continue. ¡°There aren¡¯t countless but there are enough,¡± Elaswit obliged. ¡°From what we know, there are two types. The spell-blessed and the aura-blessed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference? One is magic based and one is not?¡± Elaswit paused, thoughtful. ¡°Not really. Spell-blessed are more of artifacts that were specifically created through spell bindings. They were created by binding powerful spells to powerful objects, I guess.¡± ¡°And aura-blessed?¡± ¡°Those are sometimes simple items made powerful by association. Let¡¯s say, if a level 500 uses a spoon and develops an attachment for that spoon for long enough, it could become an aura-blessed artifact from their constant interaction with the item, I guess.¡± ¡°That sounds powerful.¡± Aiden took a turn the path led them down. It was the third one so far. ¡°Imagine facing someone with a spoon for an artifact.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t seen a spoon before,¡± Elaswit said with a chuckle. ¡°But I have seen a rubber duck artifact.¡± Aiden paused. That was something he didn¡¯t know about. He could only imagine what it did. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°He was a prince from a visiting country,¡± Elaswit explained as they paused at another fork only to take a left. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to see what it did but he said it was an escape artifact to help me get away from dangerous situations.¡± Aiden made a thoughtful sound, his mind going through the possibilities of how a rubber duck could help someone escape. He couldn¡¯t come up with something that would not leave the pursuer embarrassed. How do you explain to someone that you lost your target because of a rubber duck? ¡°What of yours?¡± he asked, then hurried to add: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking.¡± Elaswit waved the second statement aside. ¡°I don¡¯t, really. Mine¡¯s a fragment of the Mad king¡¯s Bar.¡± That stopped Aiden in his tracks. Lesser men would¡¯ve stumbled from that piece of information. He collected himself quickly, pretended like he was caught in a sudden thought. He turned around, frowned, pointed one way, then the other. ¡°Did you feel that?¡± he asked. Elaswit stood, quiet. She looked around. ¡°Feel what?¡± Aiden let his brows furrow in thought. He licked his finger and held it up. His frown deepened. After a moment, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± he said. ¡°I thought I felt a draft.¡± That said, he continued moving and Elaswit followed. ¡°What does yours do?¡± he asked after a few steps, not that he didn¡¯t know. There was no one who knew about artifacts that didn¡¯t know what the Mad king¡¯s Bar did. ¡°Nothing much.¡± Elaswit shrugged. ¡°My dad got one for all of us. It basically grants additional points to our stats and when it¡¯s activated it grants immunity to any physical skill attack for five seconds.¡± Aiden nodded as she spoke. I guess she doesn¡¯t trust me very much. In his book it was a good thing. Even a child shouldn¡¯t know the extents of what a person could do. It was either that or she did trust him but simply didn¡¯t know the full extent of the Mad king¡¯s Bar. The artifact was¡ªaccording to myth¡ªcreated by the human king of a kingdom with a forgotten name during the wars of the second Demon King. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t had it crafted for the sake of the battle but to keep him safe against members of his court. In his late years, he had grown delusional and paranoid, believing his nobles were out to kill him and replace him with the Demon King they fought against. It was indeed madness. But his madness had led him to have the most powerful mages craft a black staff for him. What it had been capable of when it had been whole remained lost in history, but Aiden knew what its fragments were capable of. When activated, they granted immunity to the physical effects of skills for the duration of ten seconds, though normal attacks still had an effect on the user. Passively, when equipped, the fragments granted the user fifteen points to be distributed amongst their stats for as long as it was equipped. When cast on an enemy, it rendered them unable to use skills with physical effects for ten seconds. Defensively, it activated automatically once the user is caught in a surprise skill attack and stayed active for ten seconds. It also grants its wielder a thirty percent resistance to magical attacks for as long as it was equipped. In summary, it was a powerful artifact, but not even one of the most powerful. Then how had the Mad king died? At the hands of a Gargoyle, which made their current situation ironic. Of all the things the Mad king¡¯s Bar could do. It had no defense against mind magic, and named Gargoyles had mind magic. It was nothing powerful, but if a level 40 Gargoyle used mind magic on a level 14 [Weaver], the outcome was definitely obvious. Aiden wasn¡¯t too worried, though. Unless he did something stupid, they wouldn¡¯t have anything to worry about. At least he knew he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Elaswit too much. ¡­ They met the first distraction of their trip almost half an hour into their journey. The maze had turned them around at least twice and Aiden had cursed himself at least once for not having something as simple as a chalk in his soldier belts. Valdan had once joked about them being one too many utility belts but if Aiden was being honest, they were not. They didn¡¯t have the pockets or space required to hold all the things he needed that would qualify them as utility belts. But a chalk is a damn small thing, and you were coming to a maze of a cave. Aiden was the first to spot the outlier and he slowed their pace as he drew closer to it. Elaswit followed him, her stroll coming to the speed of a crawl as Aiden knelt down beside it. The smell attacked his nose but he gave no reaction. Behind him, Elaswit covered her nose with a hand and looked away. There was a dead body there, resting against one of the walls. It wasn¡¯t old enough to be completely decayed, but the decaying process had already started. The body was still identifiable as a male. Whoever the person had been, they¡¯d had some funds, enough to afford a nice robe for adventuring. Aiden rubbed the hem of the robe between thumb and forefinger. Harsh. The more expensive magical robes were smoother, made of silk, most preferably silk from certain monsters that produced them. Aiden let the hem of the robe fall back down as Elaswit leaned in to look at the corpse from over his shoulder. He felt her frown, saw it from his periphery. She reached forward with her two fingers and pressed the corpse¡¯s neck, applied pressure. After a few seconds, she removed her hand. ¡°Three days give or take,¡± she concluded. ¡°Not too long ago.¡± Aiden agreed. He wasn¡¯t surprised to know that a member of the royal family had some medical training, enough to tell how long a body had been dead. ¡°Magic class,¡± Aiden offered. ¡°Judging by the magic robe. Cheap, so he mustn¡¯t have been very high in level or he was perpetually broke.¡± ¡°I take it you got that from his robe,¡± Elaswit said. Aiden nodded. ¡°The material is too coarse. At best it would allow him a ten percent increase in most magical skills or spells.¡± He touched another side of the robe and turned it to reveal extra seams that seemed unnecessary. ¡°Enchantments,¡± Elaswit said when she saw them. ¡°My mom has a lot of enchanted clothes in her wardrobe. The expensive kind, though.¡± Aiden nodded once more. ¡°He was probably an enchanter,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°You sound certain.¡± ¡°Not completely,¡± Aiden said. ¡°It¡¯s just guesswork. A deduction, but guesswork ultimately. Only those with at least the basic enchant skill would be able to activate the natural enchantment, and since my class has a distant relationship to enchantments and I have the skill, I did a little research on enchanters and learned that they like their enchanted clothes a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ intentional learning, right there.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m in a world with monsters and an old man that considers being attacked by a sword to be a simple dance. I¡¯d be stupid not to know everything I need to.¡± ¡°Alright, nerd,¡± Elaswit teased. ¡°How do you know he¡¯s not high level or rich?¡± She¡¯s testing me, Aiden thought and almost laughed. ¡°For starters,¡± he said, humoring her. ¡°The material for the robe is of poor quality.¡± He rubbed it between his fingers once more. ¡°It¡¯s too dry, almost feels like I¡¯m touching paper.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been out here in this atmosphere for who knows how long.¡± Elaswit shrugged. ¡°We could attribute that to poor maintenance.¡± She still had a hand over her nose so her voice was slightly muffled. Aiden shook his head in disagreement. ¡°If I¡¯m right and he¡¯s an enchanter, then he would know not to settle for poor material when he can afford the good stuff. But he got poor materials. The good stuff would need far longer to degrade to this state. Ergo, not a lot of money.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Elaswit conceded. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°He was an adventurer, not a mercenary?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Aiden reached for the man¡¯s neck and pulled something out from under his robe. It was a small plaque, wooden brown. It had words scribbled in the common tongue on it. ¡°He has an adventurer¡¯s tag,¡± he said, then reached inside his shirt to pull his out. ¡°Every registered adventurer has one.¡± He read the name on the tag. ¡°Lucky. One name, not of noble blood. Town, Netted. Level 38. I guess this is why they make the tags carriable.¡± He tugged on it but the tag didn¡¯t snap free from the body¡¯s neck. Instead, the body jerked forward before falling back down. Aiden drew his dagger and severed the rope that kept the tag around the corpse¡¯s neck. The moment he had the tag free and in his hand, his interface came alive in front of him. [Optional Quest: Kind Adventurer.] You have found an unfortunate adventurer, dead in his quest for greater heights. Identify dead adventurers and inform the adventure society of their passing so that their families may have closure. [Quest Objective: Collect adventure tags 1/???] [Reward: Adventure society designated.] [Accept?] [Y/N] Aiden didn¡¯t need to give it much thought before accepting. The quest merely made the task system sanctioned. If he gathered the tags and presented them at any society hall, he was likely to get a reward for it. Accepting the quest only ensured that he got the reward. The unique scenario hadn¡¯t given them a countdown so he was more than sure it wasn¡¯t time sensitive. ¡°If you stumble across any corpse I miss, let me know,¡± he told Elaswit as he pathed the robe in search of what had killed the man. ¡°I just got an optional quest that requires me to get the tags.¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°Poor guy,¡± she muttered. ¡°To lose your life in a quest for a unique skill is not the way any one should go.¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°What was his name, again?¡± Elaswit asked suddenly. Aiden didn¡¯t need to look at the tag. ¡°Lucky of Netted.¡± ¡°Rest well, Lucky of Netted,¡± she said solemnly. Aiden ignored the irony of the man¡¯s name against his situation as he revealed the cause of the man¡¯s death. He had countless claw marks riddling his chest and abdomen. They¡¯d torn into his shirt and rendered it next to useless. Then done a complete mess of his body. The marks were so much that Aiden couldn¡¯t single out each one individually. ¡°This is going to be a problem,¡± he muttered. Elaswit stared at the carnage with a pained expression. ¡°It¡¯s like a frenzy.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the problem.¡± Aiden rose to his feet. ¡°Either the monster was in a frenzied state or there were multiple monsters, and I don¡¯t know which is worse.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say the possibility of around thirty monsters in a frenzied state is worse,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°Maybe. But we also have to consider the fact that the injuries are localized to one area, the torso.¡± Aiden slipped the tag into his pocket. ¡°Which means that if there were more than one, they likely attacked him as one, ambushed him, and were very specific and decisive about where they were attacking. I can¡¯t say what that means yet but I can say that¡¯s also not a problem we want to find ourselves dealing with.¡± Elaswit took a moment before she said anything. ¡°Either we¡¯re dealing with thirty angry Gargoyles,¡± she said. ¡°Or we¡¯re dealing with thirty Gargoyles capable of working as a team with a calculated form of attack.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if it was anticipation he heard in her voice or trepidation. ¡­ As they continued down the path, meandering through the labyrinth, Aiden knew which of the two possible types of creatures they were dealing with. For one thing, Gargoyles did not go into a frenzy unless said frenzy was ignited by a skill used by a superior monster. Gargoyles were simple creatures that killed because it was in their nature to kill. But they were also never calculated. Which means the named Gargoyle is using a hands on approach. Aiden wondered what it meant for the future that he¡¯d discovered the Gargoyle¡¯s nesting place so soon. If he was not mistaken, he¡¯d found them two years too soon. From what he knew about gargoyles, they were no less than level forty-two. But what if that was a conditional piece of information? If the gargoyle armies that had taken part in the Demon wars had actually somehow come from this cave as their nesting grounds, then it was arguable that they¡¯d stayed here, growing their levels for at leas two years with every adventurer, mercenary or unfortunate third party that had gotten the displeasure of coming here and losing their lives. If that was the case, then all of them could be of lower levels right now. Aiden didn¡¯t know if to be pleased by the possibility or not. On one hand, he did not have the unique quest so he¡¯d been happy to settle for a good level increase fighting stronger enemies which would no longer be an option. On the other hand, it guaranteed a higher chance of this task being easy, which meant he would not have to explain anything to anybody in the event of Elaswit returning with terrible injuries. ¡°Do you have potions?¡± Aiden found himself asking at the thought of injuries. ¡°I have enough survival tools to last a month,¡± Elaswit answered. There was a moment of silence where she studied him before adding: ¡°I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t have any, so I¡¯d say it would last us three weeks.¡± Aiden fought the urge to smack his own face. Not having any potions or nutrition on him was a significant rookie mistake. He could argue that it was not his fault. Tonight had been nothing but an investigative situation. The intention had been to see what the cave was like, map it, get the unique quest notification, then return. So he¡¯d outfitted himself for a short investigative expedition. How was I supposed to know that there was a unique scenario involved? Despite it all, he still held himself to greater standards. If he was still in the Order and had failed a mission simply because he was under-prepared for sudden variables and changes to his position, it would have been an excuse incapable of sufficing. In simpler words, he would¡¯ve been punished, regardless. ¡°I¡¯m still surprised you use a soldier¡¯s belt, though,¡± Elaswit said as they took a turn and ran straight into another corpse. ¡°It¡¯s the easiest way to handle my tools,¡± Aiden explained, squatting at the corpse. This one was also an adventurer. Judging by his gear, however, he was no enchanter. He had the same cause of death, ripped to shreds at the back instead of the front. Further investigations revealed a few more pieces of information. While he wasn¡¯t an enchanter, he was very likely a [Thief]. He was also level twenty, which Aiden found quite sad. He¡¯d barely truly started on the path of this life before it was snuffed out. He was probably too ambitious, Aiden thought. Like Zen. ¡°There are other ways to carry your items, besides a soldier¡¯s belt,¡± Elaswit said, continuing their conversation. Aiden agreed. ¡°Most of them are expensive, though.¡± ¡°And you are the favored guest of a king.¡± Aiden cut the adventure tag loose from the corpse and slipped it in his pocket. [Quest Objective: Collect adventure tags 2/???] ¡°I was under the impression that my father would¡¯ve at least given you something to help with the whole carrying thing,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°It would definitely not prove so costly. If I¡¯m not mistaken, your daily stipend should suffice for what a level 30 adventurer should make for each contract befitting their level.¡± That much was true from what Aiden knew. ¡°Which means,¡± Elaswit went on, ¡°that he wouldn¡¯t even need to be the one to purchase the best alternative for you. If you saved up for a few weeks you would be able to buy it. With all the reading you¡¯ve been doing and all the things you know, it¡¯s difficult to believe that you don¡¯t know of it.¡± Aiden knew of it. It was most likely what Elaswit had that helped her possess a provision store worth a single month. A spatial orb was Nastild¡¯s acme of spatial and time magic put together in a mix of spells and enchantments. It stored a large enough amount of items and was bound to its user so that only them and a designated number of other users could access its contents. It was like an inventory, if an inventory was a small jewelry and didn¡¯t have a picture of the items you owned displayed in front of you in small squares. It was designed to keep any non-living item inside while preserving it for I time theorized to be infinite. What most people didn¡¯t know was that it actually wasn¡¯t the acme of spatial and time magic on Nastild. It was merely the acme on the human side of Nastild. ¡°Come to think of it,¡± Elaswit said, as if suddenly realizing something. ¡°What do you people spend your stipend on?¡± Aiden got up from the corpse. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Elaswit said, derailing the topic for a little bit. ¡°May I know his name?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Quint of Salatar.¡± ¡°Rest well, Quint of Salatar,¡± Elaswit said with a bow of her head. ¡°As I was saying, what do you people spend your stipends on?¡± ¡°Different things, I¡¯d guess,¡± Aiden answered. The truth was that he didn¡¯t know. All he knew was that everyone had what they spent theirs on. It had only been later on in his life that he¡¯d learnt that Sam had been funding the experiments he¡¯d been working with up until they became experiments with results that could not justify the means. If he was being honest, Sam had developed a slow growth from questionable to bad to evil to unforgivable. You¡¯ve really got to forget about this Sam thing. But as much as he told himself this, it was difficult to. You couldn¡¯t just ignore someone you¡¯d killed once upon a time with good reason when you knew there was a very high chance that they would follow the same path that led to your decision. If Aiden dealt with Sam sooner in this life time, he could save a lot of lives, and he meant a lot. Sam¡¯s victims had numbered north of five hundred. And the bastard had taken his time with them. It was difficult to tell yourself to ignore something and simply obey. ¡°Alright, what do you use yours for?¡± Elaswit asked. They¡¯d left the corpse behind and were back on their navigation of the cave. The world was still illuminated but now the air was humid. Moist. It was a good sign. Either they were encroaching on new parts of the cave or something was happening. ¡°Still haven¡¯t answered me, Aiden,¡± Elaswit pointed out. Aiden didn¡¯t take his eyes of their surrounding or his nose off the fact that the air was more humid. ¡°I spend most of mine on Ded,¡± he answered. ¡°The soldier?¡± Elaswit asked, confused. ¡°He already has his wages as a soldier and an extra allowance for the task of being stationed at the palace.¡± ¡°True enough.¡± Aiden led them around a corner. ¡°But now he has his wages for running errands for me, amongst other things.¡± ¡°Errands like?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very certain your father isn¡¯t the only one who wonders how I know the things I know. And while the library can explain most of them, it does not explain all of them. Ded is simply another one of many explanations.¡± Elaswit chuckled. ¡°I like that you do not lie, or at least you lie believable lies.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Aiden placed his palm flat on a surface of the cave wall not covered by anything to see if the humidity in the air was enough to leave any form of moisture on the walls. It was. ¡°I mean,¡± Elaswit said, ¡°it would¡¯ve been very disrespectful of you if you had told me that Ded is your other explanation of all the things you knew. I consider it either a show of respect for my intelligence or a show of intelligence on your part that you did not. After all, there¡¯s no way Ded would¡¯ve known the classes and levels of the envoys from Nel Quan.¡± ¡°I have a few information brokers Ded helps me keep in touch with for those kinds of information.¡± Elaswit paused. ¡°How did you learn of information brokers?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t think the knowledge was supposed to surprise her. ¡°I assumed your world would have one since mine does,¡± Aiden said. ¡°One universal culture amongst humans is their need to know what they are not supposed to know.¡± ¡°And you expect me to believe that you somehow managed to gain access to information brokers outside the kingdom as well? All the way to Nel Quan?¡± This time, Aiden chuckled. It was genuine and amused. He was really hoping that Elaswit did not expect him to believe that she was just making conversation or that she was simply a curious girl satisfying her curiosity. This was a casually placed interrogation. Fortunately, it was one he was more than happy to go with. If he could get her to believe his words here, then she would help convince her mother of their truths when he got back. ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°You are,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯ve only been here for a month. I assure you that I have no information broker outside the kingdom. The Nel Quan thing was just a stroke of luck, and I used it to rattle my first opponent. If he was stuck with a smidge of confusion about what I really was, then he wouldn¡¯t have his complete attention on the fight.¡± ¡°Then how did you know?¡± Aiden stopped what he was doing to look at her. ¡°Luck.¡± Her brows furrowed. ¡°Luck?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Luck. During the ball, they had conversations, one of which had something to do with their classes and levels. That was how I knew the class and level of the first one to face me.¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°You lie. I was aware of you during the entire ball and you did not come close enough to the envoy to defend this point.¡± Aiden fought the urge to cock a questioning brow. She was aware of me enough to stand by it? He wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. Just how long had the princess been paying attention to him? And how much attention, exactly? ¡°I never said I heard it, Princess,¡± he corrected her. ¡°Among my many human skills, I¡¯m quite good at reading lips. It¡¯s not an all know be all talent, but it does come in handy.¡± Elaswit¡¯s expression turned thoughtful, and Aiden realized that that was a piece of information that would take her a while to believe. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a lie. In fact, he was very good at lip reading. He could lip read at least ten different Nastild human languages correctly. As for the non-human languages, that had not been his specialty. Elaswit¡¯s disbelief was most likely in the possibility that the Nel Quan envoy would have spoken on the subject of such delicate matters in their language and not the common tongue. Aiden could buttress his lie by explaining that they would not have considered the possibility just the way the princess hadn¡¯t considered the possibility, but he had enough experience to know that some lies were designed to be doubtful and not defended. You allowed the receiver doubt it themselves and reach a conclusion themselves. It was a risky strategy, but defending them would only force the receiver''s mind to doubt it more simply because of simple stubbornness. In a heartbeat his lie no longer mattered. Elaswit¡¯s entire attention and demeanor shifted at the sound of a rolling pebble and her hand reached over her shoulder for the hilt of her cleaver. Aiden¡¯s sword was already free of its sheath. He was a level 14 about in a place where the weakest enemy was at least possibly twenty levels ahead of him. Experience would not be enough to keep him alive. ¡°Alright, then,¡± he muttered, as a single gargoyle stepped out from a corner, its expression mildly surprised to see them. It crawled on all fours, its feet armed with sharp claws. It had short wings on its back that didn¡¯t look capable of lifting its body, and came up to their waists from feet to shoulders. It had grey skin and yellow eyes that watched them suspiciously. To Elaswit, Aiden asked, ¡°Would you like first strike?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± she answered. ¡°I take it Sir Valdan taught you the strategies of fighting with a partner?¡± Valdan had definitely not taught him. But someone had in an old life. ¡°I¡¯ll manage, princess.¡± The gargoyle leapt at them and Elaswit swung her cleaver. It was time to draw first blood. THIRTY-ONE: The Cave III Even though Elaswit had agreed to have the first strike, she did not attack. With her massive cleaver as long as any long sword and larger than any cleaver held out in front of her with both hands, she slowly inched backwards, increasing the distance between her and the gargoyle. Aiden followed her, waiting for what she wanted to do. More importantly, he confirmed something that had been on his mind with the indicator above the gargoyle¡¯s head. [Gargoyle Lvl 28] It was high compared to his level, but low compared to what he had expected. I guess that answers that question. In his past life, he¡¯d never learned of a gargoyle less than forty-two levels. But here was one with a significantly lower level than forty-two. Aiden was willing to bet this had been the breeding grounds for the gargoyles long before the war. But the numbers weren¡¯t adding up. The gargoyles had been in the thousands. It was hard to believe that they¡¯d all somehow holed themselves up inside this cave. The cave was large, but it wasn¡¯t that large. So how had they all been bred? The answer came to Aiden even as the question popped up. This wasn¡¯t the only part of the world where the gargoyles had been hiding and waiting. There hadn¡¯t been only one group of ambitious gargoyles. Aiden kept his eye on the gargoyle as he backed up and it stepped forward. ¡°You can manage or Valdan taught you how to fight with a partner?¡± Elaswit asked. Valdan had taught Aiden nothing about team fights. ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± he answered. Just to be sure, he took a glance at her cleaver. He was satisfied to find the weapon steady and unwavering. As unkind or arrogant as it might have seemed, he had really needed to confirm that the princess wasn¡¯t in anyway terrified. You could always fancy yourself as someone who stood strong in the face of adversity until you met certain types of adversity. Elaswit could easily have found herself terrified of the idea of fighting an actual demon from the scriptures. ¡°You go high I go low?¡± Aiden asked, hoping to push the attack forward. For all they knew, other gargoyles could be headed this way. Aiden didn¡¯t know Elaswit¡¯s level but the last thing he needed was to be caught in a battle with a group of gargoyles with levels in the twenties. Elaswit shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ll use the switch strategy. It¡¯ll give you time to catch your breath during the fight.¡± Aiden thought about it then shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aiden noticed that she was still stepping back. ¡°Gargoyles are also nocturnal,¡± he said, in case she wanted to lure it into some place without light. ¡°They see clearly in the light and the dark.¡± Elaswit¡¯s steps paused. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah. ¡®Oh¡¯ is right. So how about we deal with it before any of its friends come sniffing around?¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Then she burst forward. Aiden recognized an active [Dash] skill when he saw it. It carried Elaswit forward, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye, and she met the gargoyle with a massive downward swing. Aiden winced in anticipation of the sound her weapon crashing into the ground would make when her attack was inevitably dodged and was surprised when it didn¡¯t come. The gargoyle had darted away from her attack very easily, but her blade never met the ground. For her weapon¡¯s size and her lack of size in comparison, she stopped her swing before it hit the ground a little too easily, then made a frustrated sound. The gargoyle darted back into the fray, clawed feet swiping at Elaswit. Aiden noticed a slight hesitation as if she was not expecting the attack before she raised her cleaver to defend herself. Damn it, Aiden swore as the gargoyle refused to relent, keeping her on the backfoot. He squatted quickly, placed his sword on the ground. He¡¯d been practicing how to weave his enchantments while holding weapons but so far he only had the success of a man writing with his weaker hand, which was hilarious since he was ambidextrous. Class skill [Enchanted Weave] is in effect. You have used [Lesser Weave of Strength] Effect: +18% increase in strength. Duration: 00:05:30. Aiden picked his sword as Elaswit was beginning to get pushed back and darted into the fray. ¡°Switch!¡± he shouted. If she could¡¯ve backed off without any issues, she would¡¯ve. But Aiden wasn¡¯t expecting her to. The call was how the switch strategy worked. One of the members of the duo called out the switch and they switched places. Aiden darted past Elaswit and swung a vicious slash at the gargoyle. His blade cut through air as it hopped on Elaswit¡¯s massive cleaver and used it to propel itself away. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect¡ª¡± Whatever else Elaswit had to say died in her throat as Aiden simply followed after the gargoyle. He closed the distance it made almost immediately, and struck once more. He stabbed at its head and it weaved to one side, avoiding the blow. Aiden swung his leg in a kick, refusing to let up the attack. The gargoyle avoided again, darting to the side. Aiden expected it. In fact, he had been waiting for it. The moment the creature¡¯s feet left the ground, [Dash] was already carrying Aiden across the distance. Gargoyles weren¡¯t quick attackers, but they had quick reaction time. In a head on fight with a gargoyle, like most animals in the wild most accustomed to fleeing, you didn¡¯t aim for where it was. You aimed for where it was going to be. Aiden¡¯s sword came down on the creature in a downward overhead swing as both of them came to a stop in the same position almost at the same time. It raised a grey limb to take the strike and Aiden¡¯s blade clashed harmlessly with its grey skin. Then he spun and kicked it in the head. ¡°Switch!¡± he called out as the gargoyle staggered away, shaking its head. Aiden stepped back but instead of Elaswit bounding past him, a slash of red mana cut through the air in an arc and struck the gargoyle. It sent the creature flying back but not too far. Elaswit stepped up next to Aiden with a surprised frown. ¡°It withstood that?¡± she asked, confused. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be able to withstand that, not at its level.¡± In front of them, the gargoyle picked itself from the ground. Nothing had changed about the creature except a crack that currently ran up its neck. ¡°I aimed for the head,¡± Elaswit said in retained surprise. ¡°I always aim for the head.¡± ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t follow up?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Because you thought that was enough to kill it.¡± Elaswit pointed at the gargoyle as if there was something there that Aiden wasn¡¯t seeing or understanding. ¡°It¡¯s just level 28,¡± she complained. ¡°I¡¯ve put down a level forty with that skill before.¡± The statement gave Aiden a moment of hesitation. If she¡¯d put down a level forty with the skill before, did that make her above level forty or was the skill simply that powerful? There¡¯s also a chance that she¡¯s lying. Aiden found himself compelled to discard the thought. There was no reason for her to lie about that in this moment. So why was he quick to assume she was lying? Was it some lost ego that made him refuse to believe someone as young as her was significantly more powerful than him? It¡¯s because liars always assume everyone is lying. The words crawled into his mind, mocking. And you are a liar. Aiden shook his monologue or, in this case, self dialogue. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he told her. ¡°What matters is that now we know its got high durability and defense. We can work accordingly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elaswit held her blade down and to the side now. She had an expression Aiden didn¡¯t like on her face. She looked as if her domain was strength and the gargoyle had just challenged her to a test of strength. Aiden didn¡¯t like it one bit. He didn¡¯t doubt that she could overpower the creature, but overpowering a gargoyle was just a waste of strength. There were far easier ways to kill them, after all. Elaswit charged the gargoyle and Aiden followed after her. Elaswit and the gargoyle met in a flurry of blows. She swung her massive cleaver and the gargoyle met her each time with a swipe of one clawed feet or the other. The sound that echoed through the cave was of sword against stone and it grew with each blow as Elaswit put more and more of her strength into each attack. Aiden moved past the both of them, allowing Elaswit struggle to prove herself the stronger of the two. He kept his attention on the both of them, making sure he always remained close enough as he made his way to the corner the gargoyle had come from as quickly as he could. He came to a stop there and peeked around it. The view that met him relaxed one of his worries. The path was clear, empty. It was a good thing. Since the beginning of the fight, he¡¯d been worried that a group of gargoyles would ambush them. With only two roads to this place, the likelihood of that happening had been dwindled to a number too close to zero for zero¡¯s comfort. Which meant¡­ I can teach her how to fight it. That was always the best option. The scriptures had no take on how to defeat the gargoyles to the best of Aiden¡¯s knowledge, which was quite limited, so him suddenly attacking its weak point and killing it would raise a lot of unanswerable questions. The question was how he was going to teach her without teaching her. I could just accidentally kill it myself, though. It was the simplest answer. ¡°Switch!¡± Like a man who¡¯d been a soldier for too long responding to a command out of nowhere, Aiden was already charging in with his sword held forward. He charged from behind the gargoyle as Elaswit leapt back and away from the creature. There was a frown on her face that told Aiden that she had failed to overpower the creature. The gargoyle turned immediately, reaction speed as superior as ever, and dived Aiden without hesitation. Unwilling to meet it in a test of strength, he ducked to the side, rolled to the ground and came up to his feet. [Dash] carried him to the beast the moment he was back on his feet and his sword was already singing through the air. He dipped into one of many variations of the Order¡¯s sword technique. It was designed to face four legged creatures, to sever limbs and disembowel. Three strikes were parried by the gargoyle. A fourth was dodged while the fifth took it in the mouth. Aiden¡¯s hand shook from the impact of the tip of his sword clashing with the insides of the creature¡¯s mouth. It¡¯s stone-like skin seemed to extend even to its insides. Aiden backed away and charged forth once more. He threw a feint to one side then came up with a vicious kick that brushed the gargoyle¡¯s front limbs out from under it as it avoided his feint. The creature fell face first into the ground, its rump held up by its two standing hind legs. Aiden winced from the pain in his leg but ignored it for the most part. In an action he would normally never be caught doing, he brought his sword down on the gargoyle¡¯s neck in a powerful overhead strike. Blade clanged as if he¡¯d struck a boulder. The sword trembled and Aiden grit his teeth against the discomfort that went through his entire body. It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t know it would fail. ¡°Switch!¡± he called out, darting to the side to give Elaswit the space she required. Again, a blast of red man cut through the air once more. It cut past Aiden and struck the gargoyle. The beast bent itself forward and took the strike against the top of its head. Aiden almost frowned at the repeated action. His frown paused as Elaswit charged past him, cleaver swinging like a butcher more than happy to test her mettle against a piece of bone she¡¯d just been told she couldn¡¯t cut through. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The effects of Aiden¡¯s weaving of strength was still flowing through him and he used it as a timer. It was funny how they hadn¡¯t even fought for up to five minutes. Elaswit attacked the creature in angry looking swings and the creature parried were it could and evaded were it could. Apart from the one time at the beginning of the fight, they had kept the creature on the defensive ever since. Elaswit turned a slash into a defensive stance and rammed the gargoyle with the flat of her sword. ¡°Switch!¡± Aiden called out as the creature was disoriented, staggering away from her. Without waiting for Elaswit to step out of the way, he propelled himself with all the strength in his leg and leapt over her. He crossed eight feet with the single jump. You have learned [Leap (Mastery 02.01%)] He discarded the notification as he landed on the gargoyle with a falling kick. The creature met his kick with its shoulder and pain ran through Aiden¡¯s leg. Still, the force of the blow was enough to bring its head down to the ground once more. Sucking in a sharp breath from the pain, Aiden turned, pivoting on his good leg, and drew an upward slash into the creature¡¯s second shoulder. The blow shook the creature and sent it bounding to the side. At this point, they were practically bullying the poor beast, not that Aiden cared. The gargoyle shook its head, disoriented and Aiden was already following after it. To his surprise, rather than prepare for an evasion, it raised its head and opened its mouth. It was a move Aiden knew. A move that rendered most of its body exposed. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Aiden muttered. He felt mana course through him the way it always did when combined foundational skills that were no longer visible in the user¡¯s skill list activated, and [Dash] helped him cross the entire distance in one step. He appeared above the beast and dug his sword into its mouth. The discomfort startled the gargoyle as Aiden¡¯s feet hit the ground, tilting its head downwards. Then Aiden pushed upwards, forced the gargoyle¡¯s head back so that its front legs were lifted with it and were no longer touching the ground. ¡°Can¡¯t have you calling your friends now,¡± Aiden said as he struggled to keep its head up. Then he switched to a variation of the Order¡¯s unarmed combat. Releasing his sword, he grabbed one of its front legs, turned the beast to the side, leaned down, and clipped one of its back legs with his foot. It looked like a complicated and loose variation of a judo leg sweep. The end result was a loud thud that shook the ground as he brought the massive beast bodily to the ground. But Aiden wasn¡¯t done. He acted quickly, grabbed the hilt of his sword and drove the rest of the blade into the gargoyle¡¯s mouth until only the hilt was visible. ¡°Switch!¡± he called, abandoning his sword to the creature¡¯s mouth once more. This time, he didn¡¯t distance himself from the thing. He merely stood to the side. To no surprise at all, an arc of red mana blasted into the beast¡¯s underbelly. In its wake was a web of cracks. Elaswit¡¯s cleaver came down on the crack immediately after with enough force to displace the air and shake the beast. If the place wasn¡¯t so moist, Aiden was certain the action would¡¯ve raised a lot of dust. The gargoyle continued to struggle on the ground but was having difficulty turning itself upright. It gagged a few times in a failed attempt to make a different sound as Elaswit stepped away from it with a confused look. ¡°This type of creature shouldn¡¯t exist,¡± she said, annoyed. Aiden almost scoffed. There were a lot of creatures not indigenous to Nastild¡¯s human side of the world that shouldn¡¯t exist. The rock golems had a bee as tall as two men with wings lighter than tissue paper that could fly significantly faster than any car. And magic had nothing to do with it. To any human on Nastild, that was a monster that shouldn¡¯t exist. Elaswit stared at the cracks running along the stomach of the struggling gargoyle. ¡°A creature with such high durability and defense always has a weakness,¡± she said. Then she struck its stomach once more with all the force she could muster. Nothing happened. ¡°That weakness is always its underbelly.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t argue with her. Even dragons had weaker underbelly when compared to their scaly bodies. But that was the thing, their underbellies were only weaker in comparison. Just because it was their weakness, it didn¡¯t mean that any Tom, Dick or Harry could just stroll up to it and stab it expecting to put a hole in it. If someone like Aiden at his current level tried it, he would find himself with a very poor result. And if he put his back into it, he would find himself with a broken sword. The gargoyle turned on its side and he kicked it back to struggling on its back. The kick was simple but he¡¯d still had put a significant amount of strength into it to move the creature. Aiden squinted at the gargoyle in an illusion of thought. ¡°But it¡¯s got to have some kind of weakness,¡± he muttered loud enough for the princess to hear. ¡°In your scriptures, they killed it enough times to imply it has a weakness.¡± Elaswit paused in thoughts of her own. When she was done, she spun her cleaver as if it was a simple longsword. With the momentum garnered from the twirl of the weapon, she slammed its blade into one of the creature¡¯s hind legs. Close, but not close enough. The blade bounced off the leg and a web of hairline cracks spread from where she¡¯d struck it. ¡°I guess that¡¯s not it,¡± she mused. Aiden squatted in front of the gargoyle. It continued to toss its body from side to side, looking for a leverage that would put it comfortably on its side once more, then back on its feet. Aiden made sure not to get too close so he didn¡¯t suffer a stray slap from one of its claws. Elaswit stabbed her cleaver into the ground and placed her hands on her hips. ¡°It¡¯s like a neltow.¡± Aiden spared a single unnecessary glance at the gargoyle. It looked nothing like a neltow. ¡°How?¡± he asked. ¡°They both struggle the moment you put them on their back.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t argue with that. A neltow was a large triple horned animal on Nastild. It was as large as a full grown bull and had significant muscles. It was domesticated and was a major source of protein for humans, with almost no fat. As Elaswit had pointed out, once they were put on their backs, getting up on their own was next to impossible. ¡°I guess that¡¯s one weakness discovered,¡± Elaswit pointed out. ¡°I guess so,¡± Aiden agreed. Though, he couldn¡¯t call it a weakness. No. he turned his attention to the hilt of his sword sticking out of its mouth. It isn''t a natural weakness. Elaswit followed his gaze. ¡°You think it¡¯s having a hard time because of your sword in its mouth,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t a question. Aiden answered with a simple nod. ¡°I think parts of its upper body that should move internally are being restricted because of the sword. Without the sword, I think it would simply get back on its feet.¡± ¡°Which brings us back to square one.¡± Elaswit sighed. ¡°No weakness.¡± There was a weakness. Aiden just needed her to either figure it out, which would be extremely impressive, or cancel out enough options that he could ¡®figure¡¯ it out by method of trial and error. ¡°Actually,¡± she said after a while, ¡°I¡¯m impressed by the fact that you have enough strength to sweep its feet. You even kicked it a few times, then actually put it on its back. How are you so strong?¡± Aiden opened his mouth to reply, then paused. Brandis didn¡¯t tell her, he realized. If that was the case, then how many people knew for a fact what type of [Weaver] he was? If his skills weren¡¯t common knowledge, should he keep them a secret? Obviously, the others he was summoned with would find out in a matter of time, Drax, Letto and Anita already knew what he was capable of. But what of everyone else? It could be a boon. If you were about to get in a fight and found out that your opponent was a baker while you were a trained warrior, you were bound to let your guard down at some point in time. It would be too late by the time you find out he¡¯s a baker of death or something sinister like that. This was something he needed to think about. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± Elaswit was saying. ¡°It¡¯s just that, even though I know you¡¯ve turned a domestic class into something you can use for combat, I don¡¯t know any [Weaver] being that strong.¡± Aiden got up and stepped away just in time to avoid a stray claw as the gargoyle somehow got itself on its side. Elaswit kicked it casually, pushing it back on its back. She made the action look far easier than it had felt when Aiden had done it. ¡°Also, why did you put your sword in its mouth?¡± she asked. So many questions, Aiden thought. It wasn¡¯t a thought of irritation or judgement, merely an observation. Was she always this talkative? The princess Elaswit he could remember was known for her poise and decorum, then her calm insanity on the battlefield. Whenever she was deeply disturbed, her face became expressionless. It had been the same way anytime she fought. Then she¡¯d gained the [Berserker] title at some point in the war and she¡¯d garnered the unique title of [Empty Berserker]. The world had given it to her because of her empty expression in the heat of battle even in her berserk state. Thinking about it reminded Aiden of how scary opinions actually were on Nastild. On earth, you could ignore the opinion of strangers without consequences. However, on Nastild if enough people developed the same opinion of you, there were actual results. Titles were one of the magical things on Nastild that actually had a discovered way it worked. And it was as good as it was terrifying. You didn¡¯t entirely have to be the village fool to gain the title [Village fool]. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden pulled himself from his thought to look at Elaswit. ¡°Am I annoying you?¡± she asked with an odd expression. It was somewhere between ¡®I don¡¯t want to be a nuisance¡¯ and ¡®I can¡¯t believe you find me to be a nuisance¡¯. Aiden shook his head in response. ¡°Not at all, princess. I was merely thinking about a few things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°First, I¡¯ll answer your question. I stabbed it in the mouth because I thought it was going to cry out or make some very loud noise. I didn¡¯t need it drawing other gargoyles to us. We¡¯re already taunting luck by finding it alone and making all the noise we have without drawing other gargoyles to us.¡± ¡°They can do that?¡± They could. ¡°I assumed as much,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°On my home world there are animals that call out to others for help with loud cries. I wasn¡¯t willing to risk it. I was also wondering what other possible weakness it could have.¡± He drew his his dagger from its sheath and walked up to the gargoyle¡¯s head. ¡°Have you considered getting a short sword?¡± Elaswit offered as he approached the head. ¡°For people who need something to do with their other hand when using the longsword and done want a shield, a short sword is a good compromise. Very useful in fact.¡± Aiden had considered it once upon a time. In fact, he¡¯d even had a time in his life when he fought with a short sword and a long sword. And two daggers. And a spear, he thought as he knelt in front of the gargoyle¡¯s face and placed a hand on its head. Then two short swords. Two falchions, too. At some point he¡¯d mastered enough weapons decently enough to have a skill for them which eventually combined into the [Weapon Master] advanced skill. But that was then, and this was now. He still had intentions of gaining the skill once more, though. With all the strength of what was left of his enchantment flowing through him, he steadied the head of the gargoyle, kept it fixed and stationary. It stared at him with dull yellow eyes, lightless and dim. He let out a sigh. Elaswit leaned to the side so she could look at him. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Aiden stabbed the gargoyle in the eye. Elaswit turned away in a hurry and gagged in disgust. As for Aiden, he was met with the unsurprisingly dull sound of a knife striking stone. ¡°That was¡­ wrong,¡± Elaswit said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Aiden was pleased to find that Elaswit had only gagged and not vomited. It meant she had a strong tolerance for certain things. Maybe he would make a temporary team and add her to it. Or maybe not. Princesses absconding from their palaces to join someone on an adventure around the world risking her life was the farthest thing from logical. Such things didn¡¯t happen, especially with princesses that had any modicum of sense. And if they didn¡¯t, there was no member of the royal family that would allow such a thing. Aiden got up and stepped away from the gargoyle¡¯s head. ¡°Got any other ideas?¡± he asked, never taking his eyes away from the gargoyle. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Elaswit said, bothered. ¡°If it¡¯s eyes are also that defensively high, I¡¯m beginning to think that none of us are strong enough to kill it.¡± ¡°Armors,¡± Aiden said suddenly. Elaswit drew a blank. ¡°Armors?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aiden said, walking up to the gargoyle¡¯s leg. ¡°Armors. They are powerful, designed to protect the user. In an armor that is not enchanted, what is the one weakness everyone knows?¡± ¡°Joints?¡± It was a clear answer but she sounded unsure. Aiden wondered if it was because she was not very familiar with armors that lacked any form of magical protection or if she was unsure because she didn¡¯t know if he was looking for another answer. Regardless, Aiden nodded. ¡°Yes, joints.¡± He tackled one of the gargoyle¡¯s legs, moving quickly so that it didn¡¯t swipe at him, and pushed it to the side. Then he drew a line with his dagger at the inside of the knee. Nothing. ¡°Nope,¡± he muttered. He looked at the point where the limb met the rest of the body at the creature¡¯s underside and drew a line there with the dagger. The skin gave way too easily and grey blood welled up like wet concrete and the gargoyle released a muffled sound. It seemed his sword was doing a good job of silencing it. He turned his attention to Elaswit. ¡°I guess we¡¯ve found a weakness,¡± he said. ¡°Everything¡¯s got a weakness.¡± ¡°The question now is how we kill it with that?¡± ¡°Got any good sword in your storage?¡± Aiden asked. Elaswit shrugged. ¡°I guess.¡± She picked her cleaver from the ground and hooked it behind her back. It didn¡¯t have a scabbard. Then she held her hand out in front of her, palm up. There was a refraction of light above her hand, like what you would expect from a long line of countless broken shards of mirrors, then a sword appeared in her hold, complete with a well crafted scabbard. Aiden stepped away from the gargoyle, sheathed his dagger, and walked up to her. He took it unceremoniously and she cocked a brow at him. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, then turned and faced the gargoyle. He positioned the sword, held it with one hand and rested the blade on his other hand as if to support his aim. Then he took a deep breath and activated [Dash]. He blitzed through the distance and plunged his sword into the joint. With his momentum, the sword was buried from point to hilt and blood splashed on him, a deep grey. Aiden kept his hold, then shoved the sword slightly deeper. Hilt deep. The gargoyle thrashed under him a little, let out a long violent sound that was muffled and choking. After a moment, it bucked once then fell silent and motionless. The gargoyle¡¯s skin grew greyer, then a hue of green the color of verdigris began to riddle it. The cracks that had once been hairline fractures turned into actual cracks and grooves. Before long the gargoyle stiffened and turned statuesque. Aiden slipped the sword out gracefully and stepped away from the monster. Looking at it now, it looked like a long abandoned broken statue, overgrown with verdigris. He swung the sword in an arc and the blood splattered on the ground, ridding the blade of blood completely. While this was a way to rid a blade of blood, normal blood would not come off completely like this. [You have dealt a critical blow!] [You have dealt a fatal blow!] Congratulations! You have slain [Gargoyle Level 28]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 14 --> 18] [You are now Level 18] Aiden inhaled deeply with the rush of power coursing from his heart and through his body as his level grew. When it was done, he turned to Elaswit. ¡°I guess we¡¯ve learnt how to kill them.¡± Elaswit had a disturbed look on her face. ¡°I guess so.¡± She looked at something else on the ground and Aiden followed her gaze to find that the gargoyle blood he¡¯d discarded to the ground had dried up and now looked like dried concrete. He didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. His interface flashed in front of him. [Achievement unlocked!] Of all who have dedicated their lives to the protection of Nastild, you alone are the first to wet the grounds with the blood of a true invader in this era. [You have earned a new title!] [Protector] Effect: +10% damage resistance to otherworldly creatures. ¡­ [Achievement unlocked!] You have faced adversity and proven yourself to be the first to slay a gargoyle invader in this world. [You have earned a new title!] [Stone Guard] Effect: +10% damage resistance to gargoyle attacks. Aiden stared down at his interface. Two titles, he thought. He hadn¡¯t heard of them before. But it wasn¡¯t very surprising. If he was being honest enough, they weren¡¯t worthy of anything famous. For all he knew, some random guy in his past life could¡¯ve killed an invader, as his interface called them, and gotten the title. By the simple virtue of being some random guy and the only one that would ever get the title, they could¡¯ve lived the rest of their lives without people noticing the title. Or they could¡¯ve died in the first real battle. Aiden almost blanked at how jaded the thought had been. He had once again reminded himself of why he was vastly unlikely to be granted the [Hero] title in this life. Elaswit was busy staring at the empty space in front of her so Aiden assumed she was either checking something or had gained something from the fight so he took the time to check his personal information. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 18] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 18.56%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 10.00%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier], [Protector], [Stone Guard]. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 65.03%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 53.00%)], [Resilience (Mastery 98.53%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 23.03%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 45.04%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 19.33%)], [Quiet movement (Mastery 89.00%)], [Light steps (Mastery 99.19%)], [Detect (Mastery 12.03%)], [Leap (Mastery 02..01%)] [Stats] [Dexterity 6], [Agility 5], [Mana 7], [Speed 8], [Perception 6], [Strength 3]. [Life] [Health 100%], [Stamina 81%], [Mana 96%] ¡°I got a title,¡± Elaswit said suddenly. Aiden dismissed his interface. ¡°Me, too. What did you get?¡± ¡°[First line of defense],¡± she said. ¡°It says I got it for being the first to assist in killing an invader.¡± She looked up at him. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you got something similar, seeing as,¡± she gestured at the dead gargoyle, ¡°you¡¯re the one that killed the thing.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I did. I got [Protector]. It grants me ten percent damage resistance to invaders.¡± ¡°I got five percent.¡± Elaswit paused, then frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t protector a class evolution? I¡¯ve never heard of the title before.¡± ¡°Have you heard of yours before?¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°Then,¡± Aiden went on, ¡°would it be safe to say that it¡¯s a title gotten from our very specific situation?¡± ¡°If it is,¡± Elaswit said slowly, ¡°then that means the [Demon King] really is coming.¡± Aiden almost laughed. She had no idea just how wrong she was. The [Demon King] wasn¡¯t coming. He was already here. Whoever he is just doesn¡¯t know it yet. THIRTY-TWO: Unnecessary ¡°So this is the infamous gargoyle the scripture talks about so graciously.¡± Elaswit kicked the corpse. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s overhyped.¡± Aiden paused his task of retrieving his sword from the gargoyle¡¯s mouth to look at her. ¡°A while ago you had no idea what a gargoyle was,¡± he said. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and tugged. It didn¡¯t budge. Elaswit gave him a sheepish grin. ¡°Would you believe me if I said I was only pretending not to know?¡± He could hear the humor in her voice. It was a good thing she was making jokes, it meant she was still good to go. Unless she¡¯s one of those people who use jokes to hide their nervousness and how broken they are. Aiden tugged on his sword once more. It budged this time but didn¡¯t come loose. When he tugged on it the fourth time, it succumbed. He pulled it out to reveal a broken sword. Holding it up to look at it, he sighed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bust.¡± Elaswit walked up to stand beside him. She grimaced at the sight of the sword. ¡°And it was a really good sword.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t agree. The sword was a good sword, yes. But calling it a really good sword was a stretch. ¡°Not really,¡± he told her. The broken end of the blade was covered in solidified gargoyle blood. Aiden had an idea of what had happened. Stabbing it through had pierced the heart and blood had flowed carelessly. Whatever depths his sword had reached to inconvenience the creature had most likely been flooded with blood as well. Then it solidified and pulling out the sword broke the sword. He tossed the sword carelessly aside. A gargoyle¡¯s insides were as strong as its outsides and normally, a sword of the quality he was using wasn¡¯t supposed to have caused it as much discomfort even stabbed into its mouth as this one had. Normally, the blade would¡¯ve shattered inside after enough struggling. So why hadn¡¯t his broken? The answer was simple. When Aiden used [Weave of Lesser Strength] it had applied to the weapon as well simply because it had been in contact with him. So the sword had been buffed for the duration of its use. Now that the weaving had come undone, timed out, it had reverted to its normal durability and broken under the force of him trying to pull it out. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I have a few spares,¡± Elaswit said. Aiden nodded. Something poked him in the side and he turned to find the princess holding up the sword she¡¯d pulled from her storage space to him. The one he¡¯d used to kill the gargoyle. He took it from her. ¡°Thanks. But why do you have a regular longsword again?¡± he asked. ¡°[Butcher]s don¡¯t use them.¡± Elaswit shrugged. ¡°You can never be too prepared.¡± That made enough sense that Aiden had no more questions to ask on the matter. Instead, he focused on more interesting things, like the fact that he was two levels away from level twenty. A new class skill was not far away. At level ten everyone got their class. After that, they automatically gained a new class skill every ten levels. Level fifty worked differently, though. The requirement was getting a new class skill but it wasn¡¯t automatic, the person would have to work to create it. Then at level 99, I¡¯ll have to evolve it. Everything else started working differently after level 100. The change was slow but sure, as if the person was being eased into a new way of living. Aiden discarded the thoughts, knowing that future problems were for future Aiden. He removed the scabbard of his broken sword from his soldier¡¯s belt and held up the one Elaswit gave him. ¡°Cool, isn¡¯t it,¡± she said. Aiden couldn¡¯t disagree. He hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to it in the beginning but he was now. Its scabbard was a bright white, clean. Whatever material they had used to craft it was sturdy and strong. He doubted it was wood. The white was adorned with simple golden loops at the top and bottom. Whoever had crafted it had chosen to display the beauty in simplicity, and Aiden was sure they had chosen white and gold for colors to give it some royal visage. After all, only the high class and those who wanted to be tended to be enamored by such bright colors. He would¡¯ve checked the actual blade if he didn¡¯t already know how good it was. Instead, he did something else. You have activated skill [Detect] A simple indicator appeared above the sword. [Sword] A simple sword crafted by a proper blacksmith of the royal family with a scabbard to display a fraction of royal beauty. Crafted for better fighters than normal. Durability: 100% Aiden held back a chuckle. The system description of weapons created on Nastild were usually influenced by the minds and intentions of those who helped craft them. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the first sentence was created by the system while the second was most likely from the intentions of those who had created it. Its power was clearly limited, though. For one thing, it didn¡¯t have a name. It also didn¡¯t have an actual effect. Aiden¡¯s guess was that its advantage was in how sturdy a weapon it was. ¡°Alright, then.¡± He attached the sword to one of his soldier belts. ¡°Shall we get going?¡± ¡°How about the corpse?¡± Elaswit asked. He paused. ¡°What about it?¡± She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Aiden waited patiently. After a while she let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°I swear the teachers back in the palace are slacking off. Once we get home, I¡¯m talking to my father about stricter supervision of their work.¡± Aiden drew a blank, confused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ve not taught you, but Nastild has people with crafting classes,¡± she told him. ¡°And some people have what we call the looting skill, which allows them ¡®harvest¡¯ the corpse of a monster and turn it into something of a finished product in record time.¡± Aiden knew of them. The looting skill was one of the rarest support class skills on Nastild and the crafting classes weren¡¯t the only classes that gave it. Maybe one in forty-two crafters had the skill, which made them highly paid and highly sought out skill users. Through a series of processes, depending on the specialization of their collective skills, a crafting class could turn things into finished products. A [Blacksmith] would always be better at blacksmithing than a blacksmith. A [Baker] would always be better than a baker. By virtue of the class, they cut down the time required to create the finished product and increased the quality and often quantity of the final product. Then there were those with the [Loot] skill. They were the cheats in the world of crafting. If a [Blacksmith] with the [Loot] skill touched the corpse of a monster, there would be a blacksmithing outcome. If the creature had enough materials, which they almost always did, you could find yourself armed with a sword or shield or something in that department. If an [Alchemist] had the skill, you could end up with quite the potent concoction. ¡°If we can get a crafter here,¡± Elaswit was saying, ¡°or at least get the corpse to them, then they could make something good out of it. Considering how powerful this thing was for its level, I¡¯m sure we can get something unique and strong.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know how he was going to explain how wrong she was to her. He also didn¡¯t need to think much to know that he didn¡¯t have to explain anything to her because he wasn¡¯t supposed to know anything. The only crafting outcome that could be gotten from a gargoyle was the powerful and great material known as [Rock]. It was a very powerful and great piece of rock than was harder than any simple rock. The end. Gargoyle¡¯s, like some of the other cannon fodders the demons had used during the war, were all crafting duds. There were slimes that turned into the wateriest water ever watered that was far waterier than water. Duds. All of them. Aiden could still remember how loud the leader of the Order had laughed when he¡¯d confirmed that all the cannon fodders were crafting duds. ¡°You can always trust a demon to piss you off even in your own victory,¡± he had said. Regardless, Aiden was going to tell her nothing about it. Elaswit came to stand in front of him as if she thought he was going to ignore her and continue walking. He wasn¡¯t. ¡°I say we do this,¡± she said. ¡°We find a way to mark the spots. Then, if we succeed in clearing this quest and scenario, you go to this town¡¯s branch of the adventure society and submit your quest or scenario completion notification, and claim all the gargoyles we kill.¡± Aiden remained silent. He gave her a confused look, playing the part of a confused outworlder. ¡°That way,¡± Elaswit explained slowly, ¡°you can then hire crafters to come and take a look at the corpses we kill. You give them an acceptable fee¡ªroyal rate is thirty-five percent of sales for every crafted item¡ªand you make a little money on the side apart from what my dad gives you.¡± ¡°So¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to cut you short but I wouldn¡¯t advise using royal rates as a benchmark, though,¡± Elaswit interrupted. ¡°The Brandis family has always been generous to crafters not directly under its employ. Father says it helps the overall kingdom¡¯s economy and the citizens, so I¡¯d say we are far too generous. We could talk to Nella, instead, to confirm the adventurer rate.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Aiden knew the adventurer rate. It was fifteen percent. Sometimes it could be haggled to twenty. The black market rate was an arguable forty to fifty percent depending on how much clout you had in that part of the underworld and how feared you were. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll talk to the society once we¡¯re out.¡± Elaswit smiled at him. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Now can we continue on our way?¡± She nodded happily and turned, heading down the path they had been going down before the interruption of the gargoyle. Isn¡¯t she a little too excited? Aiden wondered. She looked like a child who¡¯d been begging her parents to take her to Disney land for so long and now finally had the chance to do all the Disney things she wanted to do. Aiden was beginning to suspect she didn¡¯t do much in the way of adventuring, which was odd because he knew Brandis supported his children going out into the world to level up the dangerous way. What was it Nella said, he thought as he started walking, following behind her as they turned the corner ahead of them. Something about adventuring with knights? Maybe that was the current case. Maybe Brandis allowed his children adventure but only if they had a knight with them, which meant they wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy the full terrifying fun of adventuring the way adventurers enjoyed and or suffered it. Odd to be giddy at the thought of potentially losing your life, though, he thought. Then again, the title of [Berserker] wasn¡¯t something people came by so easily. The very fact that she¡¯d gotten it was saying a lot. ¡°Hurry up, Lord Lacheart,¡± Elaswit called over her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re burning day¡ª¡± The ground shook beneath them, cutting her off. It trembled enough that lesser humans would¡¯ve fallen. Aiden paused, looking around them. The walls were moving, but no debris was falling. Even the ceiling seemed to be rearranging itself. Elaswit had stopped walking and had her hands held out to her sides as if she needed the action for stability. Her eyes were fixed on the ground. ¡°A ground surge?¡± she asked, worried. A ground surge was what Nastild called an earthquake, but Aiden knew better. This wasn¡¯t a ground surge. If his assumption on what it actually was was right, then they were slightly screwed. ¡°No,¡± he answered, slightly dreadful. ¡°Then what?¡± Elaswit asked. The shaking had stopped and they now stood easily. Aiden met her eyes and he saw in them that the simple no he¡¯d given for an answer had given her an idea of what it might be. For the first time since he¡¯d known the princess in both his past life and this one, he saw fear. He remembered her sense of claustrophobia in dark places and wondered if it only applied to dark places as he gave her the answer he knew she was praying he wouldn¡¯t give her. ¡°I think the natural enchantment has locked us back in.¡± Elaswit paled. Normally, Aiden wouldn¡¯t have been too bothered if not for the fact that natural enchantments only activated themselves when they were formed. After that, the only way for them to activate was for them to be activated. Someone had just intentionally activated the natural enchantment. The question now was had they simply intentionally activated the natural enchantment or had they intentionally sealed them in? Elaswit walked back to Aiden briskly, with purpose in her eyes. When she got to him, her action was simple. She took his hand in hers and squeezed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve told you this before, Aiden.¡± She didn¡¯t sound jovial in the slightest. ¡°But I¡¯m terrified of knowing I¡¯m trapped with no way out.¡± Her grip remained tight and her hand was trembling. Elaswit Brandis had a weakness and she wasn¡¯t ashamed to share it with him. Aiden nodded slowly. ¡°We need to sit down, collect our thoughts,¡± he told her, easing her down to the ground. She obeyed without question, nodding along. When she was seated with her cleaver shifted as diagonally as possible to grant her comfort, still holding onto his hand, Aiden took a knee in front of her. She¡¯s already beginning to hyperventilate, he noted by the increasing rise and fall of her chest. I¡¯ll have to calm her down. ¡°Listen to me, El,¡± he said. Elaswit frowned then chuckled. ¡°No one calls me El.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Aiden had been going for some form of familiarity, something to calm her down. He didn¡¯t think calling her princess was going to help right now, and somehow Elaswit sounded formal as well. Elaswit shook her head. ¡°No. Don¡¯t be. I just¡­ don¡¯t like it. It feels like something too generic for a short name. People like to shorten any name with ¡®El¡¯ in it to El. But you can call me El. For some reason it makes me mad enough at you to focus only on you.¡± She gave him a slight, sheepish smile when she was done. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what had just happened. All he¡¯d gotten from that was that he had permission to call her El. ¡°Well, El,¡± he smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯re not trapped.¡± ¡°Feels like we¡¯re trapped, though.¡± They were definitely trapped. ¡°Well, we¡¯re definitely not trapped.¡± He gave her a warm smile, then looked around at the bioluminescent moss and algae that gave them light. ¡°And we¡¯ve got all the light we need. I¡¯ve been studying enchantments enough to know of natural enchantments, and do you know something about natural enchantments that I didn¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Because you act like talking is a taboo?¡± Elaswit replied. ¡°And I apologize for that,¡± Aiden chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll try and be better. But what I didn¡¯t say is that natural enchantments always come in two folds. Something like this with an entrance has another natural array that will always serve as the exit. And we¡¯ll find it.¡± Elaswit met his gaze, looked deep into his eyes. He physically watched her place all her trust in him. ¡°Is that true?¡± she asked. Aiden paused, allowed a short silence settle between them so that she would know that he understood the weight of her question and the moment they were in right now. He needed her to understand that he¡¯d given his response his entire thought and memory and was certain of it before he answered. When he did, it was with a single word. ¡°Yes,¡± he lied. ¡­ Valdan sucked in a slow, deep breath. Once more, he thought. He raised the sword in his hand, a weak replica of his true knight sword. Using his original sword could cause far more problems than he was willing to cause in a noble¡¯s house no matter how grand their hospitality was. Ready, he activated his skill. You have used Class skill [Aura Strike]. At first nothing happened as he held back the skill as much as he could, allowed the effect build. It strained him, pushed against his entire body. Then he released it. At first it crackled through his sword as if the air around it was electrified. Then it ran about the blade as if he had used a lightning enchantment. It was a deep yellow, crackling wildly. Then his sword grew a bright yellow, the air hummed around it. Valdan held the attack strong. He needed to channel it properly, then chain the skills that would follow. He needed to do it all in the shortest time with the greatest power output possible. Then he swung. It was a downward strike, designed to cleave through anything. The moment his sword hit the ground, a blast of yellow aura shot through the air it had cut through in an arc. It lanced forward, charging the air in its path as a crack split the ground in front of him, traveling forward. But Valdan was not done. The aura blast had barely gone far when he turned, spun into the attack then stabbed the sword into the ground, activating another skill. You have used Class skill [Protected Sword] A massive after image of his sword swelled as high as ten feet and as wide as twelve in front of him. Experience had taught him that this was his strongest defensive class skill. But he was yet to push it to its limits. Valdan knew a man with the exact same skill and knew that the skill could literally become a physical thing if he channeled mana into it properly. He was close to creating that but he wasn¡¯t close enough. Faster, he beckoned to himself. You have used Class skill [Knight¡¯s Repose] The moment the air around him stabilized, calming the ambient mana as the skill always did, he channeled his next skill. Interface lit up one skill after the other. You have activated Class skill [Knight¡¯s Stomp] Mana flooded out of him and shook the ground around him. Enemies within the effect of the skill would find their footing thrown off. They would stagger, most would fall. Under certain criteria it would deal stun damage to an enemy. Faster. Valdan¡¯s grip on his sword tightened and he swung it violently in a horizontal slash, cleaving through the air. You have used Class skill [Resting Cleave] He felt the ripple go through the air where his sword cut through it. It pushed forward, traveling a distance of maybe ten feet in front of him. It rippled as if under the effect of a heat wave. Then Valdan swung his sword up in a final attack, put every strength left in him into the single blow, and begged the gods in his heart. His sword cut in a vicious upward slash but nothing beyond the ordinary happened. Valdan lowered his sword to the side for the eight time this morning and stabbed it into the ground with a defeated sigh. He stood at the center of wide field, cracks riddled the ground around him, running as far as twenty feet. Eight in total. Each one was the result of an [Aura Strike]. Failed again, he told himself as he let go of his sword and let it fall to the ground. He¡¯d been stuck at level forty-nine for too long. Three months stuck at level forty-nine was too long for him. Far too long. Banediz, a level 89 knight of the crown had told him not to let his inability to scale the level fifty wall bother him too much. There were fighters who had taken years to cross it. According to Banediz, his situation wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. Valdan had achieved great things. He was the first [Knight of the Crown] to achieve the title before hitting level 50. Besides, there were also knights who had spent a year before hitting meeting the level 50 requirement, stuck at level 49. Yes, there was always someone who had it worse than you, someone who wasn¡¯t as good as you, who had to struggle more than you. It could always be worse, so be content with where you were. But Valdan wasn¡¯t the kind of man to focus on that. Staring at the chaos around him with no reward, his spirit dwindled slightly, his motivation dying out. No, he told himself. You do not quit here. Being reminded that there was always worse was a consolation that he believed pulled people to contentment with where they were or what they had. It was a good thing, but it was not for him. Contentment breeds happiness. Happiness breeds comfort. Comfort breeds stagnation. Valdan did not focus on those he was better than. There were people who took their lifetimes to cross into level 50. And there are people who have done it in weeks. Those were the people he focused on. It could always be worse. Yes. But it could always be better. Valdan always focused on those that were better than him. If there were people who had done it in weeks while he¡¯d been in the same predicament for three months now, then he wasn¡¯t good enough. He needed to be better to be worthy of his title as a knight of the crown. Valdan bent and picked his sword back up. ¡°One more,¡± he muttered to himself as the morning light stared down at him. ¡°One more.¡± With whatever was left of him, Valdan swung his sword once more. You have used Class skill [Aura Strike]. Two hours later found Valdan sitting in his room. The Naranoffs had given him a room fitting for any noble. It was unnecessarily large with a piano at one end of the room, one of the grand ones used at grand events. Like he knew how to play any instrument. He¡¯d always told himself he would learn at least one instrument in his life but there was always some goal or the other than took over his life and left him too occupied to learn. Too occupied to be cultured, he thought deprecatingly, before scolding himself for it. There was no reason to be ashamed of who he was or where he came from. His pristine nature that fit right in with the world of the noble wasn¡¯t something that being knighted had given him, it was something he¡¯d always had. Playing the instrument was one and the same, a goal for himself not for the role he¡¯d gained and the crowd it had forced him into. It was a living disrespect to himself to lump cultured things he¡¯d always wanted to learn for himself into the same group as the cultured things he wanted to learn because of his status. The rest of the room was adorned with portraits of natural sceneries and slain dragons. Vibrant and strong. Lesser men would look upon them and feel the overwhelming urge to be more powerful, strong enough to leave behind a legacy. The carpets were beautiful and the beddings were fit for anyone. As Valdan had thought of it¡­ unnecessary. He placed down a cup of nettle tea that had been served with his breakfast and pushed it gently aside. Rubbish, tastes like grass, he thought in annoyance. In public it was something he could pretend to enjoy well enough to finish two cups. But here, in the privacy of himself, there was no reason to suffer it. He would throw it out before the maid came for what was left of his meal. There were reputations to keep, after all. Valdan poured himself a cup of water from a ceramic Jug. Picking the cup up, he paused before he drank from it. His eyes settled on the jug, its ceramic craftsmanship. Eight years ago he would¡¯ve discarded it as a pointless waste of time, now, he was different. He dropped the cup, picked the jug back up and turned it one way then another. It had flower prints and the artist had done well to compliment its vibrant colors perfectly. Maybe I should get one when next I return home, he thought. Melvet would love it. If she doesn¡¯t already have one. He shook the last thought from his head as he placed the jug back down and drank from the cup. It was very possible that Melvet would¡¯ve already added something like this to her collection of¡­ Valdan frowned, forgetting the name of the collection of cups and jugs and trays used for serving tea. Melvet was always the one to remind him and he was always the one to forget. But that wasn¡¯t what was important. What was important was that he get it on the way back regardless of the possibility of her having it. As she always told him¡ªit was the thought that counted. Better to return with something I don¡¯t know she has than nothing at all. Sometimes Valdan wondered what type of knight he would be outside of the blood and violence if he hadn¡¯t met Melvet. His mind was still drifting back to the failures of this morning and his inability to break into level 50 for the umpteenth time when a knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts. Valdan rose from his chair and strolled up to his door. The knock had been polite but urgent, which was saying something. His mind went to Lord Lacheart but discarded it quickly. Lord Lacheart never came looking for him. Valdan unlocked the door and opened it to the worried face of Nella. Looking down at what was a clear mix of worry and fear, he wondered what Lord Lacheart had done this time. Unwilling to be the kind of person known to jump to conclusions, he said nothing. ¡°Lady Naranoff,¡± he greeted simply. ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± she returned, urgency in her voice. ¡°How may I help you this morning?¡± Nella fidgeted a little, clearly unsure of how to break the news to him. She reminded Valdan of a child who had done something they shouldn¡¯t do, reporting back to their superior simply because they now needed help. He re-evaluated that immediately. She looked more like she¡¯d lost something important and was reporting herself. Valdan waited patiently, gave her the time she needed to tell him the obvious. Lord Lacheart was missing. He knew the day would come, considering Lord Lacheart¡¯s intentions for coming here. Although, he would admit to being a little offended that the young Lacheart had opted to go on his quest in search of a quest without him. When Lady Naranoff spoke, she simply blurted the words out. ¡°I can¡¯t find the princess.¡± Valdan froze. Well, he had definitely not been expecting that. THIRTY-THREE: Humor Me Strapped for time and the need for a calm partner, Aiden had deemed his lie necessary. As long as they got out safely in the end, he didn''t think she needed the truth, not now, at least. Still, it took a better part of five minutes even after his bold lie before Elaswit calmed down. While she promised him that she was good and ready to continue moving, Aiden opted for a rest of an extra ten minutes. Ten minutes stretched to fifteen as he gauged her. What he needed was a companion that was ready to continue on their path not a companion that was ready to pretend to be ready until they were ready. The time Aiden had spent leading his own group in the past had taught him a lot about people and how they reacted in certain situations and how they came out of it. He had enough confidence to know when someone was faking it. Thirty minutes later, as they readied themselves to leave, he knew Elaswit was still faking it. She had gotten her panicking and trembling under control, which was a good thing, but there were other things that stood beneath it all. Regardless, Aiden allowed their movement because it seemed like the only thing left to do. Waiting any longer wasn¡¯t going to help her in anyway. As they wandered down the path, meandering through the cave once more, he wondered how she would take it when he eventually told her the truth that there was only one entry and exit. Lying was rarely ever a good thing, but time had taught Aiden that sometimes it was necessary. From a boy who¡¯d hated lies more than the devil, once upon a time. As truthful as his thoughts were, Aiden knew that the ideology had existed in a time too long ago. In a world where the greatest worry he¡¯d had to think about was if he¡¯d read enough to pass his next test or if he really wanted to buy one video game or the other on its release or not. The ideology had been from a simpler time when his life had never hung on any balance and his worries had been of the greatest insignificance. Back then he had never believed in a necessary lie. Can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m growing, he thought, peering around a corner before taking the turn, or if I¡¯m just jaded. ¡°Another corpse,¡± Elaswit pointed out as they made the turn, her voice a little too active. Aiden had already noticed it. Their interaction with the corpse was brief, quicker than was necessary in Aiden¡¯s opinion. From what they got, the lady had not been an adventurer. She had no tag on her and nothing that identified her as such. She had most likely been a mercenary. ¡°Or from the Mage Radiants,¡± Elaswit suggested when Aiden speculated on the mercenary idea. Aiden shook his head. The Mage Radiants weren¡¯t known for putting themselves in combat situations. Although, there was a possibility that she was right. The Mage Radiants were often known to do things in secrecy despite their agreements with whatever kingdoms they operated in. ¡°Who are those?¡± he asked simply because he could. Elaswit was quick with her frown. ¡°A bunch of pompous assholes with sticks up their asses.¡± Aiden paused, held back a snort. ¡°I take it you¡¯re not a fan.¡± Elaswit made a point to spit on the ground very loudly. ¡°Hate is not a strong enough word to describe it.¡± That¡¯s interesting. The nobles don¡¯t usually hate them. They find them annoying but they don¡¯t usually hate them. Aiden gave the corpse another quick glance before coming to a conclusion. The corpse was most likely not a Mage Radiant. ¡°They like to think they are better than everyone,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°If you aren¡¯t a magic class, they look at you like you¡¯re a piece of gum at the bottom of their feet¡ªan insignificant annoyance.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure there was anything to be surprised by about that. When a society or a group was created based on the admittance of one specific demography, they either tended to develop some kind of superiority complex or some kind of inferiority complex. And when they were created by a demography already known to possess a superiority complex as individuals, there was only one likely outcome. And the demography of the Mage Radiants was in the name. Only those with the [Mage] class stood at the top of the society. Most of the time. ¡°So is it a you thing or an everybody thing or a noble thing?¡± he asked as he made way for her to inspect the body. Elaswit barely went down on one knee before getting back up. ¡°I will admit and say that some of them are actually good,¡± she said begrudgingly. ¡°But most of them are pieces of shit that think they¡¯re the excrement that came out of the asses of the collective gods and goddesses. Also, this one wasn¡¯t a Mage Radiant.¡± Aiden figured. If she had been, she would¡¯ve had one of their insignias. ¡°How do you know?¡± he asked. Elaswit stepped around the corpse. ¡°For starters, the quality of her clothes is too poor. You¡¯d never catch a Mage Radiant outside their halls without high-end garments. Second, they have an insignia that they go everywhere with. She doesn¡¯t have one.¡± They continued on their path after that, getting lost and found in intertwining pathways. As they moved, Aiden wondered why he¡¯d gotten an optional quest to find the dead adventurers when he¡¯d stumbled on one and not the corpse he still felt was a mercenary. Because it would be easier to identify an adventurer? He thought. There was also the fact that unless the system intended on rewarding him itself, there was no one that would reward him for finding the corpse of a mercenary. There was nowhere he could go to make the official report. Aiden and Elaswit came up on a one way turn that led to the left. With Aiden in front, he was in charge of leading the path, a role he had been playing ever since being the one to discover the natural enchantment. Actually, it¡¯s been since leaving the estate. Rather than take the left turn, he walked up to the wall on the right and began shimmying his way through a small path that existed between it. He turned sideways and was already entering when Elaswit stopped him. ¡°Are you trying to abandon me?¡± she asked with the sleeve of his shirt pinched between her thumb and forefinger, halting him. Aiden paused to look at her. He stepped out of the crack, confused, before the thought clicked. He did his best not to look at her hips and what the curves implied and he couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d so clearly forgotten. Elaswit didn¡¯t seem bothered by it in the slightest. ¡°First of all,¡± she said casually, ¡°I won¡¯t fit.¡± She gestured at her torso. ¡°Upper body? Maybe. And that¡¯s a tough maybe.¡± She gestured at her lower body. ¡°The rest of me as you can clearly tell would be a heavy no. Secondly, you¡¯re turning a bright red.¡± The last part she added with an impish grin. Aiden ignored the fact that he may or may not be blushing. Elaswit wasn¡¯t large, but she was larger than him in size. He looked at the crack once more, then at the natural path in front of them. Turning from side to side, he scratched at his head in frustration. Going through the path already established by the cave was leading them in circles and it was beginning to get to him. ¡°How about you give it a try?¡± he said, unsure. It was most likely his frustration speaking. ¡°You go first. See if you can fit.¡± Elaswit gave him a questioning look, yet her grin never left her lips. ¡°Are you just saying that because you want to watch me struggle through a tight space?¡± she asked. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure why she was teasing him right now, but he figured that it was a good thing. If she could still crack jokes, then her fears were having less of a hold on her. ¡°Humor me, El,¡± he said. Elaswit gave it a moment¡¯s thought before shrugging. ¡°Alright.¡± Aiden stood by as she made her way to the crack, turned sideways, and began the taxing endeavor of shimmying. He kept his gaze fixed on the back of her head as she struggled through. Now that she had quite clearly pointed out the fact that she was a woman with a woman¡¯s body, staring at the back of her head just felt more comfortable. The entry was a tight fit but she succeeded in getting through it. A few seconds later she was popping out of the other side with a very surprised ¡®oh¡¯. Aiden focused on how glad he was that she¡¯d fit. Then he went through. ¡°It was tight going in,¡± Elaswit commented when he came out the other side. ¡°Tight coming out, too.¡± She was looking around, surveying the new area. Aiden was busy wondering why his mind couldn¡¯t abandon the sexual innuendo that may or may not have been intended by her words. Is it a teenager thing? He wondered. It had been more difficult for such things to faze him when he had been a thirty-year-old man. ¡°So what now?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Now,¡± Aiden replied, leading the way on their new path, ¡°we keep walking.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡­ This new part of the cave was as much of a bust as the path on the other side of the crack. Nothing looked new and all they could do was wander. They stumbled across two more corpses. Both were adventurers, an elderly man probably in his fifties with enough items on him to safely deduce that he had either a very high magical class or the actual [Mage] class. The second was a physical power class, some kind of brute strength class if the massive hammer lying not far from him and his armor was anything to go by. Elaswit asked for their names on each occasion and prayed for them to rest well. ¡°What do you think the time is?¡± she asked after a while. Considering how long they¡¯d been stuck in the cave, Aiden estimated that if it wasn¡¯t already afternoon, then afternoon was definitely very close. ¡°Probably a few hours into the morning,¡± he said, then thought better of it. ¡°Probably afternoon.¡± As he¡¯d learned over the years, always tell the truth on information that could be verified. Always. That way, it was harder to be doubted when you lied about information that was hard to verify. Look at you, lying like the devil himself. There was a small part of Aiden that felt bad about the fact that he now accepted the necessity of lies but it was too small to bother him. In his past life he¡¯d gone from innocent to jaded. He wondered if in this life he would go from being jaded to being more optimistic, more¡­ good? He wasn¡¯t sure that was the word he was looking for. ¡°I¡¯d say its afternoon,¡± Elaswit said, then her face fell in thought. ¡°Nelly must be worried sick.¡± At first Aiden wasn¡¯t bothered by the concept of his own missing status. Valdan was smart enough to have an idea of where he would be, so he doubted the knight would be too worried. Shit. A different thought came to him almost immediately. Valdan would not be too worried about him but the knight would be losing his mind at the fact that the princess was missing. Could this get any worse? Life being a great fan of humor in whatever dark forms it could find, a grating sound filled the air like stone scraping violently against stone. Aiden groaned in annoyance. I just had to jinx it. He turned to Elaswit, unsheathing his sword. ¡°Get read¡ª¡± She had her cleaver already in hand, eyes focused on the direction the sound was coming from. Her shoulders rose and fell, the result of calming breaths, and her face was fixed in seriousness. Aiden didn¡¯t like it. She was too serious, forcing herself to calmness. It meant one thing. He looked to what would confirm his suspicions and confirmed it. I hope this isn''t going to be a problem. The end of her cleaver wavered slightly. Her hold was not steady. Footsteps followed a moment after. Aiden listened for them and knew they were in greater trouble as he counted them. Out of the corner, where the sound had been coming from, three gargoyles stepped out, all on four legs with currently flightless wings protruding from their backs. Unlike the one they''d fought not too long ago, these ones stood taller than them from talons to shoulder. Grotesque faces that were one of the trade marks of gargoyles stared at them with dull yellow eyes. Aiden held up his sword in one hand while Elaswit mumbled something like a mantra beside him. ¡°Underbelly,¡± she muttered. ¡°Where limb meets body.¡± The end of her cleaver still wavered, but the wavering was growing into a decline. ¡°Underbelly,¡± she repeated. ¡°Where limb meets body.¡± Aiden was a little worried for her but not for himself. Knowing how to kill a gargoyle was more than half the battle, and now that he didn¡¯t have to pretend that he didn¡¯t know how to kill them, this battle was going to be easier for him than it would¡¯ve been earlier. All five of them stood, waiting. It would¡¯ve seemed like an action of superior intelligence to anyone looking from without, but it wasn¡¯t. It was merely a base instinct all creatures are born with, a need to understand your opponent. Aiden didn¡¯t need it. Their levels stared him in the eye from above their heads. Elaswit inched forward and Aiden inched ahead to block her path. Sudden movements would send them into a frenzy. She paused to look at him, keeping the creatures in her periphery. ¡°What?¡± she whispered. Aiden turned his sword into a reverse grip, slowly. It made it easier to do what he wanted to do next. He brought his hands together and started weaving signs. Each sign was slow and systematic. You have activated Class Skill [Enchanted Weave] With each sign he made, he felt the mana within him move. This was how he weaved enchantments, by weaving the mana within him with each hand sign until it took what he was beginning to define as the living form of the enchantment. He brought his fingers together in an awkward position, the weaving for the strength enchantment looking more complicated with a sword in his hand. You have activated [Weave of Lesser Strength] Effect: +21% increase in strength Duration: 00:04:52. ¡°I¡¯ll take the one on the left,¡± he told her as he felt the weaving take effect. ¡°You take the right, and we¡¯ll work our way to the last one.¡± ¡°You seem so confident,¡± Elaswit pointed out. Aiden¡¯s lips twitched in a smile. ¡°I am.¡± Then he spun his sword back into a normal grip and darted forward. The single move heralded the battle and everything burst in a cacophony of motions. Aiden heard the sound of Elaswit¡¯s cleaver sing through the air as she rushed her opponent. His was already on him, closing the distance faster than his movement speed without assistance from [Dash]. He ducked under a swinging clawed hand and allowed his momentum tumble him away along the ground. The moment he got to his feet, his body was already in motion, his arms turning, placing his sword next to him in a defensive position. The second of the three gargoyles appeared next to him almost immediately and he grit his teeth. He¡¯d been hoping that it would focus on Elaswit since she had a higher level than him, but that hope was dead. It swung at him and he was in no position to dodge. Still, he turned his body even with his sword held beside him in defense so that he was smacked by the paw of the gargoyle and not the claws. The paw was almost as large as his entire torso and the blow sent Aiden flying through the air. Aiden turned in the air, moved himself as best he could, then braced himself for impact. He slammed into the cave wall and bounced off it. When he landed, he was glad to say it was on his feet. [Health: 81%] Strength enchantments affected the muscles in a way that it made them not necessarily sturdier but harder to tear. In that way, while it made a person stronger, it didn¡¯t necessarily make them invincible. So the pain of the impact racked through Aiden and he struggled to catch his breath. Four minutes, he reminded himself. You¡¯ve got four minutes. He squeezed out a greater effect of the enchantment at the cost of its duration. And he kept his attention on whatever fight he was having as much as he kept his attention on the time he had for the fight. Even in his past life he had fought with enchantments, even if they were of a different form. Time was the greatest foe and ally of every enchanter and they kept it as close to their minds as possible. Aiden caught movement in his periphery and rolled out of the way quickly. A gargoyle slammed into where he had been, raising dust and scattering bioluminescent moss and algae. Dust, Aiden noted as he got to his feet, his legs already dancing beneath him, pushing him into a spin that avoided a swinging arm. He swung his sword, his hands ever working, switching through Order sword techniques to turn aside a blow from the gargoyle. The sound of metal against stone rang through the air as blade made a gargoyle¡¯s clawed hand, turning it aside. The paw hit the ground beside Aiden, raising more dust, and Aiden¡¯s feet carried him away from the creature. Turning the single claw aside had taken much from him. At this point he was already considering another weaving. Everything had an enchantment limit, both humans and items. So far, Aiden knew he could take three weavings. Right now he was already considering a second. Endurance would be the right weaving to support strength. It would make him sturdier in addition to his power. He slipped beneath another random swing, turned to the side and stepped forward. Another swing missed him right after. This was becoming a problem. He¡¯d probably been a bit cocky. His plan had been to kill the first gargoyle quickly so he could take on the second. I didn¡¯t plan on them working together. He dived, avoiding another downward strike. Why¡¯s there so much dust? He thought as it filled the air and his vision suffered for it. He could see nothing clearly. Was the place too dry or were the gargoyle attacks just that strong? Aiden doubted it was the latter as he plunged into the dust. He spun his sword, deflected a blow as the second gargoyle charged into the cloud of dust. His sword turned the blow aside a little too easily and Aiden realized it had simply been a random swing, a searching swing. Once upon a time Zen had fought a nocturnal animal in the dark of night and had failed to take advantage of every environmental option he had. People thought of creatures on Nastild that saw in the dark and made one simple mistake. They thought they could see regardless of any situation. They were wrong. Aiden raised his leg high. Obstruction is still obstruction. He channeled all his strength into his foot and stomped down on the ground as hard as he could. The ground shook from the impact and raised more dust. It confirmed one thing. The gargoyles weren¡¯t that powerful, this part of the cave was merely that dry. Dusty. Aiden swung his sword and tossed it upwards, out of the cloud of dust. In seconds, his fingers were already working as a plan came to life in his head. You have used Class skill [Walking Canvas] He felt his mana spread out of him, reaching around him. It was almost imperceptible in the presence of the ambient mana around him, but he could feel it clearly, deeply. He finished his weaving almost at the same time. You have activated [Weave of Lesser Breeze] Effect: A gust of air. It was a simple enchantment, some people even incorporated it into their temperature enchantments every now and again. It was a simple enchantment in a diverse situation. And Aiden was already weaving his next enchantment. The cloud of dust exploded around him. It plunged Aiden and his opponents deeper into it. He heard an annoyed growl from one of the gargoyles as he shifted his position, darted a little to the side where he was arguably sure none of them were. He finished his next weaving almost immediately. You have activated [Weaving of Lesser Detection] Effect: Awareness of everything within a limited surrounding. It was his first time using it with [Enchanted Weave] so he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how it would work, but he was certain he would at least get the information of six feet around him with [Walking Canvas] active. A burst of awareness filled his mind almost immediately, reaching farther than six feet as his sword hit the ground, fallen from its toss. When he¡¯d tossed it, his initial plan had been to catch it as it landed, but like everything in his life, he¡¯d improvised his plan and the sword had lacked a place in the new plan. Still, Aiden knew where everything was now. He¡¯d pooled his abilities together and created an advantage. Most people would call what he had done tricks. It didn¡¯t matter to him. Aiden darted back into the heart of the cloud where the gargoyles continued to swing in annoyance, and snatched his sword from the ground. Tricks or not¡­ He came to a halt right in front of one of the gargoyles. It swung a stray claw, clearly suspecting his presence. With its field of view disrupted by the cloud of dust, there was very little certainty in the strike. Aiden deflected the blow, parried it with a swing of his sword so that the gargoyle¡¯s arm swung up and away. Then his attention locked on his target. He spun his sword, twirled it, then stabbed upwards. His sword slipped into the point where the gargoyle¡¯s limb met underbelly. It pierced a perfect injury, and he thrust deeper. The gargoyle let out a pained howl that drew the attention of the second gargoyle. Aiden felt the second one move more than he saw it, but kept his force. If he let go too early, the blade wouldn¡¯t pierce the gargoyle¡¯s heart. It wouldn¡¯t kill it. [You have dealt a critical blow!] He pushed deeper. The weight of the gargoyle bore down on him, aiding his strike as he waited for the next notification and hoped. It came a moment after. [You have dealt a fatal blow!] Congratulations! You have slain [Gargoyle Level 27]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 18 --> 21] [You are now Level 21] ¡­ Congratulations [Prisoner #234502385739]! [You have reached level 20] ¡­ [You have gained stat points] [You have¡ª Aiden discarded the notification, cleared his interface as he pulled his sword free and dived out from under the gargoyle as it fell where he had been. He had no delusion that he would¡¯ve been able to bear its weight. He cleared the place, bursting out of the cloud of dust and landing on his feet. The loud thud of the fallen gargoyle heralded his victory. People might have called everything he¡¯d done to win the fight tricks. But tricks or not, this was how he¡¯d learned to fight. This was how those who knew what it meant to be weak fought. This is how I fight. Aiden swung his sword in an arc, ridding it of gargoyle blood as the dust settled and a single gargoyle turned to face him. Congratulations [Prisoner # 234502385739] [You have reached level 20.] [You have gained a class skill] You have gained Class skill [Unarmed Engrave(U)] THIRTY-FOUR: Violence Is Not The Answer It took almost all of Aiden to pull his attention away from his notification and stare down the gargoyle in front of him. His interface had left him with a few questions and they came to play as he moved slowly to the side, sizing up his new single opponent. For one, Aiden had gotten a unique skill as a new skill, which was unheard of. Second, he thought he¡¯d lost [Unarmed Engrave], consumed in his bid to gain a class. So why was it here, staring at him. Or at least trying to. The gargoyle flinched forward and Aiden jerked one way. He had almost moved completely to the side before stopping himself. That¡¯s a neat trick, Aiden thought, realizing he¡¯d almost fallen for a gargoyle¡¯s trick. He would¡¯ve moved in response only to find a descending claw waiting for him wherever he ended up. ¡°Alright, big guy,¡± Aiden muttered, one hand reaching for one of his soldier¡¯s belts pocket, ¡°let¡¯s dance.¡± He caught its yellow eyes switch to his hand, then it dived at him. It was smart, unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t fast at it. Aiden unclipped one of the pockets and a cube fell into his palm. He was already channeling mana into it as he dived out of the way. He hit the ground, rolled and came up with a steady arm. The cube left his hand as he threw it and hit the ground right next to the gargoyle. The gargoyle gave it a single glance, then turned its eyes on Aiden. It hesitated and that was all the time Aiden needed. The cube shattered. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Gravity] The enchantment was mostly used on a worn item. When used this way, however, it simply affected the area around it. It increased the gravitational force of where it landed greatly. With the gravitational pull growing so strong, the gargoyle¡¯s legs buckled under it and it fell to the ground. It struggled against its own weight but its eyes never left Aiden. They were always watching as it scratched against the ground, scraping marks into it and struggling futilely. No matter how many enchantments he used on the creature, there was only ever going to be one way to stop it and the gravity enchantment was only there to hinder it. Aiden stepped forward, menacing, hoping to terrify the creature with just the idea of his very presence. It might not be truly intelligent, but like all wild beasts even a predator knew when it had become prey. Fear was not one to discriminate, and he hoped his very presence would imbue fear in the creature. It doesn¡¯t matter the creature, as long as it has any level of intelligence, mind games are always an option. It was something he¡¯d learnt in the Order. He stopped mid-step as something caught his attention in his periphery. He turned against his better judgement and found Elaswit on the back foot with her own gargoyle. She was being bullied, and right now the gargoyle had managed to corner her against a wall with no escape. Keep your attention on the time! Aiden scolded himself as he heard a low growl. Rather than move away, he brought his sword up as his head returned to his opponent a little late. He stepped inward, moving his sword to intercept an obvious strike. Sparks went flying as he redirected the gargoyle hand that came at him along the length of his blade. The moment he was too close for it to attack with anything but its jaws, he ducked beneath its lunging form. Aiden turned up on the other side, came up behind it and found himself stuck with two options: attack it or attack another gargoyle. He made his choice. Which one is it? he thought, his free hand going for his soldier belt. You can¡¯t be forgetting shit at a time like this. His hand touched the pocket. Third to the right. His fingers unclipped it immediately as his gargoyle rallied itself and turned on him. A metal ball fell into Aiden¡¯s hand and he threw just as the gargoyle charged at him. This was why he hated soldier belts. Well hate was a strong word. He rallied against the gargoyle, sword swinging and turning as his metal orb landed just beneath the gargoyle Elaswit was fighting, right at its hind leg. Two strikes met his blade and he turned them aside. A third strike staggered him as his interface flashed in front of him. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser lightning] [Effect: Deal stun damage within a chosen area.] [Radius: 0.0009km] That was exactly what he needed, Aiden realized as he barely avoided another attack. He didn¡¯t deflect this one, choosing to evade as he felt his [Weave of Lesser Strength] peter out of him. Now he needed space, so he activated a skill and hopped back, angling himself properly for distance instead of height. He felt the mana flood to his legs as his interface came alive in front of him. You have used skill [Leap] He burst through the distance, clearing over fifteen feet away from the gargoyle. When he hit the ground, he slid backwards, hand and feet doing everything to bring himself to a halt. Aiden sheathed his sword even before he came to a stop. His eyes glanced at Elaswit momentarily. What he saw was good. She was out from where she¡¯d been cornered against the wall and was now the one putting the gargoyle on the back foot. Aiden returned his attention to his fight as he brought his hands in front of him. Really got to master weaving with a sword, he thought with a frown. [You have activated Class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Lightning] ¡­ [Mana 43%] Aiden felt faster, the effects of lightning running through him. But that wasn¡¯t the purpose of the enchantment. He reminded himself of this as he unsheathed his sword and watched the gargoyle charge him. While his body could stack up at least three weavings at a time, Aiden had since learned that he couldn¡¯t spam enchantments on himself. He always needed some time for his body to rest before using a repeated enchantment. It was like using certain types of alchemical potions, apparently. It took a toll on his body somehow. Aiden dashed forward, ran straight into the gargoyle. It took a swipe at him and he dodged it, ducked beneath it. His body carried him faster than normal, moved him quicker. He could feel the effects of the increase in stats he¡¯d gained even if he hadn¡¯t checked it. Still, this was different. When he brought his sword up to block a blow from one of the gargoyle¡¯s hind legs, he was a step ahead, even of himself. There was a delay of a fraction of a second in his timing so that when the blow finally came, he wasn¡¯t braced properly. The force of the impact staggered him a few steps back and he swore under his breath. The weaving was making him a little too fast and he needed to readjust to it. It wasn¡¯t just his movement that was fast but his reaction time too. His body worked almost as quickly as he thought of the action. There were pros to such a thing, but cons as well. Aiden repositioned his sword, took a different stance. ¡°Alright then,¡± he muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go for it.¡± He stepped forward once more, carried himself towards the gargoyle. [Dash] came alive easily and he darted past the creature. With the speed of his momentum, he came to a skidding stop right behind it as it turned to face him. Aiden took a moment, timed himself. When the gargoyle swung at him again, that was when he moved. Claw met blade and it took a little out of him to parry the strike. He stepped back once more and caught the streak of electricity that went through the gargoyle. It stunned it for what felt like a fraction of a second. But it was all the time Aiden needed. He charged forward and spun into an upward slash. He would¡¯ve gone for the stab but something told him there was too much risk involved in it. Personally, he preferred being proactive in a fight, anticipating the enemy before striking. But with [Weave of Lesser Lightning] going through him, being proactive was problematic. There were a lot of things he could risk but overreaching a little too early wasn¡¯t one of them. So now he had to be reactive in a fight until the weaving ran out. And being reactive was the worst way to fight, especially when your opponent was stronger than you. Aiden¡¯s upward slash was aimed perfectly and he cut a deep gash where the gargoyle¡¯s parried limb met its torso. Dark grey blood sprayed out from the wound and Aiden allowed his spin carry him away from the gargoyle, adding three more turns to the action. The gargoyle let out a pained shriek that pierced Aiden¡¯s ear. Fuck, Aiden swore as he swung his sword to get rid of the blood before it hardened on his blade and became a problem. If there were no gargoyles close by, they¡¯ll be flooding here soon. Now they had to hurry. They couldn¡¯t risk wasting anymore time. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. With lightning running through him, speeding him up faster than he needed, he held his sword down and away so that the tip pinted to the ground and lowered his stance. Most of the monsters on Nastild that moved on four legs had weak underbellies, and Aiden was yet to see a type monster the Order didn¡¯t have a fighting style designed to kill. And he still remembered all the ones he¡¯d learned. Aiden took a deep calming breath and checked on his stamina. [Stamina 62%] It had to be enough. ¡°Third Order sword technique,¡± he muttered under his breath and really hoped his body could handle it. ¡°First Flow¡­¡± ¡­Rising Dawn. [Dash] moved him and he shot through the distance. When he came to a stop in front of the gargoyle, his arms were already moving. He twirled the sword from behind him in a flurry of movements. The first sword strike slammed into the gargoyle¡¯s leg just above it¡¯s claws. The monster reacted instinctively and pulled the leg back, but Aiden wasn¡¯t done. His sword was already moving and a second strike slammed into its knee just behind its second front leg. The gargoyle¡¯s reaction was the same. It pushed itself up with the single front leg still on the ground so that its entire torso was raised high. There was a clear opening but Aiden didn¡¯t step into the gap for the kill. Instead, his legs carried him two steps closer, both hands twirling the sword between themselves so that it whistled as it cut through the air, gathering momentum. He stepped to the side and the third strike was into the side of the gargoyle. It was a powerful blow¡­ at least it was meant to be. In Aiden¡¯s less than level thirty body, there was a loud clang that filled the air on impact, and the gargoyle reacted as if he was being nothing but a nuisance. The monster turned in what would¡¯ve been anger on a monster with more facial expressions and swung at him from the other side. Aiden stepped in the moment it did and struck upward. With the momentum of his attack and the force of its swing, the tip of his sword pierced into its mark easily where it was weakest. The gargoyle shrieked in pain and tried to back away from him as he withdrew his blade, his feet still moving through the footwork of the technique, and he was on its other side in the blink of an eye. He pierced a second stab wound before the creature¡¯s eyes could follow him and drew his sword free cleanly. This one was quick, deep, and precise. The technique ended in two more spins, carrying Aiden away, and he came to a stop well away from the gargoyle as it dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Aiden didn¡¯t need to check to know that it was dead. He didn¡¯t even need his interface¡¯s confirmation. His interface lit up in front of him. [Stamina 21%] ¡°Weak,¡± he muttered to himself as he turned his attention elsewhere. His interface lit up in front of him with new notifications before he could focus his attention on his next and final target. [You have dealt a Fatal blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Level 27]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 21 --> 23] [You are now Level 23] ¡­ [Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!] [You have used a Flow from the Order Sword Technique.] [You have used the first Flow of the Third Order.] [You have learnt Rising Dawn] ¡­ [Error! Error! Error!] [Error detected!] [Prisoner #234502385739]\ does not meet the requirement to learn this Technique] [You have not learnt Rising Dawn] Aiden would¡¯ve laughed if he wasn¡¯t more interested in Elaswit and her survival. Then he dropped to his knee, fatigued from the sudden massive drop in stamina. He would need a moment. Still, he had been more surprised by the appearance of the notification telling him he had learnt the technique in the first place. Every [Technique] had a requirement to learn, and while he wasn¡¯t sure what the few techniques existing on Nastild required, Aiden knew for a fact that one requirement for the Order¡¯s was that he had to be level fifty. So it wasn¡¯t surprising that he hadn¡¯t learnt it. Also, it had taken almost forty percent from his [Stamina] when before his regression, the average Order technique like this one only took ten percent from him or less. He still had a long way to go before he was ready to be able to go around playing overpowered regressor. Regardless, overpowered regressor was exactly what he was aiming to be and nothing was going to stop him from getting there. For now, he had to help a princess deal with¡ª There was a loud boom where Elaswit was fighting and Aiden turned to the sight of a cloud of dust. ¡­ This wasn¡¯t how she liked fighting, Elaswit thought as she swung her cleaver straight into the side of the gargoyle. Not for the first time, the blow threw it to the side but didn¡¯t cut it. At this point she could swap the cleaver for a cudgel and feel like she was actually doing damage. When the second gargoyle had gone after Aiden she had been worried, but he had seemed to be handling himself well. Then she¡¯d tried to circumvent her massive opponent over here and help him, but it seemed quite adamant on keeping her to itself. Now it was refusing to die. She was stronger than it, but it was faster than her. As a [Butcher], she was built for strength not speed, which was a downside to the class. Then Aiden had gone and gotten himself trapped in a cloud of dust with two monsters that were supposed to be nocturnal and that had quite literally scared her enough to lose her focus. Then the gargoyle had gotten her on the backfoot. It had been a bit of a struggle from there. She was strong enough to push herself out from under it but it was too fast so that was a risk. She could make a mistake in her need to escape and end up with a claw to the side for her worries. Her issues were beginning to seem way more than they were. As the princess of Bandiv and the daughter to her parents, she had two artifacts that she kept on her person at all times, gifted to her by them. The first was a fragment of the mad king¡¯s bar which her brothers also had and the other was a piece of Tanarim¡¯s staff. According to the myth, Tanarim was a very powerful [Sage] who had lived many civilizations ago. Apparently, he had used the staff enough times that it had become an aura-blessed artifact. Anyone that had it equipped had an extra skill added to their class skills and two additional points to all stats. The skill was always an evolution of a random skill and was always useful. Elaswit had no issue telling Aiden about the mad king¡¯s bar but she definitely wasn¡¯t going to tell him about Tanarim¡¯s staff. But there was a third artifact with her, one she¡¯d borrowed from her mom before this trip. It was designed to save her from what was supposed to be an instant kill attack as long as there was a reasonable chance of surviving it as well as preserve her from dying from an injury. It was called the [Healer¡¯s Greaves]. She could bleed out for two kilometers before she would have to worry about dying. However, while a claw wound from the gargoyle, no matter how massive its claws were, would leave her with a fatal injury that the artifact could keep her alive from, the artifact would not save her from being eaten alive. So Elaswit leaned into the defensive as the monster backed her into a wall. She had half her attention on confirming that Aiden was still alive and the other half on confirming she had no openings that the gargoyle could exploit. The gargoyle beat against her defense, clawing at the flat of her cleaver she currently used as a shield. Each strike let out a loud clang and Elaswit knew that a lesser blade would¡¯ve broken under the strikes by now. A loud thud filled the air suddenly and Elaswit did her best to keep her attention¡ªat least most of it¡ªon her enemy. When she saw Aiden burst out of the cloud of dust as it was dying, she almost let out a relieved sigh even in her situation. The last thing she needed was to be explaining to her parents how she¡¯d stood by and watched their most resourceful summoned savior die. Pull yourself together, Elaswit, she scolded herself the moment her back hit the wall. There was no escaping the gargoyle now. The only way out was to take a risk. She could not outpace the monster. And while she could overpower it, there was scarcely anything she could do to actually crush it. Should I change weapons? It was a good question but also a moot one. Elaswit¡¯s cleaver was proving itself to be a disadvantage in the fight. From what she and Aiden had learnt about the monsters, she needed to pierce it just right beneath any of its front limbs to reach its heart. The problem was that a cleaver was not made for stabbing. And the two times she¡¯d succeeded in striking its weak spot accurately, all Elaswit had done was cut a gash in it that bled a dark grey blood that had solidified into something strong. The second time, she had received the same end result but with more strength. She also couldn¡¯t change weapon because it would take a little too long to retrieve something capable of stabbing from her spatial storage. And [Sword strike] isn¡¯t doing anything. After a few strikes, Elaswit was beginning to find a cadence in the gargoyle¡¯s strike. A pattern. It was rhythmical but it was also fast. Now that she had it down¡ªarguably¡ªshe could focus on taking a different kind of risk. If she could break its rhythm before trying to get away, she stood a better chance of turning the tide. Right now, though, Elaswit was experiencing something new. The horribly disgusting feeling of being overpowered by an opponent that was clearly weaker than her. She braced against one of the strikes as she continued to run through her chances of escape. It rang loud in the cave. Then she adjusted her cleaver, bracing for the next. It didn¡¯t come. Wha¡ª She shut her thoughts up immediately. Thinking wasn¡¯t what she was supposed to be doing right now. Her father had always said that sometimes, in a fight, you had to learn to react. You had to let your body do the thinking for you. That was what it meant to trust your own instincts. Elaswit dived away from her position, praying to the gods that she wasn¡¯t about to get herself a claw in the side. The gods answered because she hit the ground in a roll and the only pain she felt was from the impact of hitting the ground and a poorly executed roll. She came up to her feet, sword swinging in case the monster had followed her. It did not. Her cleaver cut through the air and she was met with the sight of lightning coursing through the gargoyle. Whatever had happened¡ªand she strongly suspected Aiden had a hand in it¡ªhad left the gargoyle stunned long enough to escape. But the lightning was dying now. The gargoyle was moving. When it turned to her, Elaswit was ready for it, and they clashed in a flurry of sword swings and swinging claws. This time, she had it fixed firmly on the defense and wasn¡¯t going to lose the advantage. If Aiden had gotten enough freedom to help her in her situation, then she had to believe he was doing just fine. She wasn¡¯t happy to find that it bothered her that he was doing just fine when she was not. Is it jealousy? She thought as she ducked a vicious claw and swung an angry sword strike into the gargoyle. Elaswit felt the impact as the gargoyle¡¯s skin gave way to the sharp edge of her blade. Unfortunately, instead of lopping of the limb, her strike ultimately sent the gargoyle flying. ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t.¡± Elaswit swung her sword, activating [Aura Strike]. A flash of mana shot from her swing and arced through the distance. It slammed into the side of the gargoyle and Elaswit used the skill again. The gargoyle took the blow with the top of its head, bent its head into the arc of mana. When the arc exploded on impact, the gargoyle was left standing there with its body completely riddled in cracks. A lesser beast would¡¯ve been lying in pieces by now. But it seemed a gargoyle was far from a lesser beast. One thing was certain, her father needed to hear everything there was to hear about this. But there was a bigger issue at play. They still had far more gargoyles to kill. So far they¡¯d only run into four. If gargoyles were giving her this kind of issue, how was she going to be helpful to Aiden when they ran into the others. It wasn¡¯t like they could just skip all the way to the final gargoyle. The gargoyle rushed Elaswit and she swung her cleaver. The beast struck in return and both attacks clashed. Elaswit almost laughed at the disrespect. Her attack struck the beast¡¯s limb to the side and she still had enough power and control to slam a second attack into its side. The blow sent it flying once more. So far she¡¯d been fighting with finesse which really wasn¡¯t her style, trying to kill it and not beat it down. Now, however, she was done with the finesse. She was going to face the beast the way she would face any other. With the brute strength of a [Butcher]. ¡°Come on, then,¡± she goaded, stepping up to it. ¡°Let¡¯s beat that special behavior out of you.¡± The gargoyle took a step away from her. It confused her. ¡°Are you scared?¡± she asked. Were demons with little intelligence capable of possessing fear? It would¡¯ve been an interesting concept to ponder on if she wasn¡¯t faced with the fact that the end result of their cave escapade was the monster that was supposed to be more powerful than the one in front of her. Elaswit¡¯s mind was already working as she took another step forward only for the gargoyle to back away once more. After this fight, any other fight she and Aiden come across, they would fight it together. She would beat down the opponent with insurmountable strength and he would kill it with his precision. Then the system would share the benefit towards leveling up between them. Chances were that Aiden was going to be getting the bulk of the leveling up, but it wasn¡¯t a problem. He was one of the saviors and was new to the world, so he needed all the levels he could get. Leveling up wasn¡¯t easy, after all. But until then¡­ She activated [Dash], covered the distance between her and the gargoyle. Reaching it, she attacked with a downward strike, cleaver held in both hands. The gargoyle darted away quickly, but its awareness was lacking. Elaswit smiled when it covered a very short distance before bumping into the wall behind it. The disorientation that came with the mistake was something Elaswit capitalized on immediately. An upward swing, slammed into the beast, sending it a foot off the ground and cracks rippling through its body, crisscrossing with the ones she had already left on it. Before it fell back to the ground, her cleaver was already swinging. With all the strength she could muster, she smacked it back into the wall. It was violence from there. Standing over it, she struck downwards and continued to attack. Each strike was aimed as close to the same spot as she could manage. Sadly, with all the strength she needed for each swing, accuracy became a foregone alternative. Still, she continued to strike, forcing down every blow as she stood over it. [You have used Class skill Aura Strike]. Elaswit ignored the notification even as the burst of red mana exploded in front of her. Violence, the people of Nastild always said, was not the answer. For her, her response to it was always the same. She was a [Butcher], violence was all her class knew. [You have slain Gargoyle Level 31] [Congratulations! You have Level Up!] [Level 38 --> 39] [You are now Level 39] ¡°Sometimes,¡± she sighed, looking at the notification, ¡°you just need enough violence.¡± THIRTY-FIVE: More Organic This was not how Valdan had expected to spend his morning. He turned to let a squire walk past him, at least he thought the man was a squire. He looked like a squire. If not by class, then by title. They just tended to have some level of pompous subservience to the way they carried themselves. It was like they were fake knights that couldn¡¯t forget that they were not knights. Valdan was approaching the door that led out of the mansion when Nella came running down the stairs. He turned to her, standing at the door. ¡°Anything?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes.¡± She looked slightly annoyed. Valdan didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Alright, then. What have we learnt?¡± Nella looked like she was doing her best not to pout as she approached him. ¡°They left early in the morning. Maybe around two or three.¡± That didn¡¯t surprise Valdan. Whenever you wanted to leave a place with the least amount of eyes knowing you¡¯ve left, you did so in the middle of the night. ¡°I was able to get my hands on the guards that were on knight duty and that¡¯s what I found out,¡± she continued. ¡°Apparently, Lord Lacheart was dressed fashionably enough with a sword at his waist.¡± ¡°And the princess?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°She was dressed for an adventure with her cleaver.¡± Nella frowned. ¡°Who goes adventuring in the middle of the night? And from what I got, it sounded like they¡¯d planned it.¡± Valdan doubted it. Aiden wasn¡¯t one to plan things with people. He liked to do things on his own. If the princess was with him, then it meant she had somehow cornered him and joined him on his adventure. Again, Valdan wondered why Aiden had not taken him along. ¡°I¡¯ve been pulling my hair out trying to figure out where they could¡¯ve gone,¡± Nella groaned in frustration. ¡°But I¡¯ve got nothing. Did Lord Lacheart say anything?¡± Valdan¡¯s gaze went to Nella¡¯s hair. It was perfectly braided, not a strand out of place. She met his eyes, noticed where their attention was, and cleared her throat. ¡°Figuratively speaking.¡± Valdan nodded. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t figured that out. ¡°So¡­¡± Nella pressed. ¡°Any ideas?¡± Valdan wasn¡¯t sure how Aiden would react to what he was about to do, but this situation wasn¡¯t a normal one. If only Aiden was missing, he would¡¯ve kept his silence and made his way for him. But the princess was missing as well. While he had all the authority to deny Nella any information he had, it would still remain suspect. ¡°I have an idea,¡± he said, slightly unsure. Nella nodded in relief. ¡°Good, good. It¡¯s just an idea but it¡¯s better than what I¡¯ve got. Nothing. I¡¯ve got nothing. Just give me a moment and I¡¯ll round up a few guards.¡± She turned to go but Valdan stopped her. ¡°No guards,¡± he said. Nella paused and looked back at him. Her brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because guards aren¡¯t what we need where we¡¯re going.¡± ¡°But we need the numbers. We need people to spread out, gather information. Your idea would be a starting point we can branch out from.¡± Valdan shook his head slowly. ¡°No guards. You don¡¯t want rumors spreading that the princess came to the Naranoff manor just to sneak out and get lost, do you? Soldiers talk.¡± Nella paused and Valdan knew she was considering it. There were nobles whose response would be somewhere along the lines of insisting that their soldiers would do no such thing. Not because they were disciplined but because they would tell them not to and no soldier would dare be disobedient. Nella didn¡¯t strike Valdan as such a noble. A noble who would reject the assistance of knights and soldiers to go off adventuring with adventurers scarcely struck him as stupid. Nella was still thinking. ¡°Is your idea of where they are not good?¡± she asked after a while. ¡°Will it get her in trouble?¡± Not slightly concerned about Aiden, he thought, not that he blamed her. Still, Valdan shook his head. ¡°Nothing of the kind. It would just be best if the princess was not the subject of gossip.¡± Nella nodded. ¡°Do you think the both of us will be enough?¡± Valdan placed a gentle hand on the pommel of his sword at his waist. ¡°Get your bow and falchions and we will suffice. I think.¡± ¡°What of other adventurers?¡± Nella asked. ¡°I trust the ones in my party.¡± That was a nice thing to say, but while Nella trusted the adventurers in her party, Valdan did not. Regardless of his level of trust in strangers, he couldn¡¯t not allow her do something she would be comfortable with. ¡°How do you intend on contacting them?¡± he asked. ¡°If we don¡¯t have to go pick them up, then contact only the one you trust the most. The less people the better.¡± Nella nodded. The action was reluctant but it was certain. That was good. Now Valdan had to go scold Aiden for not talking the princess out of following him. As for the person he was now a hundred percent certain was spying on him, he would deal with her when all this was sorted. ¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡± Nella snapped. Valdan ignored her tone as they rode their jepats down the road at an unreasonable speed. Valdan had mastered the jepat riding skill all the way to perfect mastery, so his speed of riding didn¡¯t matter. Unless someone was actively trying to get in his way, he could navigate a town while riding a jepat at its max speed. Nella¡¯s annoyance was justified. And while it did not justify how she had just spoken to someone with a station that existed above hers, he was willing to forgive it. ¡°Why the hell would they go to the cave?!¡± she continued as they turned a corner that would lead them to the outskirts of the Naranoff territory. ¡°Because Lord Lacheart took interest in it after hearing about it from you,¡± he lied. ¡°Then why did the young lord come to my father¡¯s territory?¡± Nella asked, still doing a poor job of containing her annoyance. ¡°Who even is he?¡± ¡°A bastard son of some noble.¡± ¡°Miss me with that bullshit. My father and I already know that little information is completely false.¡± Valdan grit his teeth, reminded himself that she had a reason to be angry. ¡°Understand this, child,¡± he said, intentionally disrespectful. ¡°You speak to your superior. I understand your anger, but you will cease your continued disrespect or I will leave you tied up in some safe place and deal with this on my own.¡± Nella opened her mouth, ready to say a few things quickly and without control. It took only a brief moment but Valdan¡¯s honesty in his words must have reflected on his face because she closed her mouth almost immediately. Either she realized that his words were not a threat and he had the power to carry them out or it was something else. Valdan didn¡¯t mind which one it was. Once upon a time he would have been able to ignore any level of insult and disrespect dished to him. Not anymore. Sometimes he wondered if it was growth or simply change. Growth was change in a positive light, while change could be positive or negative. Since becoming a knight of the crown, there had been far less he¡¯d been willing to tolerate. He tolerated more than his peers, but he tolerated less than he used to. Power and authority change a man. It wasn¡¯t until they were properly in the outskirts and Nella had led them off the road and into a sea of trees that she spoke again. ¡°What¡¯s her relationship with him?¡± she asked, her voice solemn. They were no longer pushing the jepats as fast as was reasonable and had now slowed them into a simple trot as they navigated their way around the trees, so her voice carried well enough. ¡°Who?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°The princess,¡± she answered. ¡°I saw the way they spoke to each other during that dinner with my father, they seemed familiar with each other. At least he seemed familiar with her. What is their relationship?¡± Valdan wondered if Nella would believe that the princess was the one that had been initiating conversations with Aiden for a while now. He doubted it. ¡°Would you believe me if I told you that ever since I learned of Lord Lacheart¡¯s existence, he has never met the princess,¡± he said. ¡°He has seen her, but hasn¡¯t had a meeting with her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me that level of familiarity comes from traveling together on a single trip?¡± Nella eased her jepat in a different direction and patted its long neck affectionately. Valdan followed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you would call it a trip. We met at the teleportation center from the royal capital to the one here, then rode to your estate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not even a trip.¡± Nella¡¯s grip on her reins tightened. ¡°So how are they so close?¡± Valdan wasn¡¯t sure if it was worry or jealousy he was hearing in her voice. What he did know, however, was that it really wasn¡¯t his business. As long as Nella did not try to cause Aiden harm in her displeasure, everything would be fine. And if she does? He asked himself. Silence was the answer that met him. If there was a scale of importance, he would place a potential savior of the world over the daughter of a noble. But that didn¡¯t make it right. And while he agreed with the concept of human importance not being equal, he couldn¡¯t say his real dilemma was simply because Aiden was of the importance given to him. The main reason was because he knew Aiden. He had spent time with the boy, watched him grow, had been a part of that growth. Aiden showed it very rarely, and Valdan would not be caught saying it anytime soon, but he was of the opinion that they had become friends at some point between him almost killing Aiden with an aura strike and Aiden and the princess making fun of him in the carriage on their way here. Valdan had known it from the moment they had come out of the teleportation to the Naranoff territory and he¡¯d turned to Aiden to find him dying. If he stood in Nella¡¯s way, it wouldn¡¯t just be because Aiden was potentially important to Nastild. Nella led them until they got to a point were the ground beneath them began to go from purely grassy to a mix of grass and rocks. ¡°I still think it was stupid of him to want to come here,¡± Nella muttered. ¡°And for Elaswit to come with him? What was she thinking?¡± Valdan had no idea. His mind was more focused on how impressive Aiden¡¯s information reach was. Then again, there was a lot a person could accomplish with enough money. And Valdan knew how much the palace gave each of the summoned savior each day. It was unreasonably exorbitant. According to what he¡¯d heard, the king only gave them so much because he was atoning for having dragged them from their world which for some reason he continued to believe was peaceful and into a world that could cost them their life. And everyday they got half the weekly pay of a knight. Exorbitant. The few people who knew this much about the financial budget had speculated on how the summoned would use their funds. And while there were a lot of speculations, not all the summoned had ended up using the funds the way people had expected. Most of the summoned had used their funds for different reasons, some spending on things that weren¡¯t necessary. One of the girls turned out to be especially nice, tipping the maids quite generously any chance she got. In that way, she had garnered a level of respect and love from them and they bent over backwards to serve her. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. But if the king¡¯s plans for them was anything like they suspected, it made no sense that he had given them their funds so early. With the tasks put before them in the future, the summoned would need far more gold than they could imagine. There would be times when they would have little to no access to the kingdom¡¯s funds. Times when they would find themselves with no other resource but themselves. If the king gave them these funds when those times arrived, then they would have the resources to make whatever purchases they needed, regardless of the prices. They would spend their funds before they were released into the world. And that worried Valdan largely. And while he suspected that Aiden always spent far too much money, he couldn''t help the fact that it didn¡¯t worry him. The young lord was clearly keeping secrets but Valdan was almost certain that one of the main expenses that Aiden was incurring was the purchase of information. There were people who set up a career as information brokers who found information and as long as you had the money to pay, they had the information to give. Obviously, these brokers varied in their reputations and their abilities. The better they were, the higher their prices. Valdan¡¯s mind went to the piece of paper Ded had gotten for Aiden as he pulled his jepat to a halt beside Nella¡¯s. There had been names on the piece of paper, and some of those names had been struck out. Valdan assumed those were people. The question was what kind of people were they and what business did Aiden have with them. How did he know them? And the fact that they all had only a single name meant that none of them was of noble blood in any way. It begged more questions as Valdan dismounted. How had Aiden even learnt of them? He definitely hadn¡¯t stayed long enough on Nastild to know people. And Valdan already knew the people Aiden had ended up adventuring with on his short goblin adventure with Ded. What are the chances that they are acquaintances of those adventurers? ¡°We¡¯ll wait at the entrance here,¡± Nella said, dismounting from her jepat. ¡°Ventel should be here shortly.¡± Valdan recognized the name. Ventel was the adventurer she liked, the one her father had made fun of her with at the dinner. He wondered if Nella trusted the man because he was trustworthy or if she trusted him because she liked him. After a moment, he came to the conclusion that it didn¡¯t matter as his mind shifted back to the names on Aiden¡¯s list. Who they were. Why they were struck out. At this point he had concluded that he would have to find a way to speak to the adventurers Aiden had worked with. There was always a possibility that he was simply helping them find people. If that was the case, the Aiden Valdan knew wouldn¡¯t be helping them from the kindness of his heart. He just couldn¡¯t see Aiden doing it. They waited impatiently for another half an hour before a tall man arrived on a jepat. He had a nicely packed hair, short enough for a tiny bun at the back. He had grey hair and fair skin, tanned from time under the sun. His eyes were soft when they landed on Nella. He looked at her like a man that cared, but Valdan also saw that slight touch of sorrow behind them. He knew that look, he had seen it a lot in Melvet¡¯s eyes long ago. The man in front of him was a man who had dreams but didn¡¯t think he was worthy of reaching out to them. Valdan had seen great men lose so much for it, for thinking they were not worthy. He had thought Aiden had somehow fallen into that category. That was why he had made sure to inform the boy that anybody could be a knight, that anybody was deserving. After all, if the Demon King rose and they succeeded in ridding the world of him, what would the summoned do if they could not return home. They each needed a livelihood of some kind. And while they could be adventurers or mercenaries, being a knight would always be a better career path. But after a brief exchange with Aiden, he¡¯d realized that even though Aiden did not think he was worthy of becoming a knight, it wasn¡¯t because he thought himself less than a knight. It was simply because he did not want to be a knight. And that was something Valdan could not fault. When their companion brought his jepat to a stop, his eyes landed on Valdan. His brows furrowed slightly in discomfort, then a frown touched his lips as he took Valdan in. Gauging if I¡¯m competition, Valdan thought, doing his best not to laugh at the absurdity. Then the adventurer¡¯s eyes settled on his sword and his eyes turned downcast. He definitely needs more confidence if he¡¯s going to be hanging around nobles, Valdan thought. Today he was wearing casual clothes. And while they were made of quality materials, they made him look like any simple adventurer out on a stroll. With his hair held back in a simple knot, keeping stray strands from his face, the only thing that truly identified Valdan as being of any repute was his sword. It was a crafted work of art that no one could mistake for belonging to a simple adventurer or some aspiring commoner. Ventel got down from his jepat and walked up to them. Valdan got up from the large stone he was sitting on and dusted his pants. Beside him, Nella got to her feet as well. She noticed the look on Ventel¡¯s face and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, hurrying to him. Valdan shook his head. There was no way Ventel did not know that she liked him. Not knowing would make him a special kind of fool. Ventel caught Nella by the shoulders, fixing her in place. He gave her a warm smile, assuring, and said, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m just wondering why the others aren¡¯t coming.¡± Nella gave him a sheepish smile. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a delicate situation.¡± ¡°Delicate, huh.¡± Ventel looked at Valdan and gestured at him with a nod. ¡°And him? Is he a delicate part of this?¡± Nella looked back at Valdan and Valdan saw a flurry of uncertain emotions go through her face. The poor girl was overcomplicating things. Choosing to save her from her dilemma¡ªwhatever it was¡ªso that they could move forward with finding the princess, he stepped forward. Ventel released Nella¡¯s shoulder and stepped around her so that he could approach him. When they met, Ventel was the first to offer his hand. ¡°Ventel,¡± he greeted. ¡°I occasionally go adventuring with the Lady of Naranoff.¡± Valdan took Ventel¡¯s hand in his and shook it once. ¡°You may call me Dan.¡± Ventel¡¯s eyes moved momentarily to Valdan¡¯s sword before coming back to Valdan¡¯s eyes. He was clearly waiting for Valdan to add his family name. There was scarcely a noble who introduced themselves without adding their family name. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you,¡± Valdan said, moving the conversation along. ¡°And the only reason I am with the Lady today is because there seems to be an issue, and my skills have been employed for reasons as well as my ability to keep my mouth shut.¡± Ventel¡¯s worried expression fell away almost immediately. Valdan almost laughed. Surprisingly, it was a breath of fresh air to be caught up in the middle of all this youthful love. Melvet would have so much fun listening to this story. Valdan released Ventel¡¯s hand as Nella came to stand beside them. Ventel turned his head to look at her. ¡°His ability to keep his mouth shut?¡± he asked. ¡°And what is the other reason?¡± Nella shrugged. ¡°He has the detect skill.¡± ¡°Drunid has the detect skill.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s over level 40.¡± That silenced Ventel for a moment and Valdan watched the man¡¯s demeanor change. It wasn¡¯t fear but respect. The kind a person had for a superior. ¡°Oh,¡± Ventel muttered. Valdan said nothing to that, instead, he turned to Nella and asked, ¡°Will you brief him or should I?¡± Ventel looked between the both of them in slight confusion. ¡°Brief me?¡± Nella said nothing. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Ventel¡¯s confusion only seemed to grow. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Nella?¡± ¡­ Nella briefed Ventel on the situation as they ventured into the cave. Their walk was slow, as if they were not in a hurry. Valdan couldn¡¯t help but notice how Nella and Ventel¡¯s steps were in perfect sync. Whether she was matching the adventurer¡¯s steps or the adventurer was matching hers was something he couldn¡¯t tell. If he didn¡¯t have more important things to worry about, he would¡¯ve tried something to help confirm it. Now you¡¯re being childish, he scolded himself. A month ago, the thought of trying to find out such a piece of information in such a situation would never have crossed his mind. It begged the question of if the littlest traces of Aiden¡¯s youthful exuberance were getting to him. Melvet had always said he was a little too serious with life. Sometimes she complained that he only smiled when they were alone. She¡¯d have a field day if she finds out about Aiden¡­ The thoughts trailed off in his head when he made a sound that drew Nella and Ventel¡¯s attention. The cave was getting darker now, the rays of light from the entrance finally vanishing behind them. It ensured that there wasn¡¯t much they could see of his facial expression. Regardless, the words that came out of Nella¡¯s mouth assured him that they didn¡¯t need to see much of anything on this topic. ¡°Did you just chuckle?¡± she asked, surprised. Valdan cleared his throat audibly, pausing again as he wondered what purpose the action was supposed to serve. In the end, he shook his head and said, ¡°We should hurry.¡± He almost hurried ahead of them before remembering that they were the ones who knew the cave and not him. Forced to keep pace with them, he kept a placid face as Nella continued to update Ventel on their situation. Note to self, Valdan thought. Keep Melvet away from Lord Lacheart. ¡­ Well, color me worried. Aiden stared down at the gargoyle corpse. Or what was left of it. Beside him, Elaswit¡¯s breaths were heavy, each one puffing out hot air. He looked from her and back to the gargoyle corpse. She¡¯d broken the thing in half. And each part of it was riddled with so many cracks he wondered if it would just crumble to dust if he touched it. ¡°Well,¡± he muttered to no one in particular, ¡°let it never be said that there is only one way to kill a gargoyle.¡± ¡°Some of us are just built different, I guess.¡± Elaswit tucked a loose strand of hair out of her eye and behind her ear. ¡°Where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way.¡± Aiden almost scoffed. There was definitely more than just a will at work here. ¡°How many percent increase did this give your skills?¡± he asked out of genuine curiosity. Elaswit shrugged. ¡°A few?¡± Aiden cocked a brow at her. There were a lot of etiquettes surrounding questions regarding skills and levels and titles. Most of them simply said that it was rude to ask. But this question did not fall under any of them. This was a simple enough question. Thus, her response meant she really didn¡¯t know. ¡°I take it you haven¡¯t checked,¡± he said. Most people were more than eager to check on things like this. It was not everyday that someone that was not at least twenty levels higher than a gargoyle killed it with brute force. ¡°I¡¯m not really a fan of checking my percentages,¡± Elaswit said, after a moment. Aiden¡¯s eyes darted to one end of the pathway as she spoke. ¡°I¡¯m the kind of person that just leaves them to grow as they wish,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°I find that I work better that way, my growth feels more organic as compared to checking on the percentage every two fights.¡± ¡°Every fight,¡± Aiden muttered to himself, self-deprecating. In his past life he checked his skills and stats and everything any chance he got. His heart always leapt for joy any time he saw even a fraction of a percentage increase. Aiden remembered not to blame himself for how eager he had always been to see his numbers go up. Back then, his growth had been extremely slow. He was level 21 right now. It had taken him around three months, maybe four, to get here in his past life. But here he was, just over a month in. How did I even survive for so long? ¡°Alright then,¡± he said to Elaswit. ¡°I know I got a few levels, though. So I guess its not all a bust.¡± Elaswit chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d call you a liar if you told me you didn¡¯t get any level.¡± Aiden shrugged. He could understand that. ¡°Well,¡± he kicked a stray rock, a piece of the broken gargoyle, ¡°we¡¯ve made a lot of noise putting these three down, so I say we best get out of here while we can.¡± Elaswit was already nodding as she moved her cleaver behind her, strapping it back in place. But first¡­ Aiden pulled up his interface to the notification he had ignored. [Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!] [You have reached level 20] ¡­ [You have gained stat points] [You have gained 8 unallocated stat points] [Your existing stats have gained additional points] [Dexterity 6 --> 12], [Agility 5 --> 7], [Mana 7 --> 12], [Speed 8 --> 11], [Perception 6 --> 8], [Strength 3 --> 6]. ¡­ [Dexterity 12], [Agility 7], [Mana 12], [Speed 11], [Perception 8], [Strength 6]. ¡­ [You have 8 unallocated stat points] [Would you like to use unallocated stat points?] [Y/N] The way the interfaces on Nastild worked, stats only took effect every ten levels. How it had been explained to him was that his body gathered his growth until he¡¯d accumulated enough mana until he was overflowing with it. Then his body consumed it. In simpler words, it was like compressing mana until you couldn¡¯t compress it anymore, then the body released it to every facet of itself. It was why skills were gained every ten levels and stat increases took effect every ten levels. The excess mana that was not completely absorbed became unallocated stat points. Aiden¡¯s current stats didn¡¯t really surprise him. The largest growth had been in dexterity, which was to be expected when he considered the fact that his class skill depended heavily on dexterity to use. Elaswit turned her attention from side to side. ¡°Which way?¡± she asked, after a while. Aiden had no idea, but he pointed in the direction they¡¯d initially come from. ¡°There was a turn we intentionally ignored back there. I say we check it out.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be going straight?¡± she asked. ¡°Since we ran into more monsters, I¡¯d guess we¡¯re going the right way.¡± ¡°And any other monster in front of us will be completely aware of us now.¡± Aiden chose the affirmative on his interface and the allocation options appeared. ¡°The last thing we want is to face monsters that have the time required to prepare for us.¡± Elaswit tapped a thoughtful finger against her cheek before nodding. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good point.¡± With that, she turned and headed down the path they¡¯d come from. Aiden followed behind her, allocating his points as he saw fit. As unbalanced as it seemed, he needed all the dexterity he could get. The higher the dexterity, the faster his weaving time. And the faster I can get the enchantments going. So he put three points into dexterity. Strength had basically designated itself as his weakest stat, which came as no surprise. Even before he¡¯d ever come to Nastild, he¡¯d never really been one for strength. It wasn¡¯t that he was some weakling, he was simply average. He could play any basic sport for recreational purposes and that was that. For now, he allowed strength sit were it was and put two points into mana. His class was mana intensive after all with each weaving costing more mana than using an enchanted item. One point went into agility, and a single point went into perception. When he was done, his stats came alive in front of him. [Stats] [Dexterity 15], [Agility 8], [Mana 14], [Speed 12], [Perception 9], [Strength 6]. Definitely won¡¯t be breaking any boulders with my bare hands anytime soon. With that settled, he pulled up his [Life] details. [Life] [Health 79%], [Mana 40%], [Stamina 21%] Aiden winced at the figures as he and Elaswit took a turn and onto a new pathway. The numbers were terrible. Now he had to consciously remind himself to stop fighting like an [Enchanter] with levels in the two hundreds and start fighting like one that hadn¡¯t even scraped the heel of level fifty, if not he was going to get himself killed in a fight. His interface would alert him to when he was at critical levels in his life stats, still, he needed to keep his attention on it. In his past life, the battle he just had wouldn¡¯t have shaved up to twenty percent from his mana. It¡¯s tough being weak. Reaching into one of the pockets of his soldier belt, he retrieved two vials. Elaswit gave him a look as he drank from them one after the other. ¡°I see it took a lot out of you,¡± she said. Aiden nodded. ¡°Too much.¡± Her brows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t see one for health.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it yet, so there¡¯s no need.¡± He checked the stats again. [Life] [Health 79%], [Stamina 91%], [Mana 83%]. They were not perfect numbers, but they were good numbers. It was always his policy to use partial recoveries until he absolutely need to use full recovery potions. If he was lucky, his mana and stamina would fill themselves back up by the time they had to kill something again. ¡°I see,¡± Elaswit said, though he doubted she saw anything. ¡°But since I have your attention, I have a suggestion to make.¡± Aiden nodded, tossing the vials over his shoulders. Elaswit¡¯s eyes followed them until they clattered on the ground without breaking¡ªpotion vials didn¡¯t break so easily¡ªand she said nothing on that. Instead, she pushed forward. ¡°I think we should have a more in-depth conversation about strategies.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t think they needed one as in-depth as she was implying, but he did agree that they needed one. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Well, for any strategy to work,¡± Elaswit said, a little hesitant, ¡°the parties involved need to know what each other is capable of.¡± Aiden raised a brow. ¡°Which means, I have to allow you see my personal details, and you have to allow me see yours?¡± Elaswit nodded. Aiden definitely had an answer to that. ¡­ [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 23] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 20.56%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 11.00%)], [Unarmed Engrave (Mastery 03.00%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier], [Protector], [Stone Guard]. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 73.43%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 53.00%)], [Resilience (Mastery 98.54%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 25.09%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 45.24%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 19.33%)], [Quiet movement (Mastery 89.00%)], [Light steps (Mastery 99.99%)], [Detect (Mastery 14.03%)], [Leap (Mastery 02.01%)]. [Stats] [Dexterity 15], [Agility 8], [Mana 14], [Speed 12], [Perception 9], [Strength 6]. [Life] [Health 79%], [Stamina 91%], [Mana 83%]. THIRTY-SIX: The Right Thing The air echoed with the chaotic sound of footfalls, each possessing of its own cadence. Aiden and Elaswit ran at full sprint in a desperate need to escape their pursuers. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d been caught in such a situation, babysitting a princess, so to speak. He ran, knowing very well that he was fleeing. Beside him, Elaswit was a fast equal, her legs moving twice as fast as his yet keeping in touch with his speed. ¡°Left!¡± she called out. Aiden¡¯s eyes took notice of the cave and the turns in front of them. Their path divulged, one turned left while the other turned right. Aiden had been calling the shots since discovering the natural enchantment, but when you were fleeing almost certain death, anyone could lead. Especially when no one had an actual map of the place. Aiden skid to a quick halt, a drifting man. With all the momentum accrued from running at full speed, he failed to stop himself on time. It mattered very little as his shoulder bumped into the cavernous wall with enough force to almost knock the wind out of his lungs. He capitalized on it, ignored the pain as the wall broke the speed of his sprint. Then he darted left. How Elaswit did it was not something he took notice of, but she had survived the sharp turn to the left as he had. Perhaps better than he had. ¡°There¡¯s a turn up ahead!¡± she called to him as they continued running. Aiden swore in his mind, cussed at himself. He¡¯d made a stupid mistake and it was backfiring terribly. Not entirely your fault, he tried to console himself as he sprinted, his stamina ticking down very slowly. As a man with a Class, he could jog for almost forever, but at a full sprint, the stamina stat worked a little differently. ¡°How are there so many of them?¡± Elaswit asked as they drew closer to the next turn. Aiden wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to answer her question. Personally, he thought it wasn¡¯t really a bright question. If what he remembered of their quests was correct, they were to kill almost fifty gargoyles combined. He didn¡¯t get how she could be so hung up on the fact that they¡¯d run into ten gargoyles at once. The more important question, Aiden thought as he turned down the road, was why he had allowed Elaswit follow him in the first place. What were you going to do, tie her up and stash her in the forest somewhere? He would be lying if he said the thought hadn¡¯t crossed his mind at the time. But there had been too many issues with that line of thought that he hadn¡¯t even cared to give it any kind of attention. For starters, he couldn¡¯t knock her out, not while they had been in the manor. At the door, with the guards, she had de-escalated what had seemed like a volatile situation. If he had stood against her there, then there would¡¯ve been no silence of any form to his departure from the manor. In fact, he would probably have never left the building. He clearly couldn¡¯t put her down anywhere between the manor and the stables because there were watchful eyes. The jepat ride all the way to the gate was also a no brainer as well. If he had done any wrong thing during each period, he would¡¯ve been public enemy number one. The friendship of the Naranoff men wasn¡¯t something he was looking for, but he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to actively seek out their enmity. Especially when it would be justified on their part. As for ditching her outside the estate, that too had been a no brainer. She no doubt had the jepat riding skill so he couldn¡¯t outrun or outmaneuver her, no amount of human skill outclassed a system skill. He would not have outridden her even if his life depended on it. As for putting her down and stashing her away, that would¡¯ve been significantly stupid. Why? Because she was a princess. No. She was quite literally the princess. And as easily as Bandiv was a peaceful kingdom, in the same way it had its problems. Just as easily as someone could find the princess lying helpless on the ground and help her as a loyal subject, someone could find the princess lying on the ground and do her harm as a disloyal subject, a bad person, or one of different rebel groups that lived in the grand delusion of being able to topple the monarchy for one reason or the other. Lastly, even if for some stroke of stupidity Aiden hadn¡¯t considered any of the pros or cons to this, there was the final glaring fact that he hadn¡¯t been anywhere near as strong as her as at the time they¡¯d left the estate. With skills and artifacts and God knew what other trinket she had on her person, she was more likely to knock him out than achieve anything of sufficient effect. Besides, this was meant to be an investigative outing, he groaned. ¡°Right!¡± Aiden raised his head at Elaswit¡¯s voice, eyes darted ahead and to the right. They¡¯d come to another turning point where the path headed forward, right, and left. At times like this, Aiden was definitely not going to argue. Behind him, he could here the chaotic footfalls of their pursuers and was beginning to worry that losing them was going to be impossible. He and Elaswit were quite comfortably caught in a state of being able to run but not being able to hide. The problem was that at their current speed, they would eventually run low on stamina, and he didn¡¯t remember gargoyles ever having an issue of stamina. What they needed was to be significantly faster. Truthfully, if not for how narrow the path was, the gargoyles would¡¯ve caught up to them ages ago. The width allowed only two gargoyles run side by side, which left the other gargoyles running at the pace of whichever ones were in front. We need to buy more time, Aiden thought as the parts drew closer. So when Elaswit ran faster, he slowed his pace. Elaswit turned to look back at him, flabbergasted. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Aiden said nothing. Personally, he¡¯d never been a fan of explaining what he was doing in the heat of the moment, unless he had the time. And they definitely didn¡¯t have the time. He placed a finger on the wall and started drawing. [You have used Class skill Unarmed Engrave] The wall glowed a soft blue, revealing a very quick enchantment. And while he would¡¯ve loved to make it a more complex one with a more complex effect, Aiden didn¡¯t have the time. The heavy footfalls of their chasers were already too close. So he concluded his rune, slapped on an activation delay and darted off. Barely three seconds away from the engraving, he reached for one of his soldier¡¯s belt¡¯s pockets and retrieved two items. One was a short length of thick rope. As thick as two thumbs and as long as his middle finger. The other was a simple cube. Channeling mana into them, he tossed them into the fray. Then he was gone. He caught a glimpse of a gargoyle face before he darted right, as Elaswit had commanded. His exit was followed by a loud pop so low he wouldn¡¯t have heard it if he wasn¡¯t listening for it. In fact, he half-thought the sound was imagined. The pop was followed by a loud boom that shook the ground beneath his feet. A hand snapped out to grab him by the wrist, pulling him to the side. Aiden reacted to it on reflex, he twisted, turned his body at the waist so that his hand went high and he ducked beneath the other person¡¯s hand. He was almost free of the hold went he was tugged violently. Elaswit¡¯s strength as [Butcher] overrode his reflexive skill and Aiden was tugged to the side. She was already running, and Aiden automatically followed after her. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± she asked, head darting from side to side, obviously seeking out their next turn. ¡°We need to hide,¡± was all the answer Aiden had to give. ¡°Will that slow them down?¡± she returned, saying nothing of the fact that she hadn¡¯t answered him. ¡°Let¡¯s hope.¡± He had cast an enchantment of lesser lightning using [Unarmed Engrave] delayed it by a few seconds, before adding an enchantment of lesser methane finished off with an enchantment of lesser flame. The electricity would stun the gargoyle¡¯s ahead of the pack once they stepped into its reach and the explosion would ground them for a while. Hopefully. The enchantment of lesser methane would actually read as [Enchantment of Lesser Gas]. Why? He had no idea. All enchantments of gases on Nastild read as enchantments of gas. It didn¡¯t matter what gas it was. The only differences were air, breeze, wind and smoke. Then there were the more volatile enchantments like hurricanes which stood out very much. Regardless, any enchantment of gas was gas that had no business being in the human body. And Nastild had a lot of those. He suspected they had all the same gases earth had and a few to extra with more magical properties. There were some that propelled and didn¡¯t affect the air around them. When ignited, they ignited alone without affecting the air around them. They still left an area of heat in their path, though. Most armies inculcated them in their ranged attacks in one way or the other. Another loud bang exploded in the distance, shaking the ground once more. Aiden did his best not to think about it. Among the possible reasons for it was something other than his enchantments happening, and he wasn¡¯t ready to think about that. Five minutes and four turns later, Aiden and Elaswit were rested against a wall, catching their breaths. Aiden watched the slow trickle of his stamina out of the corner of his eye. The escape had run him ragged. A full sprint for almost thirty minutes would¡¯ve been complete madness without a Class. As a simple human, it was the impossible as far as he was concerned. But they had done it. [Stamina 48%] Not for the first time, Aiden wondered if it was a good thing that life stats on Nastild worked in percentages instead of actual figures. So far, the only disadvantage to percentages was that you couldn¡¯t tell your growth without actually testing it. Elaswit¡¯s breaths were coming heavier. She was failing to pace her breathing properly. Though, Aiden wasn¡¯t sure failing was the proper term. Maybe it was safer to say that she didn¡¯t have as good a control over such things as he did. This is a mess. Here he was panting, and breathing heavily. He was stronger. He could feel it. Stronger than he¡¯d been when he¡¯d stepped into the cave. His body knew he was stronger but his mind¡­ it was still stuck comparing himself to his past¡ª Aiden shook his head, dispelling the thought. You¡¯re beginning to sound like a broken record complaining about being weak. But he was weak. He looked at Elaswit and found she had all but caught her breath. She was staring at him now, a displeased look in her eyes. Aiden knew the look, the reason for it. But he was in no mood to address it right now. Instead, he pulled up his interface, moved his attention to his scenario. [Unique Scenario: Advent of the Demon King 1.] You have found the first known point of invasion of the Demon King into this world. The young followers, eager to make a name for themselves, have found their way into this world ahead of time. They are paving the way, raising an army. Vanquish the early signs of the Demon King¡¯s arrival before it is too late. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [Scenario objective: Defeat Gargoyle 8/18.] [Scenario objective: Defeat Gangnar the Starter 0/1] [Reward: Unique skill.] ¡­ [Optional Quest: Kind Adventurer.] You have found an unfortunate adventurer, dead in his quest for greater heights. Identify dead adventurer¡¯s and inform the adventure society of their passing so that their families may have closure. [Quest Objective: Collect adventure tags 11/???] [Reward: Adventure society designated.] ¡°How far has your quest gone?¡± he asked Elaswit, dismissing his notifications. Elaswit¡¯s displeasure dipped her face into a frown. It still wasn¡¯t anger Aiden was seeing on her face. The displeasure seemed born of something akin to confusion. It could¡¯ve easily been something else, but Aiden was sure that it wasn¡¯t anger. ¡°Why did you say no?¡± Elaswit¡¯s voice was confused, her soft tone worried. Aiden stood to his full height and stretched, not that he needed it. ¡°Does it really matter?¡± The look in her eyes told him that it did. She had asked to be a more trustworthy party, to put all their cards on the table and show each other their skills and levels so that they could create a better strategy and he¡¯d said no. Elaswit had been flabbergasted then, and she was flabbergasted now. ¡°I don¡¯t see what the problem was,¡± she continued. ¡°It would¡¯ve made everything better. If I¡¯d known you could withstand far more damage than your level implied, I wouldn¡¯t have had to step away from the gargoyle to save you.¡± Aiden did his best not to inform her that she hadn¡¯t actually saved him. ¡°And that cost us,¡± she pointed out. ¡°I had to use a potion because of that.¡± Aiden almost shook his head. Was she listening to what she was saying? In a more established party where the bond was strong enough for each member to consider themselves friends, there was arguably nothing wrong with her words. In fact, they could even be mistaken for banter. But they were practically strangers, and she¡¯d just told him that she would¡¯ve rather allowed him take the pain than use a potion. Powerful as she was in comparison to him, she was still young. ¡°It was a solid plan.¡± Elaswit ran a hand through her hair, let out a frustrated breath. She looked frustrated with herself. That she couldn¡¯t convince me to trust her or whatever plan the queen set her to do has become something she can¡¯t complete? ¡°What do you do when your teammate just won¡¯t see reason?¡± she muttered to herself. More words followed after that, but they came out as mumbled gibberish, like a student trying to remember steps in a book they¡¯d read. Maybe if they muttered enough gibberish, their brain would stumble on the correct piece of information like some kind of muscle memory. Considering the lack of footfalls in the distance, maybe they did have the time. The time for what? Aiden almost scoffed at his own thought. He didn¡¯t owe the princess anything. How she felt was hers to deal with. But he also couldn¡¯t just leave her to wander around the cave on her own. Because that was the best option for him if she couldn¡¯t get her head in the game. She¡¯s still a kid. The thought changed very little. She was still young, and perhaps it was normal to have her thoughts all over the place in this kind of situation, but Aiden could not risk his life on it. If he entered a battle with the named gargoyle and her head wasn¡¯t a hundred percent, somebody could very well die for reasons that could¡¯ve been avoided. And as much as he would¡¯ve liked to tell himself that he would go with her and leave her to face the boss alone, this wasn¡¯t some video game were this was a dungeon and there was a boss room. Some places in Nastild were like that, but he couldn¡¯t very well count on that here. For all he knew, they could suddenly stumble upon the named gargoyle and it would decide to keep the princess in its sight. What did he do then? And he very well couldn¡¯t leave her wandering around on her own, that was just going to be an entirely new kind of problem. It wasn¡¯t like they had some kind of map that marked where the named gargoyle even was. Aiden ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Do you even know why?¡± Elaswit asked. The question sounded rhetorical. Aiden let out a resigned breath. He wasn¡¯t good with women. Understanding women wasn¡¯t his forte. So there was only one way he knew how to address this: the way you would address an adventurer. Let¡¯s just rip the band aid off and hope for the best. Aiden looked Elaswit straight in the eye and answered. ¡°I know why.¡± Elaswit paused, surprised, as if she hadn¡¯t expected the answer. But she schooled herself almost immediately, cleared her surprise and took up a mature visage. ¡°Then why?¡± she asked. ¡°The simple truth?¡± Aiden folded his arms over his chest and stood straight. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you that much.¡± Elaswit¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°What the actual fuck?!¡± Her hands tightened into fists and Aiden unfolded his arms. Maybe ripping the band aid right off wasn¡¯t the way to go. Aiden almost scoffed at himself. You think? Elaswit¡¯s attention moved to his unfolded arms, then she took a calming breath. It took her a moment, but her fists unclenched. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hit you, Lord Lacheart,¡± she said. To Aiden, she sounded like a child who¡¯d stopped themselves from doing something simply because it was pointed out and now they were saying that they weren¡¯t going to do it. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you were,¡± he replied with a shrug. ¡°You look like you think I am, though.¡± With a sigh, Aiden folded his arms. ¡°So are we good now?¡± Elaswit shook her head immediately. ¡°No.¡± Aiden grit his teeth. It was all he could do not to groan. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I need to know why you don¡¯t trust me.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been here very long but there are parties that don¡¯t know everything about each other. In my world even married couples were known to not know everything about each other.¡± ¡°This is different.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a life and death situation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elaswit nodded emphatically. ¡°We quite literally depend on each other not to die.¡± ¡°Then you could¡¯ve just suggested that I tell you what I¡¯m capable of and you tell me what you¡¯re capable of. That sounds like a simpler request.¡± Elaswit opened her mouth but nothing came out. It hung open a little longer before she closed it. ¡°I was stupid,¡± she said, finally. ¡°For that I apologize.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t say he had been expecting that, which led him to believe she was playing an angle, trying a different approach. ¡°You look surprised,¡± she added. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so surprising about this. I made a mistake which happened because of me. If someone asked me to tell them what I was capable of, I would keep somethings out. I certainly wouldn¡¯t tell them everything. And since the interface doesn¡¯t hide anything, showing someone your interface is the greatest form of trust. It quite literally eliminates the possibility of doubt.¡± Now Aiden really wanted to know what her mother wanted her to get out of him. Was she simply trying to figure out what he was capable of? Would you really be surprised? He asked himself. Ever since his arrival on the throne room floor he¡¯d been abnormal. He displayed skills none of his peers possessed. He¡¯d been a certain level of audacious. He¡¯d displayed a level of knowledge he wasn¡¯t supposed to possess. He¡¯d been abnormal, and most of it had been from his inability to completely control himself. Clearly, no one would sit down and think he was from the future because no one came from the future. It simply wasn¡¯t reasonable. Even time spells that turned back time were viewed as controversial in some way. The school of thought on the time spell and enchantments that worked together to create a time chamber in the Order was that it didn¡¯t turn back time but projected the future, collective or not, to a nigh perfect calculation. So you didn¡¯t come back in time, your brain merely had an experience of a nigh perfectly accurate prediction of the future. A normal person wouldn¡¯t think he was from the future, and someone who believed that time magic was actually capable of sending people back in time, wouldn¡¯t be inclined to believe that someone who was just summoned from another world would possibly be from the future. But someone accustomed to suspicions and schemes would believe I was suspicious and either scheming or a part of someone¡¯s scheme. The more Aiden¡¯s mind explained the scenarios, the more he understood why the Order had never sent him on any spy missions where he had to assume an identity. Zen always did say he couldn¡¯t keep a lie to save his life. It seemed it was time he stopped worrying about the future and how many things his actions could possibly change, disrupting his knowledge of the progression of events and just take advantage of the things he knew his actions couldn¡¯t change. ¡°Are you listening to me?¡± Elaswit asked, pricking his line of thought. Aiden wasn¡¯t. He nodded, regardless. ¡°So the interface will show everything,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure the teachers at the palace must¡¯ve covered that. So what do you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I need to give it some thought.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elaswit looked to the left, then the right. ¡°I¡¯m sure we have the time.¡± Sarcasm wasn¡¯t present in her voice, but Aiden wasn¡¯t really listening. His mind was busy recalculating his plans. If the queen had her eyes on him due to one suspicion or the other, it was only a matter of time before he got into trouble, which meant he couldn¡¯t remain in the palace much longer any more. The moment they returned, Elaswit would make her report, and he doubted there was anything in it that would endear him to the queen. So what are we doing? The first part of the answer was simple. He would still follow everyone to the town of cannibals. But the Library of Living Truth was going to be a problem. All he needed to do now was gather all the money he¡¯d saved from staying in the palace and make his way out of the kingdom. The only thing that would delay his plan was waiting for his information broker to get Ded the location of the remaining names on his list. New plan, he thought, happy that he could make one quite easily. Talk Ted into running with me, and get a few trusted mercenaries. There weren¡¯t that many, but he knew a thing or two about a few strong mercenaries who kept to their contract and couldn¡¯t be bought off. Once he got his hands on enough of them from beyond the kingdom¡¯s reach, he would go for the Crystal of Existence in the ruined city of Onvoth. Then it¡¯s Nosrath¡¯s heart. Even as the words crossed Aiden¡¯s mind, he felt himself shiver. But for Nosrath, he would definitely need to be over level fifty at least. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of thinking,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°I know I said we have time, but we don¡¯t have all the time in the world. So what do you say?¡± Aiden looked up. ¡°And the interface hides nothing?¡± Elaswit nodded. Aiden nodded back. ¡°Then my answer¡¯s still no. If meeting your father and his advisor has taught me anything, Princess, it¡¯s to always keep my cards as close to my chest as possible.¡± He dusted his pants randomly. When his eyes returned to Elaswit¡¯s, he found that her disbelief had returned. So he waited. And waited. And waited. And¡ª ¡°Will it make sense if you explain it?¡± she asked. ¡°Will you even be able to explain it?¡± Aiden sighed. Lie after lie after lie. ¡°You all seem to have forgotten something,¡± he said, turning to walk down the road. Elaswit followed. ¡°A month ago, I was a boy living a simple life in a simple world doing simple things. It might not have been the best, but it was a world I knew, with people I knew. I don¡¯t act like the others but I still came from the same place. Drawn here by forces beyond me without a say in the matter.¡± He stopped, turned so that he could look Elaswit in the eye. ¡°I do not hate you people because I know this is the effect of your gods and not you, a decision they have made to save you. We have religion in my world, and what your gods have done is something I believe ours would for our sake. But while I don¡¯t hate you, would you really expect me to trust you without question?¡± He took a step towards her and she took a step back. ¡°Do you expect me to be all loving and accepting?¡± Tension filled the air as they stood there, staring at each other. Aiden needed to admit that while this was all a ruse, he had allowed deep seethed anger and hate from eleven years of betrayal pour out into his words. The hate was deeper than he¡¯d expected, so deep he could almost taste it. As for his sense of sound, it was picking up something else from ahead of them, something close enough to turn the corner very soon. Aiden ignored it, kept his eyes on Elaswit. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a slight tremor in her hand. He was scaring her. The sound was also drawing closer, faint scratches on the ground. Countless in the way you would describe too many things moving at once. ¡°A¡­ and you said nothing,¡± Elaswit stammered. ¡°All this while you said nothing.¡± ¡°Because there has been no one to say it to.¡± Aiden¡¯s hand moved gently to his belt. He doubted Elaswit even noticed it. ¡°And there still isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°But you acted like you were fine.¡± ¡°I was fine.¡± His eyes looked away from her, darted to the corner and back. ¡°I still am. Lashing out at you guys is unfair and unjustified. In my world it is called a transfer of aggression. My beef is with your gods not you people. You people need to be saved. And my friends and I will do everything in our power to save you.¡± With his words said, he took a single step away from her. ¡°Why?¡± she stuttered, genuine curiosity in her voice. Aiden shrugged, retrieved an orb from his soldier belt¡¯s pocket, channeled mana into it, and threw it down the path. ¡°Because it¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± His sword sang free from its scabbard and his finger moved in a quick motion at the end of it. All the point he¡¯d put into dexterity was really effective. In moments he was already done casting. [You have used Class skill Unarmed Engrave(U)] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Gas] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Flame] The creatures he¡¯d been listening too turned the corner just in time, small and many, like a lot of Chihuahuas running at them if Chihuahuas had ugly faces and talons with short stubby wings on their backs. The item he¡¯d thrown burst into life, leaving a perfect shimmering dome. As the creature¡¯s charged into the dome, they crashed to the ground as if they¡¯d lost function of their limbs. [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Madness] Elaswit staggered back in shock, her flight or fight response in a moment of suspended battle for which one would win. But Aiden was already moving into action. Swinging his sword, he scraped its tip along the ground. Gas spilled from the enchantment, shot out in a straight line towards the crashing creatures and the flames trailed behind it, igniting every single one as rushed forth. Aiden didn¡¯t give it any time. He didn¡¯t wait to see or stop to think. Sheathing his sword was a forgone alternative. Turning, he grabbed Elaswit¡¯s arm and ran in the opposite direction. ¡°Run.¡± Elaswit did not struggle. They fled in the company of rising notifications. [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 12] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 11] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 05] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 13] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 09] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 10] ¡­ [Congratulations! You have Leveled up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled up!] [Level 26 --> 28] [You are now Level 28] ¡­ [Unique Scenario: Advent of the Demon King 1.] You have found the first known point of invasion of the Demon King into this world. The young followers, eager to make a name for themselves, have found their way into this world ahead of time. They are paving the way, raising an army. Vanquish the early signs of the Demon King¡¯s arrival before it is too late. [Scenario objective: Defeat Gargoyle 14/18.] [Scenario objective: Defeat Gangnar the Starter 0/1] [Reward: Unique skill.] THIRTY SEVEN: Stupid She¡¯d messed up. There were no mathematical calculations to it, no way to wiggle out of this one with some loop hole or debatable argument. Elaswit Brandis had messed up. Mom¡¯s going to kill me. Still, regardless of how certain of her mess up she was, she continued to believe she had done everything in her power. Her failure wasn¡¯t as a result of some mistake or the other. At least she didn¡¯t think so. Her failure was as a result of her skills. Skills her mother was more than aware of. So it isn¡¯t really my fault, she thought as her cleaver slammed into the head of a gargoyle. She was practically asking a fish to build a nest in a tree. The gargoyle crashed to the ground in front of her. She stepped to the side easily, allowed it skid past her. But it wasn¡¯t down. The fight wasn¡¯t over. Twisting her hips at just the right angle, she switched her footing, channeled the force from her feet to her hips to her swing, just as she had been taught as a child long before she¡¯d gained her class. When her side swing landed, it was loud and powerful. Her cleaver slammed into the ass of the gargoyle, sending it skidding along farther, and she followed after it. Elaswit really had to find a way to salvage her failure. And yet, she didn¡¯t believe that there was one. Some failures were just inevitable, and you had to learn to accept them. Since her strong exchange of words with Aiden¡ªshe refused to call it an argument¡ªthey had said very little to each other. They had also come across a few more gargoyles. If she succeeded in this fight, this would be the eight gargoyle she would be defeating with nothing but brute strength. The sense of achievement and satisfaction that came with it was something she could not repress. There was no better feeling to sticking to your way of doing things and succeeding even against all the odds. It was a reaffirmation that while your way wasn¡¯t the right way, it was a right way. She doubled her strength as she caught up to the gargoyle, refusing it any chance to get its bearings back. Standing over it, she brought her sword down with a powerful swing and an activated skill. You have used Class skill [Aura Strike] An arc of red mana blasted out of her weapon, slamming into the gargoyle¡¯s neck before her cleaver doubled down on the attack. When it made impact, it boomed like the sound of a breaking boulder. [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 29!] She wiped a forearm over her brow. It came away wet, and she frowned at it. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d been on any kind of expedition that had strained her as much as this one was straining her. It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t know why, though. On most of her expeditions her stamina and mana rarely ever fell below fifty percent. And on the few occasions that it did, there was always a potion ready to do the work. She still had more than enough potions in her storage space in this moment, but she wasn¡¯t using them. Why? Because she was being stubborn. Aiden used his very sparingly, and she didn¡¯t want to be the spoilt and fragile princess that used a potion at the slightest inconvenience. Looking up from the notification of her victory, she turned to find Aiden standing and waiting for her. Just as killing the gargoyles was now becoming a simple task for her, it had also become a simple task for the young Lord. The only difference between the both of them was that while she slayed them in her own way, he slayed them the right way. So, for the two gargoyles that lay dead by her cleaver around her, Aiden had four scattered around him. And I don¡¯t even think he broke a sweat. Currently, Aiden stood casually, staring at the air in front of him. His face was pinched in contemplation. Whatever he was looking at seemed like it was important. ¡°Level up?¡± Elaswit asked, walking up to him. Aiden shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he said still not looking up at her. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve come into the law of diminishing return.¡± ¡°Law of diminishing return?¡± Aiden shook his head, as if dispelling a thought. Then he looked at her. ¡°Not really the law of diminishing return. That means something different. I¡¯m just not growing any more.¡± Elaswit understood what he was saying. There were only so many levels you could get from killing a specific type of monster before there were no more benefits to be had. If killing a goblin of three levels higher gave you a level increase, the next goblin wouldn¡¯t always do the same, even if it was three levels higher. ¡°It¡¯s not really surprising,¡± she told him. ¡°We¡¯ve been killing gargoyles all day. I think the strongest one we¡¯ve fought was a level 32.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t fought anything in the thirties,¡± Aiden pointed out. Elaswit shrugged. ¡°Well, I have. What I¡¯m trying to say is that at this point I¡¯d be surprised if we level up again before meeting the named gargoyle.¡± Aiden grunted. It seemed he still wasn¡¯t willing to have conversations with her beyond conversations he deemed necessary. As annoying as it was, Elaswit wasn¡¯t willing to give up. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that if you slay a level 13 enemy at level 10 and you gain one level, slaying a level 14 enemy at level 11 will not grant you a level increase. At least not all the time. It¡¯s not guaranteed.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Then you just have to slay two level fourteen enemies.¡± He swung his sword in an arc, ridding it of blood that wasn¡¯t there, before sheathing it in its scabbard at his hip. Unlike hers that never got to be stained with blood because of how she fought, his was always stained in the tar-like blood of the gargoyles as a result of all the stabbing he had to do. He was new to this world, enigmatic as compared to his companions, and willing to go through all this stress without any complaint. Elaswit didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever known any nineteen-year-old who was like that. She didn¡¯t belittle those of the age, but even the most hardcore nineteen-year-old she had ever met in her life would¡¯ve complained at least once. Frowned and muttered something of the stress under their breath. Groaned in the annoyance of having to do what they were doing at least once. Aiden had done no such thing. And he was practically one month old in Nastild. It continued to reinforce her belief that his world wasn¡¯t as peaceful as she and her family had been led to believe. If it was, then he hadn¡¯t been in the peaceful part of the world. ¡°We should find the swarm,¡± Aiden said suddenly, pulling Elaswit from her thoughts. She looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Why? You should¡¯ve completed your scenario by now.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not yet. Still have the named gargoyle to deal with.¡± He didn¡¯t even ask how she knew that he¡¯d completed his objective of killing a specific number of gargoyles. It pained Elaswit to admit that she¡¯d actually pointed it out just to show off the fact that she had been paying attention. So far, she¡¯d felt slightly useless since they¡¯d entered the cave. Aiden had been the one to lead them around its maze like interior until they¡¯d found Nella. He¡¯d been the one to somehow conceal them when her hyperventilation would¡¯ve gotten them caught. He¡¯d been the one to discover the natural array and unlock this part of the cave. Navigating the new part of the cave had been his accomplishment as well. What had she done so far? Nothing. Yes, she fought off the occasional gargoyle. The sword he was currently using had come from her. And she was also often bait in a fight. By often she meant very little. You¡¯ve been useful, she found herself thinking. But how true was that. A [Butcher]¡¯s usefulness was in playing a more active role. They were at the front of the fight, not killing two gargoyles while a [Weaver] killed three or four. ¡°Princess.¡± Elaswit pulled herself from her self pity for a moment. ¡°Yes, Lord Lacheart?¡± She didn¡¯t even have the heart to call him by his given name anymore or tease him about calling her by her name which he had started calling her at some point. So much progress lost in one argument. She had never felt so small. The fact that it was in the face of what was supposed to be a person with a weaker class and a weaker level did nothing to help matters. Aiden looked at her quietly. His eyes studied her face, picking at her expression. Then he shrugged as if he couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion. ¡°We should find the swarm so that we can help you meet your quota.¡± And now he¡¯s worrying about me, Elaswit groaned internally. Could this day get any worse? She¡¯d always complained about how the knights always pampered her whenever she went on expeditions and had been looking forward to this outing when she¡¯d found out about it. So she had paid Vanisi and a night maid to keep their eyes on Aiden and alert her of when he was acting out of the ordinary. It would¡¯ve given her the excuse to spend more time alone with him¡ªfulfilling her mother¡¯s request in the process¡ªand the experience of an expedition alone with someone weaker than her. She had always wanted to feel the true weight of an adventure. Unlike Nella, she was a princess. It was unbecoming of her to join an actual adventuring party. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± Again, Elaswit was drawn from her thoughts. She raised her head, mouth opening to ask what wouldn¡¯t do when she came face to face with Aiden. She started back with a barely concealed yelp. Putting a distance of two steps between them, she caught her breath. He had been close. Too close. Their noses had almost touched when she¡¯d raised her head. ¡°You are too caught up in yourself, Princess.¡± Aiden¡¯s voice didn¡¯t waver. There was no blush on his skin. He spoke as if he was telling her that the cave walls were wet again. It reminded her that all her attempts to throw him off balance or get him to trust her had technically been thrown out the window. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She¡¯d played the princess that needed the attention of her subject when they¡¯d met in the carriage and had gotten nothing for her troubles. Then she¡¯d gone the extra mile of playing the friendly tease, united in a mutual fun of causing Valdan discomfort. That, too, hadn¡¯t gotten her very far. Then he¡¯d called her ¡®love¡¯ and she¡¯d thought she¡¯d gotten her in. It hadn¡¯t taken her long to realize that she¡¯d been wrong. Now he was the one startling her. The one with the power. She rubbed her temple with thumb and forefinger, massaging the wrinkle she could feel growing there. Mom should¡¯ve sent Derenet. He was the one who knew how to be a deceptive snake. Aiden¡¯s sigh drew her attention as he moved to sit on the ground, back resting against the wall. He unstrapped the scabbard from his soldier¡¯s belt and placed it gently on his laps, a finger trailing gently over the surface of the scabbard. ¡°I believe we should take a rest,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve been running around since we got into the cave and I¡¯m sure evening should be close enough.¡± Elaswit did not disagree but she did not move to sit with him. She disagreed with the rest but agreed with the time of the day outside. With the illuminated cave walls, it was impossible to tell what exactly the time of day was. So they were going by a vague estimate. And if it was evening, it meant one simple thing. She let out a sigh. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re looking for us?¡± Aiden did the most surprising thing she¡¯d seen him do since entering the cave. He laughed. ¡°Think?¡± He shook his head, now chuckling. ¡°I assure you Valdan is sharpening a wooden sword right now to stab me with.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Elaswit said. Would he? ¡°I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t found the natural enchantment and torn it down.¡± Aiden looked up, a small fond smile on his lips. ¡°He¡¯s probably on the other side wondering how he¡¯ll explain this to your father.¡± Elaswit found herself fidgeting. Maybe she hadn¡¯t though this thing through. Aiden was bringing it to her understanding that she had caused more trouble than she¡¯d thought. Now she was beginning to feel like a spoilt princess, the very kind of prince she thought Derenet was. Spoilt and uncaring of others. Elaswit ran a hand through her hair. How had I not thought of this? ¡°But he¡¯ll be fine as long as we get back,¡± Aiden said. The smile never left his face. ¡°For now, let¡¯s give him a sufficient enough heart attack.¡± Elaswit wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it was nice to see Aiden smile, it was also nice to know that he saw Valdan as more than just a stuck up knight. On the other hand, his complete lack of awareness to the gravity of their situation was worrying. Then Aiden frowned to himself, as if he¡¯d just caught himself doing something that he wasn¡¯t supposed to. It was like watching a young child realize that they were beginning to like someone that they hated or someone discovering that they¡¯d strayed away from an initial plan. Whatever it was, Elaswit refused to delay any longer. Unless Aiden needed to rest there was no reason to wait. The longer they waited, the more time they wasted. The more time they wasted, the more worried they made everyone. She was not going to be that kind of princess. ¡°We should keep moving,¡± she said, drawing Aiden¡¯s attention to her. He gave her a skeptical look, assessed her like a man pays attention to a child. She stood there as hazel eyes, now green under the light of the cave, watched her. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, finally, voice steady. Elaswit nodded. ¡°The more we wait the more worried they become.¡± Aiden cocked his head to the side. He looked¡­ confused? No. Elaswit discarded the thought. Confused wasn¡¯t the word she was looking for. Surprised was a better description. He looked surprised. Why? A moment after. Aiden pulled his bottom lip with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand. He made a sound, dragged the sound a little, then stopped. He released his lip and took a moment to frown at his hand before getting up. ¡°Alright, then,¡± he said, holding his sword, currently sheathed, in his hand. ¡°We can hurry it up, but on one condition.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You take a stamina potion, a mana potion, and a health potion.¡± Elaswit knew that she needed two of the three potions but it was unreasonable of him to be the one suggesting it to her. His coat that he was wearing, was torn in different places. It wasn¡¯t so terrible, but it told a tale of fighting creatures he had no place fighting. His skin was bare beneath it while some of his injuries remained visible. His face is untouched, though, Elaswit thought. She didn¡¯t know if she was supposed to be impressed or not. He had fought and taken injuries and had somehow made sure to keep his face protected. Regardless, Aiden Lacheart looked like a right mess. Elaswit cocked a brow at him. ¡°Really?¡± Aiden met her gaze then looked down at himself. His face crinkled at the sight he was met with before he let out a sigh. ¡°I look worse than I am.¡± He raised one side of the coat with an annoyed look. He seemed more annoyed at the state of the coat than the state of himself. ¡°Regardless,¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m not the one sweating and taking a while to catch her breath. Take the potions and we can continue on our way.¡± He¡¯s definitely meaner than he was, Elaswit noted. I shouldn¡¯t have pushed with the interface thing. Especially since she¡¯d been lying about it. The interface would¡¯ve shown everything she was capable of but all she¡¯d had to do was unequip her artifacts and her interface wouldn¡¯t have shown them. Obviously she would¡¯ve kept the artifact she¡¯d already told him about equipped. That she had lied and had a feeling he¡¯d caught her, made his current behavior all the more justified. There was no point being stubborn about taking a potion. After all, she had more than enough. So she held her hand out in front of her, palm up. The familiar refraction of light like staring at shards of mirrors reflecting light glistened in front of her. Before long she had four vials in her hand. Like the first time she¡¯d used her special storage in front of him, Aiden didn¡¯t look impressed. She held out her hand to him. ¡°I¡¯ll have some if you¡¯ll have some.¡± Though she doubted it, there was a part of her that felt he would simply refuse her offer, shake his head or make some excuse or the other. Most men she knew rarely ever wanted to look weak around women. And the ones who didn¡¯t care for it would rather drink from their own vial. Aiden walked up to her and picked up one of the vials. Its content was blue. His eyes went from the vial in his hand to another on her hand, this one was red. If Valdan and the tutors in the palace had taught him well, then he would be aware of customized potions. The red vial was a mana potion customized to her mana. It meant her recovery would be twice as fast as taking any generic potion. Saying nothing, Aiden uncorked the vial in his hand. ¡°Full recovery?¡± he asked. Elaswit nodded. Most people used partial recovery potions only because they were cheaper. The average adventurer used a partial recovery and a full recovery, keeping the full recovery for important breaks or when their health was too low. As a princess, she¡¯d never needed a partial recovery potion. Elaswit and her brother kept full recovery and customized full recovery portions. The former was used the way the average adventurer used a partial recovery, and the latter was used the way they used a full recovery. Aiden chuckled lightheartedly. ¡°Of course it is.¡± He drank the potion without any other delay, emptied the vial simply. Then he moved to throw the empty vial over his shoulder, stopping only a moment before it left his hand. Sparing her a questioning look, he asked, ¡°Do you need this?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± In truth, she didn¡¯t need it at all. But considering the fact that the few times she¡¯d seen him use a potion he¡¯d thrown the vials away, she wanted to know how he would react to her needing it. ¡°Fair.¡± Aiden placed the empty vial back in her hand and took another one. The vial he picked was one of two with yellow liquid. A stamina potion. He downed it without question and replaced it in her hands. ¡°Your turn,¡± he told her. Elaswit moved the vials to her free hand and downed each potion. When she was done, she returned the empty vials to her storage space in a fracturing of lights. She never threw her empty vials away. Not because they had some important use or another. Her reason was something simpler. Elaswit simply hated littering of any kind. It was just who she was. She would throw it out at a designated bin or return it to the palace apothecary. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Aiden stretched easily, side to side. ¡°Are we completing your quest or ending my scenario?¡± The answer was easy. ¡°Scenarios are generally more important than quests of any kind,¡± she told him. ¡°Besides, once we conclude the scenario, we can always come back with more people and complete my quest. Last time I checked, once you get a unique quest, it stays until it no longer exists.¡± Aiden turned and started walking down the path. ¡°I guess you could always come back if that¡¯s the case.¡± Elaswit turned to follow him but paused. ¡°You¡¯re not coming?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Aiden stopped, looked back at her. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to come back with me?¡± Elaswit was confused. Hunting here was supposed to be doing Aiden good. He had to know that. ¡°If we rest up, we can come back and clear the remaining gargoyle¡¯s out. It will help with your levels.¡± Aiden gave it some thought before shaking his head. ¡°My level¡¯s high enough, and I don¡¯t want my way of fighting to get biased. If I fight only gargoyles for too long, I might end up developing some biased fighting styles from fighting with too many gargoyles.¡± Elaswit knew a lie when she heard one. What he¡¯d said wasn¡¯t wrong. Even when training her, tutors had always told never to be caught in a bias. The trick was to fight different opponents. So what Aiden was saying wasn¡¯t wrong. But she knew when she was being told a lie. Aiden didn¡¯t want to come back with her. It didn¡¯t matter if coming back helped his level or gave him some extra time with a princess. Elaswit didn¡¯t think of herself as the most beautiful girl she knew, sometimes Nella felt prettier than she was. But she definitely knew that she was pretty. Did even the idea of spending some extra time with a beautiful lady not even appeal to him? What was with his single-minded focus? It made too little sense to her. She wasn¡¯t saying her beauty was so grand that it should inspire him to throw himself into danger. But something had to work towards motivating him. Or did he really not want to spend any more time with her? ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much again,¡± Aiden said to her. ¡°It¡¯s really not that deep.¡± ¡°Not that deep?¡± Aiden looked at her as if he didn¡¯t understand the question. ¡°It means you don¡¯t have to think too much about it. It means that what I said means what I said.¡± Elaswit definitely didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Now,¡± Aiden returned his attention to the path in front of him, ¡°named gargoyle or the other gargoyles? Which one?¡± Elaswit had to learn to give up. Her mother always had a way of teaching her and her brothers lessons in a round about way. Maybe this entire thing hadn¡¯t been about succeeding? Maybe mother wants me to experience failure. The gods knew it had been forever since she¡¯d experienced any real failure, if she was being honest. And her father had always said that constant successes tended to lead people into arrogance. Only the truly experienced got enough success and didn¡¯t end up falling to their own hubris. It was like the time girls had fawned over Derenet and he had started to think he was on top of the world. Their mother had said nothing on the matter, played the unknowing parent. Then she¡¯d given him a task, told him of a simple peasant girl she needed to get something done but didn¡¯t know how to go about doing it. Derenet had pointed out that she was the queen, a command would suffice. Their mother had said that it wasn¡¯t that easy. So she¡¯d sent Derenet eventually. In his confidence, Elaswit¡¯s brother had spent an entire month failing in spectacular ways. Meeting a girl who did not want to cater to his needs, please him, or be impressed by Derenet the boy or Derenet the prince, had done much to beat down his ego. Even now, Derenet often found himself speculating on the possibility that their mother had intended on using the peasant girl to teach him humility. Other times he speculated on the possibility that their mother had paid the girl to refuse him. For Elaswit, it had been a hilarious event to witness. And strong-arming the poor girl wouldn¡¯t have helped. If their parents had even heard a whisper of any of them oppressing a subject, a lot of things would have gone wrong for them. So perhaps this was her failure to experience. Elaswit really hoped it was. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on,¡± Aiden said, looking at her as if there was a problem. ¡°But you¡¯ve been out of it for a while now. You keep spacing out as if you¡¯re elsewhere. Is it going to be a problem?¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed in worry. ¡°If you need to rest, we can rest. We might not have all the time, but I¡¯m sure we have some time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she said. ¡°I promise.¡± Aiden waited a moment. ¡°Alright,¡± he said finally. ¡°Then back to my question. The swarm or the named gargoyle?¡± ¡°How exactly are we going to decide? It¡¯s not like we have some map leading us to either of them.¡± For the first time in a very long time someone gave her a specific look she hadn¡¯t gotten since she was fourteen. Aiden looked at her as if she was stupid. It lasted for only a heartbeat, short enough to show that it had been a moment of surprise at the answer and a short lack of control over his facial expression. But she had seen it. For a moment, Lord Aiden Lacheart had thought she was stupid. ¡°We make our way back to where we ran into them,¡± Aiden said with the straightest face. ¡°We get whatever signs we can find, and track them from there. Maybe ten of them died from my attack, but there were definitely more than ten.¡± Elaswit continued to stare, unsure of how to feel about what had just happened. ¡°I¡¯m sure killing off the swarm will take care of your quota,¡± Aiden continued. ¡°If we find their tracks, we stand a chance of finding them and getting you your unique skill. Or we could go about our normal way until we find the named gargoyle.¡± There, Elaswit noted. Aiden¡¯s voice was holding a very neutral tone but it had stumbled slightly between two sentences. He knows what he did. He knows that I know what he did. Elaswit fought the petty frown that wanted to touch her lips. She refused to have lesser control of her facial expressions than Aiden. So she stood straight, adjusted her posture and walked up to him as regally as she could. When she was standing beside him, she stopped. ¡°Let us get the named gargoyle,¡± she said, effecting what Nella often called her royal tone. ¡°Once this scenario has been settled and our return to the manor has been concluded, I will return. Taking care of my unique quest is an issue for me to handle. Now, shall we be on our way?¡± Aiden opened his mouth to say something, but she did not give him the time. Elaswit walked on, leading, knowing that he would follow. On her face was the most embarrassed yet annoyed frown she¡¯d ever carried in a long time. If there was one thing adventuring with Aiden had taught her, it was that a princess not yet of the age of twenty-five was not mature. She, too, would find a moment to make Aiden look stupid. When that time came, she would give him the same look with all the grace and aplomb of the daughter of Brandis. Elaswit had never felt pettier. For now, they had a named gargoyle to find. THIRTY-EIGHT: Just Apologize Not for the first time today a frown played with Valdan¡¯s lips. Where the hell are you, Aiden? He had searched the entire cave, its worthless crisscrossing labyrinth and annoyingly dark parts. And he¡¯d done it twice. At this point, Nella and Ventel had already started playing devil¡¯s advocate. And they were playing it well. It was like having two demons on your shoulders instead of an angel and a demon. ¡°I don¡¯t think they came this way,¡± Ventel was saying. He sat tiredly on one of the only two boulders large enough to be sat on comfortably. ¡°There were two jepats,¡± Nella said with very little conviction. ¡°Dan said he found them on our way here.¡± Valdan had seen two jepats but he hadn¡¯t given them too much thought. He¡¯d known that Aiden would be at the cave so he hadn¡¯t cared to give them any real examination. Even informing Nella of the jepats had been nothing but an off-hand comment. Something he¡¯d simply fit into a conversation. Right now, Valdan was growing more worried. Aiden and the princess weren¡¯t out there somewhere having any kind of fun or adventuring on a different path. He was sure of it. Very little was known to him about Princess Elaswit except for what the knights knew in general. And what the knights knew in general were few and far between. She was strong, brute force being her normal way to solving problems. She did what she could to de-escalate any situation but that was usually because it was the right thing to do and not because it was what she wanted to do. If put behind a large boulder with Scrambling Spiders on the other side of it¡ªa sufficient amount¡ªshe was more inclined to charge them with sword swinging than go around them. A disrespectful or annoying companion was more likely to be sent out of the party than convinced as to why they shouldn¡¯t be annoying or disrespectful. Again, she would engage them with words, but only because giving a person a chance was the right thing to do, not because she felt it was the better option. This piece of information mostly came from the knights who accompanied her on the few expeditions she went on. Princess Elaswit Brandis was more like her father than her mother. The older knights, those who had fought alongside the king before he¡¯d ascended the throne said the king had been that way back then. Only when he¡¯d taken the crown had he started suffering himself under the weight of diplomacy. Before the crown had weighed down on Brandis¡¯ head, he had been a prince who led by example and not words. He married before he became a king and had learnt much in the way of veiled meanings and manipulative actions from his wife. It wasn¡¯t that he had been a brute of brawn and no brain. Intelligence of the mind was something he had also possessed. But he used it sparingly, rarely. And he¡¯d always needed to think, to pause, before implementing it. The queen had only taught him to the point that his use of words and his intelligence first now came more naturally. Still, with all the knowledge, Valdan couldn¡¯t say a single thing about the princess with even half his confidence. But Aiden was a man he knew. And by the gods, he would stake his title as a [Knight], not as a [Knight of the Crown]¡ªhe wasn¡¯t willing to go that far¡ªthat Aiden was within this cave. We just have to find out which part of the cave. Valdan turned, a little frustrated. ¡°Did we miss anything?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nella ran two frustrated hands through her hair. ¡°We¡¯ve investigated every inch of this cave multiple times. There isn¡¯t a part of this cave we don¡¯t know or haven¡¯t been to.¡± Valdan¡¯s frustration grew. Ventel and Nella had led him through the entire cave twice already. At some point, he had started getting the gnawing feeling that they just kept missing Aiden and the princess. It was possible in a cave this maze like. ¡°There¡¯s still the wall,¡± Ventel offered. Valdan paused. The wall? He was currently standing in a miniature meadow with a high open ceiling from which sunlight streamed in beautifully to dance beautifully on a small pond at the center. The effect was a sparkling of light as if the water was made of finely polished fragments of mirrors. The grass was perfectly green, healthy. And the air made you want to breathe more just so that you could remind your lungs of what clean air smelt like. Personally, he hated this part of the cave. It was too out of place. Then there was the wall. It wasn¡¯t the first time Ventel was pointing it out. But it would be the first time Valdan would be paying it any attention. He wanted to be sure about the easier part of the cave before giving any attention to the cryptic aspect of it. I guess we¡¯ve gotten nothing else. With that thought, he turned and walked up to the wall in question. It was a deep grey with shades of black rising all the way to the open ceiling. At the bottom it was covered in shrubbery, thick and green, as high as his knees. From beneath it stretched a single line of cracks that spread out into multiple cracks. It would¡¯ve stood out as odd if this entire part of the cave didn¡¯t already stand out as odd. It left him confused as to why it was so big a deal. Was there maybe some hollow space behind it they had noticed somehow? Had they tried to break it only to find it extremely sturdy? Valdan rapped his knuckle against it. If there was something hollow behind it, he couldn¡¯t tell from the action. ¡°So what about the wall makes it so special?¡± he asked, studying it. Nella shrugged. ¡°Place your palm on it.¡± Valdan did so. The wall was cold to the touch, not unnecessarily so. Acceptably so. It was also¡ª [You do not meet the requirements to use this feature] Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion. His eyes narrowed at the notification his interface was showing him. What feature? He took his hand off the wall tentatively. Then he put it back. [You do not meet the requirements to use this feature] Looking at the others, he found their attention on him. They were far from surprised at his confusion. ¡°Do we know what the requirement is?¡± he asked. The both of them shook their heads. ¡°One of our party members thinks it¡¯s probably a skill,¡± Ventel said. ¡°But it could really be anything, from a title to a class to even possessing an artifact.¡± ¡°Drunid thought it might be something like a key or a spell,¡± Nella said, looking up at Ventel where he stood beside her. ¡°I told him that I didn¡¯t think that was it.¡± She had an adoring look in her eyes very similar to the one Valdan had often seen the queen give the king. He really hoped Lord Naranoff knew that his daughter was completely far gone, smitten by the adventurer in front of him. Discarding the thought for the unimportant thought that it was, Valdan returned his attention to the wall and placed his palm on it. [You do not meet the requirements to use this feature] ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong,¡± he said, reading the notification once more. ¡°It if was a spell or a key, I doubt it would read as not meeting the requirement.¡± ¡°Having a key could be a requirement,¡± Ventel opposed. Valdan doubted it. He didn¡¯t have any evidence to support his opinion, merely a feeling. He¡¯d met a situation like this once before, long ago. On that torturous day, he had met the requirement to use the feature. Some times he wished he hadn¡¯t met the requirements that day. Other times he wished he had been the only one there that day. Sometimes the world saves you by setting requirements you shouldn¡¯t meet. Valdan dropped his hand and stepped away from the wall, mind haunted by fragmented memories of an event that had led to his qualification for the title of [Knight of the Crown]. ¡°Trust me,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not a key or a spell.¡± Keys and spells were the requirements of man made situations. Nature¡¯s requirements were who you were as a person. What you had gained. What you had become. Valdan didn¡¯t know why, but whatever the wall was a path to had been sealed off naturally. And he wasn¡¯t sure if opening it was a good idea. A frown touched his lips as a realization came to him. It had no support but it struck him as heavily as anything instinctual he¡¯d ever felt had. Aiden opened it. He¡¯s wherever this leads to. He had to be. The young lord was enigmatic enough. Determined. Every action he took always led to something. Each time Aiden did something that wasn¡¯t making sense, there was always a reason waiting at the end of it. He fought me stupidly twice, in a way I didn¡¯t understand, Valdan thought. At the end of that was a unique skill. He suddenly wanted to come to these parts of the kingdom for no reason. At the end of that was this cave. If it wasn¡¯t official before. It was official now. Aiden Lacheart knew too much. But the problem was how? At this point, Valdan refused to believe that any information he had wasn¡¯t gotten from the library. If Aiden said he¡¯d learned that the sky was blue from the library, then he must¡¯ve learnt it from somewhere else. But where? Off the top of his head, there were only a handful of societies that dabbled in the business of information that were truly worth their weight in gold. Of them all, only three operated with a reach that spread across the entire kingdom. Of those three, only two had a reach beyond the kingdom. He would have to investigate both societies. That Aiden was purchasing information from them wasn¡¯t the problem. The problem was the risk that came with it. A nobody didn¡¯t just walk into a building that prided itself on information gathering and pay a hefty sum of money without the business gathering information on the person. And for all Aiden¡¯s impressiveness, there were risks Valdan was not willing to take. Aiden and his companions were practically royal treasures as well as royal secrets. Valdan couldn¡¯t risk having Aiden jeopardize that secrecy. There was another society with power over information, though. ¡°If you¡¯re very sure its not a skill, then what do we do next?¡± Nella asked. Valdan raised a finger. ¡°I need a moment to think.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. There was nothing to think about, regarding her question. He already had an answer to that. What he needed to think about was the possible breach Aiden¡¯s strategy to garner information may or may not have caused. ¡°Did all of you touch the wall?¡± he asked. Ventel nodded. ¡°None of us met the requirement.¡± ¡°Then that rules out your entire team.¡± As he spoke, dread creeped up Valdan¡¯s spine. He refused to believe that the society he was thinking of was the one Aiden was getting his information from. There was no way he would¡¯ve gained access to them. It was impossible. Unless they were the ones that reached out to him. Valdan frowned. But when? How? And if they were the ones he was getting his information from, would Aiden even know what exactly was happening? He wasn¡¯t stupid but the society wasn¡¯t any normal society. They possessed the power to topple kingdoms with information, to start or end wars. They were every kingdom¡¯s unavoidable nightmare. And if they reached out to Aiden, he wouldn¡¯t even know what was truly going on. All they had to do was make the offer of information beneficial and completely transactional. They would ask for what information he needed, he would tell them, and they would give him a price. Aiden was jaded enough not to take free things. But these guys were good. Valdan drew his sword from its scabbard. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ventel asked in a hurry. Valdan focused his attention on one side of the wall. ¡°Have you guys tried anything apart from touching it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Valdan swung his sword with half his strength. It struck the wall with enough force to send sparks flying. Beneath the loud ringing of his blade was the startled and panicked yelps of Ventel and Nella. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Ventel snapped, stomping over to him. ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Valdan ignored the man. Focusing his attention on where he¡¯d struck, he sheathed his sword. Not a single blemish stained the wall. Not a scratch. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Ventel asked, his voice calmer. ¡°Because you hadn¡¯t.¡± Valdan turned to Nella. She was still seated. ¡°Lord Lacheart is on the other side of this wall. Wherever the other side is.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked. Valdan nodded. ¡°Almost a hundred percent. But we¡¯ll need to keep this quiet. We¡¯ll need people from a few classes. Not a lot, and we¡¯ll start slow. For now, we can ignore the anyone with a class any of your teammates have and skills your teammates have.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long list,¡± she said. Valdan shook his head. ¡°Not really. We¡¯ll focus on classes that aren¡¯t physically focused first. Adventurers with more magically aligned classes.¡± Ventel looked confused. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just humor me,¡± Valdan told him, before turning back to Nella. ¡°Keep the numbers short. Three, then four, then three.¡± He had a feeling they wouldn¡¯t have to go through too many people. As for why he¡¯d chosen classes that were magically inclined? The reason was simple. Most people thought that Aiden was a [Weaver]. But while he was a weaver, he was in no way a domestic class. If Valdan was to explain his class, he would call Aiden a weaver of enchantments. ¡°If we can get someone with the [Enchant] skill, that will be good, too,¡± he added. Nella got up from the rock she was sitting on and nodded. ¡°Come on, Ventel. They¡¯ll be more inclined to keep their mouths shut if you¡¯re the one asking them to.¡± Ventel hesitated beside Valdan as Nella walked away. It did not last long, though. After a while, he left Valdan and followed after her. Valdan stood, staring at the wall. Someone had to be here in case Aiden came out. Chances were he¡¯d gotten his hands on enough information about the cave that had left him confident that he could get inside. And there were only two societies that could¡¯ve given him that level of information. The Mage Radiants and the Order. And one of them probably had Aiden dancing in the palm of their hands. Please be the Mage Radiants. ¡­ Time had gone by. The time they¡¯d spent dangled somewhere between half an hour and an hour. Although Elaswit had said she didn¡¯t want to find the swarm, Aiden continued to keep an eye out for any tracks that would indicate their presence. If he was being honest, he knew he would feel bad if at the end of it all she didn¡¯t complete her quest. He also had words to say to her. Why? Aiden couldn¡¯t say for certain. All he knew was that having her speak to him in only grunts and barely audible huffs wasn¡¯t nice. Not for the first time, Aiden resisted the urge to let out a tired sigh. As much as he liked to tell himself whatever pleased him, lying to himself was one thing he had never been good at. Not even that one time he¡¯d lost a team mate the first time he¡¯d been given command over a team in the Order. He had spent the three days that followed after that doing his best to convince himself that the teammate had died out of their own stupidity. Aiden had given each teammate their commands, simple and effective. All that had been expected of them was to follow the commands and success without any losses would¡¯ve been guaranteed. The teammate had allowed his emotion get the best of him, tried to save someone he had no reason saving. It had been his fault, Aiden had told himself for days. He should¡¯ve listened. None of it really helped. The fact that the teammate had been a twenty-year-old at the time when Aiden had been twenty-six had only made it worse. After three days, his mind had given up on trying to lie to himself. Aiden had been forced to accept the truth. He¡¯d known the boy was emotional, prone to acting on what he felt was right and good over what was necessary. His death had come from the grave error of trying to save a passerby from an explosion. It could¡¯ve been easily avoided if he¡¯d left the woman alone. Aiden had known this. And knowing it had haunted him. He should¡¯ve planned better, given instructions befitting of each individual teammate. You could expect a heartless teammate to do something heartless so you gave him the role that required it. You did not give the same role to a person so full of love and justice. You do not tell a fish to hunt a tiger. He had failed to account for those under his command. Failed to devise a proper plan. It had been the first lesson experience had taught him as a leader. And Onrad had died to teach him that. So here he now was, with a princess who would not speak to him. Normally, he would¡¯ve been happy with it. But this wasn¡¯t a normal case, especially when he was to blame for it. His reaction to her question about how he expected to find the swarm had been a moment of poor control. The complete stupidity of the question wasn¡¯t something he had intended to point out. In fact, there hadn¡¯t really been anything stupid about the question. He¡¯d merely held her to a certain standard that was higher than he was supposed to. In the Order, it would have been a stupid question, but she was not a member of the Order. She was a princess. A princess stuck with someone who shouldn¡¯t know a lot. Her question had been justified. Aiden stopped walking, bent down and touched a hand to the ground. The ground here was different, warmer to the touch. He took stock of that piece of information as he moved his fingers over the stubbled ground. Grains of sand a little too large to be called grains were displaced with each swipe of his hand. He searched for any sign, tracks of any kind. It didn¡¯t have to belong to a gargoyle. Even human tracks would suffice. Aiden found none. Still, he did not rise immediately. His hand still touching the warm ground, he raised his head and looked ahead. Farther down, the light was beginning to dim. They were now on a straight path, it seemed. No turn or curve or junction seemed close. Only a straight path that seemed to go on forever. A new path of the cave. It was as much a good thing as a worrying thing. New places were always a good sign when trying to make your way out of a maze. New places meant progress. ¡°We might be close,¡± he said, hoping to draw a response from Elaswit. All he got was a grunt. A part of him wanted to call it childish. He refrained himself. She would not speak to him, but the fact that she was responding meant she was still aware enough to acknowledge the fact that she could hear him. it meant he could count on her to do what she was supposed to do. So you should be able to count on yourself to apologize. Aiden had some very choice words for that specific thought. Personally, while he would agree that what he¡¯d done was worthy of offending her, he could also agree that she was blowing it out of proportion. It had only been a facial expression. An hour long silent treatment was not an acceptable response. At this point Elaswit was being a child throwing an unnecessary tantrum. She needed to grow up. You expect a princess in her early twenties to grow up? he thought, surprised at himself. What do you think this is? The Order? Earth? She¡¯s a princess. Aiden didn¡¯t like when he worked against himself. Sadly, it was a positive and negative effect of having a mind trained for critical and logical thinking. The effect of having a mind designed to cover all the basis of every situation. His mind had been trained to be active and useful, capable of presenting him with a solution or at least useful options in high pressure moments. But it wasn¡¯t a switch he could turn on and off whenever he wanted. So when he wasn¡¯t in a high pressure moment, it did what it was thought with whatever mundane issues he found himself in. And here it was, informing him of his stupidity. Elaswit was a princess. And while what she was doing was an overreaction to his mistake, it was stupid to call it unexpected. She was a princess, which meant that she had probably never had anyone disrespect her in anyway except for her parents and her siblings. And now, here he was, younger than her as well, giving her a tough time she had no other option but to take. If nothing at all, she was going to exercise her power and authority in anyway she could. And silence was a way. Aiden stood back up and turned to her. ¡°Is this going to be a continuing problem?¡± he asked, realizing a little belatedly that he¡¯d probably chosen the wrong way to start the conversation. Elaswit looked at him as if she didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. ¡°Princess,¡± he said. She raised her brows, acknowledging but not replying. ¡°How about we do this?¡± He took two steps, closing the distance between them and stopping an arms length away. ¡°How about you tell me how I have offended you, and we work through it?¡± My God! Are you really finding it difficult to just apologize? Elaswit looked at him as if he was stupid. Aiden had to give her that one. It was stupid to ask what he already knew. But he was simply being careful. He knew his facial expression had pissed her off, but what if that was not all. What if on top of that, she was also pissed off by the fact that he¡¯d said nothing in the way of an apology for almost an hour? You¡¯ve said sorry a lot before, Aiden. He had, but not like this. Not over something that he thought could just be forgotten. The only lady that had ever made him apologize for something he thought was unimportant was Shewa. And that had been because they¡¯d been dating. She had earned the place to make him do what he didn¡¯t want to do. With the people he had ever worked with, simple problems like this were ignored. If it wasn¡¯t something that could be ignored, the offended brought it up and they sorted it out quickly. Aiden had gone through life, but one thing he continued to have a problem with was figuring out social problems with people that were not marks or a part of a mission in some way when they refused to tell him what the problem was. Aiden folded his arms over his chest, sheathed sword held in one hand. ¡°What can I do to make it up to you?¡± ¡°Make it up to me?¡± Elaswit asked, flabbergasted. ¡°Make it up to me!?¡± Wrong choice of words, Aiden. Elaswit sucked in a deep breath. It looked like it was supposed to be a calming breath. It was not. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± she said, voice firm. ¡°Princess,¡± he replied, hesitant. ¡°Do you even know what you did wrong?¡± Aiden paused. He knew, but somehow it felt like answering the question was falling into a trap. But what could he do? He needed to sort this out before hey ran into new problems. Just to be sure, he looked behind him, to the path they were supposed to take. there was no sign of an approaching monster. Then he tilted a little to the side, not that he had to, and looked around Elaswit. The same. ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°I have an idea of what I may have done,¡± Aiden said. ¡°But I¡¯m not entirely sure how to go about this.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never apologized before?¡± Elaswit asked, genuinely surprised. ¡°I¡¯ve apologized before.¡± Elaswit''s lips puckered in thought. ¡°But¡­ not to girls.¡± Aiden kept quiet. Not for simple reasons like this. The words were on the tip of his tongue but Aiden left them unsaid. ¡°Wow.¡± Elaswit folded her arms. ¡°When you said you didn¡¯t have a lady you were courting back home, I didn¡¯t think you also didn¡¯t have any female friends.¡± Aiden raised an incredulous brow. ¡°Why did you say it that way?¡± ¡°What way?¡± ¡°Like I was some nerd that couldn¡¯t get a girl to pay attention to me. And if I got one to pay attention to me I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep her attention.¡± Elaswit grinned. ¡°Would you be able to. Keep her attention, I mean.¡± Maybe I don¡¯t need to apologize, after all. At least she was smiling. Grinning was still smiling, right? Aiden sighed, accepting her grin as a smile. He probably hadn¡¯t been let off the hook, but an apology wasn¡¯t the most important thing right now. At least not here. Turning around, he continued down the right path. ¡°I didn¡¯t get an apology,¡± Elaswit called after him. ¡°You¡¯ll get it later,¡± he called back, listening to her footsteps as she caught up to him. Elaswit was walking beside him now. ¡°Apologies don¡¯t come later.¡± ¡°Not all the time,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°But sometimes they come when they come.¡± ¡°And when is this one coming?¡± ¡°Once we start breathing fresh air.¡± The rest of the path was walked in silence. It stretched down for a long time and they found two corpses on the way. One was an adventurer, and Aiden added his tag to his stash. The other was a mercenary with a massive cleaver. Elaswit showed no interest in it since hers was better than his. Before long, the path opened up into a clear space. It was almost as large as the meadow on the other side of the natural array. But there was no meadow here. Only cave. Rocks and stalactites hanging from above and shooting up from the ground. The moss and algae and bioluminescent lights that had illuminated their path since opening the natural array were scattered all over the place. Red plants raised red glows from the walls that gave the space a touch of an eerie feeling. Regardless of how much light there was, the space still carried shadowy areas. A boss room if I ever saw one, Aiden thought, taking careful step inside. ¡°If the named one isn¡¯t here,¡± Elaswit said, looking around. ¡°Then we¡¯re on the wrong side of this cave.¡± Aiden agreed with her. His ears perked up suddenly, attention sharpening as he picked something out in the dark. It resided in one of the shadowy parts of the space, down on the other side of the space, facing the entry. With a raised hand, Aiden gestures Elaswit to silence. She stops beside him, falling silent. Then he gestures ahead of them, to the shape in the shadow. It looked like a statue, three times Aiden¡¯s height. It was seated on the ground with a hand buried in the floor up to the wrist. Aiden watched the shape. Judging from what he saw, it was humanoid. More like a gorilla, he noted. The arms seemed a little to long. In the shadow, he couldn¡¯t make out anything but the shape, no distinctive features stood out. But Aiden knew what he was looking at. He didn¡¯t need light to know what sat waiting for them in the shadow. It was there. It was ready. And it opened its eyes. Bright yellow eyes stared at them from the darkness. ¡°That¡¯s ominous,¡± Elaswit muttered. Aiden noted the absence of worry in her voice. That was a good thing. Now, just one more thing, Aiden thought, activating a skill. [You have used skill Detect] The moment the skill activated, Aiden frowned at the information it gave him. An indicator appeared above the gargoyle¡¯s head and Aiden almost groaned. [Gangnar the starter (Named Gargoyle Lvl 49)] This was a potential problem. Aiden drew his sword from its scabbard but kept his other hand armed with the scabbard. It left both hands occupied, which was his intention. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked Elaswit. ¡°Ready.¡± That was good. Now Aiden just prayed the gargoyle wouldn¡¯t reach level fifty during the fight. The last thing they needed was a gargoyle with a level fifty technique, even if it was an incomplete one. After all, nobody had to die for it to reach level fifty, it just had to learn a manifesting class skill. He twirled his sword in his hand and prepared himself. ¡°Let¡¯s get this done quickly.¡± THIRTY-NINE: Gangnar Standing with such a great distance between them and Gangnar the starter was capable of lulling anyone who knew very little about gargoyles into a false sense of security. But Aiden wasn¡¯t just anyone. There had been a time when he had been just anyone, but that time was long passed, gone like the first gargoyle he had killed after stepping beyond the natural array. In the Order a lot of things had been taught and Aiden had learnt from them. Being weak, the most important thing he had learnt had been how to face a more powerful opponent or an uncertain opponent. And he had used those teachings very judiciously ever since coming back. In his second life, he was stronger in most ways but weaker in one that counted. Playing underdog most of his life had left him with a thoughtful mind. Asking questions first before throwing fists and skills had been the first sense he¡¯d developed in his first life. Being an [Enchanter] had made it mandatory. But it would be a lie to say he had developed it because he was smart. No. As harsh as it was to admit, he had developed it because he had been weak. Weak and with no choice. The weak either fought and died or learned to use their brains to survive. Then he had become strong, and while the battles and missions the Order had continued to send him on even when he had become over level two hundred were tasks that found him as the underdog, there were moments when he had been faced with weaker opponents. Those moments had been enough to teach him how the strong fought. The powerful, those truly versed in the art of violence, did not plan and scheme and trick. They did not feint or lie or pretend. They moved forward with overwhelming power, knowing that all would succumb. Aiden could admit to fighting like that every now and then, even as an [Enchanter]. So in this second life, that had been his weakness. The urge to fight those around him as the powerful would fight. And why not, he was surrounded by those of low levels. Even Valdan was yet to reach level fifty. It was a mental bias. The pride of the strong. But with each fight that was not to the death, he had reminded himself that he was weak, mixed the strength of the weak with the hubris of the strong. Each enemy he hadn¡¯t needed to kill, he had confused first, tricked and lied to in one way or the other. He had fought in a way most would call dishonorable¡ªin a way the Order would call necessary. He had done it with Haruto, summoned of Nel Quan, confused the man by telling him his own class and name, thrown him off-kilter with information he should not have had. In the Naranoff manor he had done it to all those who had challenged him by striking a weapon into a dummy with a circle drawn in sand. With a single action he had divided their focus between the circle, the spar, and their pride not to be kicked out of it. But now Aiden found himself in a different situation. He found his pride working against him. To him, the gargoyle staring at him was weak. A mere level 49. Not yet fifty. In his past life he could¡¯ve killed it with his eyes closed. But this is not your past life. ¡°Keep your eyes peeled, princess,¡± he said to Elaswit in a low voice without taking his eyes off Gangnar. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the gargoyles we¡¯ve fought, how quickly they can move.¡± ¡°Sudden bursts of speed,¡± Elaswit said in an equally low whisper. ¡°At its level I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it can cross this distance in the blink of an eye.¡± But there was no surprise, really. Aiden knew for a fact that it could cross this distance in the blink of an eye. And still you wanted to face it without any weavings? He thought, chiding himself. Without any enchantments. Elaswit took a slow and quiet step to the side and away from Aiden. He let her. From what he knew of combat, the last thing you wanted to be as a group in a fight against a powerful foe was a single target. So she was spreading herself out, giving the gargoyle two targets. It was a good thought. And if the princess was using her brain, Aiden had to. The hubris of facing off against an enemy significantly stronger than him with pure skill was stupid. You can¡¯t allow your annoyance at truly being the underdog rile you up. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked Elaswit. She nodded. ¡°Switch strategy.¡± Aiden shook his head at her suggestion. The switch strategy only worked against opponents you could stand against, even if not toe to toe, at least to a certain extent. At level 29, he definitely couldn¡¯t stand against Gangnar in any direct confrontation. And your stupid ass wanted to fight with pure skill. Aiden was tired of scolding himself. I thought it would attack immediately, he told himself. It was a half-truth. He had truly thought it would attack immediately, but he¡¯d instinctively also wanted to remind himself that what stood before him was only a mere level 49. The fact that it was powerful had been annoying, and he¡¯d wanted to prove to it that he¡¯d faced stronger. Elaswit looked at him from the side of her eye. ¡°Why not? And is there a reason its not attacking?¡± Aiden wondered if the switch strategy was the only strategy the princess knew. It was a fleeting thought. A very fleeting thought. A member of the royal family would not just be trained in the art of physical combat. They would be trained in the art of strategy and manipulation and diplomacy. They would be trained in every way a person could be trained. Therefore, there was no way the switch strategy was all she knew. So was she suggesting it because she thought it was the only skill he knew? You¡¯re thinking too much, Aiden. Thinking was good, but there were times when it became too much. And too much of anything was always bad. ¡°Do you know how to bait and switch?¡± he asked. Elaswit paused, then nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Aiden lowered his stance a little, prepared himself for speed. ¡°I¡¯ll start, you follow.¡± ¡°As long as you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Gangnar kept its eyes on Aiden. Not once had it looked away from him. It was as if Elaswit was yet to matter to it. It was why Aiden had chosen the strategy. It was why he had chosen to start it. As for why it was yet to attack? Aiden did his best not to move his attention from the gargoyle to the hole in the ground where its hand had been buried a few moments ago. His best guess was that it didn¡¯t want to stray too far from the hole. If that was correct, then there was something in the hole. Something worth killing the gargoyle for. A reward. Done with all the planning he could muster, Aiden tossed his scabbard to the side and darted forward. He ran in an arc that had him approaching from the side, placing the rising stalagmites between them to obstruct its view of him. With his updated stats he was fast, but not fast enough. Gangnar¡¯s eyes darted almost immediately. It blitzed in its sockets, followed after him. Aren¡¯t I just the perfect bait. Now he just needed a weaving before he got to it or it got to him. Something to keep him alive. The gargoyle watched him as his hands came together. It looked slightly confused yet apprehensive. Between level twenty and getting here, he¡¯d tried the effects of his new stats. And that rise in Dexterity was not playing any games. Even with the hilt of his sword in his hands, his weaving was smooth. It could be smoother, but once upon a time it had been nigh impossible. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Speed] [Effect: 30% increase in movement speed.] [Duration: 00:08:10.] Aiden felt his mana course through him. He felt charged up and his feet moved faster beneath him. He couldn¡¯t wait to hit level fifty when he could kick it up a notch and use the middling enchantments. Five steps in and a little closer to the gargoyle, the creature made its first real move. It moved its hand across its body and placed it on the ground. Its next action happened in the blink of an eye. Its entire arm blurred and Aiden terminated his course of action. He came to an immediate halt and took a very sharp right. Throwing himself to the side, he hit the ground in a roll. The entire space boomed in the wake of an explosive sound as a barrage of rocks hit the wall in the direction Aiden had been. When he came to his feet, Aiden paled slightly. He hadn¡¯t even seen the rocks cross the distance. The reaction he¡¯d had was to the disappearance of the gargoyle¡¯s arm from his sight. And all the stalagmites rising from the ground that had been between them were gone. A cold sweat ran down the side of his face when he finally realized why the gargoyle had simply been watching him. It hadn¡¯t been assessing him, it had just been confused. It had probably been wondering what he had been hoping to accomplish moving at the speed he had been moving at. Then he¡¯d picked up his speed and had become a threat. That¡¯s the difference that exists between twenty levels, he thought. If I¡¯m not careful I¡¯ll die without knowing what killed me. Bait and switch had definitely been the better strategy. Then Gangnar finally stood up with a deep groove that had not been there before in the ground beside it, and Aiden was weaving a new enchantment. [You have activated Weave of Lesser Strength] [Effect: +29% increase in strength] [Duration: 00:08:00.] Aiden felt himself grow sturdier, but that wasn¡¯t enough. As much as he now believed he could survive significantly more than he once could, he doubted the attack he¡¯d just avoided wouldn¡¯t still kill him on impact. He felt the fear of death hold him by the heel and he shook it off annoyance. He¡¯d stared death in the face far too many times to be afraid of it now. A month plus of an easy life wasn¡¯t going to make him forget eleven years of difficulty. For fuck sake! I¡¯ve died once. Gangnar paused, eyes narrowed. Perhaps Aiden¡¯s annoyance had shown on his face or maybe it was thinking of something else. Aiden didn¡¯t care. He weaved another enchantment. [You have activated Weave of Lesser Endurance] [Effect: +20% increase in endurance [Duration: 00:05:00.] Gangnar took a step towards him and a blast of red mana slammed into its back. It staggered a single step forward before catching itself. For the first time since getting here, its yellow eyes focused on something that was not Aiden. ¡°Come on!¡± Elaswit goaded it, arms raised to her sides, cleaver in one. ¡°Why don¡¯t you pick on someone your own size!¡± She was definitely not its size. Gangnar growled. It was a guttural sound that reverberated in Aiden¡¯s chest. Then it dropped forward so that its hands and feet touched the ground. It wasn¡¯t a good sign. With three enchantments coursing through Aiden, he reached into one of his many pockets and retrieved an enchanted item. Anticipate where it will be, he told himself and threw the item. Gangnar¡¯s massive body moved faster than something its size had any right to move. Aiden¡¯s enchanted item struck the ground a few paces in front of Elaswit and exploded. It burst into a flare of sparks that filled an entire space, exploding like countless fireworks, and he was already charging at it. [You have used Cube of Lesser Flames] Ganger got to the confined space, seeming to appear out of nowhere, shattering all the stalagmites that had been in its path, and staggered back. It had been caught in the explosion mid stride but not enough. Aiden had thrown the enchanted item a little too far forward. Gangnar staggered back and away from the eruption. Its eyes moved and it showed its lacking intelligence by trying to swipe the enchantment aside as if it was a physical thing. Its hand cut through the air and got caught within the sparks. It let out a pained growl, flinching away in pain. A named gargoyle was a form of evolutionary gargoyle. It gained the ability to use skills along with increased stats. And in exchange for its powerful defense, it gained a certain level of flexibility and humanoid form. ¡°Get away!¡± Aiden called out to Elaswit as he approached them, tossing another enchanted item into the fray. He didn¡¯t aim this one at the ground. Instead, he threw it straight into the sparks. When he did, he let his footwork carry him to the side so that he went around Gangnar, skidding to stop behind it. To his side was a rising stalactite, spiking up as tall as him from the ground. His interface came alive and he discarded it immediately. [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Gas] [Effect: Explosion of Methane] [Radius: 0.0012km.] Ever the good listener, Elaswit was gone before the eruption. Gangnar only had enough time to look back before the sparks erupted in a full on explosion. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Aiden placed a finger on the stalactite beside him and drew a symbol on it. You could not apply certain types of enchantments on inanimate objects. If you did, they simply did not take effect. But Aiden¡¯s enchantments cast through his class skills worked differently. [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave(U)] The moment he was done, he smacked a hand against the stalactite, right above the engraving, activating it, and jumped back and away from it as movement within the smoke and flames of the explosion caught his attention. [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Durability] [Effect: +35% increase in durability.] [Duration: 00:04:52.] Gangnar staggered out of the explosion, tongues of fire licking its body at different places. Its arm swung as it staggered, striking out at Aiden¡ªor at least where he had been. Its swinging arm struck the stalactite Aiden had left and bounced off on impact. Aiden was already moving, weaving through the rising stalagmites. The gargoyle had intelligence, but it wasn¡¯t intelligent. That was a good thing. Still littered with fire, Gangnar turned its attention. Eyes darted about, moving from stalagmite to stalagmite until it settled on Aiden. When it did, the gargoyle charged forward. It used none of the speed it had displayed earlier, barreling forward like a lumbering gorilla. Aiden continued to dart backward, dancing between stalagmites, keeping them between him and the creature as his mind continued to devise a plan. As Gangnar chased after him, smacking each stalagmite away from its front, shattering them with each swing of its arm, Elaswit chased behind it. Bait and switch was useless if all the members of the party kept the enemy¡¯s attention at the same time. Aiden¡¯s eyes made contact with Elaswit¡¯s and he nodded. Gangnar was close to him, but not close enough to be a threat. But as reassuring as that was, Aiden felt the farthest thing away from safe. Even the eye contact he had made with Elaswit had been a risk. For all he knew, Gangnar could suddenly clear the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Then why hasn¡¯t it? Aiden thought. Elaswit pulled to a stop. She held her cleaver in both hands, down and to the side, and swung it as if it was a longsword of simple weight, not the massive cleaver that it was. A diagonal slash of red mana shot out of it. The attack shattered a stalagmite before slamming into the gargoyle¡¯s back. The force of the blow staggered it forward. This time, it wasn¡¯t by a step. Gangnar staggered four steps forward before falling to its knee. Aiden stopped his fleeing. He changed his trajectory and darted forward. Gangnar raised its head the moment he did and Aiden channeled all the strength he had into changing his direction once more. [Dash] came alive. It carried away from his path and to the side. Aiden let out a pained groaned as he slammed into the side of a stalagmite, thrown off course by the skill, and was happy for it. It was a better option than what might have befallen him. On the ground, Gangnar¡¯s eyes remained on him, unflinching. Aiden had charged forward, expecting its attention to be turned on Elaswit. Luck had favored him in his survival. The question, now, was why Gangnar hadn¡¯t changed its attention? Did it consider him the greater threat now or had he just really, really pissed it off? Reaching out to its side with its left arm, Gangnar grabbed a stalagmite, its eyes never leaving Aiden. The stalagmite was dark and glistening, clearly not rock. Growing all the way to half its length from the ground was moss of the deepest green with a smattering of red. The moss stained Gangnar¡¯s hand as it pulled. It tugged at it once and the stalagmite did not budge. Then twice. Then once more. Aiden watched its muscles under cement grey flesh grow taut and bulge against its skin as the stalagmite gave way. It shattered at the bottom where it met the ground and Aiden called out a warning. ¡°Elaswit, look out!¡± Gangnar had no intentions of attacking her and he knew it. But he couldn¡¯t be lax about safety. Even now, he watched over the princess. Why? Because she was a princess and there would be no way to explain her death if she died while on an unsanctioned scenario with him? Because she was his companion for the duration of this quest? The answer did not come to him. But something else did. Gangnar lifted one foot, planted it firmly on the ground, and threw. The stalagmite cut through the air, but Aiden was already moving, covering distances to save himself. He ducked past the back of a standing stalagmite, dove into a roll. The thrown object slammed into slammed into another of its kind and erupted on impact. Debris flew about, cascading through the air with enough force to cause harm. Aiden rounded another stalagmite, moving fast. He placed it between him and all the debris. The sound of something striking the cover he hid behind told him that he had been right to take cover. Then Gangnar was in front of him. It had appeared like the herald of death. Aiden knew, now, why it had not moved so quickly before. Because the speed was a skill, not a simple action. He stepped away from his cover at the last moment, a last ditch effort to reduce the impact of what was about to happen to him. There would be no avoiding it, only suffering it. Gangnar¡¯s arm move, blurred through the distance. Another skill, Aiden noted as he raised his sword at an angle, buttressing its blade with the flat of his other palm. The outcome of this was inevitable. Gangnar struck him with the force of a falling boulder. Its entire forearm slammed into the flat of the blade of the sword, pushed it back and into Aiden, then crashed into Aiden¡¯s entire body. Pain flared in Aiden¡¯s chest and his nose. He felt something crack. Something wet stained his face, too. Wet and warm. Then he felt the wind behind his back. He shot through the air, clearing a distance he did not know. He tried to orient his body as he cascaded through the air, tumbling end over end, but his body did not listen to him. So he spun, darkness clawing at his vision as pain filled him like gas that refused to be farted or burped, growing worse with every passing second as it continued to grow, refusing to leave. Aiden¡¯s back struck something strong, something powerful. Whatever it was gave way to him. He was the unstoppable force. Again, something cracked within him. In his pain, Aiden heard nothing. But he felt it offer its allegiance to his already existing pain. The impact knocked the wind out of him. Debris flew about, buffeting him in dust and pain and bright colored moss. Aiden pulled air into his lungs instinctively and more pain filled him. Had he punctured a lung? The thought fled him as he hit the ground and bounced off it. Yet, it didn¡¯t stop him. As one skipped a fine rock along the surface of a river or lake, so he skipped along the surface of the ground. Twice. Then thrice. Then he came to a stop, his back slamming against a sturdy wall, knocking more wind out of him. He heard a sound in the distance that sounded like his name, but he couldn¡¯t be certain. He couldn¡¯t be certain of anything except for the fact that he wasn¡¯t dead yet. Something wet and warm trickled down the side of his head, down his nostrils as well. There was also a sharp taste of metal in his mouth. Slumped against whatever kept his back up, Aiden found little strength to move. Even as he wondered just how bad it was, his interface chose to give him the information he needed in numbers. [You have been dealt a Fatal Blow!] [Health 31%] [Stamina 57%] [Mana 60%] Aiden thought he heard his name once more as he discarded the notification. He could¡¯ve sworn he¡¯d started this fight with full percentages in all his life stats. And in just one blow¡­ He was having a hard time focusing on anything else. So much for bait and switch. Gangnar had decided that he was all the bait there needed to be. Elaswit wasn¡¯t of much importance to it. It didn¡¯t make sense. Elaswit was the stronger of the both of them. The bigger threat. By all accounts, Gangnar was supposed to be warier of her. You didn¡¯t keep an eye on the weaker opponent in a fight when one was clearly stronger than the other. It wasn¡¯t strategy, it was instinct. Something red flashed in Aiden¡¯s periphery. With all the pain, he could see very little. But he could see and that mattered. A guttural roar followed the flash of red. That was good, it meant he would not be dying right now. His interface popped up in front of him once more. [Health 29%] That wasn¡¯t good. Health only dropped for no reason on two occasions. One was poisoning. If you were poisoned, your health degraded over time. Since his interface had said nothing about being poisoned, he doubted that was the case. Also, he knew of no kind of gargoyle with poison as part of its attacks. Although, there were poisons so masterfully concocted that interfaces didn¡¯t inform people of their poisoning. That left Aiden with the second, obvious, reason. Blood loss. Another blast of red light filled his vision. Aiden ignored it. He had other things to focus on. One, if his blood loss continued then there would be no natural healing. His health would continue to tick down and never up. Blood clotting was one way to go. A normal person would just natural bleed to death, but there was nothing normal about anyone above the age of eighteen on Nastild. Still, he¡¯d likely be dead and gone before his blood clotted enough to allow him heal. There was another flash of red. Elaswit was really putting in the work. He couldn¡¯t let a child struggle so much to keep him alive when he was here. That¡¯s foolish talk and you know it. She wasn¡¯t a child. Not really. Even if she was younger now, she had been older than him once. He¡¯d known her older version. And even if his experience now made him the older of the two despite their physical age, it didn¡¯t matter. She was currently the stronger of the both of them. She might not be the best choice to kill Gangnar, but she was the best match at keeping it at bay. So Aiden focused on himself. He was alive. That was good. He sucked in a deep breath and winced. He could breathe. It hurt, but it was possible. That too was good. So he took shallow breaths and was happy for the absence of pain. Next came the important part. Something exploded to his side and he was pelted with small debris, pebble sized. He ignored it. Can you move? Buried within all the pain, he¡¯d been unable to focus on anything else. Now he willed himself to ignore the pain and focus on something else. His hand moved. The entire arm. It was weak, tired, like moving about when terribly sick. It sufficed. He forced his arm to move, one large action at a time. He moved his free arm since his other arm still held onto his sword, an instinct honed over years. You did not release your weapon unless you absolutely had to. When his free arm landed on his soldier¡¯s belt, he ran it along the surface of two pockets before landing on the one he wanted. Opening it, he pulled out a vial. Uncorking it was an annoyance but it was enough. Another massive move of his hand placed the mouth of the vial in his mouth. Some of its content spilled on his cheek and shoulder. Aiden prayed. He prayed he would make it in time, if he made it at all. There were no more red flashes, after all. ¡­ The sound of her blade cutting through the air did not fill Elaswit with any form of motivation today. She brought the blade to bear, deflecting another strike from the gargoyle. According to what Aiden had told her of the scenario, its name was Gangnar. Sadly, Gangnar was proving to be a bigger problem than she¡¯d expected. For one, it had completely disregarded their strategy of bait and switch. Why it had chosen to focus entirely on Aiden was what she didn¡¯t understand. She was the stronger opponent, closer to its level. It made no sense. Even when she¡¯d struck it with [Aura Strike] it had refused to take its eyes of Aiden. When it had thrown the stalagmite at him and he¡¯d dodged, she¡¯d been happy. Then the gargoyle had disappeared and everything else had been a tragedy. [You have used Class skill Sword Strike] Now she was doing her best to keep Gangnar away from him as another blast of mana struck true. Elaswit had lost count of how many times she¡¯d used this skill so far. As much as she would¡¯ve liked to use another skill, this was the only one in her arsenal that was an active attack skill. Everything else only served to buff her in some way or the other. She was, by every ramification of the term, a passive [Butcher]. [Aura Strike] cut through the air once more, struck the gargoyle in the shoulder. It left a groove in its shoulder, deeper than Elaswit had expected. She found it strange as she dodged another attack. The gargoyles they¡¯d faced in the cave were clearly weaker, but all she¡¯d been able to leave on them had been cracks at best. So why were her attacks so effective against this one? Weaving behind a stalagmite, she avoided a blow from the gargoyle. Its hand slammed into the stalagmite, shattering its top half. Elaswit came up on the other side with another [Aura Strike]. Again, she tore another slash in it, this time, she¡¯d gone for its thigh. Like all the other cuts she¡¯d given it, grey blood rose from the injuries, then solidified so that Gangnar looked like a beast walking around with scars from old battles. Elaswit could whittle it down, practically cut it to death. At least she hoped she could. With the injuries scarring over, she had no idea if the damage remained or some form of healing was taking place. She knew nothing and it annoyed her. She jumped back as the gargoyle slammed its fist into the ground. Despite the gravity of what was happening, Elaswit kept shifting glances to Aiden. Each time she looked at him, her fears grew a little more. He was a terrible mess. More blood than person. That he had even survived a blow from a creature almost at level 50 was a miracle by itself. Then he¡¯d gone through a stalagmite, kissed the ground a couple of times, and ended up in a wall was enough to have killed him. But he still lived, the slow rise and fall of his chest, his twitching arm. Elaswit was determined to get Gangnar away from him by any means necessary. This wasn¡¯t how things were supposed to go and Elaswit hated herself for it. In the beginning she had allowed Aiden take the lead because he¡¯d known far more about their situation than she had. He¡¯d uncovered the natural enchantment, had navigated the cave, and had known more about the gargoyle than she had. It was only right that she¡¯d allowed him lead. But this fight? She shouldn¡¯t have allowed him. He hadn¡¯t been strong enough. The moment she¡¯d seen Gangnar¡¯s level she should¡¯ve opted out, asked him to turn back. But she hadn¡¯t. Why? Gangnar¡¯s arm blurred. Because he was strong. Elaswit turned, twisted her hip, throwing herself to the side in a summersault. Her evasion wasn¡¯t complete and the blow clipped her thigh. Elaswit braced herself at the contact only to feel no pain. Instead, her interface came alive. [Artifact Mad King¡¯s Bar is in effect] A piece of the Mad king¡¯s staff designed to ward off attacks from skills of an opponent. Designed to keep you alive in the direr position. [Effect: 30% Magic resistance.] [Effect: 100% resistance to skill attacks for ten seconds.] Elaswit frowned at the notification when she landed on her feet. That had been a blatant waste of the artifacts uses. And that was a flaw of the artifact. You didn¡¯t get to pick and choose when it activated. But since it was up, she was going to take advantage of it. The only things she had feared from the creature were how fast it had moved in the beginning and that attack speed. Now that she knew that the specific attack was a skill she was safe from it for the next ten seconds. She might as well take advantage of it. Stepping forward, she used [Aura Strike] once more, spamming the attack. It tore into the gargoyle¡¯s leg. Rather than back away¡ªa reasonable strategy¡ªshe followed the attack with a slash to the injury. Her cleaver dug a deeper hole and she drew it free. [Mana 23%] The gargoyle howled in pain and swiped at her. She saw the hand coming and ducked away. In the fight since entering the cave, she¡¯d learnt that she could keep track of its normal attacks. Not having to look out for the skill gave her an advantage. She moved, darted around the gargoyle. Once again, she realized that she shouldn¡¯t have allowed Aiden lead this fight. What was she going to do if he died? If she could defeat the gargoyle on time, she could save him. If not, he would die. And she didn¡¯t know how to explain it to her father, or her mother. Her father had to have plans for Aiden even if she didn¡¯t know what they were. But her mother? She knew her mother¡¯s plans. As far as the queen of Bandiv was concerned, Aiden Lacheart wasn¡¯t going to be the [Hero]. But he was going to be something, and whatever it was, it was going to be great. So her plan was to find a way to tie Aiden to the kingdom. She believed he would be a powerful force in the future. And if he and his companions didn¡¯t get to go home, then she would rather he have a reason to stay in Bandiv than end up somewhere else. Elaswit¡¯s duty here, amongst other things, was to find out what could move him. What he wanted or needed. If they knew that, they could bind him to them. And, as her mother so lovingly put it, if she could make herself the thing that bound him, even better. But he has to live for that to happen. Elaswit struck at the gargoyle¡¯s leg from behind it as it tried to turn. It could heal its injury all it wanted, but if she took the leg, then that was a win for her. Once again, the gargoyle struck. Its arm blurred once more and Elaswit ignored it. She¡¯d practiced with the [Mad King¡¯s Bar] enough times to know how long her ten seconds would last. She swung into the leg once more. Her cleaver tore at the injury before the gargoyle¡¯s blood solidified, ripped a chunk of the creature¡¯s flesh out a moment before its hand came down on her. One more, she hoped. Then the hand landed on top of her, a massive fist that should¡¯ve flattened her. She pulled back for another cut when something went wrong. The weight of the hand doubled on top of her, pushed her downward. There was no damage so the artifact was acting as was expected of it, doing its job. But the weight was a different thing entirely. It pushed her down, pinned her to the ground so that her leg muscles had to work hard to keep her on her feet. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. She couldn¡¯t move her upper body. No harm was befalling her from the skill but she had been neutralized. If she tried too hard to turn, it would shift her equilibrium. The gargoyle would pin her flat to the ground. It was all she could do to stay on her feet. But staying pinned was going to be a bad situation as well. If it pinned her down for the rest of the ten seconds, [Mad King¡¯s Bar] would run out of its activation. If that happened, it could inevitably squish¡ª Gangnar pulled its bad leg back and Elaswit paled. Shit. It swung its leg forward in a vicious kick. Elaswit felt the weight of the strike, felt her rib crack, felt the pain fill her head as it struck her. Then she was sent flying. Fear and pain filled her as her interface popped up. She struck a stalagmite but didn¡¯t break through it. And despite the force of the kick and the fact that she¡¯d taken it unguarded, she was surprised at how much health she still had. [Health 43%] Breathing became hard, each one leaving her with the feeling of sharp pain. Elaswit did not need a doctor or a healer to tell her something bad had happened to her lungs. She could still move, and that was good. All she needed to do was¡ª A sharp gust of wind hit her and Gangnar was already in front of her. Fear became an accomplice once more. Not for Aiden¡¯s life, but hers. Her flight or fight response kicked in immediately and fight was the victor. She would fight to survive by any means possible. Fear would not hold her down. She was a princess, and a princess did not bow. A princess fought until the end. Fear in battle would not hold down the daughter of King Brandis. She would not shame herself in such a way. Her mind went to her cleaver but she knew she no longer had it in hand. She¡¯d lost it at some point while she¡¯d been tumbling through the air. If she was being honest, her life was something she should¡¯ve lost too. The only thing that had likely saved her was the damage she¡¯d inflicted to the leg that had kicked her. Gangnar had likely been unable to put in enough force into it. Without her cleaver, she couldn¡¯t fight. But she could still survive. She turned to her side, moved to evade whatever attack was to come next. Gangnar did not attack. The gargoyle raised its head to the stalactites above and let out an ear piercing roar. It shook Elaswit to the core and she knew what had happened even before her interface told her. [Enemy has used skill Predator¡¯s Right] Elaswit watched in fear. This couldn¡¯t be her end. She refused to die like this. She couldn¡¯t die in some random cave in some random place. She¡¯d trained all her life, tutored at the hands of the greatest the kingdom had to offer. Gangnar raised its leg, scarred and beaten, high above her. Move, dammit! [You do not have sufficient Resilience] [Resilience (Mastery 27%)] ¡­ [Skill Predator¡¯s Right takes effect] ¡­ [You are stunned.] Elaswit stared at the notification and a tear slipped from her eye. Please no. FORTY: Friend Of Foe Not for the first time, Aiden found himself missing healing enchantments. But healing enchantments were not common. They were a rare kind of enchantment. To cast them¡ªengrave them¡ªtook skill and level. A significant amount of both. And he only had one of the two right now. Even thinking of the runes and sigils he would need to create one failed him each time. It was like trying to remember something he¡¯d just forgotten. It was there but it wouldn¡¯t come. It was an enchanter thing and he¡¯d never allowed it worry him. The higher the level of the enchantment, the harder it was for the mind to make sense of it¡ªto recreate it. Off in the distance somewhere, there was a flash of red followed by an explosive sound. Aiden let out a low uncomfortable groan. Pain still racked him, pushed at him. He hated it. But it was ebbing, easing away even if a little too slowly. Missing what he had once been capable of was something he needed to learn to deal with. Power was no longer something he had. But it was something he could regain. It would just take him time. But it would be shorter time than it had taken him last time. Aiden felt one of the pains in his side dull, slowly diminishing into nonexistence. A healing enchantment would¡¯ve been a better option. Another loud sound rang through the entire space. Elaswit continued her battle off in a distance, keeping the gargoyle from returning its attention to Aiden. She was doing her best to buy him time. To keep him alive. Aiden was grateful for that. What if he tried to draw the enchantment on himself? If he used [Unarmed Engrave] it could take effect. But what enchantment would he choose. You¡¯re delirious, he told himself. Enchantments didn¡¯t work that way. At least, not at his level. People did not put enchantments on their bodies and expect them to work. It was why Aiden¡¯s class was so unique. Enchantments needed a medium to work. And while their activation required mana, they burned something else from the medium they worked through. They degraded it somehow. No one knew what exactly they burned but there was no [Enchanter] worth their weight in gold that didn¡¯t know that whatever it was killed the very existence of the medium. If you wanted to use a lightning enchantment, you cast it on an item and allowed it flow through the item to exact its effect on the target. If you wanted to put an enchantment of endurance to use, you cast it on an item and ensured that you were within its area of effect, which was usually the item. There was a saying on Nastild that a wise [Enchanter] was the one covered in a lot of clothes. And there was a reason for that. It was something about the enchantments and how they worked. They pulled the ambient mana to them and worked them in a way that caused the effects necessary. Again, it was why people used enchanted items. Items had a limited number of enchanted uses. Like the infamous and expensive [Blink Dagger]. It took a lot of work to create it, but not an unreasonable amount. And the dagger only had three uses before it shattered into countless pieces. When people looked at the final effect enchantments had on normal items, nobody wanted to know what effect it would have on their body. Most people had never seen what it looked like when a person died from using their bodies as the medium for enchantments. But Aiden was one of the few who had. It had been terrible. Another loud explosion sounded off to the corner. It pulled Aiden back to the present. As if anticipating him, his interface came to life in front of him. [Health 34%] Too slow, he groaned. But it wasn¡¯t, not really. Aiden knew that it he was healing at a good pace. The right pace. Still, a healing enchantment would¡¯ve been faster. The taste of the health potion filled his mouth. It was sharp and very slightly acrid, metallic, too, with a sharp taste of freshly cut grass. The last quality was how you knew the potency of a health potion. The stronger the taste of freshly cut grass, the more potent it was. The taste wasn¡¯t necessarily something that couldn¡¯t be gotten rid off, though. The more expensive potions, the ones that were usually customized to the users, could be flavored to order. You just had to pay. [Health 41%] Aiden stared at the notification with a frown. At forty-one percent, he was meant to still be capable of moving. He¡¯d fought losing battles against stronger enemies at forty-one percent. A person could find themselves fighting all the way to critical health levels, sometimes even until they died. But that only happened when the percentage loss was steady and even enough. The way he¡¯d lost his was different. While his body was healing, it would need to adjust. After all, the difference between losing seventy percent of your health over a steady period of time and losing it in one blow was vast. It was like losing seventy percent of your blood over time and losing it in one go. He would be surprised if anyone survived the latter. A groan slipped from Aiden¡¯s lips and he was glad for it. His body was getting better, adapting. He took a deep breath and was glad for the absence of pain. Whatever mess had happened within him, it was healing up nicely. Whatever had pierced his lung was no longer piercing his lung and his lung was healing, too. The blurriness of Aiden¡¯s vision reduced. He was beginning to see better. The light in the cave came clearer. The sound of weapons clashing echoed and Aiden pulled his attention from it. He needed to focus on what he could do right now. What potion did he have that could help him? What could speed up the process? He frowned at the answer. Nothing. Potions were like enchantments, they didn¡¯t stack. If you took a healing potion, taking another one only helped increase the toxicity of the potions effects, but you didn¡¯t heal faster. And very much like enchantments, potions came with their side effects. If you used too many enchantments over a period of time, there were kickbacks in the end. Fatigue. Pain. With potions, the effects were worse. It was why people mostly used the health, mana and stamina potions even if there were a good variety. You didn¡¯t want to over use a potion that granted night vision only to end up with a side-effect to made you unable to see in the day. Or a far sight potion that gave you blurry vision if over used. With enchantments the after effects weren¡¯t so devastating and they were never permanent. But potion abuse had often led to permanent side effects. If you over dosed on a health potion, you could find your health percentage refusing to grow past a certain percentage for a period of time. As worrying as it could be, everyone had since accepted it. If potions had terrible side effects, you simply had to follow the rules and not abuse them. It was as simple as that. For the price of discipline, anyone could use a fraction of the power of an enchantment. Potions, after all, were the flawed man-made imitation of enchantments continuously seeking perfection. The pain in Aiden¡¯s upper body was almost gone when his attention was caught by a golden glow. It pulled his eyes, and they panned to the side only to stop halfway, his attention usurped by a terrible sight. He grimaced at it. His legs were bent at odd angles. Just how bad was it? he thought. As if triggered by the sight of it, he started feeling the pain in them. Had the initial pain been so much that his brain had simply blocked it out? One of them twitched slightly, doing its best to straighten itself out and Aiden winced at the pain that shot through him. Healing so quickly wasn¡¯t always as easy as it seemed. Sometimes it came with not only relief but a little bit of pain. When it popped again, Aiden grimaced again and the vial fell from his lips. He was healing right but he was still weak, weak enough to have lost hold of the vial for a moment. There was still a little liquid left in the vial but he¡¯d gotten most of it in his mouth. Enough that it would suffice to heal him a little more before it ran out of his system. Another boom rang out, loud and powerful. It called back Aiden¡¯s attention so that his eyes shifted from his legs and their sorry state. One now straight while the other was in the process of getting there. His eyes settled on the sound of the fighting. The fight was temporarily suspended. Gangnar had its massive hand, balled in a fist, on Elaswit¡¯s head. As for Elaswit, she seemed unfazed by whatever attack had struck her, a soft golden glow filling the air around her. Her artifact, [Mad King¡¯s Bar] had most likely activated sometime during the fight. Judging by the fact that she¡¯d just taken a direct blow to the head and still stood unfazed, Aiden came to the conclusion that the gargoyle had a striking skill. It was probably the blow that moved so fast it was had to see with enough power to break the ground. But why wasn¡¯t she striking? She was in the perfect position for another attack. Aiden frowned, his brain wracking through all the possibilities when he saw it. Elaswit¡¯s legs were bent slightly forward at the knee. Her center of gravity was shifted and she was doing her best to keep her feet beneath her. She¡¯s struggling, he realized. The artifact was designed to extinguish the effects of a skill but that was all. As long as it was active, Elaswit would take no damage. From the skill. But the laws of physics still applied. If a skill was a kick that was designed to have knockback effects, [Mad King¡¯s Bar] would extinguish the kickback effect. If the effect of the kick was meant to be pain, then the artifact would extinguish the pain. However, whatever force the blow carried still applied. Physics still applied. If the kick was strong enough to send you flying, it would still send you flying. And if you ended up flying into a wall, you would take damage from the wall. Right now, that physics¡ªthat hole in the artifact¡ªwas working against Elaswit. She¡¯d taken no damage from the blow but Gangnar had adequately pinned her down with the weight of its hand and its strength. It was all she could do to stay on her feet. If she tried to swing her cleaver at the gargoyle, it would shift her equilibrium and she would be slammed into the ground. Now Aiden was beginning to panic. It has intelligence but it¡¯s not intelligent, he told himself. A half-truth designed to calm himself. Then the gargoyle pulled its leg back and Aiden paled. His hands moved frantically, forcing what strength he had to push past his weakness. Completely ignorant of Aiden¡¯s panicking, the gargoyle swung its leg forward in a vicious kick. Aiden winced even before the blow connected, but didn¡¯t look away. Elaswit was hit hard and sent flying. Unlike Aiden, however, she didn¡¯t go through stalagmites. She shot through a distance and crashed into a single stalagmite. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the kick wasn¡¯t as powerful as the blow he¡¯d taken or if the stalagmite was just that sturdy. It begged another question. Where some stalagmites simply sturdier than others or was that the stalagmite he¡¯d enforced with an enchantment earlier in the fight? The answer didn¡¯t matter as Aiden¡¯s hand touched one of the pocket¡¯s of the soldier¡¯s belt. It was at his back and he knew what was inside it. His hand unclipped the pocket, retrieved the enchanted item as quickly as it could. Aiden held in his hand a dark grey stone. It was rough around the edges but smooth where it mattered. Engraved on its surface was an enchantment of lesser binding. At this level it was weak but it would suffice. The enchantment worked by pulling in the ambient mana around and binding it to a single target. Gangnar would likely break free from it quickly but Aiden was only trying to buy time. Elaswit had been thrown far enough from the gargoyle that even a fraction of a second could be useful. Gangnar would need at least three seconds to get to her. Unless¡­ Fuck no, Aiden swore as he tried to channel mana into the stone. A faint blue wisp spilled from a small crack at the top of the stone. The item was damaged. The enchantment wouldn¡¯t take. Aiden discarded the item to the side and assumed any enchanted item behind him would be a bust. That limited his arsenal greatly. It took a significant amount of force to physically damage an enchantment that hadn¡¯t been activated. Just how much damage had he taken? Enough to cost you two broken legs and seventy percent of health in one blow. Aiden shook the thought, going for another enchanted item. He knew what this one would be as he searched through his pockets, pulling himself to a sitting position. He needed to be fast, seconds mattered a lot in a fight but they also often moved faster than seconds had any right to. His hand wrapped around the item he was looking for and relief filled him. Please don¡¯t be damaged, please don¡¯t be damaged. When he held it up, he couldn¡¯t see any damage. Good. Now he just had to¡ª Gangnar vanished in a blur of motion and Aiden¡¯s heart dropped. It had cut down the distance between it and Elaswit in a fraction of a second. Aiden couldn¡¯t believe he had forgotten about that move. Elaswit, move, he groaned. Thinking better of it, he tried something else. ¡°Move!¡± he roared with everything that he had, hoping to distract the gargoyle, return its attention to him. It was a sacrificial move on his part, but it would buy Elaswit the time of a distraction. It didn¡¯t. His voice hadn¡¯t been loud enough. He hadn¡¯t put enough strength into it. Gangnar ignored him easily. Aiden paled, barely seeing Elaswit¡¯s body rested against the stalagmite, most of it hidden from him by the gargoyle¡¯s leg. Please move, Aiden pleaded. If she died, his conscience wouldn¡¯t take it well enough. He knew himself. His guilt would go through him for getting a kid killed. She wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. He should¡¯ve talked her out of coming with him. She was stubborn but, by all that was enchanted, he should¡¯ve tried. Something. Anything. He couldn¡¯t be the reason she died. How would he forgive himself? How would he explain it to her father? Elaswit¡¯s body twitched. Aiden¡¯s heart lifted. To the side, her cleaver glinted on the ground, far from her. Too far. She had no weapon to fight with. She could summon something from her storage space but he¡¯d seen how long it took her to do it. She¡¯d be dead before it appeared. Her only option was to run. But would she be fast enough? Do something, goddammit! Aiden swore at himself. Help! his hand tightened around the enchanted item he¡¯d pulled from his pocket. It was a prism, clear and translucent with an engraving on one side. The enchantment would play a similar role as the enchantment for binding should¡¯ve played. But unlike the latter, this one would also deal damage. Elaswit would be harmed and he had no idea how much damage she could currently take. Stop fucking thinking and act! Aiden tightened his grip and channeled mana into the item. Elaswit moved, her body twisted to the side. She could escape. If she moved fast enough she could make it. She wouldn¡¯t take damage. Gangnar raised its head to the stalactites above before she could escape. Its mouth opened wide and an ear splitting roar filled the entire place. Aiden threw the enchantment. His arm froze mid throw. A new fear touched him as he realized what had just happened. They were screwed. His interface popped up, information coming to him in the fraction of a second while Gangnar¡¯s roar was still turned skywards. [Enemy Gangnar the Starter has used skill Predator¡¯s Right] The bastard had used a skill with an AoE effect to stun them. Aiden¡¯s body told him just as much. [Your Resilience is high] [Resilience (Mastery 98.98%)] ¡­ [You have built a resistance] [Skill Predator¡¯s Right does not take effect] ¡­ [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Resilience (Mastery 100.00%)]. ¡­ [Base skill with perfect mastery detected.] [Skill evolution detected] [Congratulations!] [Skill Resilience is evolving] [Skill Resilience is now skill Willpower] ¡­ [It is one thing to rise in the face of difficult odds, Prisoner #234502385739. It is another to exert control in the face of difficult odds.] [Willpower (Mastery 02.10%)]. [Exert greater control over yourself in the face of difficult odds.] Aiden¡¯s body relaxed and his arm completed its swing as if it had never been stopped in the first place. He threw the prism and it cascaded through the air, turning end over end just as his second leg popped into order sending another shock of pain through him. Ahead of him, Gangnar was done with its roar and raised its leg just over Elaswit. Aiden saw her wide eyes stare up at death. A single tear slipped from it. It was the tear of a person not ready to die. Please, Aiden begged the prism, already forcing his body to move. The prism spun. Gangnar¡¯s leg stopped its rise. Then it came down. The enchanted item bounced on the ground just beneath Gangnar. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It burst into a million tiny pieces. Aiden couldn¡¯t remember the last time he was so happy to see his interface. [You have used Prism of Lesser Lightning] [Effect: deal stun damage to living things within range of effect.] [Duration: 00:00:10] [Radius: 0.0019km] Aiden watched the wave of electricity burst from the prism as it shattered, spreading through the ground. It shot up Elaswit¡¯s body, sparks of blue white lightning crackling through her skin. She seized up at its touch, twitched in pain. At the same time, it shot up Gangnar¡¯s single leg still planted to the ground. Then it spread just as quickly as it had touched it and the gargoyle seized just as well. Aiden pulled himself from the ground, not wasting the time to check his health stat. It was over forty and that was good enough for him. For now. He pushed himself up in a flurry of movements. Pain didn¡¯t fill him as he¡¯d expected. It came, but it was numb. It was like using sore muscles after a day at the gym. Aiden ignored it, certain that the only reason the pain was this bearable was because of the weavings currently coursing through his body. Sword gripped tightly in hand, he charged forward, then activated a skill. [You have used skill Leap] His leg muscles grew taut, like tightly woven ropes, and he pushed off the ground. Aiden leapt through the air, rising over ten feet, and crossing the distance. Gangnar teetered to one side, unbalanced on one leg. Aiden landed on its massive back, legs taking purchase on wide shoulders, and raised his sword high in a double handed grip, point facing down. The weight of him teetered Gangnar in another direction, shaking Aiden off balance. Then its leg came down. Aiden looked to where Elaswit should¡¯ve been and didn¡¯t see her. His eyes moved around quickly. He saw no blood where its leg had fallen. Relief flooded him and he ran his sword into the creature. He aimed for the nape of its neck, right at the center between its two shoulder blades. Unbalanced, his sword stabbed to the side, piercing path just above its shoulder blade. Gangnar let out another roar, filled with pain and anguish. So close to the creature Aiden winced at the pain of the sound. Still, he hung on, holding on to the hilt of his sword. He pushed the blade deeper, careful not to let it get stuck. If it did, he would be left without a weapon. Gangnar¡¯s hands reached behind him suddenly. Aiden stepped to the side as it clawed at him. One hand reached for his leg and he hopped fast. He would lose this battle, but he wasn¡¯t here for a battle. He was here to save Elaswit. And, for now, she was safe. There was no need to¡ª Gangnar seized again, the action abrupt. The suddenness of it almost sent Aiden teetering off it. The injury he had dealt it would weaken it but it wouldn¡¯t kill it. Gargoyles only died when their hearts were pierced or their heads were lopped off. There was also the option of beating them to death, but he doubted he or Elaswit had the ability to beat a level 49 to death. So he withdrew his sword and leapt off its back. Aiden hit the ground with a thud a good distance a way, his legs almost buckling under him. The drop hadn¡¯t been that high. At least not enough to make his legs buckle at his level. But he understood why. His body was still healing, catching up to full strength. With an eye on Gangnar Aiden stepped back. The gargoyle reached behind it in pain, screeching and growling. Clawed fingers scratched at the injury as if at an itch impossible to reach. As for Aiden, he needed to use the time to find Elaswit, so he moved as the last signs of the enchantment of lesser lightning died out. He ran around a stalagmite, eyes darting around, doing his best to ignore the dying discomfort specifically in his legs. Past two stalagmites, he caught sight of a boot. Its craftsmanship was grand as was the case with royalty. He also clearly recognized it. After all, there were only two of them here. How sure are you no unlucky bloke stumbled in here and died? Aiden ignored the thought and made a path straight for Elaswit. He glanced at Gangnar as he ran, kept an eye on the creature. It was done trying to reach for its injury. Where Aiden had stabbed was covered up now. Sealed in solidified cement-like blood. Now the gargoyle was searching. Aiden ducked behind another stalagmite, avoiding its attention when it turned its eyes in his direction. A good distance away from him, behind another stalagmite, Elaswit rested, chest heaving. Aiden had a feeling it had nothing to do with being tired. He watched fragments of light appear in her hand, preceded by the appearance of two vials. Health and stamina, Aiden guessed. As a [Butcher] he doubted she needed much in the way of mana. Her hands shook as she picked up one of the vial, lips quivering. Aiden watched her, then watched Gangnar. The gargoyle turned in annoyance and swung an angry arm into a stalagmite. Right now the entire area was running very low on stalagmites. They were running out of places to hide and put between them and the thing. On her end, properly hidden, Elaswit managed to get a vial to her lips. Some of the liquid spilled on account of her trembling hands but she gave it no attention. When the vial touched her lips, she pressed it against them as if scared that if she didn¡¯t it would just spill all over her chest. Aiden pitied the girl. She had been going on adventures but not as an adventurer. Whether she had liked it or not, she had been going as a princess. She¡¯d seen danger but she¡¯d never truly experienced it. With guards looking over her shoulders against her own will, there had always been that inkling of safety, that believe that she wouldn¡¯t die. He was impressed, despite that she had jumped in to save him without hesitation. It had been bravery. But bravery was sometimes overcoming a fear you knew. Elaswit had overcome the fear of facing a significantly more powerful opponent without safety. Now she¡¯d faced a new type of fear. The fear of death. It had looked her in the eye and taken her measure as a person, then it had given her back. What happens now? Aiden thought. How would she come out of it? He might have unwittingly destroyed a future with the [Empty Berserker] in it. If she didn¡¯t come out of this stronger, if this traumatized her, she would not get to become the powerhouse that she¡¯d grown to be on this side of Nastild. Aiden let out a tired sigh and retrieved a vial from one of his pockets as Gangnar smashed something else. He uncorked the vial and placed it to his lips only to pause. How many of these have I had? he asked himself. He¡¯d spaced its usage over time since they¡¯d entered the cave. But at this point it was hard to tell if he was getting anywhere near toxic levels. The health potion hadn¡¯t worried him because it was health and he had needed it not to die. With a frown, he downed the contents of the mana potion, placed the empty vial quietly on the ground and pulled out a stamina potion. He downed that one, too. Side effects be damned. He needed to survive this fight before he worried about his toxicity levels. He also needed to worry about Elaswit. You got her into this mess. You get her out. To do that, Aiden needed a plan, a way out. He took a quick glance out of his cover. Gangnar the Starter remained angry, beating into anything around it. It was only a matter of time before it got to them. Aiden checked on Elaswit. Her vial was empty and she was on the second one, hand still shaking. Don¡¯t drop the vial, he thought, watching the first one, the empty one, on her shaking hand. She drank the content of the second one, eye staring at nothing. Was she in shock? He hoped she wasn¡¯t in shock. Still, he could understand it. Most people thought a near death experience was a thing to be handled when it happened with a breakdown to be experienced long after, when things had calmed down. But what Elaswit had experienced was different. She hadn¡¯t just stared death in the face, she¡¯d stared death in the face, fought to survive, ended up being helpless, and had been saved. As far as she was concerned, she had survived by no means of her own, and not for want of trying. She had tried, and she had failed. She has to face the fact that she is weak. That comfortably removed her from Aiden¡¯s plans. He couldn¡¯t endanger her anymore than he already had. Once again, he had to remind himself that she wasn¡¯t a child. She was a grown adult that could handle her¡ª You can¡¯t possibly have learnt nothing from Onrad! Drawn between his urge to treat her as an adult and his urge to go in alone for her safety, Aiden ripped his eyes from Elaswit and checked on Gangnar. The gargoyle had stopped smashing things and was moving around slowly. It didn¡¯t even look like it was searching. How the hell do I kill it? Aiden had nothing strong enough to pierce its heart. And even if he did, how would he get in front of it. His eyes roamed, taking stock of the entire area that he could see. Think, Aiden. Think. The gargoyle was slowly returning to its original spot where they had found it in the beginning when Aiden¡¯s attention settled on a possible solution. In a portion of the area there was a solitary stalagmite standing tall and proud when the ones around it had fallen. It was exactly where Elaswit had almost died. It had to be the one he¡¯d used [Unarmed Engrave] on. If that was the case, it had to be strong enough for what he wanted. A plan formed in his mind but it was incomplete. Risky too. He raised his head, looked above him. Stalactites stared down at him. Each one looked sharp and dangerous. He frowned. If he could bring them down, it would be a win. At least a possible win. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this, he thought. No reasonable level 29 would consider fighting something twenty levels above it alone. You¡¯ve done worse. He had. But that didn¡¯t matter right now. The truth was that he hadn¡¯t fought Gangnar alone. He¡¯d had a great deal of help. Its injuries had scabbed over, but Gangnar was far from a hundred percent. Gargoyle injuries scabbed over but it didn¡¯t mean their health regenerated because of it. Gangnar was weaker and he knew it. He shot Elaswit one last glance, just in time to catch the last fragments of the dying light of her storage space, hand still trembling under it. Her face was a mask of forced determination. She was pushing herself. The moment the light vanished, a cleaver landed in her hand. She caught it by the hilt but the end of the blade, hit the ground with a thud. A low growl filled the air and Aiden knew what he had to do. Improvise. He had a plan, but not a complete way to execute it. With Elaswit not in proper condition, he only had one option. I¡¯ll just wing it, he thought. He drained a stamina potion in one go, and darted out of cover. He charged in an arc, going at Gangnar from the side. Gangnar¡¯s attention moved from the general direction of Elaswit and yellow eyes sharpened on Aiden. Aiden came to a stop next to one of the five remaining stalagmites left. His hand hit it and he drew a quick enchantment on it. [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave(U)] He activated the enchantment only a moment before Gangnar disappeared in a blur and dived out of the way. [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Durability] [Effect: +35% increase in durability.] [Duration: 00:04:52.] The stalagmite exploded in a spray of rubble almost immediately. Gangnar had crashed into the thing, turning it to nothing but a stump of itself. Aiden rolled to his feet to the sight, but there was hope. Gangnar lay on top of the stump. It looked dazed. It hadn¡¯t been what he¡¯d been hoping for but it was still a plus. I¡¯ll take it, Aiden thought. Only four more. But first. He touched his sword and drew an enchantment on it. [Unarmed Engrave] triggered. The sword glowed a soft blue, then turned a deep orange and Aiden felt his mana drop. It was a price to pay. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Flame] Then Aiden darted in. He rushed Gangnar with a plan in mind. The initial plan had been to bring the stalactites above down on Gangnar, wear it out. But he had no long range attack that could help him do that. That was where Elaswit should¡¯ve come in. Now, he had other plans. Aiden slashed a gash into Gangnar¡¯s leg as it stumbled to get up. Roaring in pain, it dropped to a knee. The gash was deep and Aiden was happy to see it. The enchantment he¡¯d cast would barely last five minutes. Until then, however, he would be the adventurer with a burning sword. It wasn¡¯t necessarily burning, but red hot had to suffice. Aiden charged Gangnar again. It swung a chaotic arm at him and he sidestepped it, cutting upward as it swung past him. His strike took a finger and Gangnar bellowed in pain and rage. That surprised Aiden. The finger not the pain and the rage. He skipped backwards, away from it, staring at the sword in confusion. Why hadn¡¯t he thought of this since the beginning. Because it was fast and powerful and could kill you in a single blow. It was funny. He¡¯d taken a single blow from it and hadn¡¯t died. It was common sense not to fight a melee opponent with a significantly higher level than you in close quarters. But it was different now. Gangnar was weakened. Apart from its skills, it was slower. You just have to not get hit, Aiden told himself. I¡¯m sure you can do it. Gangnar leveled angry eyes at Aiden and he knew what that meant. It was about to charge. He was sure of it. In its anger, it would want to get to him in an instant. Aiden moved to change his direction when he suddenly felt heavier. Fuck, he swore as his notification told him why. [Weave of Lesser Speed has deactivated] If the weaving had run out, it could only mean that the strength weaving he¡¯d done would be running out next. Continuing this fight without any enhancement would be suicide. He dived but it wasn¡¯t Gangnar he avoided. A blast of rubble blew past him as he hit the ground. Gangnar hadn¡¯t used whatever skill gave it unreasonable speed. It has a cool down. Aiden almost grinned. It meant he didn¡¯t have to worry about sudden bursts of speed, just the one time and then a touch of reprieve before another. What about the swinging blow? Think, Aiden. The answer he was looking for came to him, too. The gargoyle had never used the skill consecutively either. Aiden almost laughed at himself. His fear of dying as well as his urge to remind himself that he was no longer powerful and needed to be careful had led him into a stupid fight. How the hell did I not think of this? He charged Gangnar again, hands weaving a quick sign. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have activated Weave of Lesser Lightning] [Effect: Deals lightning damage.] [Effect: 30% chance of dealing stun damage] [Duration: 00:03:00] Electricity went through his body and channeled itself into his sword. Aiden saw a crack run halfway up the blade from the hilt. The weapon¡¯s durability was dropping significantly. It couldn¡¯t handle all the enchanting. Try and last just a little longer. [Weave of Lesser Strength has deactivated] Aiden ignored it and was already swinging by the time he got to Gangnar. He ducked under an angry blow and tore a gash behind its elbow. Gangnar pulled its arm back with a roar, but Aiden was still moving, feet carrying him about in sword stances. He spun, twirled his cracked sword and cut another injury into its side. Gangnar turned to strike but Aiden was already gone from there. Have to be careful, he told himself as he cut it behind the one knee still keeping it up. We don¡¯t know how long the cool down for the skills are. A massive open arm came down on him and for a moment he almost stabbed his sword through it. He didn¡¯t. Turning, instead, he took its thumb in one swing. Gangnar roared. He was beating it down. Injuries were scabbing over in solidified gargoyle blood but fingers were not regenerating. What was the purpose of naming a gargoyle if they lost their durable skin in exchange? Right now being named felt like a stupid thing. Was it the intelligence that came with it? Right now the intelligence was doing nothing for Gangnar. Aiden turned, sword spinning and brought it down on Gangnar¡¯s hand. It was placed flat on the ground, keeping it from toppling over. The blade of his sword cut a clean line through it. He severed the top half of the hand from the rest of it, effectively taking all its fingers. [You have dealt a Critical Blow!] When Gangnar roared, Aiden felt the pain in the roar. But there was no rage, no anger. Only fear. Named gargoyles knew what fear was? Intelligence truly was a double edged sword. Gangnar forced itself back, stumbling away from Aiden. It was an odd sight to watch a more powerful opponent try to flee from him. Watch out for those skills, he reminded himself. Let¡¯s not go getting cocky. Remember what happened when it hit you. How could he forget. It was just moments ago. He stood ahead of the gargoyle, perhaps thirty feet between them. The fear was in the creature¡¯s eyes as it focused on him. The shoulder of its good hand twitched and Aiden dived again. The hand was a blur of motion that gouged out the ground beside it. Massive chunks of earth went flying, missing Aiden. Aiden heard a sound and thought he was imagining it. He thought he¡¯d just heard Gangnar whimper. Now I just have to watch out for the speed, he noted, then charged the creature. It remained on the ground, resting on its ass, struggling to stay away from him, when he got to it. Aiden side stepped, moved himself to its half-hand the moment he got within reaching distance of its feet. Unsurprisingly, it tried to kick at him, shove him away. The attack missed and Aiden was already bringing his sword down on the one good hand. Gangnar cried out. Aiden ignored it and activated a skill. [You have used skill Leap] He sent him high and Aiden steadied himself as he came down. Aimed for its heart. There was nothing that told him the creature could use the skill that gave it speed while lying down or to move upwards but his fear. And he wasn¡¯t going to allow fear hinder him right now. When he landed on Gangnar it was with a sword to its heart. The hot blade bit into its chest. Sheathed itself halfway into it. No notification came up and Aiden knew he hadn¡¯t stabbed deep enough. Gangnar, however, seized up lightly. [You have stunned Gangnar the Starter] That was good. Here¡¯s to hoping, he thought as he weaved a new hand sign, both hands still on the hilt of the sword. All that increase in dexterity was paying off. [You have activated Weave of Lesser Strength] [Effect: +23% increase in strength] [Duration: 00:05:00.] The effect and duration were less, but still enough for what he needed to do. With all the might he could muster, he forced the sword deeper. It slid in and Gangnar roared like a vengeful god. It shook the air around him, sent the entire place trembling. It took Aiden only a moment to realize that it wasn¡¯t the air that had shook, it was something else. He paused, staring down at Gangnar¡¯s terrified eyes. Please tell me it isn¡¯t true. He shoved the rest of the blade into its chest and a new notification popped up. [You have dealt a Critical blow!] [You have dealt a Fatal blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gangnar the Starter- Level 50]. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 29 --> 35] [You are now Level 35] Even as strength from each level filled him, Aiden paled. His eyes could only focus on one part of the notifications. [Congratulations! You have slain Gangnar the Starter- Level 50]. The air wasn¡¯t what had trembled at the sound of Gangnar¡¯s dying roar. It had been something else. The ambient mana was what Aiden had felt tremble, which could only mean one thing from what his interface was telling him. A manifesting skill, Aiden thought in worry. A level fifty skill. His interface wobbled in front of him as it gave him the bad news. Gangar had attained a manifesting skill right before its death. Reached level fifty. [Gangnar the starter has used manifesting skill Friend of Foe] [You do not have sufficient Willpower] [Willpower (Mastery 02.10%)] ¡­ [Skill Friend of Foe takes effect in 00:00:07] ¡­ [00:00:06] Pain filled his head and Aiden racked his brain, confused. Terrified. He wouldn¡¯t be under the effect of the skill forever. But he would fight until everything Gangnar had considered an enemy was dead. In Elaswit¡¯s currently condition, she wouldn¡¯t last against him. She could barely even hold her cleaver properly right now. [00:00:05] Think, Aiden, he panicked, gritting his teeth against the pain. It felt like someone was pushing needles into his ears. How does it take effect? He knew the skill [Friend of Foe]. It was a skill people hated, designed to turn enemies into allies. It was a mind effect skill. And how did skills like that work? [00:00:04] By poisoning mana. It infiltrated the mana of the affected person through some means with the will of the caster, then tunneled its way to the mind. The timer was how long the skill took to breach the affected¡¯s mind. In Aiden¡¯s case, seven seconds was generous. There had to be a way out of it. Aiden refused to kill Elaswit just after she¡¯d saved his life and he¡¯d done his best to save hers. Think! [00:00:03] An answer came and Aiden¡¯s eyes widened at the madness of it. It was dangerous, terribly so. And it would hurt greatly. It¡¯s that or become the wrong type of murderer. That was not an option. Aiden placed his hands together. His knees buckled under him from the pain in his head and he weaved an enchantment no normal person would weave on themselves intentionally. When it took effect, the pain of needles piercing his ears was a distant caress in its wake. [You have cast Weave of Lesser Madness] Aiden went into a fit. He fell to his knees, screaming in pain and agony. Tears spilled from his eyes and he frothed at the mouth. The enchantment was designed to scramble the ambient mana. Everything about mana, no matter how chaotic it seemed had an order¡ªa pattern. As he had been taught once, all mana¡ªambient or otherwise¡ªhad a flow. Active skills took advantage of that flow and so did passive skills. And mana was in everything. The air, water, light, darkness. If it existed, it possessed mana. Even abstract concepts such as love, which was a difficult thing to follow, was supposed to have its own type of mana. Even if there was yet to be a living being capable of manipulating the more abstract types. [Enchantment of Lesser Madness] threw that flow into disarray. It took a calm river and shook it, gave it waves and created tectonic shifts right at the bottom of it. Now that he¡¯d used it on himself Aiden was the conduit for it. And he was the mana. It scrambled his mana within him and he screamed in tortured pain. It was like a thousand flashbangs going off inside him. Like ants burrowing into his skin and chewing at his brain. It was hell and Aiden begged for death. And hell lasted for only three seconds Then it was gone. As if it had never been. It was a terrible lie. Aiden felt as if nature had just gaslighted him into believing that terrible things had just happened to him. But the feeling was there. The pain. The dread. The plea for death. All of them present like the effects of a dream you couldn¡¯t remember but knew how it made you feel. Aiden was slightly ashamed of the plea for death part of it. But it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. He could always take that to his inevitable grave one day. Still, it was a better option than turning on Elaswit. Aiden let out a tired breath as he looked at his notification, glad for what he saw. [00:00:02] ¡­ [Weave of Lesser Madness has deactivated] ¡­ [Manifesting skill Friend of Foe does not take effect] Aiden stumbled back to his feet. That was good. Now he just had to get his spoils and get the hell out of here. Hopefully, Elaswit would be a little useful. A new notification popped up in front of him. [Congratulations!] ¡­ [Unique Scenario: Advent of the Demon King 1.] You have found the first known point of invasion of the Demon King into this world. The young followers, eager to make a name for themselves, have found their way into this world ahead of time. They are paving the way, raising an army. Vanquish the early signs of the Demon King¡¯s arrival before it is too late. [Scenario objective completed: Defeat Gargoyle 18/18.] [Scenario objective completed: Defeat Gangnar the starter 1/1] [Reward: Unique skill.] ¡­ [You have gained a unique skill: Pathfinder] ¡­ [Pathfinder (Mastery 00.00%)(U)] [One with the world, you will always find your path to your destination. As long as you know where it is and or could be, you will find the path there.] Aiden read it twice. It didn¡¯t necessarily sound like much but it was truly a unique skill. Which was odd because the [Enchanter] class had no business with it. But you¡¯re not an enchanter, though, he told himself. You¡¯re a [Weaver]. And what specifically is the [Weaver] that you are. Aiden frowned. Regardless, it was something to ponder on elsewhere. Elsewhere being not here. ¡°Got to check on the princess,¡± he muttered to himself. He placed a hand to his head, feeling a headache coming. He looked around. ¡°Now where is¡ª¡± A flash of bright red came alive in his periphery and he stepped to the side on reflex. A part of it shattered against Gangnar¡¯s corpse. What was left of it shot past him. I didn¡¯t mistake that, right? Aiden groaned. I guess its reach was quite far. Aiden turned, grabbed his sword and pulled it from Gangnar¡¯s chest. It took two pulls before it came free. With a sigh, he turned and held the sword down and to the side in one arm. Then its bright orange glow dimmed then went out. The electricity stopped crackling through it. Then it crumbled. Aiden groaned. This is going to be a problem. ¡°Any chance we can do this with a conversation?¡± he asked. In the distance, Elaswit stood, calm, cleaver held in front of her. Her eyes glowed a soft yellow. Aiden took a very deep breath and let it out. This, he frowned, tired, is going to be a problem. FORTY-ONE: New Plan Dodging wasn¡¯t really a problem. But with the headache slowly growing in his head, Aiden was having a hard time of it. When was the last time he¡¯d gotten a headache? He couldn¡¯t remember. Again, he leaned to the side, bent at the waist to avoid a diagonal slash from a cleaver. Elaswit¡¯s expression was empty as she attacked him. She moved with him, footsteps carrying her so that she kept track of him. She¡¯d attacked Aiden on top of Gangnar¡¯s corpse and had forced him down to the ground. That brief encounter had taught Aiden that she still had a lot of strength left in her. Footwork¡¯s sloppy, though, he noted, narrowly avoiding a kick to the ribs. [Friend of Foe] was a powerful skill because it pulled your enemies to become your allies. It was a named gargoyle specialty but not all of them manifested it at level fifty. Some manifested it at level hundred. In lesser gargoyles, those not named, it affected lesser beasts and monsters only. But, despite the power of [Friend of Foe], it had one weakness. Those under its effect lost their intelligence. Or at least a certain level of it. All they did was fight on instinct. Their bodies simply repeated skills and actions ingrained into them, instincts honed over time, maybe months or years of practice. And that was it. The strength of the skill, however, was that those affected by it knew nothing about holding back. They struck with all that they had until they had nothing. Until they were nothing. Elaswit swung at Aiden¡¯s head and he leaned back rather than duck forward. When he did, blade swinging past him, cutting the air in front of him, he stretched his leg out. He hoped to destabilize her, perhaps knock her feet out from under her. Elaswit spun into her attack easily, avoiding his foot. She brought her cleaver up, twirled it once above her as if it were a simple longsword before she brought it down violently. Aiden survived once more by the skin of his teeth, stepping to the side almost immediately. His legs were pelted with pieces of rocks displaced from the broken ground. The little exchange taught him one thing. Elaswit was faster than him. She was reacting just as well, matching his speed and attempting to surpass it. What level is she? Aiden found himself wishing he¡¯d taken her up on her offer to exchange their details. In hindsight, that would¡¯ve been useful. If I was planning on fighting her. Moving into a variation of footwork he had learnt from the Order, his feet carried him away from Elaswit. He moved backwards as if he was a man staggering away from losing his footing. He moved fast and he moved quick. Elaswit did the same. You¡¯ll have to fight her, he thought as she followed him around the place. It was a funny thought considering he was doing his best at fighting her. Right now he had no idea what her level was. He couldn¡¯t get a complete read on facing her without more information. You beat The Demon of Nel Quan. Aiden almost snorted at that. He¡¯d beat Jang Su, a simple boy. The Demon of Nel Quan was who the boy would one day become. Elaswit swung her cleaver in an upward, diagonal slash and red mana burst from it. Just great, Aiden thought. With the way he was running, she¡¯d caught him at an odd angle, dodging was almost impossible. Almost. [You have used skill Leap] Aiden soared high into the air and the arc of red mana whizzed past beneath him. It cut a groove into the ground as it passed and Aiden took note of it. The few times he¡¯d seen Elaswit use the skill across a distance, it hadn¡¯t left grooves that deep in the ground. So either her mastery had risen quite well or her increase in level was quite good. There was also the possibility that she was simply funneling too much mana into the skill. It was why he couldn¡¯t simply beat her as he¡¯d defeated Jang Su. Fighting Jang Su had been different from this. For one, Jang Su hadn¡¯t been trying to kill him. Also, the boy hadn¡¯t been allowed the use of skills. He had no weapon. And while he¡¯d out-leveled Aiden, he¡¯d been a novice. Jang Su had been new to the craft. New to the violence. Aiden had possessed eleven years of unarmed and armed combat experience against far more terrifying foes. Aiden had had skill and strength. Jang Su had just been a boy. A strong boy, but a boy nonetheless. Even then, it had taken a lot out of him to win that fight. And he hadn¡¯t even won it. Elaswit, however, had years of experience fighting against a human opponent. Surely she¡¯d been fighting with different weapons from the moment she was old enough to hold a sword or a spear. The moment Aiden¡¯s feet touched the ground, he darted left, around a standing stalagmite. One of the remaining four in the place. Its top shattered as he dashed past it, exploding in a bright red. Elaswit was really putting her all into each swing. I should be able to wear her down, Aiden reasoned as he ran. But there was a slight problem with that plan and he knew it. When a [Butcher] ran out of mana, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. They were not a mana dependent class. As long as a [Butcher] had sufficient stamina, they remained a threat. Elaswit¡¯s eyes trailed Aiden as he moved, lifeless. Empty. For a moment he was reminded of the [Empty Berserker] that she had been. A title the people had chosen to bestow upon her. It had been a hybrid of what she had become by herself and what she had become to the people. Aiden thought about weaving an enchantment onto himself as he ran but his body twitched negatively at the idea. He had a headache. It wasn¡¯t throbbing yet, but it was there, considering if it should start throbbing. He didn¡¯t care what anybody said, but when you used enough enchantments or potions and your body started showing qualities of any possible ailment, it was always a sure sign to stop doing whatever you were doing. The last thing he needed right now was to weave an Enchantment of Lesser Lightning or something, just to find himself helpless on the floor with some unhealthy seizure. No. I have to tire her out myself. Aiden changed direction abruptly. He made a straight dash at Elaswit. If he could see her attack coming, he could dodge it. And while tiring her out was a good idea, he was beginning to think he¡¯d be the one to go down first. After all, there was no way he had more stamina than she did. So he had a new plan. Disarm her. Every other plan would come after. Improvising, after all, wasn¡¯t always a bad thing. Elaswit ignored his charge and swung her sword above. The red mana blasted to the stalactites above and Aiden swore under his breath. There was a loud crash as mana met stalactites and they fell, sharp spikes aimed to skewer. Aiden moved, feet dancing as three stalactites fell. The first shattered against the ground where he would¡¯ve been if he¡¯d kept charging forward. He slithered away, steps carrying him until he was completely out of harms way as the rest hit the ground around him. It annoyed him slightly that this had been a part of his plan against Gangnar only for him to end up improvising because she hadn¡¯t been available to execute it. Now she was using it against him as a part of her plan. The moment he was free of the chaos of falling stalactites, Elaswit was already charging him. Fuck it. Aiden ran into her as well. He kept his eye on her cleaver while also keeping the attention he could spare on the rest of her. Right now, her skill was his biggest threat. He didn¡¯t think it would kill him, but it would hurt. At a higher level the skill would¡¯ve been deadlier, capable of cutting his current self in half with one blow. But Aiden remembered what it had done to the stalagmite when she¡¯d attacked him. The top of the stalagmite had shattered not been severed. Even if it was like a sword strike, the skill was more blunt force that sharp edged. When they met at the end of their run, Elaswit stepped into a powerful swing. Aiden did not dodge. He did not step away or duck from the blow. Instead, he stepped into it. Here goes nothing. He switched into a variation of the Order¡¯s one armed combat. Defensive hand raised to the side, he turned at the hip, tightened his shoulder blades and supported his wrist with his other hand. The back of his hand connected with the wrist of Elaswit¡¯s swinging arm, striking wrist and sword hilt. Aiden grimaced as pain filled his hand. Just how much strength was the princess working with? The technique was designed to disarm a swinging opponent from their weapon. Unfortunately, while Elaswit¡¯s hold faltered, her cleaver did not fall from her hand. Aiden scowled. Still, he now had an advantage. So close to her, her cleaver was practically useless. If he could maintain this distance between them, he could ignore the massive cleaver. So he did. Elaswit stepped back, trying to get away from him, and he closed the space back with a single step, hands moving, attacking. His first strike caught her against the cheek with a closed fist just below the eye. The next one struck her mouth. The third struck as true as the second, breaking the skin of her lips and drawing blood. The fourth¡ª Elaswit drove her head into Aiden''s, headbutting him. Aiden¡¯s reeled back from the blow and hands shot out in front of him on instinct. He grabbed at her as his vision swirled and his headache became an adamant throbbing pain. The last thing he needed was to have any real space between them while he was disoriented. His hands took purchase on something. Aiden had no idea what it was, but it felt like cloth or hair. All he knew was that it was soft and his hold was strong. Thinking only of his safety, the rest was unimportant. With his vision swirling, he pulled himself forward. He received another blow to the head for his worries, straight into his nose. He tasted blood, smelled it, too, and heard something crack. His legs threatened to buckle under him and his hold weakened. No. He willed himself to act. Fingers clamped back shut. His hold tightened and he pulled himself forward and to the side. He smacked into something, body against body. It was firm but soft. Vision still swirling, he held on tight. Elaswit would have to drop her cleaver if she wanted to do any real damage. She did not. Instead she hugged him. That didn¡¯t matter. Aiden had successfully isolated the real threat of the cleaver, now he just had to¡­ Elaswit squeezed. Her hug tightened and Aiden¡¯s breathing became strained. A groan slipped from Aiden¡¯s lips as pain filled his chest. The princess had him in a bear hug. A powerful one. His hands left whatever they were holding, his mind panicking for a second as his ribs suffered under the weight of her hug. His hands went down and beside him. They took purchase on Elaswit¡¯s arms and tried to pry them loose. Aiden tugged and shoved and pulled and grabbed. Nothing worked. His vision had stopped swirling but now it was darkening at the edges. The pommel of Elaswit¡¯s cleaver was digging into his back. She wasn¡¯t large enough for her arms to completely wrap around him in a proper bear hug. So one hand held onto the wrist of the other hand behind him and she continued to squeeze. Somewhere at the edge of pain Aiden remembered that while he was the right size for his age, maybe even more fleshed out than he had been at this age in his previous life, he really needed to add more weight. Focus! he scolded himself while his hands continued to scramble for his freedom. He thought he felt something crack and hoped it was all in his head. Calm yourself! It took him time to obey. Years of experience fought to usurp instinctual panic. While his arms relaxed a little, he did his best to make sure his entire body did not relax with them. The last thing he wanted was his body succumbing to Elaswit¡¯s power. Just how much does she have in her strength stat? Pain still filled his head with his headache, some spread farther about, crushing his entire chest from the punishment Elaswit was inflicting on him. Aiden would¡¯ve liked to count on her violence, hoping she would throw him to the side with all her strength like they did in the movies, mistaking destruction for greater pain. But that was stupid. Any fighter knew that the moment you had your opponent in a disadvantageous position, you did not go throwing them into tables and televisions¡ªor in this case, the ground or other stalagmites. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. When Aiden got some modicum of control back, he looked down at Elaswit. He met her eyes and found her face strained. She wasn¡¯t suddenly fighting against the compulsion of the skill. She was straining to exact the amount of strength she was using to crush him. He raised both arms to his side, hands open, then clapped her ears with all the force he could muster. The sound of the attack was loud and reverberated through the open area. Elaswit released him immediately, crying out in pain as she staggered back. She raised her hands to her ear and covered them in pain. Only one hand covered an ear successfully. The other hand was having a problem since it was currently occupied by her cleaver. She bent at the waist, almost doubled over in pain, gripping her ears in pain as best as she could. Aiden had never been so glad that [Friend of Foe] did not turn the affected into some kind of painless foe. He charged her immediately. Elaswit caught sight of him and moved to avoid him. She pulled her head from its vulnerable position. Raised it and pulled it back. Aiden ignored it and went for her legs. First, he would take her balance. Even the [Butcher] class needed good footing to use their cleavers properly. He kicked her ankle, stepped to the side as she pulled her leg back in pain, and kicked her in the thigh. The kick shook her and she swung her cleaver at an odd angle. Aiden danced away, easily avoiding the strike. His head continued to ache but his vision was no longer so bad. Elaswit¡¯s cleaver bit into the ground with so much force it almost buried a great portion of itself in the ground. Aiden shook out his leg. Kicking her thigh had been like kicking a brick wall. Elaswit tugged on her cleaver once. When it didn¡¯t come free immediately, Aiden rushed her. He feinted to the side, aimed at an angle where she would need her sword arm to stop him. She hesitated for only a moment¡ªprobably torn between trying to pull the weapon out one more time and defending herself¡ªbefore releasing the cleaver. Aiden had been hoping for it but hadn¡¯t been sure she would take the bait. He turned, caught the swinging hand in both hands, and threw her over his shoulder. She hit the ground with a massive thud. Maneuvering himself, he locked his legs around the arm and fell back, putting her in an arm lock. Submission was not the plan. ¡°I hope you forgive me for this,¡± he said to her. Then he broke her arm, dislocated it at the elbow. Elaswit screamed in pain. She tried to bring her arm to her chest. Perhaps she was trying to cradle it. Aiden let her have it. The very short moment where she retrieved the hand gave him another opportunity. It was exactly what he needed and he scrambled after her. He swung his arm under her armpit. It took her a moment to react, but he¡¯d already gotten her in another lock. Hands clasping each other behind her head, he had her at an odd angle, his shoulder pushing up her arm as he caught her neck in the crook of his elbow. With all the force he could muster, he squeezed and didn¡¯t let go. Elaswit thrashed about, tried to shake him off. Aiden still didn¡¯t let go. He leaned into the technique, put all that he had into it so that he squeezed with everything that he was. At an angle so odd, Elaswit tried and failed to maneuver her way out of it. ¡°Come on, princess,¡± Aiden groaned, squeezing tighter. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± He didn¡¯t know how long they stayed like that, him squeezing and Elaswit thrashing. But it couldn¡¯t have been so long. It was only a matter of time before she relaxed in his grip. Then she went limp. Aiden released her immediately, then rolled on his back. A deep, loud and relieved sigh escaped his lips and he stared up at the tips of the stalactites above. They stared right back at him, deadly weapons if only they were used. Aiden wasn¡¯t completely sure what he¡¯d done would work. For all he knew, when she woke up¡ªwhenever that would be¡ªElaswit might still be under the compulsion to cut him in half. Still, this had been the lesser of two dangers. At some point in the fight, he¡¯d considered releasing her from the skill she was under the way he¡¯d released himself. With [Walking Canvas] he would¡¯ve probably been able to influence her with a weaving of lesser madness. But the risks would¡¯ve been too great if it was successful. And not for her. With how his body was feeling and how much he had put it through, he had no idea what the weaving would¡¯ve done to him. For all he knew, it could¡¯ve broken him mentally or done far worse damage than he could possibly imagine. There had also been the fear of the pain that had come with it the first time. Aiden didn¡¯t want to admit it, but a pain that had made him beg for death wasn¡¯t something he wanted to go through a second time so readily. Aiden laid there, staring at the ceiling above for a while longer. He was catching his breath, getting his bearings about him. He¡¯d been through a lot, and Gangnar had been a special kind of menace. How many levels would I have gotten if I¡¯d fought it alone? It was a good question. But a better question was if he would¡¯ve survived if he had fought it alone. He wasn¡¯t completely sure he would¡¯ve. But at least he¡¯d completed his quest, finished the scenario. He hadn¡¯t expected to level up as much as he¡¯d done when he¡¯d entered the cave, though. He¡¯d been expecting to cap out at around the mid twenties at best. His aim had been the unique skill. But Gangnar and the gargoyles around had had other plans. So now, here he was, comfortably in the mid thirties. And too high for the cannibal town quest. It wasn¡¯t that he was too high to attend the trip. The quests and scenarios very rarely ever discriminated unless they were human sanctioned. The problem was that, at his level, there would practically be no benefit for him in going on the quest. He doubted he would even level up through the entire quest. I just keep having to change my plans. The thought hovered in his mind but he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to do that. The future was already a bust. That much he could admit. He¡¯d done too much, made too much of a mess. And barely two months in. But it didn¡¯t matter. Not anymore. If he wanted to achieve what he was trying to achieve, the future was highly unimportant. It had taken eleven years for Ted to find a possible way back home in his previous life. Aiden intended on doing it in a far shorter span of time. Whatever Ted and the [Sage] had done in that last fight, it had proven one thing: Ted¡¯s method was capable of working. Aiden did not know the specifics of how he had gone back in time, but he remembered a few pieces of information from that night. The [Sage] had afflicted him with time magic and Ted had afflicted him with spatial magic. The time magic had sent him back and the spatial magic had changed his location. At least he was really hoping that it was the case. If he was correct, it meant that there was a way. The giants and the Order. They were the solution. But the weak did not simply venture into the mountains and the unusable did not simply venture into the reach of the Order. If he was to approach the Order, he would need to be strong and have something useful to present. The moment the thought came to him, Aiden paused. The giants in the frost mountains. What if I¡¯ve been looking at this the wrong way? Aiden would¡¯ve scratched his head in frustration if he had enough strength to. Eight frost mountains were on Nastild. But of the eight only four were on the human side of Nastild. So unless there was someone who¡¯d broken the treaty between the humans and the magical sapient beings of Nastild, then answer to the question of which frost mountain he would find the giants on would be none of them, right? Aiden had been very amazingly stupid. The humans and fantastical species of Nastild had separated themselves from each other ages ago in some magical way. When the Demon Wars had been drawing to its beginning, those barriers had come down. From what Aiden knew, it hadn¡¯t been intentional. Something about the demonic mana had eroded them somehow. When they had come down, the species had mingled. At first it had been frictional, before they had come to an unsteady agreement with the catalyst of a mutual enemy. By frost mountains, Ted could¡¯ve meant any of the eight frost mountains. And right now I only have access to four. While Aiden wanted to believe it could only be one of the mountains on the other side of the barrier, it could just as easily be on one of the mountains on the human side of Nastild. After all, when the the barrier fell and teams were made, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if the giants had come and occupied the remaining frost mountains on the human side of Nastild. This was becoming a problem. Things were getting more complicated and he didn¡¯t like it. Aiden had just discarded his worries of changing the future because he hoped he wouldn¡¯t be on Nastild for very long, but now he knew it would be longer than he thought it would be. He definitely didn¡¯t plan on staying here for eleven years, though. There was no reason for that to happen. He would do everything he could as fast as he could and get as many of them as he could back to earth. So what was the point of worrying about changing the events of a future he had no plans of being in? He¡¯d definitely been going about this the wrong way. I¡¯ll still need time, Aiden thought as he finally pushed himself to his feet. The throbbing in his head was gone, reduced to a slow and steady ache. It was like a slow silent hum. A flat crescendo. He could work with it. Staring down at Elaswit, he found the princess still unconscious, sword arm bent at an odd angle. I should probably pop that back into place. Running a tired hand through his hair, Aiden inhaled deeply. The cannibal town was a useless part of his growing process now. Yes, it had been a point of character building for those of them that had gone. It was supposed to be a publicity stunt and a learning experience. A chance for them to work on their first quest as a group and a starting point to introducing them to the populace of Nastild as the heroes that they were supposed to be. It had gone terribly wrong, however, and had become a touch of a nightmare. It had hardened them a little, which had not been the king¡¯s intention at the time. It had shown them that fantasy had its nightmares as much as it had its adventures. Aiden didn¡¯t need the character building. He¡¯d seen enough evil already to build three new characters. The question now was how much Ted needed it. He does not. There was always the chance that that specific level of character building had been what had led him to whatever qualifications had made him the [Demon King]. Once Aiden got back to the palace, he would ask Brandis for permission to leave. He wasn¡¯t sure if Brandis would agree, but it was an easier way of leaving the kingdom. Personally, he could simply not return. He could place the princess somewhere safe once they were out of the cave and find his way out of Nastild, after taking advantage of all its dangerous adventuring spots first. But he wasn¡¯t going to leave Ted behind, so Aiden needed to go back. And if he was going to run away with Ted, he needed to do it as peacefully as possible. Brandis was already a powerful man by level before even being one by kingship. And he had powerful men under his command. He was a good man, but when faced with a choice between being a good man and doing what was necessary to save his entire world, Aiden didn¡¯t want to see what choice Brandis would make. So the last thing he needed was to be running away from men in the level hundreds while dragging Ted along when he wasn¡¯t even at level fifty yet. Aiden would petition the king to allow him adventure far beyond, to grant him some level of autonomy in seeking out his own power. He would need to negotiate with the king on that. And what if negotiations fail? Then he would need to bide his time, grow strong enough or find an opportunity, then leave with Ted. And what if Ted doesn¡¯t want to leave? That would be a very tricky situation. He very well couldn¡¯t go kidnapping Ted¡­ right? Aiden shook his head. I¡¯m not kidnapping my older brother. That would be stupid, chaotic, and very likely the beginning of a new set of problems. So what happened if Ted refused to leave? Aiden would have two options. The question was which one he would pick. He could remain with Ted and the palace, grow himself the best he could with the little he could gain. Or he could venture out, regardless, grow himself the best he could with the limitless he could have. With enough mercenaries and enough money, he could gather a team and gain from even the most difficult of areas. With the second option, it didn¡¯t matter if Ted became the [Demon King]. Aiden would be powerful, strong enough to do a lot. He could simply find his brother and plan from there. [Demon King] or not, the priority was getting home first. Stopping Ted from becoming the [Demon King] was only so that he could eliminate the chance of making an enemy out of Nastild. Aiden stretched, pulling himself from his rampant thoughts. They weren¡¯t thoughts he was supposed to be thinking while trapped in a cave with an annoying headache. What he needed to do was make his way out of the cave with the princess. But first¡­ Aiden pulled up his interface and checked on the information he had not yet seen. The information Gangnar¡¯s skill and Elaswit¡¯s attempt on his life had kept him from checking. [You are now Level 35] ¡­ [Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!] [You have reached level 30] ¡­ [You have gained stat points] [You have gained 8 unallocated stat points] [Your existing stats have gained additional points] [Dexterity 15 --> 19], [Agility 8 --> 11], [Mana 14 --> 17], [Speed 12 --> 16], [Perception 9 --> 12], [Strength 6 --> 8]. ¡­ [Dexterity 19], [Agility 11], [Mana 17], [Speed 16], [Perception 12], [Strength 8]. ¡­ [You have 8 unallocated stat points] [Would you like to use unallocated stat points?] [Y/N] Aiden moved past the stat point allocation request. He had just hit level thirty, which meant he would¡¯ve gotten another class skill. [Congratulations Prisoner # 234502385739] [You have reached level 30.] [You have gained a class skill] [You have gained Class skill Modify Engrave] ¡­ [Modify Engrave (Mastery 02.00%] All enchantments are designed to achieve a specific function, engraved for the very purpose. If you possess the skill and the mastery, you can upend any engraving, alter its function. Do this wisely. Aiden read the skill twice before discarding it. Why the hell was his interface talking to him about morality when describing his new skill? The answer mattered very little right now. What mattered, was getting out of the cave. He pulled the notifications back to his stat point allocation and finished up with that little task. From his experience with Elaswit and a little need for balance, he put two points into [Strength]. It was the only stat that hadn¡¯t been in the double digits. His class didn¡¯t really require strength, but his fight with Elaswit had shown him that no matter how fast he got and how much his weavings could boost him, he needed a little bit of extra strength in his base stats. The remaining stats got single digits except [Mana]. Aiden had questioned himself a number of times before making his decision, torn between [Dexterity] and [Mana]. In the end, he had settled on [Mana], giving it two points. [Dexterity 19 -->20], [Agility 11 --> 12], [Mana 17 --> 19], [Speed 16 --> 17], [Perception 12 --> 13], [Strength 8 --> 10] Aiden stretched, feeling sore muscles and tired bones. Looking down at Elaswit, he went to work. Popping her elbow back into place wasn¡¯t a very difficult thing to do. He had more than enough experience popping joints out of place and into place. The princess didn¡¯t even flinch when he did it. With that done with, he undid her cleaver¡¯s strap from her back and wore it. Picking the cleaver from the ground, he strapped it to his back. The thing weighed four times the weight of an average sword. As she got stronger and leveled up, Elaswit¡¯s weapons would only get heavier. Aiden adjusted the cleaver on his back, its weight unforgettable, and picked Elaswit up. He carried her in both arms like a princess. If they ran into any problems on their way back, dropping her wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, and getting rid of the cleaver was something he could do in a single gesture to release it. Weaponless, he really hoped he wouldn¡¯t run into anything. Ready for his return, he thought about the natural array, where they had come in from, and activated his new unique skill. [You have used skill Pathfinder(U)] The moment the skill came alive, Aiden felt a gentle breeze against his skin. It caressed the hair of his arms and he turned in the direction it flowed towards. In front of him was a gentle line like a rising whisker of smoke. But this one moved forward where smoke rose upwards. It was gentle and it was true, undulating in a straight line. It led out of the open space where it took a curve down the path they¡¯d come. It was a soft sky blue. ¡°Now that¡¯s something you don¡¯t see everyday,¡± Aiden muttered to himself. Making sure he had a good grip on the princess, he followed it. If there was an [Advent of the Demon King I], then somewhere out there, there was going to be or there already was an [Advent of the Demon King II]. Aiden wondered who would stumble upon that scenario as he followed the line of smoke. For now, all he could think about was resting. FORTY-TWO: Social Life Aiden was just outside the area they¡¯d fought Gangnar the starter in when he was washed by a strong feeling of forgetfulness. It was like leaving your house for a trip and being plagued with that very worrying feeling. He frowned but didn¡¯t stop moving. At best, his steps slowed a little as he gave the feeling some attention. It was impossible that he was forgetting anything. Was it because of the absence of any weight against his hip? It happened sometimes when you walked into a place with an object and forgot it. The absence of that extra weight could sometimes make your body feel unbalanced, leading to such a sensation. Aiden looked down but couldn¡¯t see his waist. He was met with Elaswit passed out in his arms. The princess weighed very little to him. Her weight almost made it easy to forget that she¡¯d broken his nose, and potentially his cheek bone with two headbutts. Broken parts of him that remained broken and stung a little. Is it because I don¡¯t have a sword? He¡¯d entered the cave with a sword which had proceeded to break, then he¡¯d entered the fight with Gangnar with another sword. That, too, had broken. Aiden¡¯s footsteps came to a slow halt. He frowned, the feeling chewing at him. Knowing that it was never a good idea to conclude a quest without covering all the basics, he turned back with an annoyed sigh. He ventured back into the open space and placed Elaswit against one of the few remaining stalagmites gently. He would¡¯ve placed her outside but that would¡¯ve made it impossible for him to know if anything happened to her. The last time he¡¯d checked, there were still gargoyles left to be killed on her unique quest. Certain that she was comfortable, as comfortable as an unconscious princess could be, Aiden returned his attention to the space around him. All he saw was chaos. Gangnar¡¯s remains lay at one side of the cave. The corpse was a mess, a cacophony of scars and burns. Aiden figured some of the burns might have come from the lightning enchantments had that had been used during the fight. It wasn¡¯t always a certainty, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of for victims to be left with burn marks after suffering the effect. The rest of the space was a different kind of mess. Broken stones lay scattered about, rubbles that had once given the space a certain look when they¡¯d stood as tall, proud stalagmites. The entire area was also darker now. Most of the algae and moss had grown against the surface of the stalagmites. With the stalagmites gone, most of the light had gone with them. What am I missing? Aiden thought with worry. Was it Gangnar¡¯s corpse? In his old life after every quest or monster fight, there was always a plan in place for the dead monsters. If they didn¡¯t have a [Harvester] on hand Olstead always did something about the corpses. Monster corpses, as Elaswit had pointed out at the beginning of this scenario, were a part of Nastild¡¯s economy. But it wasn¡¯t Gangnar. The corpse was quite literally useless for anything. And there was nothing he could do about it. Aiden hated this feeling. Coupled with the continued stinging in his nose and cheeks, it was pushing him to a deep annoyance. ¡°I¡¯d let you figure yourself out, if this hadn¡¯t been a scenario,¡± he muttered to himself, addressing the feeling. Walking deeper into the space, he kept his attention on a swivel. He watched the chaos, the rubble and the destruction. The aftermath of all the violence of fighting a level 49 monster. He realized what he¡¯d been forgetting a moment after. It came to him when his eyes settled on a portion of the walls that was broken. A rubble of earth too large for the hole in the wall rested at its feet. It had been the point of Gangnar¡¯s first real attack. When it had tried to splatter him all over the wall with a thrown boulder. A boulder it had thrown from where it had been sitting when they¡¯d entered the place. Aiden¡¯s head turned from the wall, trailed a slow straight line, carving out the trajectory of the projectile attack. It settled on where Gangnar had been sitting. In the beginning, when they¡¯d arrived, it had had one of its hands in the ground. If there was one thing Aiden had learnt in his long years on Nastild, it was that quest and scenario rewards given by the system were not the only ¡®rewards¡¯ you could gain from a quest or scenario. He walked up to where Gangnar had once been and saw the hole. Inside it, almost two feet deep, Aiden could see something. He squatted down. Leveraging his body with one hand on the ground, he reached inside with his other hand. His body still ached from the fights and the weavings. There¡¯ll have to be a lot of sneaking around when we¡¯re leaving. His hand touched something at the bottom of the hole and his mana fluctuated. It was something hard, like a gem not a stone. [Mana 34%] [Mana 28%] [Mana 31%] He wrapped his hand around it as his mana finally stabilized to the effect of what he was holding. It was the way it was with all the summoned. Unlike the citizens of Nastild, each time the summoned came across demonic mana, their mana points eventually stabilized. The citizens of Nastild never had the benefit of having their mana adapt to the effects of demonic mana. At least most of them never did. It was part of the reason fighting the demonic war had been tough on them. When he pulled the gem out, Aiden held in his hand a crystal of deep dark blue so dark that it was almost black. He recognized crystalized demonic mana when he saw one. A small smile touched his lips. At least a unique skill wasn¡¯t the only reward he would be getting out of this situation. On his own, there wasn¡¯t anything he could really do with a crystalized form of demonic mana except he planned on selling it on the black market. But there were other alternatives he could go for. Alternatives that weren¡¯t monetary. For instance, he could present it to Brandis and use it as a bargaining chip. A fair man, Brandis would not simply confiscate it. At least he¡¯d never confiscated them in Aiden¡¯s past life. Instead, he¡¯d used it as something of a point system in the beginning, collecting them in exchange for money. Aiden wouldn¡¯t use it as a bargaining chip for money, though. Making money wasn¡¯t going to be difficult for him since the adventure societies in the different kingdoms had more than enough adventures, both investigative and simple monster subjugation to go around. No. He was going to use it to bargain his way to freedom if the king played too hard to get. But only as a last resort. If for some reason, releasing him to some level of autonomy was stretching the reach of Brandis¡¯ good nature, Aiden wouldn¡¯t want to make an enemy of the king. As weak as he was, he couldn¡¯t afford to have powerful enemies. There was also the [Sage]. Aiden frowned, surprised that he hadn¡¯t thought about it since. He had already garnered the man¡¯s attention. It meant that the [Sage] could easily take an interest in his actions unlike he did with the others. If the bastard decides to not let me go, I won¡¯t have a say in the matter. On the other hand, if he was just being granted reasonable autonomy that left them believing he was still under their care, it would be easier. Aiden¡¯s grip tightened around the crystal. At this point, he was playing politics, being diplomatic. Personally, he always preferred doing things the easy way. And the easy way was never involved in anything political or diplomatic. All it entailed was thinking and doing. Shaking the thought, he looked down at the crystal and used [Detect]. A simple piece of information appeared above the crystal. [Crystalized Dimensional Mana] [A lump of crystalized dimensional mana formed from the continuous compression of unadulterated dimensional mana.] Okay, that¡¯s new. Aiden had heard of every kind of mana on Nastild and dimensional mana was not one of them. There was dimensional magic but that was simply an effect of using things like spatial mana in different ways The thing didn¡¯t have its own actual mana. Aiden was faced with a new problem. Why was his interface reading demonic mana as dimensional mana instead? And if they were the same thing, then what did it mean that demonic mana was actually dimensional mana? He frowned at the question. This, he thought, might be a problem. ¡­ They¡¯d been doing this for an entire day now. They¡¯d been out since sunrise and now morning was coming up again. I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve practically spent the night. Valdan looked behind him. On the ground beside the single boulder in the open space, Ventel and Nella lay quietly on the ground. Valdan sighed. We, he corrected himself. Nella had gone back home at some point, stating that her father would have questions if all his guests and his daughter suddenly upped and disappeared from the house. It had left Valdan alone with Ventel and two people with the actual [Enchanter] class. But the time he¡¯d spent in the cave wasn¡¯t what bothered Valdan. It was the complete absence of result. They¡¯d gone through almost fifteen people they could find in the last twenty four hours. They¡¯d had [Enchanters] and [Rangers], [Soldiers] and [Rogues]. None met the requirements. Valdan had gotten so frustrated that he¡¯d almost sent an official request to the guild. By the authority of his title as a [Knight] they would be hard pressed to refuse him. Even if they were inclined to decline the request of a [Knight], he doubted that they would say no if he told them about the position of the princess in the matter. But he had kept himself from doing so. His short time spent amongst people so enamored in politics had taught him the importance of actual life as well as social and political life. The moment anyone found out about the princess, they would eventually come to learn about Aiden. It would be a talk for a long while. A bastard son of an unknown noble and the princess rushing away on some asinine adventure and getting themselves caught up in a mess so bad the adventure society or some random adventurer had had to save them. It would speak to an immaturity on the princess¡¯ part. There would be talk of scandalous behavior and whatnot. It would cause an issue for the Naranoff family as well for failing to protect the princess. It was funny to think that once upon a time Valdan would never have considered all that. He would¡¯ve tried to get behind the wall, failed, then gone seeking out any help he could to save the princess. It was growth. What he didn¡¯t know was if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Putting someone¡¯s social life on an almost equal level as their actual life just never felt right. Even now. Staring directly at the cracks in the wall, frustration built within Valdan. It bubbled up like some unnatural concoction in the wrong cauldron. The last of the people who Ventel and Nella had been able to bring in had left half an hour ago after failing to meet the requirement to do whatever the wall needed them to do. So what¡¯s the problem? Valdan thought with a frown. In the beginning he¡¯d been so sure that the [Enchant] skill was the solution. Aiden had the [Enchant] skill even if he wasn¡¯t an [Enchanter]. Then the first person with the [Enchant] skill had tried and failed and Valdan had started worrying. Then an [Enchanter] had failed. The enchanter¡¯s failure had led Valdan to consider other options. He¡¯d been working on the assumption on Aiden being the one to meet the requirements for accessing the place because of how assured of being able to gain from the [Unique Quest] that he¡¯d had no doubt of it. At some point he¡¯d started to wonder if he¡¯d overestimated Aiden, made assumptions simply because of how enigmatic the boy was. What if the person that had gained access had been the princess? The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Then he¡¯d extended his requirement to the strength classes since all he knew about the princess was that her class was strength based. Powerful. The few he¡¯d been able to get had failed just as well. Right now, he was wondering if he needed someone of royal blood like the princess. Sometimes they had titles gained by birth that the system recognized. ¡°Why is this so complicated!¡± he hissed. Unable to hold himself, he drew his blade and struck at the wall. He pulled his swing at the last moment. He turned his wrist and adjusted his stance so that the edge of his sword drew a shallow cut along the side of the wall, only barely missing the cracks. Control yourself, he chided himself. What will you do if this only causes more problems? Behind him, Ventel sat up with a touch of worry. ¡°That bad, Dan?¡± he asked. Valdan looked back at the adventurer. ¡°It could be worse.¡± Honestly, it was worse. He¡¯d always had an issue with his temper. Sometimes, it got the best of him when he knew it shouldn¡¯t. Even now, he had almost made a mess of everything. Who knew what would¡¯ve happened if his sword had scratched the markings on the wall. What if it had ended up trapping them inside? He¡¯d been getting better at handling his temper, though. It had never been so bad that he would punish others for what they did not do. He wasn¡¯t one to get angry at a superior only to take it out on a subordinate. No. But growing up, he¡¯d had difficulties holding himself back. Some problems, he had learnt, didn¡¯t need a reaction. They didn¡¯t deserve one. But that hadn¡¯t been the man he¡¯d been growing up. In his earlier years if you annoyed him, he reacted. He had learned to control himself over the years, but every now and again, that man would peek from under his control. Now was one of such times. Valdan sheathed his sword, listening to the sound of Ventel approaching him. He waited patiently for the man, knowing it wasn¡¯t as if he could avoid him. Ventel came to a stop beside him. He looked up at the wall. ¡°It must be tough.¡± The boy had no idea. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°I can only imagine what would happen if the knights and servants tasked with protecting her found out about this,¡± Ventel said, solemnly. Valdan looked at him. There¡¯s no way he knows. It was impossible. Well, impossible wasn¡¯t the word he was looking for. As much as he felt Nella was mature enough to know what piece of information she wasn¡¯t supposed to share, love often led people to doing things they shouldn¡¯t. Besides, you aren¡¯t her designated guardian. You¡¯re Aiden¡¯s plus one. Valdan almost groaned at the taste in his mouth at thinking of himself as a plus one in the current situation. ¡°I think we should keep looking for a way,¡± Ventel continued. ¡°Get more hands.¡± Valdan agreed. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°But this secrecy thing won¡¯t let us get the people we need, though.¡± Valdan also agreed with that. ¡°What if,¡± Ventel began, approaching a territory Valdan did not agree with. ¡°What if we told more people. We could contact the adventure society, have them grant us better assistance with adventurers sworn to secrecy.¡± Valdan was already shaking his head before Ventel was even done. It would not work. He would not trust anyone who wasn¡¯t sworn to secrecy under the system. And you did not simply ask someone to swear themselves to secrecy under the system. The people that had helped so far were people Valdan had no issues with trusting for two reasons. The first was that he had to allow someone. The second was because they were people of almost no significance. Only one or two of them had been past level thirty, and none had grazed the heel of level forty. If they talked, that was all they would be. Talkers. If a nobody spread stories of some odd encounters in a cave, people would summarize it to be attention seeking. Besides, none of them knew what exactly they were trying to do. Unless he was wrong about Ventel and Nella, Valdan didn¡¯t think they¡¯d told any of the people they¡¯d brought about the princess. ¡°We can¡¯t get in there without more help,¡± Ventel said. ¡°Think about it, Dan. I¡¯ve reached out to all my contacts that were willing to come to the cave.¡± He gestured at Nella where she was still lying down, staring at the night sky above in worry. ¡°Nella has used up all her contacts as well.¡± Valdan almost pitied the young lady. She looked like she was about to cry. It made him remember that she wasn¡¯t just saving her family¡¯s reputation and the princess of her kingdom. She was also trying to save her friend. Things couldn¡¯t be any easy for her. Still, he shook his head. ¡°Matters surrounding royalty can be extremely sensitive.¡± ¡°Sensitive enough to risk the princess¡¯ life?¡± Ventel snapped. ¡°To risk the life of a friend? What is with nobles this misguided line of thought. Someone¡¯s life is at stake and you¡¯re more concerned about keeping the fact that their life is at stake a secret even when it only makes matters worse.¡± ¡°I understand your frustration,¡± Valdan said, and he really did. ¡°But some things are just the way they are.¡± Ventel stepped up to Valdan. For a moment, he seemed to have forgotten the level disparity between them. ¡°It¡¯s eating Nella alive.¡± He stared Valdan down with sharp eyes, angry eyes. ¡°And I know what kind of person Nella is. This was not her idea. She¡¯s not like the other nobles. For the sake of unnecessary secrecy, you would let her friend die.¡± There was an accusation in his voice. His worry for Nella¡¯s state of mind was leading him to ignore logical actions. It was common sense not to challenge an opponent significantly stronger than you in level unless you had some kind of trump card. At level 49, though, Valdan wasn¡¯t truly superior. It didn¡¯t seem like very much, but the difference between level 49 and level 50 was greater than level 48 and level 49. Levels became truly separated every 50 levels, and it was part of the reason people did everything they could to venture into level 50. He met Ventel¡¯s eyes. Righteous anger was beginning to boil behind those light brown pupils. ¡°Is there no one else we can get?¡± he asked hopelessly. There was nothing else he could do. He wasn¡¯t going to tell the man that he didn¡¯t understand. The fact that there were intricacies to the high class did not make the man wrong in how he thought. By the gods, Valdan missed being that type of man. He didn¡¯t like being a man that had to balance a person¡¯s life the way he was currently doing. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night, Dan,¡± Ventel snorted in annoyance. ¡°What do you think?¡± It wasn¡¯t the middle of the night. It was early morning. By Valdan¡¯s estimate, it was merely an hour or two to day break. Ventel¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°At this point we don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re still alive.¡± A tiny sob pierced the air from where Nella was and Valdan watched Ventel¡¯s face crumble. He¡¯d made Nella cry and he knew it, and it had broken him. But Ventel didn¡¯t go to her immediately. He was young, still full of some level of youthful exuberance. He had enough pent up anger directed at Valdan and needed to let it out even if he knew he shouldn¡¯t. He stepped up to Valdan, occupied his personal space. ¡°Does your mask even crack? Do you even care for anything beyond saving face?¡± Without giving Valdan a chance to respond¡ªnot that Valdan was going to¡ªhe stomped away, muttering something about how all nobles were the same. As he left, going to comfort Nella, Valdan had a feeling the man just might have a personal issue with nobility. It wouldn¡¯t be far fetched to think a noble had offended him deeply at one point in his life. It was the way with some of the nobles, but not all of them. If you spent enough time around them, someone would eventually do you wrong. For instance, if it had been someone important to Ventel behind those walls and Valdan was putting the social life of the princess on the same importance as their safety, it would brew enmity. ¡°The adventurers that were lost or died,¡± Valdan called out to Ventel as the adventurer squatted beside Nella, ¡°what levels were they?¡± Ventel sat next to Nella, consoling her with his very presence. ¡°Twenties to thirties,¡± he answered. ¡°Before this mess, higher levels didn¡¯t really get the unique quest for some reason. And they don¡¯t generally bother with things like this.¡± Level thirty, Valdan mused. Maybe he was biased, but since they¡¯d gotten here, he just hadn¡¯t been able to see Aiden dying here. Even if the boy couldn¡¯t win an unfair fight, he couldn¡¯t see the boy failing to survive. Those were good odds. However, he couldn¡¯t depend on his faith in Aiden. Faith was something reserved for the gods, and there was a reason for that. So he had to make a decision. He had put the princess¡¯ social status on he same with the risk of her life for too long. Personally, he thought that had been completely stupid of him. At first light, I¡¯m sending a letter to the adventure society. He had tried and failed to figure out how to get behind the wall. It was time for someone with a greater knowledge on the matter to have a go at it. Whatever repercussions came from it, he would do his best to bear alone so that the Naranoff family would not suffer for actions he indirectly allowed to happen. As long as the princess and Aiden were alright, he would probably come out okay. His standing amongst the nobles would likely take a nose dive, but if he was being honest, the only standing he had amongst the nobles was the standing that came with his title. Valdan had never been one for court intrigue so he had no personal relationship with any of them. No personal encounter that was capable of going through any suffering. He was still contemplating when a sudden tremor shook the ground. It was powerful, like a ground surge. But it didn¡¯t feel like one. The wall before Valdan shook slightly. A jagged line ran up the wall from within the shrubbery that covered its foot. It went high until it reached the top and Valdan took a few steps away from it. Please be alright, he prayed. Please be alright. When the first crack opened up and the wall shifted, separating to both sides, a sigh left Valdan¡¯s lips. The first sight he was greeted to through the small slit was the brown of Aiden Lacheart¡¯s hair. It carried a smattering of red that didn¡¯t seem too alarming. However, the wider the opening became, the more a touch of worry filled Valdan. Aiden looked a terrible mess. His clothes were a ragged mess, torn and hanging from loose seams. It was also stained in blood at varying places. He had no sword at his hip, instead, the hilt of a massive cleaver poked out from behind his shoulder. Valdan knew that Aiden only wore his sword on his hip. Then the crack opened wider and he saw the princess. She had an arm draped over Aiden¡¯s shoulder and Aiden seemed to be struggling to keep her upright. Though her attire wasn¡¯t as bad as Aiden¡¯s it was still not something that spoke of any good experience. Her head hung down and the side of her body not supported by Aiden drooped like the unconscious. He really hoped she was still alive. But what truly spiked Valdan¡¯s alarm was Aiden. The boy kept looking behind him, lips moving in an inaudible whisper. Valdan read his lips. Come on, come on, come on, come on. Something had the boy spooked, and Valdan had no idea what it could possibly be. Regardless, as the crack continued to widen, the wall opening, Valdan was already stepping forward. He moved on instinct and loyalty to the crown. Nothing else. At least that was what he told himself. The moment the opening was wide enough for two people, Aiden was dragging him and the princess through. Still, he kept an eye behind him. The moment he was out, he finally looked forward and Valdan was met with a bigger mess than he¡¯d thought. Aiden¡¯s nose was broken at a terrible angle, covered in caked blood. One of his eyes was swollen and so red that Valdan feared Aiden wasn¡¯t seeing out of it. Beneath the eye was a terribly swollen cheek. Torn with loose skin hanging from it. Just what kind of monster had the boy fought to leave him so bruised. Aiden saw him and his eyes widened in surprise and relief, at least they widened as far as they could. ¡°Do you have mana?¡± he asked Valdan. Then he shook his head as if it was a stupid question. ¡°What am I saying. Of course you do. Just attack.¡± After putting him through an entire day of worries, the boy just comes back and starts making requests without even giving him the time to ask questions. It was madness. It was also Aiden Lacheart. Valdan was surprised when a smile touched his lips as his feet continued to carry him forward. Aiden was a lot of things, but for some reason, Valdan felt he could trust the boy to not get anyone killed. ¡°I have questions,¡± he said simply as he passed Aiden. Aiden stumbled past him. ¡°I think I have a concussion.¡± A relieved laugh spilled from Valdan¡¯s lips. He couldn¡¯t help himself. He¡¯d known he¡¯d been worried but he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been this worried. There was just something about seeing Aiden and hearing the boy speak, that relieved him. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder. Then there was the dry humor. Valdan shook his head as he got to the still widening wall. Aiden had said attack, so attack he would. He stepped unto the line the wall created from opening and held his sword out to the side. Slowly, he was welcome to the slow crescendo of approaching foot steps. He counted at least five pairs of feet. They didn¡¯t sound human. The walls within were covered in glowing plants, green and blue and yellow. Illuminated unlike the rest of the cave. He used them to see. When his quarry arrived, Valdan hesitated. There were seven of them, rushing forward at break neck pace. They ran on four legs, monsters he did not recognize at a glance. Valdan discarded his surprise at seeing new monsters on Nastild and attacked. He charged his skill until his sword glowed a sharp yellow then swung his sword twice. Each swing was strong and powerful. Quick. They followed each other to form a cross. [You have used class skill Aura Strike] Two long slashes of deep yellow crackled through the air. They brightened the entire cave walls as they shot forward, lightning crackling through them. The first slash, cut the gargoyles in its part in unequal halves. Some got out of the way in time, ducking to the side. The second slash, horizontal as it was, cleaved the rest in another set of unequal halves. They crashed to the ground and Valdan¡¯s interface brought up a set of notifications. [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 29!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 25!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 30!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 22!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 21!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 28!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 32!] [Congratulations! You have slain Gargoyle Lvl 29!] Valdan frowned at the notifications. Just how many of these things had Aiden and the princess had to face inside there? For an entire day and more. And what the hell was going on? Weren¡¯t gargoyles monsters from the scriptures? He thought the world still had a little more time before they had to deal with the demon king problem. This was something he would have to report to the king immediately. The gargoyles crashed to the ground, severed corpses, then turned to stone. Valdan took a single step back out but remained just in front of the wall. It wasn¡¯t closing. ¡°How do we close it, Aiden?¡± he asked, trying to put as much confidence in his voice as possible. When no answer came, he looked behind him. Nella and Ventel were with Aiden and the princess. Ventel kept a watchful eye on Aiden while Nella fawned and doted over Elaswit¡¯s unconscious body like a worried mother. Aiden ignored Ventel and Nella and rose sluggishly to his feet. He took a few steps forward, then moved his hand to his back. The cleaver strapped to his back fell off and hit the ground with a thud. Aiden staggered the rest of the way to Valdan, not saying anything. When he got to him, Aiden leaned to the side and placed a hand on the wall. The cracks on that side of the wall lit up in a soft blue. The light spread to the top of the wall, then the cracks on the other side of the wall lit up. Valdan watched unable to lie to himself. He was impressed by the sight. Then the lights dimmed and Aiden took his hand from the wall. It started closing. Aiden stood beside Valdan, watching as it closed. He looked like a tired old man for some reason. ¡°Who¡¯s the kid?¡± he asked in a weak voice. Valdan almost had to strain to hear him. ¡°A friend of Nella¡¯s. An adventurer. Ventel.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden frowned. With all his injuries, it made his face look like something from a bad bedtime story. ¡°Can we trust him?¡± ¡°Nella trusts him.¡± Even now, despite his state and his lucky escape, he was thinking of other things besides himself. If his experience with Aiden hadn¡¯t already taught him that while the young lord was not a bad person, he wasn¡¯t a good person either, Valdan would¡¯ve interpreted it as some form of nobleness. ¡°The princess and I have had too many potions already,¡± Aiden said after a moment. ¡°And I¡¯ve had too many enchantments. So don¡¯t let them feed us anything they shouldn¡¯t. Also, no one should handle me but you. Get me to the room and just dump me on my bed. No clothes off, no nothing.¡± Valdan understood what Aiden was saying. Due to the toxicity that came with potions, too much could have terrible side effects. For the princess they would need to call in a Healer. As for Aiden, since he¡¯d also used too many enchantments, Valdan doubted a Healer would help. For Aiden, he would have to sleep off the effects of the enchantments and potions, allow his body work towards natural healing before they could allow him any more potions or healing. Only when Valdan nodded, did Aiden speak again. It was two words. A single phrase. ¡°Thank you.¡± Valdan and Aiden stood side by side a little longer, in comfortable silence, until the wall closed. Then Aiden turned to him once more. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it now,¡± he said. ¡°Sure of what?¡± Valdan asked, confused. ¡°I have a concussion.¡± Aiden teetered on his feet. ¡°Catch me.¡± Then he fell. Valdan moved quickly and caught him before he hit the ground. He stared down at a battered and bruised Aiden and wondered just how much they had gone through inside and why he was far more battered and bruised than the princess. I really hope the reward was worth all this. FORTY-THREE: A Dedicated Nanny Pain was always an old friend. It was an old friend but never one of the good ones. A friend that grew on you even when you knew they shouldn¡¯t. They were never there from the beginning, merely popping up out of nowhere without warning like pimples on a new teenager. Then they stayed, refusing to go until you made your peace with accepting them. Pain was a terrible friend. But a friend, regardless. The room was a little colder than most. Its walls lined with some decorative art crafted by some artisan either too eager to abuse their creative control or old enough to revel in it but still new enough to not have learnt control were a deep brown. The artistic design was more a culmination of drakes and fire and strangely wild plants that looked like monster ginseng if it had aged poorly. On one side of the room was a reading desk, complete with a half-unrolled parchment, a quill, and some dramatic ink that could be just as red as it was black. Its ability to maintain both colors while shifting seamlessly between them at the same time was due to a special ingredient. Drake¡¯s blood. The entire floor of the room was covered in a carpet that was as green as the forest. Sometimes, if you looked down at it as you walked and just let your mind wander a little¡ªeliminating the distractions of reality¡ªyou could believe you were in the forest. With its countless blades that poked up like grass and got between your toes and its brown undertone that you had to strain just a little to see, it would be easy to get lost in it. But only as easily as your imagination could run wild. There was a cupboard to the east of the room, right next to a window that never opened. It was brown and simple. Its artistry contrasted so much with the room that it looked like it had been stolen at the last second from a servant¡¯s room. Either that or the carpenter had a personally petty disposition with the entire room. The crafter had most likely been a new carpenter or at least not a [Carpenter]. As for the actual artwork, or at least what people called artwork, a painting of a man adorned the wall. It was odd as it wasn¡¯t a framed picture but one painted directly onto the wall. An old man in a royal military garb. It was a sharp mix of green and brown with gold buttons that held the shirt together all the way to the man¡¯s neck. The official colors of the Naranoff household. The man¡¯s deep brown eyes were the first thing Aiden saw when he woke up since the painting was right in front of the bed. He frowned at the sight but said nothing. Someone had propped his upper body up on a small hill of pillows so that he was almost at a seated position. The brown eyes he saw stared at him as if he could look into his soul. Aiden knew the man, but only by his position. He had been a survivor of the raid against the dragon by the first king of Bandiv, one of the few first lords of the kingdom. Chances were that his brown eyes were not as mysterious and piercing as the picture made them out to be. It was, after all, the way with post humous paintings. The painters tended to take the little they had with original paintings and embezzled a little, allowed their creative abilities run rampant. Still, while it was the first thing he saw, the first thing Aiden noticed was the slight ache in his nose and cheek. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes moved in their socket, a slow glance to the side. He wasn¡¯t necessarily weak. If he was to find a word to best describe how he was feeling, he would pick ¡®lazy.¡¯ To his side, he found Elaswit seated next to his bed and what he could only describe as a magnanimous chair. She had a strong look of relief on her face, her lip tipped up at the corner in an awkward smile and a warmth touched her eyes. Aiden looked back at the picture of the first recognized Naranoff Lord. It was a terrible idea to have a picture of the man in a guest room, especially at the angle it was placed. Pictures like that should be in the living room or tucked somewhere in the corner. ¡°How long was I out?¡± he asked. His mouth tasted dry. Too dry. Beside him, Elaswit gave a weak smile. ¡°He said you¡¯d likely ask that. Straight to the point. You¡¯ve been out for three days.¡± Three days. Had he really overloaded his body that much? In all fairness, he couldn¡¯t say he was surprised. After Gangnar, any more potions or enchantments had been a terrible idea. However, he had forced himself to use a few more just to navigate himself and the princess to relative safety. It had gotten so bad that his weavings had started lasting less than a minute and their effects had dropped back down to what they had been when he¡¯d used enchantments before having a class. At least I learned that repeated weavings lose their effect quickly. Three days. He¡¯d likely already missed the spar between the two groups back at the palace, not that he¡¯d intended on being a part of it. He¡¯d just been hoping to get back in time to watch it. Considering the fact that they¡¯d had to practice as a team for a few days, there wouldn¡¯t have been a way for him to join without disrupting the teamwork of whatever group he would¡¯ve joined. The question now was if he would make it in time to join the expedition to the town of cannibals. Again, his eyes moved over to Elaswit. She did not look like someone who¡¯d been through what they¡¯d been through. ¡°The Healers said you were full of far too many enchantments,¡± Elaswit said after a while. ¡°They said they hadn¡¯t seen anything like it. They said it was like the toxic effects of potions, just from enchantments. Is that how you¡¯ve been coping with a domestic class?¡± Aiden smiled sadly. ¡°We do what we must, princess.¡± He was a bit impressed that Brandis hadn¡¯t told the princess about about his class. Now that he thought about it, maybe Brandis was treating his class as something of a kingdom¡¯s secret. After all, if he was being honest, it was a very versatile class. Limited only to how many enchantments he knew and could use. At this point Aiden was very much like a [Mage]. Just as a [Mage] was limited only by the number of spells they knew. Maybe it was a good thing to keep himself a complete secret. He would have to find out just how many people currently knew of what he was capable of besides Ted, Brandis, the [Sage], Letto, Drax, Anita¡­ Aiden almost groaned at the number of names. Too many people already knew, which meant he could kiss the entire secrecy thing good bye. Beside him Elaswit¡¯s relief had become an uncomfortable frown. Aiden caught it out of the corner of his eye. Then he realized that he hadn¡¯t moved any other part of his body except his eyes. Making sure that laziness was the reason he hadn¡¯t moved, he moved his hand. It came up easily and Elaswit watched it. It was a little surprising how easily it moved when all his mind could remember about moving his body was pain. Even now that he was awake, there was just somewhere in the back of his mind that felt like everything he should do should be painful. Aiden dropped his hand. ¡°You did good,¡± he said to her. ¡°You did good.¡± Elaswit gave him a weak smile. There was no pride in it. A moment after, her eyes moved slightly, turned down and away. She refused to meet his gaze. A frown creased her lips. Her jaw tightened as she clenched her teeth. It was the certain look of someone who needed to say something they felt was important to say but was difficult to say. It was the face of a person about to admit to something they were ashamed of. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said finally. There wasn¡¯t really very much for her to be sorry about if Aiden was being fair. Following him was the only thing she needed to apologize for. And in the end, she¡¯d done a good job so it didn¡¯t need an apology. Still, the old squad leader who didn¡¯t like being disobeyed tried to raise his head. Habit had gifted Aiden with a grand variety of admonishments in his lexicon to berate anyone properly. But Aiden was not that man. He reminded himself of this as he smothered the urge. The question now, however, was what was a proper response? Did he tell her that she had nothing to apologize for? Did he accept her apology? Was this him having a conversation with a princess or him having a conversation with someone he¡¯d gone on an adventure with? She¡¯s a princess, he decided. It was all she would be to him. To think of her as someone he¡¯d gone on an adventure with would blur some line. It would mean that he acknowledged her as a companion of some kind. Aiden shook his head slowly, staring straight at the picture. ¡°You¡¯ve nothing to apologize for, Princess.¡± He caught her grimace. She looked down at her hands. He couldn¡¯t see it but Aiden had a feeling she was fidgeting. He waited, gave her time. It was the least he could do. ¡°I froze up,¡± she said. Aiden nodded, knowing what she was talking about. ¡°Everybody freezes up, princess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not everybody,¡± she muttered, almost to herself. ¡°I¡¯m the daughter of Brandis.¡± Pride. Aiden thought. ¡°Even princesses freeze up.¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°The daughter of Brandis does not.¡± Aiden looked at her. This time he turned his head to do so. The daughter of Brandis does not. Her pride was not in her title as a princess. It was in her bloodline. At least, it was in her father as a person and not a king. He would be lying if he said he was not impressed. It was good pride¡­ But it was still pride. ¡°Princess,¡± he said gently, drawing her attention, ignoring Valdan who he found standing at one corner, sword at his waist. Only when she raised her head to meet his eyes did he continued. ¡°Everybody freezes up. Every. Body.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± Her voice was almost accusatory. Because I¡¯m not everybody. Aiden had almost asid the word. But he¡¯d killed them before they¡¯d left his mind. After all, he¡¯d frozen up once upon a time, too. So many years ago. ¡°I watched you,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°From the moment we went in you were attentive. You missed nothing. You didn¡¯t even when you almost died.¡± ¡°And you stepped in.¡± ¡°Because I was scared.¡± Elaswit shook her head vehemently. ¡°I jumped in because I was afraid of what would happen if you died. I couldn¡¯t have won on my own.¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve found a way.¡± He didn¡¯t think she would¡¯ve found a way. But that didn¡¯t matter now. ¡°But you got up.¡± She looked him in the eye. ¡°You got up and you went right back into it. All on your own. You were down, broken, a mess. But you still got back up without hesitation.¡± Aiden knew where this was going. It wasn¡¯t simply because she¡¯d frozen. Elaswit would¡¯ve handled this better if freezing up was the problem. She could¡¯ve told herself something, be it significant or not. Her mind would¡¯ve lied to itself or given her some form of assurance to help her sleep at night. It would¡¯ve helped, because sometimes you had to lie to yourself to survive. You could stand in the face of impossible odds and tell yourself that you could do it even when you knew that you could not. You tell yourself you¡¯ve got it even when you know that you absolutely do not. You tell yourself that they would love you even though you know they would not. People lied to themselves all the time. It often helped them survive a harsh world. It gave them a chance to move past what would¡¯ve brought them down and become better. But that was the problem with lying to yourself. You couldn¡¯t do it if the truth was staring you right in the face. And Elaswit had watched him get up and get back into the fight. Something she had not done. Aiden raised his hand, moved it through his hair. His normal response would be to give her a pat on the shoulder and tell her to push past it. But he didn¡¯t think that would work right now. ¡°You got up,¡± Elaswit muttered, voice low. After a thoughtful moment, Aiden pushed himself up, adjusted on the bed. He brought his legs down so that he sat on the edge of the bed, directly in front of Elaswit. He was still wearing the same tattered clothes he¡¯d come out of the cave with. He had not been changed. He didn¡¯t know what could console Elaswit. In fact, he didn¡¯t know how to console people. The Order not necessarily being about emotional support and therapy hadn¡¯t taught him those skills. So he tapped into the little he remembered of his time on earth and gave it a try. ¡°Princess,¡± he said, picking his words carefully. ¡°Do you want to know what happened? Do you want to know what really happened?¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you,¡± he said. ¡°No lies,¡± she interrupted before he could continue. Aiden looked at her, confused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I spoke to Sir Valdan, and he told me that we came out through the entrance.¡± Aiden paused. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°There was no second entrance, was there?¡± she continued. ¡°So other exit that comes with natural arrays.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Elaswit took a deep breath. ¡°I understand what you were trying to do when you did it. I understand why you did it. But I do not appreciate it, Aiden. When you lie to someone, you belittle them. It is you telling them that you don¡¯t think they have what it takes to handle the truth. It¡¯s not a good thing.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°For that,¡± he said. ¡°I apologize.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She gave him a warm smile. It saddened a moment later. ¡°About that truth.¡± ¡°The reason I moved was because of who I am,¡± Aiden said. ¡°And the reason you froze was because of who you are.¡± Elaswit¡¯s face fell a little more at his words. Behind her, standing at the corner, Valdan covered his face with his hand and shook his head in disappointment. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I think I¡¯m not explaining this properly.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Elaswit asked with a raised brow. ¡°It sounded like you were explaining it properly.¡± ¡°You make what I said sound like a bad thing but it¡¯s not.¡± Aiden scrambled for how he could explain better. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m just one boy out of a group of fifteen. I¡¯m expendable. If I go, no one will miss me. No one will mourn me. I¡¯ve got nothing to lose, and no one will lose if I¡¯m gone. But you, princess, you have a responsibility. If you hadn¡¯t made it, your parents would mourn. Your brothers would mourn. The kingdom would mourn¡­ Nella would mourn.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± she began, but Aiden cut her off. ¡°You don¡¯t want to understand. You froze because you are a good person, princess. Because you care. You understood that your life was not only yours. It belonged to your family as well, to your friends. And that isn''t something you just throw away. You didn¡¯t step in to save me because you were scared. You did it because you were a good person. You risked your life because there was something to protect. It was the same reason you hesitated. Because there was something to protect; the happiness of those you know and love. In your moment of fear, you understood what your death would mean and it made you take a moment, it made you think twice.¡± Elaswit frowned. Aiden could see her mind trying to make sense of it. Her shame from her action was doing its best to belittle her attempt. Shame was a powerful enemy. It left people unable to forgive themselves. Aiden leaned forward, maybe a little too much, so that he was all that was in front of her. If she focused on his face, maybe it would distract her from her shame. ¡°Princess,¡± he said, and she met his eyes. ¡°You did what the daughter of Brandis would do. I may not know your father very well, but I have had enough conversations with him to know that what you did was what his daughter would do.¡± He patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Trust me.¡± ¡°Mother did say he spends an awful lot of time with you,¡± Elaswit said, finally cracking a smile. Aiden had no idea where that was coming from. He¡¯d probably spent three encounters with the king. One of them had almost cost him his life. In all fairness, you were the one who requested that meeting. Behind Elaswit, Valdan nodded in approval. ¡°He¡¯s been here the entire time,¡± Elaswit said. Aiden¡¯s attention shifted back to her. ¡°He has?¡± She nodded. ¡°I heard he carried you here by himself. Didn¡¯t let anyone touch you. He put you in bed himself and has been standing guard ever since. He was like a dedicated nanny slash bodyguard.¡± Aiden grinned, shooting Valdan an impish look. ¡°Is that so?¡± he dragged the word out dramatically. ¡°At this point I¡¯m beginning to think my father should be worried,¡± Elaswit said, still smiling. ¡°You just might steal his knight from him.¡± Aiden allowed himself a laugh at that. It was an interesting concept, and he would be lying if he said he hadn¡¯t considered it. Valdan was trustworthy, strong, and from what Aiden had recently confirmed, the man could be trusted. His conversation with Elaswit took on an easy note from there. Apparently, she had been unconscious for a single day. When she¡¯d finally come awake, she had failed her unique quest. It was a sad thing, but at least she was alive. From what Aiden learnt from her, she had failed it on default. Not because she had stayed away from it for too long or anything like that. It was because someone had cleared out the remaining gargoyles. It seemed that someone had gone into the cave and completed the kill count. She grumbled about it and complained about how someone out there had stolen her unique skill and how she would have to find another place to get a unique quest. The levels and masteries being what they were, it was next to impossible to get a unique skill once you got a class. Unique skills were naturally born from successfully achieving at least two skills at the same time. It was easier to do with basic skills since foundational skills grew quickly enough as compared to normal skills. And they were easy to keep watch of. But once a person got a class, foundational skills weren¡¯t so easy to gain. The average skills also weren¡¯t so easy to keep track off. That you had ninety-nine percent in a skill did not necessarily mean that the next time you used it you would hit a hundred percent. Also, Aiden came to learn that the Healers that house Naranoff had brought in to treat her had run into something of an issue in her treatment. When she¡¯d woken up, she¡¯d been raving mad. She¡¯d broken the arm of one of the Healers and practically shattered the jaw of a maid. It had left Elaswit significantly remorseful to learn of this when she¡¯d finally woken up. Aiden could only imagine how bad she would¡¯ve felt if they weren¡¯t on Nastild. If a shattered jaw wasn¡¯t so easily treated and a broken arm took up to six months depending on how bad the break was. ¡°So how did they sort it out?¡± Aiden asked. He was stretching his arms and upper body, still seated on the bed. ¡°If the Healer¡¯s failed to heal whatever was bothering you, what happened?¡± Elaswit frowned, a woman with her pride stomped and shattered on the ground. Valdan chose the moment to speak. ¡°They called in a Mage Radiant.¡± Aiden looked up at Valdan. ¡°An actual Mage Radiant?¡± he asked, then let out a low whistle. ¡°You know them?¡± Valdan asked, confused. Then his face took on a new expression. Aiden ignored it, nodding. ¡°Of course I do. The princess told me a little bit about them while we were in the cave.¡± He met Elaswit¡¯s eyes with a soft smile. It must¡¯ve been difficult waking up only to hear that a group of individuals you hated with a certain kind of passion had saved you and healed you when no one else could. Elaswit frowned at him in defiance and Aiden¡¯s smile only deepened. ¡°Must¡¯ve been tough, huh,¡± he told her. ¡°Would you like a head rub?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me,¡± she snapped at him, not truly angry. ¡°So no head rubs?¡± Elaswit folded her arms and sat back, petulant. ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°So you¡¯d take head rubs if you were ten to twelve years younger?¡± Elaswit glared at him. It lasted only a few seconds before she sighed in defeat. ¡°It was horrible. And it just had to be a lady. She just stood there as they explained, staring at me with her smug face and her overpriced staff and her pompous outfit and her well put together makeup.¡± The smile on Aiden¡¯s face never left. ¡°Did she have one of those goggles on?¡± ¡°What goggles?¡± Elaswit paused. ¡°The ones the kids use if they have bad eyesight? Of course not. Mages have perfect vision.¡± She shook in restless annoyance. ¡°I should¡¯ve punched her in the face.¡± Aiden watched the worry and stress leave Elaswit, replaced by a childish rage towards someone who was probably out of the manor and on her way to whatever task she had elsewhere. ¡°I still say they should¡¯ve brought a man,¡± Elaswit insisted. Aiden cocked a brow at that. He turned his attention to Valdan who shrugged as a sign of his ignorance of what was happening. Then he turned his attention back to the princess. ¡°Why a man?¡± he asked. ¡°Because men tend to be nicer to me,¡± she answered. ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have been so smug about it. He would¡¯ve probably taken the chance to flirt a little.¡± Aiden was confused. ¡°And you would have¡­ liked that?¡± ¡°Gods, no.¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°But it beats smug any day.¡± I guess so. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if he would prefer a flirty woman or a smug man to wake up to from a terrible event. With the life he¡¯d lived, the smug man would probably be more familiar. A flirty woman would just confuse him. Not just because he wasn¡¯t very good with women but because in his experience with flirty women, one could kiss you just as easily as she could kill you. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed as he watched Elaswit¡¯s hand suddenly start inching towards him. He raised a questioning brow at her only to find her looking back at Valdan as she reached for him. As for Valdan, he had a tired expression on his face. It made Aiden wonder what exactly was going on. When her hand touched Aiden, Valdan simply shook his head and looked away like a father tired of a child¡¯s shenanigans. ¡°I guess you''re safe now,¡± Elaswit said with a childlike smile, taking her hand away and returning her attention to Aiden. ¡°What was that about?¡± ¡°You know when I said he took care of you by himself?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Well, I mean it quite literally.¡± Elaswit thumbed over her shoulder at Valdan. ¡°He didn¡¯t even let them bathe you. Touching you was quite the taboo as far as he was concerned. Even Nella¡¯s father wasn¡¯t allowed.¡± ¡°You exaggerate, princess,¡± Valdan said in a gruff voice. Elaswit didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, she gave Aiden a gentle pat on the knee and stood up. ¡°I think he wants to have a deep man to man conversation with you. He¡¯s been itching for a very long time. Once you¡¯re done with that, you and I are going to have a quick chat about what happened at the end of our little trip.¡± Her face fell slightly at the mention of the trip. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how we left and one of the Healer¡¯s said you had facial injuries that could¡¯ve come from a fight with another person.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what importance such a conversation would have, but he wasn¡¯t bothered about it. They would have it and be done with it. So he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Elaswit nodded once, then firmed her face into a smile. ¡°Good.¡± With that, she turned and walked away. There was a bit of a skip to her steps, but Aiden noticed the oddities. It was a little awkward, a little forced. She waved fancifully at Valdan when she opened the door, using more fingers than hand. ¡°Good bye, nanny.¡± Then she was gone. The room settled in an easy silence after that. It lasted a while. Maybe a few heartbeats, no more than ten but no less than five. Valdan watched Aiden through it all, a silent guard at the corner. ¡°She masks her discomfort well for her age,¡± Aiden said out of no other need than the need to defeat the silence. Valdan nodded. ¡°Poorly,¡± Aiden added, meaning it. ¡°But well for her age.¡± Valdan continued to watch him. ¡°I will not leave my king,¡± he said simply. Aiden nodded. ¡°And no one will ask you to.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Then Valdan turned to the door. He pulled a simple sheet of paper out of his pocket and placed it against the wall. It was made of white sheet with an intricate design grafted in blue ink. It stuck to it like a talisman. ¡°I¡¯m no [Enchanter],¡± he said, then touched a finger to it. ¡°But this should do.¡± The lines of the enchantment glowed a soft blue before fizzling out, and Aiden watched the air shimmer slightly, the way it always did whenever an enchantment designed to keep things in or out was activated. ¡°I do not know if this room is being surveilled.¡± Valdan said, walking up to Aiden. ¡°But I am of the opinion that we would not like to risk it.¡± He took the chair Elaswit had been sitting on, occupied it. Aiden watched him throughout the entire process. Suddenly he remembered the first thing the knight had told him when he¡¯d escaped from the cave. The man had had questions. And he has come to collect. ¡°Now.¡± Valdan folded his arms and rested his back carefully against the chair. ¡°Why have I stood guard at your door for three days, allowing no one to touch you?¡± FORTY-FOUR: By Force Aiden studied Valdan for a moment. The knight was displeased but not angry. Most people often assumed that both were one and the same. They were not. Displeasure and anger most often hold a thin line between them. It was a thin line that separated having your head chopped off by a king¡¯s decree and having your request turned down. While synonymous, anger and displeasure were not the same. ¡°I¡¯m waiting,¡± Valdan said. Aiden realized that he didn¡¯t want to share. When he¡¯d given Valdan the order to protect his body from the attention of others, he hadn¡¯t known what he¡¯d been hoping for. You lie to yourself, he thought. You knew what you¡¯d been hoping for. He¡¯d been hoping that Valdan would find what he wanted to keep a secret. For some reason, Aiden felt that it would have made this conversation a lot easier. ¡°So you didn¡¯t see it.¡± Aiden met Valdan¡¯s gaze. ¡°I did not.¡± Valdan did not avoid his gaze. ¡°I kept you from everyone, and as best from myself as I could. Why?¡± Aiden ran a hand through his hair. It was unruly but the least of his problems. He reached for his soldier¡¯s belt and found it still attached, all three wrapped around his waist. The first pocket was empty. It was the back pocket, and it took him a moment to remember that during his fight with Gangnar he had all but considered the contents of his back pocket empty. ¡°I had it somewhere,¡± he muttered as he touched one of the pockets on his side. Valdan gave him a pointed look, drew his attention. When he had it, his eyes moved pointedly to his hip. Aiden looked at the bulging pocket of the soldier¡¯s belt. ¡°Oh.¡± He reached for it but paused before opening the pocket. ¡°What enchantment is that?¡± ¡°A disruptor, from what I was told,¡± Valdan said. Aiden looked around Valdan at the sheet of paper currently glowing a very faint blue. ¡°Told by whom?¡± ¡°The [Enchanter] I got it from.¡± Disruption enchantments were a bit tricky. Or, in simpler words, they weren¡¯t the most efficient. It was the reason Aiden preferred using the [Enchantment of Lesser Madness] to do his disruptions. Disruption enchantments followed a pattern. With that pattern they broke down the effects of existing enchantments. But there were existing enchantments with patterns so vastly complicated that they didn¡¯t always work. So you had to constantly upgrade your disruption enchantments. Personally, Aiden thought they were very unreliable enchantments. So he placed both hands on his and pushed himself to his feet. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Valdan watched him with careful eyes, cautious. He reminded Aiden of a father watching their daughter take their first steps. Very much eager to see how far she could go in the accomplishment, yet teetering at the edge of catching even before she thought of falling. It was interesting. Not for the first time, Aiden felt it would be in his best interest to convince someone to let Valdan work with him on all his tasks. He doubted it would be very difficult. Then again, Valdan wasn¡¯t just a [Knight], he was a [Knight of the Crown]. Unclipping the soldier¡¯s belt that held the dimensional crystal, he placed the belt gently on the bed. ¡°Got to check on the enchantment,¡± he said in way of explanation as he shuffled over to the door. Valdan watched him go. Walking was stressful in the way that a child does not want to do their homework even when they knew the answers to the questions. Aiden could walk well but he found himself dragging his feet, lacking motivation to do much more. When he got to the door, he looked down at the sheet of paper. His neck felt lazy and standing felt unnecessarily stressful. So he squatted. But his calves didn¡¯t like that, so he sat down. He found himself looking up at the enchantment. Surprisingly, it was more comfortable. ¡°Linear lines are in place,¡± he muttered to himself as he studied the enchantment. ¡°Nothing overly complicated.¡± All of a sudden, he was tired of inspecting the enchantment. Aiden frowned at that. This is important, he chided himself, then returned his attention to the enchantment. He traced the lines of the enchantment with his eyes and his brain replicated it easily. That told him that it wasn¡¯t a high level disruption enchantment. If it had been, he wouldn¡¯t have recalled it so easily. Aiden shuffled on his place on the floor so that he could look at Valdan without having to turn his neck. ¡°Who¡­¡± His sentence trailed off at the sight he saw. ¡°What?¡± Valdan was looking at him as if he was a lazy child. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re giving me a funny look.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sitting on the ground like a child.¡± Aiden looked down at himself. ¡°I¡¯m tired. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°You also dragged your feet.¡± ¡°My legs were heavy.¡± Valdan shook his head, but there was a small smile on his lips. ¡°Is my enchantment to your satisfaction, Master Lacheart?¡± The knight was teasing him. Which was funny since Valdan wasn¡¯t one to tease people from what Aiden knew. ¡°Do you know what level it is?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°I was told it was at least an enchantment above level fifty,¡± Valdan answered. ¡°Why?¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°I take it they didn¡¯t know you were a knight.¡± ¡°They did not.¡± Valdan gave him a questioning look. ¡°I am not one to go around announcing my title.¡± Aiden had a feeling that none of those with the title of [Knight of the Crown] were. ¡°No matter.¡± He got to his feet. ¡°It should suffice.¡± He dusted his hands against his tattered pants and started shuffling back towards Valdan. ¡°Raise your feet,¡± Valdan chided. ¡°You¡¯re not some untrained adolescent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just feeling lazy. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Aiden raised his feet, however. He did his best to walk normally, even with his lack of motivation. When he got to the bed, he sat down beside the soldier¡¯s belt. Valdan looked at him. ¡°Are you done stalling?¡± Aiden nodded. He turned to the soldier¡¯s belt he¡¯d discarded and pulled it to his laps. He opened the pocket he was interested in and was welcome to the deep blue of the crystal that was inside it. The crystal sat comfortably in the palm of his hand, occupying every space. Was it this big when I got it? Valdan¡¯s gaze moved to the crystal, focused on it. ¡°A mana crystal. Rare, but not very rare.¡± He looked up at Aiden. ¡°I was protecting a mana crystal?¡± Aiden said nothing. He met Valdan¡¯s gaze and waited. Silence had many uses in a conversation. In one like this, it told the other party that while they were right, there was more. And it was their job to try their best to discover what it was. Valdan¡¯s eyes went back to the crystal. ¡°All mana is blue at its conception. Even human mana. But this isn¡¯t human mana.¡± Aiden nodded. It clearly wasn¡¯t. It was obviously the wrong kind of blue, banking on black. It was clearly too dark to be black. Valdan frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve gone through all the mana colors I know.¡± ¡°And?¡± Aiden pressed. ¡°I don¡¯t know this one.¡± Valdan looked at him. ¡°The only color closest to this is¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°I do not know. It has an odd color. I¡¯ve seen black mana, but that belongs to people whose skills work with the shadows. And green and black is often the purview of necromancy.¡± Aiden had to remind himself that while necromancy was frowned upon, it wasn¡¯t explicitly seen as evil. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t kill the necromancer.¡± Valdan shook his head, a made a dismissive gesture. ¡°He works for the crown. Besides, he¡¯s a nice guy.¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, is there necromancy in your world?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no magic in my world, Valdan.¡± Aiden closed his hand around the crystal and opened it. He got no notification showing him the fluctuation of his mana. I guess I¡¯ve adapted to it. Valdan nodded. ¡°But how do you people treat death? Even here on Nastild there are many outlooks on death depending on the custom.¡± Aiden placed the crystal on his lap and folded his arms. The first thought that came to mind was how the Order treated their dead. They buried them, and that was it. They were one of the few people who buried their dead on the human side of Nastild. The others mostly burned their dead. Unless they were royalty. Most kings and queens were entombed. ¡°It¡¯s a bit diverse,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Most people burn or bury them. Ages ago some Monarchs built themselves a pyramid. During my time there were people who claimed to have found a way to turn you into diamond.¡± ¡°Diamond?¡± Valdan gave him a confused look. ¡°Why would someone want to be turned into jewelry. Do diamonds conduct magic the way it does here over there?¡± ¡°Valdan, again, there¡¯s no magic in my world.¡± Aiden let out a nostalgic sigh. ¡°Some organizations claimed they could turn you into a tree, too. But mostly we just buried or burned our dead.¡± ¡°Your people are odd.¡± Valdan looked away in thought. ¡°Perhaps they are merely innovative with no ethical restrictions. I can see a [Necromancer] taking interesting in turning the dead into jewelry. A [Druid] would definitely be interested in the tree thing.¡± Ethical restrictions, huh. Nastild definitely had that. The Order did not. And it was the reason they were so much more advanced than most of the human kingdoms. In truth, they had ethical restrictions, but they were so lax Aiden couldn¡¯t call them restrictions. ¡°We¡¯ve digressed far enough,¡± Valdan said suddenly. ¡°The crystal.¡± Aiden looked down at it. ¡°I¡¯m actually surprised that you haven¡¯t yet used [Detect] on it, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± ¡°It is a property belonging to you, Aiden,¡± Valdan explained. ¡°It would be rude and uncivilized of me to just use a skill to learn what it is when I could simply ask.¡± Aiden held it up. ¡°I think it would be better if you used the skill.¡± Valdan gave him an odd look and Aiden nodded. Valdan sighed. When he used the skill, he did not give off an expression that informed Aiden of it. He did not squint. His eyes did not give off a soft glow or change color. However, Valdan sat up straighter, grew more alert. Suddenly he looked back at the door and Aiden had a feeling that he had suddenly begun doubting the disruption enchantment. Aiden was more interested in what Valdan¡¯s interface would interpret the crystal to be. ¡°There are already crystalized demonic mana in the kingdom?¡± Valdan said in a low voice, as if someone else might hear him if he spoke normally. ¡°We must inform the king.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t share in the Knight¡¯s haste, for obvious reasons. While the arrival of demonic mana was a sign that Nastild was running out of time to the kings of Nastild, to him it simply meant that he was running out of time to reach the kind of strength he needed. Not for the first time, it grated at him that the secrets on Nastild that he knew could lead him to level up would only help when he was powerful enough to use them. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand how serious this is as regards the rising darkness, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said, clearly noticing the lack of worry on Aiden¡¯s face. ¡°Crystalized mana is not an easy thing to come by.¡± Aiden looked down at the crystal and asked a question he knew the answer to. ¡°Is it that rare?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valdan¡¯s answer was immediate. ¡°To find a natural mana crystal in nature, the ambient mana would have to be concentrated for many years, at least fifty years. Kingdoms go to war over mines bearing mana crystals.¡± ¡°And what if it was artificially made?¡± Valdan frowned as if the answer to the question was something he wasn¡¯t proud to have. ¡°You will need at least ten living mana sources. If you drain them of their entire mana and concentrate it with the help of the necessary skills, you might be able to create a mana crystal.¡± Aiden frowned. ¡°That¡¯s dark.¡± But it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t already know this. ¡°It is a dark world,¡± Valdan confirmed. ¡°People aren¡¯t always inherently good.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Aiden knew that. He¡¯d seen enough of humans and non-humans to know that evil wasn¡¯t just a human trait, it was a sapient trait. If it had intelligence and desire, it was as capable of good as it was of evil. He¡¯d once seen what Elves had done to Orc slaves. Humans had no monopoly on evil. They weren¡¯t even close to knowing it well enough. There was cruelty on Nastild and humans were still new to it. ¡°What do you intend on doing with the crystal?¡± Aiden was pulled from his thought and he looked at Valdan. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I assume it is yours by right of conquest,¡± Valdan explained. ¡°So it is only fair that you decide on what to do with it.¡± That was a bit surprising. ¡°I thought you would tell me to submit it to the king.¡± ¡°The king will definitely learn of this.¡± Valdan would have it no other way. ¡°But what will inevitably be done with the crystal will be entirely up to you. I will advise, however, that you submit it to the king. There are people who have trained their whole lives in professions that would allow them handle this better.¡± ¡°But ultimately?¡± ¡°The decision is in your hands.¡± Valdan turned thoughtful. ¡°Most people who find themselves in the rare possession of mana crystals that match their mana have been known to use it to grow their mana levels.¡± Aiden was aware of this, however, a new thought bubbled within his mind. With the [Heart of Nosrath] heart and the [Crystal of Existence], maybe he could do more. There was an instructor in the Order who had been as old as old could be even before Aiden had joined the Order. He had hair as red as blood that was a strong anomaly on Nastild. According to him, there were a few people like him who had hair that color as a side effect of absorbing the [Heart of Nosrath] and the [Crystal of Existence]. Most people did not use both resources together because the human body couldn¡¯t handle the overload, but there was an enemy of the Order who was very much capable of making it happen. Once upon a time, he hadn¡¯t been an enemy of the Order, but a few things had happened to earn him that specific title. The rumors in the Order had it that the man wasn¡¯t just an enemy of the Order, but also carried it as a system sanctioned title. The man had fallen to an assault from the Order five years after Aiden had joined them. Aiden looked down at the crystal. He had heard once from the instructor with blood red hair that there lived a being¡ªhe had said nothing of the person¡¯s race¡ªthat had taken Nosrath¡¯s heart and the [Crystal of Existence] to the [Enemy of the Order] and had left the man¡¯s presence with hair the color of lava. The instructor had claimed that this person had taken something extra, and the [Enemy of the Order] had done something with it as well. It hadn¡¯t just made the benefits of Nosrath¡¯s heart permanent, it had done more for him. What if I can¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.¡± Once more, Aiden¡¯s attention was drawn to Valdan. ¡°You cannot absorb demonic mana,¡± Valdan said angrily. ¡°No matter how much power you want¡ªand I see how much you want it everyday¡ªyou cannot do it. It will kill you as surely as you are alive.¡± Aiden looked down at the crystal and found his hold had tightened over it. He blinked at himself, as if clearing some metaphoric cobwebs in his head. Had he really been thinking about it. He knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb a demonic mana crystal through natural means, but he¡¯d suspected that it would be possible with the help of the [Enemy of the Order]. Do you want power so badly? Aiden had no idea what the criteria for becoming the [Demon King] were, but he was almost certain that successfully absorbing an entire demonic mana crystal would shift him greatly towards meeting the criteria. Would you become the [Demon King] you intend on saving your brother from becoming? He knew the answer to that question. His mind so desperately wanted to say yes. But while he was a lot of things, he didn¡¯t think a fool was one of them. What would happen next if he became the [Demon King]? What would happen if the world found out? Their roles would be reversed. Ted would become the one who would suffer what Aiden had once suffered. I¡¯m not just here to stop Ted from becoming the [Demon King], I¡¯m here to keep him safe until we get home. To keep us safe. Becoming the [Demon King] would destroy the entire goal. Aiden¡¯s hold on the crystal relaxed and he looked at Valdan. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you need an affinity with the mana for it to work?¡± Valdan met his gaze and held it. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Rising darkness, demonic mana.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Common sense dictates that all that applies to demons, not humans.¡± Valdan gave him a skeptical look. It lasted for a moment before he dropped it. ¡°I can only imagine demons absorbing these things.¡± He carried a disgusted frown on his face. ¡°This is far more terrible than I thought.¡± Human mana, naturally, did not have a type like fire or water or things of the like. They were just mana unique to each individual as their scars and finger prints. However, some people¡¯s mana were known to develop a sense of affinity at level hundred and beyond. Not all, though, just some. They weren¡¯t rare enough to be considered unique, but they were rare enough to be called rare. Hence, mana crystals were mostly just used for potions and crafting and the like. Still, some people developed affinities like fire and water and earth and pain and fear. You felt the effects in their skills from time to time, mostly when they intended it. The aura or mana of those beyond level hundred was simply heavy and overbearing. Those who have developed affinities came with much more. Fire came with a burning sensation. Water came with a drowning sensation. Pain came with¡­ well, pain, obviously. But as powerful as it sounded, there were restrictions. For example, if a [Mage] developed an affinity with water, they could kiss casting a lot of other spells easily good bye. If someone that was not a magic class developed, maybe a lightning affinity, then they could be sure that all the skills they gained after that would very likely be locked to being lightning related. In Aiden¡¯s past life his mana hadn¡¯t gotten any affinity because there had been no point to it or trying for it. What had happened just now had been a momentary lax in judgement. Personally, he intended to keep his mana free from affinity. Still¡­ Dimensional mana affinity might be a path to going home. He breathed in deeply. ¡°This is worrying.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°What do you say we hand it over to the church?¡± Aiden had never seen Valdan shake his head so quickly. ¡°The church has no interest in the rest of the world. They are so clouded by their religious belief that they would watch the world burn if saving it went against even a drop of their teachings. Giving it to them would be a morbidly horrible idea.¡± Aiden¡¯s expression scrunched up in surprise. That had been quite the adamant tone in Valdan¡¯s voice. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to give it to the church, though. He¡¯d just been spit balling there. But it was good to see where Valdan stood with the church. He wondered if the knight had a similar stance on the gods of Nastild. That piece of information was unnecessary. For now, however, he focused his attention on more reasonable power to try and attain. The [Heart of Nosrath] and the [Crystal of Existence]. He wasn¡¯t completely sure of what the benefits would be, specifically, but one thing he was certain of was that they would make him powerful. [Heart of Nosrath] was gotten from a beast that spawned in the harsh south of Nastild. It was in all ramifications of the word, a raid monster. When it was defeated, a [Crafter] could get the heart out easily or you could do it by hand if you were not a [Crafter]. The latter was more difficult. The creature, the Nosrath, respawned once every two years by means that still remained one of the mysteries of Nastild. When the [Heart of Nosrath] was consumed, the person that consumed it gained two benefits. The first was the gift of resurrection. If killed, they would come back to life in no more than twenty-four hours. This benefit lasted for the span of two years. No body knew for a fact, but people speculated that the reason it lasted for two years was because of the Nosrath¡¯s respawn. However, if the user wasn¡¯t killed in two years, then they lost the benefit of resurrection and had their life stats boosted by five points for the duration of five years. They also permanently gained the [Vitality] stat which was said to grant significantly increased healing. Most people didn¡¯t understand the boon that came with the [Vitality] stat. The stronger you got, growing in levels, the healthier you became. But it was fixed, determined by your body naturally. Gaining the [Vitality] stat meant the ability to grow it intentionally. If a person had the stat and just decided to funnel all the stat points they got into it, they would become very difficult to kill. At least more so than their peers. As for the [Crystal of Existence], it had two functions. It served as something of a reboot item. It possessed one of two functions. As a single use item, it allowed the user reallocate all their already allocated stat points. But if the user didn¡¯t want to use it for that, then they could wield it for two years, granting them the [Undo] skill, that reset all status effects with a twenty-four hour cool down period. Kings and nobles stalked the entrance to these places every two years just to get their hands on these items. Mercenaries, too, for the rich paid outrageous sums for the chance to get their hands on such items. Small wars have been fought over access to these things in Nastild¡¯s history. It might seem insignificant, but in a world were violence was power, any boon was important. Necessary. Greater men than Aiden always had their eyes on them. But Aiden was confident in claiming the next [Heart of Nosrath] and [Crystal of Existence] to spawn. Why? Because he knew the exact date they would spawn. In a few months, the current wielder of the [Heart of Nosrath], the king of Mba-chukwu to the south, would be panicking at the loss of the heart that he had claimed barely eight months ago. And so would the queen of Nel Quan, current wielder of the [Crystal of Existence]. Both items would respawn randomly for the next eleven years due to the effects of the presence of the rising darkness most correctly known as the increase in demonic mana on Nastild. And Aiden was currently the only one alive who knew this. Personally, Aiden didn¡¯t think he really needed the [Crystal of Existence]. Still, there might be those in his eventual team who would. And he had every intention of making them as strong as possible. Aiden turned and replaced the mana crystal in the pocket of his soldier¡¯s belt. Valdan watched him as he did it, saying nothing. Once he was done, he turned to Valdan. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gotten that out of the way,¡± he said. ¡°What did I miss?¡± ¡­ It was well past midnight when Onyedi dismissed the council of chiefs. They had been, as always, grumblers and weaklings. Actually, weakling was probably too harsh a word to describe them. They were just too cautious. Once upon a time Onyedi would have stood on the word, mistaken caution of all kinds for weakness. But he was old enough now. He had seen enough to know that caution was often a virtue to stand by. He stood at one end of the large round table in front of him too restless to sit. The table large enough for fifteen grown men to stand around it comfortably. It was made from an old Mamoroth¡¯s hip bone, carved and fashioned by the finest crafters, all of which had born the class of [Crafter] years ago. It had been in the time of his grandfather. The table was a deep brown, like charred wood. Yet sleek and glossy. It gleamed when exposed to light. But there was no gleam from it in this moment because its beauty was not on display even from the moonlight that streamed in from the window behind Onyedi. The wooly white fur of the same Mamaroth that owned the bone from which the table was crafted currently covered it. Onyedi sighed, piercing brown eyes staring at the surface of the table. He had both hands planted firmly on it, looking down at the map in front of him. Plans months in the making had gone terribly awry before they had even begun to be put into motion. Four months. He scowled at the map. Four fucking months. He gritted his teeth so hard he could almost feel them hurting. If things hadn¡¯t begun to go terribly wrong a month ago, his plan would¡¯ve gone into motion four months from now. Onyedi let out a calming breath that did nothing to calm him down. His year-old dream had been cracked, and now it stood on the verge of shattering. But he continued to hold it together with nothing but sheer will. His chiefs and elders that had been on his side not too long ago were now exercising caution for good reasons. But Onyedi was a stubborn man. His father had always seen it. So did his wives. His stubbornness had to run in his veins because even his third son was displaying similar levels of stubbornness at the young age of twenty. ¡°It can¡¯t all go to waste,¡± he muttered to himself. All those months ago when he¡¯d fought tooth and nail for the heart beating in his chest, many had thought him mad. Paranoid. They thought he¡¯d done it because he hadn¡¯t trusted those around him. They had been wrong. Everything had all been part of a plan. A placed a trembling finger on the map in front of him. It was brown, sheered from a great tree, bound to one animal skin or the other and treated as crafters knew how to. On it where curves and outlines, scratched designs depicting borders and mountains, seas and valleys. His finger rested between two mountain peaks. Just above it was scribbled two words: Nel Quan. The kingdom would be his conquest. It was his by right of conqueror. And if he died taking it, then it was never his to begin with. Though he doubted he would lose. With the [Heart of Nosrath] beating in his chest, death could claim him but it would hold no dominion over him. Then a month ago he¡¯d been saddled with the task of babysitter. He could still remember that blatantly annoying evening when he¡¯d received his guest. The man had walked into his throne room with the confidence of a man walking into his own house. At first Onyedi had thought him young for the hood that had concealed his face. His physique had been athletic like those who took greater pleasure in speed and acrobatics rather than strength. Then the man had taken off the hood and his face had spoken of an age that came very close to ninety years. Grey hairs and green eyes had stared at him. The man had carried a long bow at his back so long that it looked as if it was supposed to scrape the ground but it never did. Onyedi had thought him some type of [Archer] but the man carried no quiver. No arrows. ¡°Onyedi Mbaku,¡± the man had said casually. ¡°Son of Nkem Mbaku. Grandson of Kezirim Mbaku, the usurper. I have come to speak and you shall listen.¡± Onyedi had looked at him as one would a prisoner blinded by their own hubris. There had been no sound from the men that guarded the room. ¡°My men?¡± he had asked. ¡°Alive,¡± the man had replied. ¡°But not in a position to disturb. Do not make me repeat myself, child. I have come to speak and you shall listen. If you do not, you will be replaced with one who will. Perhaps this one would hold the title since you do not.¡± Onyedi had bristled in anger. He did not like the fact that he was the only king without the title of [King] on this part of Nastild. His rage had roared within him and he¡¯d almost risen from his throne to lose his life. But sanctioned by the system or not, titled or not, he was still king. And as a king, his father had told him of what all kings must fear and bow to. But he could not assume, he had refused to. Assumptions were the ways of the weak. The strong confirmed. ¡°[Sage],¡± he had said. A single word that carried the weight of more than a kingdom, if his father¡¯s words were to be believed. His father had never claimed to know what a [Sage] was capable of, but he¡¯d always spoken of a [Sage] as a person whose arrogance did their abilities no justice. A [Sage] was supposed to be shrouded in mystery but his father always believed that that mystery was there to shroud the true lengths of their power. ¡°Since you know who I am,¡± the old man had said with a voice that did not shake or quiver, ¡°then this will go smoothly. I will return here in three days. I will find you and your elders and your chiefs waiting for me and I will give you a task.¡± Onyedi had shaken his head in refusal. ¡°I have things that must be done.¡± The [Sage] had made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Your war can wait.¡± Onyedi had stiffened at that. Before then, none had known of his plans to take the kingdom of Nel Quan. It had been a plan kept close to his heart. He had mapped everything out himself. But the [Sage] had known. ¡°There is always a time for war, child,¡± the [Sage] had said. ¡°Yours does not come now. I will give you your task and you will carry it out. It is that simple.¡± Then the man had turned and walked away as simply as he¡¯d come. His green hooded cloak had been soundless in his departure as it had been in his entrance. His bow that was far too long had barely touched the ground from its place at his back. True to his words, the man had returned. Obedient, Onyedi had followed his instructions and had summoned his elders and chiefs and they had come. The man had placed his bow on the ground at the center of the throne room and everyone had seen that it had no string. Then it had stretched itself, reaching out like an overgrown tree root at the heart of a forest to form an intricate design. In the end, it had taken up the form of a drawn spell mixed with enchantments. After a moment, it glowed a soft blue so deep that it was almost black. It radiated so much power that Onyedi had found himself bound by the urge to covet it. When the power faded, the bow without a string had returned to the back of the [Sage] and the center of the throne room was occupied by the peaceful bodies of sleeping children around the age of Onyedi¡¯s third son. Some older and some younger. ¡°Care for them. Train them. Make them strong.¡± The [Sage] had looked him dead in the eye from across the distance between them. ¡°They will fight for this world and one of them might be made [Hero]. Then they will fight for you.¡± That was all. The man was gone and Onyedi had heard nothing ever since. So he had trained them and cared for them for a month. He had also manipulated the few he could so that they were loyal to him. And now here he was. Alone with plans some old man had told him to put on hold. He almost scoffed at how ludicrous the idea of him giving up his conquest was. Four months from now was the perfect time to strike. His kingdom would be fresh from the season of Harmattan and Nel Quan would be celebrating the beauty of their kingdom as their winter snow thawed at the touch of the sun. Then he would replace their snow with their blood and honor their throne with the glory of his rulership. He would not refuse his conquest. I cannot. He would raise the children given to him by the [Sage] then fight his war as well. After all, what was a king who did not know how to multitask at such a level? Onyedi turned, sighing again, and leaned against the table. He had been sighing a lot recently. It reminded him of his father in his later days. Always sighing. Always looking troubled and aged. Oyed had vowed that he would not be his father. Even now he vowed that he would not. He would not be a man that continued to long to be given what he was told that he could not have. Beyond the window was the thing his father had yearned and pined for. A long bar of black, a single black pillar of the night, rising high into the sky to pierce the heavens. His father had taken him there once. According to him, the pillar, as wide as a house, acknowledged kings. But it did not acknowledge his father. And now it did not acknowledge Onyedi. Every now and then, he would go to it. He would place his hand against its surface, feel the absence of sensation that came with touching it. And he would always look upon the interface that appeared before him. [You do not meet the requirement to use this feature.] Up close the pillar was the same color as the flash of radiant power the [Sage] had displayed in bringing the children to Onyedi. And something told Onyedi that it was the power he needed to use whatever the feature was. There was rumor of a mana crystal in the vaults of Nel Quan that possessed the same color. Rumors he had eventually confirmed. But the Queen of Nel Quan would not give it to him even if he asked for it. He hadn¡¯t asked for it, but he knew. Those with the title of monarchy, those that paraded themselves about with the title of [King] and [Queen], always looked down on men like him. So he would not ask for it. He would take it. Once upon a time, as a na?ve child, he had once asked his father why he yearned so much for the pillar¡ªwhy he often spoke to the pillar asking to be given access? He still remembered his father¡¯s words. It only saddened Onyedi that he¡¯d gotten an answer for his father a little too late. His father¡¯s response, after all, had been a question. If they don¡¯t give it to you, son, then how will you take it? Onyedi stared at the pillar, an answer on his lips. ¡°¡­By force.¡± FORTY-FIVE: The Mysterious It was early in the morning, barely an hour past first light when Aiden ducked the blade of a swinging sword. The training ground was empty today. Seeking a peaceful practice, Aiden had planned for an early arrival. There was no point making a fool of himself in public. It had been three days since he¡¯d woken up. And while he no longer found himself lacking in motivation to do most things, that was only for the mundane and monotonous tasks. What he was here for was to test the more complicated tasks. He¡¯d experienced high rebounds from potions due to high toxicity before but it hadn¡¯t been like this. There was the laziness and the lack of motivation. But there was mostly weakness. And it always lasted about twelve hours. Enchantment overload seemed more terrifying. How could a person be so healthy and yet perfectly lazy? Aiden backed away from his sparring partner, increased the distance between them by four steps. His movements were like dance steps, a crescendo from the first step to the fourth. As his instructors in the Order were often known to say: Every movement with a pattern is nothing more than a dance. Valdan paused, watched him go. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger,¡± he said, his voice suspicious. Aiden gave him a flourish of a bow. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Too strong, too quickly, Lord Lacheart.¡± Valdan changed his sword stance. The length of the blade glistened even in the absence of the sun. ¡°People will talk.¡± Aiden changed his stance. He held his long sword down and to the side with an arm behind his back, like a fencer. ¡°What can I say, I went through a lot.¡± Valdan dashed forward in a speed that could only come from a foundational skill. Once upon a time, it would¡¯ve been very fast, terrifyingly so. Now it was simply fast. Aiden stepped to the side and deflected Valdan¡¯s blow. He felt the weight of Valdan¡¯s blow go up his arm. He¡¯d deflected the blow properly but not perfectly. Valdan turned another sword strike coming from the side. Aiden moved again, his body feeling lighter than it had before he¡¯d entered the cave. But not as light as he had been in his past life. He¡¯d felt lighter. He stepped away from the slash, eyes keeping track of everything Valdan was doing. The knight was no magician or enchanter. He was straight forward, devoid of tricks in battle. So much unlike Aiden. But things happened. To assume that you knew the limits of your opponent was one of many paths to your downfall. He deflected three more attacks before switching his stance to one befitting a longsword. The he clashed with the last attack, turned his sword so that he sent the blades of both swords sliding across each other. The end result was him coming face to face with Valdan as they met at too close a distance, swords locked between them. ¡°Strength, Lord Lacheart.¡± There was an appreciating tone of mockery in Valdan¡¯s voice. Like an older brother to a younger brother. Or a jovial uncle to a nephew. Aiden gave him an innocent smile. ¡°I¡¯m trying new things.¡± ¡°The hubris of leveling up.¡± Aiden could smell the morning breath on the knight¡¯s mouth. He broke the stance and backed away from him. Valdan smiled kindly. ¡°I thought you were trying new things?¡± ¡°The new thing didn¡¯t take to me.¡± Aiden shrugged. They¡¯d left so early and he hadn¡¯t had the time to take care of his oral hygiene. He wondered if he¡¯d also come here with morning breath. God knew Valdan hadn¡¯t cared for his at all. Aiden had been the one to wake him from his slumber, after all. ¡°Speaking of new things.¡± Aiden relaxed his stance and Valdan did the same. ¡°There is something I would like to try.¡± Valdan waited and watched as Aiden turned away from him. ¡°At some point we will have to make our spars more difficult,¡± Aiden said as he walked to the side. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of complex things in my head. A few come to mind, annoying methods, in my honest opinion.¡± He walked up to the training rack at one side of the training grounds and replaced the sword. He browsed the other weapons. ¡°Would you be up for it?¡± ¡°As long as I deem you fit for them,¡± Valdan replied. Aiden spared him an amused glance. He was definitely growing quite fond of the knight. There was something interesting about being viewed as the underdog after growing so strong once upon a time. Aiden nodded. ¡°Aptly put.¡± ¡°So what exactly is happening right now?¡± Valdan rested the blade of his sword against his shoulder. He wore simple clothes this morning. A shirt of fine white. Pants of dusty brown. He wore no footwear. Like Aiden, his footwear rested at one side of the training grounds. Aiden perused the weapon rack. His hand flowed over the assortment. There were flails and morning-star. Spears and halberds. Staffs and javelin. Glaive and pike. Axe and hammer. His had stopped over the glaive and Valdan gave him a look. No. Not yet. Aiden ran his hand back a few weapons and settled on the spear. Some weapons had been easier for him to learn than others. Some skills gained faster than others. He hefted the spear from the rack and twirled it once. It wasn¡¯t the best product but it was weighted nicely enough. Aiden swung it over his shoulder and returned to Valdan. The knight gave him a look. ¡°A new weapon. Already?¡± ¡°What can I say.¡± Aiden swung it from his shoulder and twirled it once more. ¡°I¡¯m trying new things.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your sword mastery at?¡± Aiden pulled up the skill. [Swordsmanship (Mastery 83.01%)] He couldn¡¯t lie. He was impressed. Gangnar had done much for his [Swordsmanship]. If he just kept at it, he would be at perfect mastery. Then it would evolve to its next stage. ¡°Over seventy,¡± he said to Valdan. Valdan¡¯s control over his facial expression didn¡¯t just slip, it shattered. ¡°How the hell?!¡± Aiden did his best not to grin. The growth was unprecedented. And while it was a feat beyond imagination, it wasn¡¯t really much since he already knew how it was happening. It took people months of practice and dedication to the sword to gain perfect mastery of its base skill. Years to reach its pinnacle. Weapon skills, after all, were evolving skills. Aiden¡¯s response was another twirl of the spear. Valdan¡¯s forehead creased in a frown. ¡°Is this the reason you wish to learn another weapon? You¡¯ve grown bored of the sword?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯ve grown bored of the sword.¡± Aiden held the spear casually in both hands now, caressing the wooden shaft. ¡°I just felt like I should try another weapon. Gain versatility.¡± Valdan nodded but remained thoughtful. ¡°I hadn¡¯t wanted to slow your growth since the king wanted all of you to grow as strong as possible as quickly as possible through training. If I had known you would be so proficient with the sword, I would¡¯ve added another weapon to the mix.¡± Aiden paused, a bit surprised. ¡°You have mastery in other weapons?¡± ¡°The glaive and the axe.¡± Aiden cocked his head to the side, studied Valdan a little. ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡± Valdan chuckled. ¡°What don¡¯t you see?¡± ¡°Well, I can definitely see you moving with a glaive, graceful and destructive.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But definitely not the axe.¡± Valdan rubbed his jaw in thought. ¡°True enough. But it would surprise you to know that the axe was the first weapon I gained a skill for.¡± That was definitely interesting. Now that Aiden thought about it, there was a lot about the knight that he didn¡¯t know. It wasn¡¯t because he¡¯d forgotten to ask or anything in that category. He had just not cared. Until now. He rested the butt of the spear on the ground and leaned on it. The spear was easily taller than him. ¡°What else don¡¯t I know about you, Sir Valdan Dirtwater?¡± Valdan reeled back, taken aback. His brows furrowed some more. ¡°Are you alright, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Peachy, actually.¡± Valdan nodded, then took a sword stance. ¡°Then less questions about the unimportant and let¡¯s see how proficient you can become with the spear.¡± Allowing the topic die, Aiden took a simple spear stance. ¡°Remember what I said about foundational skills,¡± Valdan said. Aiden nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s not for you, there¡¯s no point in forcing it.¡± You could swing a sword for fifty years on Nastild, but if you weren¡¯t meant for it, you wouldn¡¯t gain the skill. It was the reason there were people in the world that didn¡¯t have a combat class. They simply weren¡¯t meant for it. ¡°Not only that.¡± Valdan met his gaze across the distance. ¡°It¡¯s exponentially harder to gain foundational skills after you¡¯ve gained your class.¡± Aiden nodded. His past life had taught him that it was indeed exponentially harder. But not impossible. If you could gain the skill, you just needed the right level of punishment learning it to have it even after you¡¯d gained a class. ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± he answered. It had taken him a long time to gain the different weapon skills he¡¯d gained in his past life. Some had taken him up to a month after he¡¯d joined the Order, developing their foundational skills days into training. Personally, Aiden was counting on whatever gift that came with regressing that had given him a foundational sword skill in only one sword swing to come through for him. Valdan nodded and his grip on his sword tightened a little. ¡°Begin.¡± It was another hour, maybe two, when the sun was up and Valdan¡¯s blade finally found a touch of sunlight to gleam under. They were no longer alone in the training grounds. A few soldiers littered the space, squires and knights, titled and classed. Each on practicing in their own way so that the air was filled with the occasional clacking of wood against wood from practice weapons and the clangs of metal against metal. Aiden parried a blow with the blade of his spear, pushed Valdan back and forced a longer range between them. He went for the advantage that came with the spear, forcing Valdan to risk being cut so he could close in well enough to land a blow. Valdan finally found his chance. He ducked a spear thrust to the the head, weaved beneath it at the last moment so that the blade of the spear pierced through the end of his hair tied up in a pony tail. He slipped through Aiden¡¯s defense and thrust with a stab of his own. Aiden slipped to the side and drew his spear back. He held it in both hands as if holding a staff and parried a close range attack. Pushing back Valdan came with a touch of stress, but Aiden was successful. The moment he created the tiniest space between them, he spun, swinging the spear in a vicious blow. Valdan backed away from it and Aiden followed the attack again with a thrust, dashing forward with it. The day, Aiden found himself strolling through the halls of interface. Another mastery starting above zero percent. In his past life it had taken him four days to gain a foundational skill for the spear. At this point he might as well be a cheat character. Valdan paused as well, then gave him a look. ¡°Not true,¡± he said in accusation and disbelief. Aiden gave him a grin. ¡°True.¡± Valdan groaned, then laughed. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Aiden laughed, too. [You have learned foundational skill Thrust (Mastery 02.10%)] ¡­ Later in day Aiden found himself walking down one of the manor¡¯s hallways. It was evening and he carried a smile on his face. He was impressed with himself. Impressed wasn¡¯t really the word he was looking for but it was the one he was willing to go with. He had confirmed his growth. Gaining foundational skills were slower now that he had a class. But in comparison to how slow it was supposed to be, this was a walk in the park. In two hours of training and a few practice exercises with the spear on his own, he¡¯d gained all the necessary foundational skills for the spear skill. And he¡¯d raised most of them up to the teens. It was insane to even imagine. At this point he was wondering if his regression had somehow granted him quick learning or if it only applied to the skills he had before. He would¡¯ve liked to put it to the test¡ªlearn a new skill¡ªbut that would be a waste of time. Instead, he would focus on the skills he¡¯d had in his past life. The ones he remembered. It sounded unreasonable but when he got to the two hundred levels he had a lot of skills. And there were a few of them that were passive, working in the background. There were even some skills he rarely used, most of them gained in his days before joining the Order, days before he¡¯d gone on the run and had become a mercenary. Aiden paused in his steps. I really lived quite the life. He¡¯d worked for a kingdom. Run from a kingdom. Become a prisoner for a temporary period of time. Trained a princess. Stolen from a dragon. And survived a [Saint]. Of them all, he frowned at the memory of his imprisonment. The first time was one he didn¡¯t want to remember. He¡¯d been caught poaching as a mercenary off the coast of Seltzul, a minor kingdom on Nastild in the north. The days that had followed had stretched into months and had not been nice. Aiden picked at his fingers as he resumed his stroll. Losing nails was a painful experience only very minutely dulled by the fact that he could get them back with the help of a competent healer. He had learnt human cruelty then. Years later, he had learnt sapient cruelty. None of it mattered now. ¡°Ah, just the person I was looking for.¡± Aiden turned and his eyes landed on Nella. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The daughter of the Naranoff house wore a simple flowing gown today. It was so long that it almost brushed the ground as she walked. It was pink with brown floral prints. Vanisi, her maid, walked a step behind her to the side. The brown floral prints were ugly on the pink gown. Aiden couldn¡¯t help but cock a brow at the choice of clothing. ¡°What?¡± Nella looked down at the gown, then gave him a twirl. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Aiden bowed at the neck in simple greeting, refusing to engage in that conversation. ¡°Good day.¡± Nella paused, then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°And how may I be of assistance?¡± ¡°May I trouble you for a walk? A conversation at a quick destination.¡± Aiden shrugged. It wasn¡¯t as if he was doing anything. Nella took it as a response and continued walking. She walked up to him, then walked past him. Aiden watched her go. Vanisi nodded in greeting as she passed him, smiling kindly. Aiden followed. Nella walked, slowing down so that Aiden caught up to her. They walked side by side in silence and Vanisi trailed behind them like a sliver of smoke from a lit match. They made a few turns before Aiden realized where Nella was leading him. ¡°I asked the princess what your level was,¡± she said out of nowhere. Aiden nodded. ¡°That was¡­ not very nice.¡± ¡°It was rude.¡± Nella shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s try to call a fire spell a fire spell, Lord Lacheart. I¡¯m not sure how many nobles you¡¯ve related with, but unlike them, I¡¯m quite blunt about everything.¡± ¡°And what did the princess say?¡± Nella looked at him from out of the corner of her eye. ¡°You know very well what her answer was, Lord Lacheart. She didn¡¯t have one.¡± Aiden kept his eyes forward. In his head he kept track of the distance they walked, twists and turns, curves and stops. A simple mental practice he¡¯d learned long ago. It kept his mind sharp. Nella looked at him again. Still, she did so from the corner of her eye. Behind the Vanisi seemed to be enjoying herself in her silence. ¡°Would you be willing to share it with me, Lord Lacheart?¡± Nella said, eyes back in front of them. Aiden made sure to wait for her to take the turn to the right when the path ahead of them split in opposite directions. When they were on the new path, he spared Vanisi a glance. Nella looked back at the maid then waved Aiden¡¯s unvoiced concern aside. ¡°It¡¯s alright to speak in front of her. It might amaze you to know but no one holds a secret better than Vanisi.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve laughed at that if he wasn¡¯t completely sure that she was being serious. Nella Naranoff displayed greater trust in her own maid than Aiden had ever had in another person. Sadly, as special as he would¡¯ve like to say it was, it was not. It was merely one variable of how the nobles tended to treat those in their service. ¡°My sincerest apologies for the inconvenience, Lady Nella. But I would rather not.¡± All three of them came to a stop in front of a door. A door Aiden had once considered heading to. ¡°This,¡± Nella gestured at the door, ¡°is my study.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Is it currently locked?¡± Nella looked at Vanisi. Vanisi bowed slightly, hands clasped in front of her stomach. ¡°No, my lady.¡± Aiden leaned forward and turned the knob. The door opened inward easily. ¡°After you.¡± Nella made a surprised, yet amused face as she walked in. ¡°Elly never told me you were a gentleman.¡± Vanisi stood where she was, made no attempt to follow after her. Aiden gave it another beat before concluding that the maid was indeed not going to enter. So he walked in and closed the door behind him. Nella¡¯s study was¡­ to call it a study was a very vast overstatement when compared to the study most people of noble birth kept. She had a chair and the one table. Two shelves, one empty one filled with obviously untouched books. There was a custom when granting a child a study amongst nobles that Aiden knew of. You made the room, gave the child a table and a chair and two shelves. One shelf you filled with books you felt would be necessary as well as books that would give the study a certain visage. The other was for the child to fill. Aiden walked up to the empty shelf and ran a gentle finger along one of its platforms. Nella had done nothing to fill her shelf. It was either that or she was filling the books she got somewhere else. Aiden remembered how her room had been. Makeup items in the desk drawer and the map at the place she was supposed to do her make up, right with the vanity mirror. ¡°I don¡¯t generally have the time.¡± Nella moved her chair but did not take a seat. Instead, she paused, realizing something. ¡°Oh, I forgot. You¡¯re illegitimate.¡± Aiden turned to her, finger still on the shelf. ¡°Yes.¡± She¡¯d used the word ¡®illegitimate¡¯ so simply. As if she¡¯d simply been stating a matter of fact. If she was trying to offend him or goad at him or imply anything negative, Aiden didn¡¯t hear it in her tone or her voice. Nella cocked her head at him. ¡°You handle blunt well.¡± Aiden glanced at the books on the occupied shelf. ¡°The princess can be blunt at times, too.¡± Is this going to be like the cave? He wondered. He didn¡¯t blame the princess for being the way she had been in the cave. She¡¯d been in a less than preferable situation along with her fear of dark spaces and confinement. So he¡¯d been forced to not only be social, but to be as socially correct and polite as possible. For him, that had not been pleasant. But personally, he wasn''t a social person. He could do simple conversations, but he couldn''t do conversations that had undertones of affected or unaffected feelings. Those always ended up being stressful for him. Tasha, his ex-girlfriend had understood that. How easy and simple their conversations had always been would always be one of the good things Aiden would always remember of her. For all your training, you still don¡¯t know how to be social. Aiden ignored his own thoughts. The Order had trained him in levels of espionage and matters of court and association. The same Order had come to the conclusion at the end of his training that they¡¯d rather not have to send him on missions that required much socializing. And you went on quite the few, he thought with a smile. ¡°Anyway,¡± Nella continued, ¡°it is a practice among nobles to grant their child a study of their own when they come of age. One is filled by members of the family.¡± She walked over to the occupied shelf, searched it casually, and pulled out a book. ¡°My brother got me this one.¡± She offered it to Aiden and he took it. How to butcher a man in fifteen easy steps, it read. He gave it back to her. ¡°Quaint.¡± ¡°Aptly so.¡± She returned the book to its place. ¡°Most of the others were put here by my father. The princess assisted with a few. Like me, she isn¡¯t much for reading. But she is a princess. Some things are unavoidable.¡± Aiden nodded. The responsibility of authority. As a king he¡¯d met had once said, if you stand above others in authority, you must stand above them in both power and intellect. As smart a man as that king not sanctioned by the system had been, Aiden always wondered what it said about the man that he was so easily prone to violence. ¡°So,¡± Nella turned with a swish of her gown and returned to stand behind her chair, ¡°what¡¯s your level?¡± ¡°My level is mine to know, my Lady.¡± There was no other chair so Aiden remained standing. ¡°Mine alone.¡± Nella eyed him. ¡°Oh. And here I thought you¡¯d held your tongue earlier because of my maid.¡± Aiden said nothing. ¡°Alright, Lord Lacheart.¡± Nella¡¯s fingers drummed silently against the back of her chair. She looked as if she wanted to sit but did not. ¡°What can you tell me?¡± Games, Aiden realized. Games of the powerful. This wasn¡¯t a talk. It was an interrogation. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know until I¡¯ve been asked the specific questions,¡± he answered. Nella blinked. ¡°The specific questions?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°If you ask me what I can tell you, then the list becomes endless. I can tell you of the color of the sky. I can tell you why the ocean is blue and some rivers are green. I can tell you how blunt the princess was during our trip and how amazing it is to be your guest. I can tell you the color of sand.¡± Nella¡¯s lip twitched at the corners in a small smile. ¡°And why are some rivers green when the oceans are blue?¡± ¡°Because most of them are dirty.¡± Nella paused for a bit, then she chuckled. ¡°Fair. Then do you mind if I ask how you both got beyond the wall?¡± ¡°I touched it and it opened.¡± ¡°Elaswit said that you knew what it was.¡± Aiden folded his arms and leaned against the empty shelf. ¡°¡®knew¡¯ is a strong word. I figured it out after much contemplation.¡± ¡°After me and my team were gone.¡± Aiden noted the displeasure in her tone. It seemed Elaswit had told her that they¡¯d seen them. He wondered what else the princess had told her. ¡°Are you aware, Lord Lacheart, that others had tried before you, and failed, to figure out how to get to the other side.¡± Nella glanced down at the chair as if by accident. ¡°Most didn¡¯t even know there was an other side.¡± ¡°I assumed that would¡¯ve been the case,¡± he agreed. ¡°And the few that knew there was an other side, weren¡¯t allowed access,¡± Nella said. ¡°Every member of my team was told that they did not meet the requirements to use the feature of the natural enchantment.¡± ¡°I would assume that it would be because they didn¡¯t have the [Enchant] skill.¡± ¡°The [Enchant] skill helps to enchant an item not activate an enchantment.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Aiden let his words trail off. He frowned and looked to the side, giving the illusion of thought. He¡¯d almost explained to her that activating a natural enchantment was technically infusing a man-made element to it. Ergo, you were actually enchanting the natural enchantment. Unlike enchanted items that have been engraved and enchanted, a natural enchantment is always in a state of engraving but not enchanting. It had to be enchanted for it to work every time. And that piece of information would be information some random bastard of some random noble shouldn¡¯t have if they¡¯d been living the life of a commoner. ¡°Did you figure something out, Lord Lacheart?¡± Nella asked. Aiden shook his head. ¡°I always just assumed it was a skill thing, and that was why people were lost on what to do. As I¡¯m sure you know, not many people know what a natural enchantment is.¡± ¡°Dedicated enchanters do.¡± Aiden nodded, solemn. ¡°We saw the bodies.¡± ¡°A sad loss,¡± Nella said. ¡°I assume some of them were in teams.¡± ¡°And some of them had the skill.¡± ¡°The skill was not enough to open it.¡± Nella sighed and leaned on the top of the backrest of the chair. ¡°Sir Valdan and I employed a number of people to try and access it but none of them could.¡± Aiden paused. ¡°Valdan could tell that it was a natural enchantment?¡± That surprised him. He didn¡¯t think the night would know what it was if he saw it. Nella dismissed the idea with a gesture. ¡°Gods no. Sir Valdan had no idea what was going on. In fact, I was the one that had to point it out to him.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°You knew it was a natural enchantment?¡± Nella gave him an unfriendly look. ¡°I do not like how much doubt I¡¯m hearing in your tone, Lord Lacheart.¡± She relaxed the look. ¡°But it is justified. I did not know it was a natural enchantment. All I knew was that touching the wall brought up a notification that told us it had a feature we couldn¡¯t use.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°The moment I informed Sir Valdan of this, he immediately asked us if we knew anyone with the [Enchant] class. It was an [Enchanter] that told us what it was. Sir Valdan seemed so certain that you were on the other side.¡± Aiden smiled at that. ¡°He can be a very certain man at times.¡± ¡°I cannot deny that,¡± Nella said. ¡°Knights tend to have that air about them. That certainty.¡± Again, she glanced at the chair. Her fingers drummed a nonexistent rhythm. Aiden took it upon himself to play the polite guest. ¡°You do know you can have a seat if you want, right?¡± Nella looked down at the chair. ¡°It¡¯s my study, Lord Lacheart. I¡¯m very much aware that I can sit if I want. However, it is impolite to sit while my guest stands. I¡¯ve been trying to get another chair in here, maybe two, but a pay so little attention to this place that I always find myself forgetting.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should let your maid know,¡± Aiden suggested. ¡°I¡¯m sure she would have it handled immediately. She seems competent enough. And I doubt you would keep her so close if she was not.¡± Nella gave him a studying look, then glanced at the door. An impish smile split her lips a moment later. ¡°What do you think about Vanisi?¡± she asked. ¡°She seems competent and trustworthy? She brings me my food every meal and she¡¯s never late.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure were that came from. ¡°What of as a lady?¡± Is she trying to pimp out her maid to me? It took Aiden only a moment to dismiss the thought. It was unlikely. Nella had said as a ¡®lady¡¯ not as a woman. Which meant that she wasn¡¯t just speaking to what was supposed to be his male canal desire. ¡°I haven¡¯t looked at her as a lady, Lady Naranoff.¡± ¡°Lady Naranoff was my mother, you can stick with ¡®My Lady¡¯ or you can just call me Nella.¡± At this point, Nella was practically bent at the waist to rest on the chair. ¡°But if you were to look at Vanisi as a lady, what would you say?¡± Aiden frowned at that. Nella couldn¡¯t possibly be trying to get her maid to become a noble, was she. There were a lot of things that were done differently on Nastild from old movies, but maids did not just become nobles. You aren¡¯t really a noble, though, he thought. More of a bastard. It would be easier to wed a maid you loved before being acknowledged. ¡°What exactly is happening here, my lady?¡± Aiden said. Nella let out a defeated sigh. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be honest with you. Vanisi has come to be something of a friend to me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Aiden nodded slowly, drawing out the word. ¡°And in the time since I¡¯ve known her, she¡¯s been a little too dedicated to her job. It¡¯s to the point that I don¡¯t think she even knows what a romantic life is supposed to look like. She takes no interest in men or women. Just her job.¡± ¡°And you want me to¡­ woo her?¡± Nella waved his words aside with a gesture. ¡°Nothing so serious. Just get to know her better. Treat her like you would a woman and not an employee of your host.¡± ¡°So I should be her friend.¡± Nella bobbed her head from side to side in contemplation. ¡°And maybe more, if you¡¯re willing.¡± ¡°You just said that she¡¯s not interested in men or women,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll be any different? Not that I¡¯m saying I want to do it.¡± ¡°Oh, let¡¯s just call it a hunch.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. Nella stood up straight. ¡°Vanisi is more of an administrative maid than a regular one. I¡¯m the only one she serves meals to in this place. Truthfully, I¡¯d say that she¡¯s at a point where such menial labors might as well be beneath her. When she got to a certain age as my friend, she showed so much intelligence that I begged my father to give her an education.¡± That was rare, the employees of nobles tasked with menial jobs didn¡¯t get education. For Nella to have begged her father meant she really liked Vanisi. If her father had agreed, it would mean he either really doted on his daughter or Vanisi must have displayed some impressive levels of intellect. ¡°So she is educated?¡± he guessed. ¡°Very,¡± Nella said proudly. ¡°I¡¯d argue she¡¯s read every book in this room, even if she thinks I don¡¯t know. What I¡¯m trying to say is that Vanisi doesn¡¯t clean the table or serve meals unless she wants to. And she personally asked to be the one to be serving you.¡± It sounded worrying. ¡°And why would she want to do that?¡± Nella looked at him as if he was dumb. ¡°You¡¯re joking. Right?¡± Aiden was not. From what he knew, something like this screamed spy. A maid took interest in nothing but her job, then out of the blue she takes interest in an unknown lord? All he was hearing was ¡®spy.¡¯ But he wasn¡¯t going to be the one to suggest it to Nella. Nella smacked her forehead. ¡°At this rate I¡¯m beginning to think that men are either operating from a universal dumb brain they''re all connected to or Vanisi and I are just cursed. I¡¯m saying that my Vanisi likes you, Lord Lacheart.¡± Well, that¡¯s just dumb. She¡¯s only served me my meals for a handful of days. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to bed her, Lord Lacheart. Thought the gods know that it will do her a lot of good,¡± Nella continued. ¡°I¡¯m just asking that you be nice to her. Smile to her. Engage her in a conversation every now and then. I promise you won¡¯t be bored.¡± That sounded like too much drama to Aiden. Drama he wasn¡¯t ready for. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he said. ¡°But you should know that it won¡¯t last. I intend on stopping by the adventure society hall tomorrow morning, then we¡¯ll be off, back to the capital.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nella snapped her finger. ¡°I almost forgot that you¡¯re currently an active adventurer. I can help with directions to the adventure hall tomorrow. Vanisi will guide you.¡± She gave him an inquiring smile and he nodded reluctantly. Aiden had learnt long ago that in situations like this, it was easier to just agree and let things run their course. It wasn¡¯t as if he was going to do anything secretive or important at the adventure society. Nella beamed at his approval. ¡°As for your departure, I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯s going to work.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, after you came out, the natural enchantment didn¡¯t close back up. Because of that, adventurers have been going back in search of getting a unique skill. I¡¯m guessing you got one since the princess did not. Anyway, news of everything has traveled far, and scholars have shown interest in it.¡± Aiden looked at her, confused. ¡°What does that have to do with my departure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll be going back with the princess. Unfortunately, she won¡¯t be leaving anytime soon. Amongst the arriving scholars, there are some coming in from the Mage Radiants. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of them.¡± ¡°I have.¡± He still didn¡¯t understand how this was supposed to affect him. Elaswit didn¡¯t even like the Mage Radiants. ¡°Along with them, the church has decided to send a scholar or two of their own,¡± Nella continued. ¡°So my father has decided to throw a small soiree to celebrate their arrival.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see how that affects me,¡± he said. ¡°And why is your father throwing a ball for the Mage Radiants and a group of priests. The priests won¡¯t care and the Mage Radiants will just strut around, pompous and important.¡± Nella laughed at that. ¡°You and the princess seem to share the same dislike for the Mage Radiants. But you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°So why the soiree?¡± ¡°Because rumor has it that a [Saint] with a weird fascination with natural enchantments is coming as well.¡± Aiden¡¯s jaw almost dropped. It was rare to run into a [Saint]. Before the demon wars they were so hard to come by that they were like ghost stories. They existed in stories that only happened to other people. A friend of a friend of a friend. Stories that came in the form of he said she said. Nella looked at him, slightly worried by his silence. ¡°You know what [Saints] are, right?¡± She¡¯d probably been expecting him to be more in the way of awe. ¡°I do.¡± Aiden nodded. He was caught in a dilemma, though. There was no indigene of Nastild that didn¡¯t know what a [Saint] was. But there was no summon that did. He chose to leave his response there. If Elaswit found out and started asking questions, how would he explain his knowledge of [Saints]? You could always say you heard it from somewhere or read it somewhere. Aiden almost scoffed at his thoughts. The read it in the library lie had already pretty much run its course. Luckily for him, Nella continued on her own. Awe touched her voice as she spoke. ¡°Gifts from the gods,¡± she said. ¡°Beings touched by Divinity, granted the title and skills for the overwhelming faith and dedication. Living proof that the gods exist.¡± Everyone loved the [Saints], looked at them with awe and veneration. Not Aiden, though. When you are the blood relative of the [Demon King], every saint that came to find you was never a friend. After all, you were just as much an affront to the church and the gods as the [Demon King]. The weakest [Saint] Aiden had ever had the displeasure of meeting was Saint Valuso Emberlek. He could still remember the man¡¯s face with all his solemn and merciful wrath. He still remembered how the man had asked for his forgiveness and that he understand the necessity of his actions as he had slaughtered Aiden¡¯s mercenaries hired to do a job. He had been level 198 at the time. There were no weak [Saints] and people always did what they could to garner their favor. That explained why Lord Naranoff was throwing a soiree for the arrival of the priests. Nella was right. Aiden would not be leaving the Naranoff territory for a while. At least until the soiree was done. The rest of his conversation with Nella was simple. She continued to fish for information every now and again. She sprinkled her interrogation between normal conversations. She asked him if he read. She asked him why he¡¯d joined the adventure society rather than just taking up a place in his parent¡¯s leadership as a Lord. She asked simple things and offered to spar with him whenever they both had the chance. Aiden didn¡¯t mind taking her up on the offer. ¡°I do hope you have a fulfilling evening, Lord Lacheart,¡± she told him at the end of their conversation as he made his way to the door. ¡°And I am glad that you survived. I really am.¡± Her voice was more kindly at the end of the conversation. Her tone friendly and familiar. She¡¯d asked nothing in the way of what he had benefited from the cave in the way of tangible rewards and he¡¯d offered nothing. What he learned from that was that Valdan had done a good job keeping people away from him while he¡¯d been unconscious. Aiden nodded his thanks to her and left the room. Outside, he found Vanisi standing there, arms clasped in front of her stomach as he often found her standing. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± she greeted with a bow. Aiden nodded back. ¡°Vanisi.¡± For a moment he wanted to say more, but thought better of it. Instead, he continued on his way, walked down the hall and took the necessary turn. If he was the first person Vanisi was showing any interest in despite how many people had visited the manor, there were only a few possible reasons for it. It was either because he was supposed to be a nobody appearing with the princess and a knight or he was a rare phenomenon of a man who¡¯d gone through a portal and come out as if he¡¯d taken a beaten. She had been present when Elaswit had pointed out that his bloodied state was simply from going through a portal. Aiden couldn¡¯t blame her for that. People were, after all, interested in the mysterious. So are spies. FORTY-SIX: Reward Status The next day Aiden opted for a simple stroll to the adventurer hall. From what he¡¯d been told, it wasn¡¯t very far off. Naranoff¡¯s territory had two branches for some reason, one built closer to the Lord¡¯s manor while the other stood easily wherever it was in the city. Negotiations and conversations over the years had brought the branch head of the Naranoff territory¡¯s adventurer society to sit in the one closer to the Lord¡¯s house. The guards gave Aiden odd looks at the gate. In the time since he¡¯d woken up, he¡¯d discovered that he¡¯d inadvertently made a name for himself. Not for the instructions he¡¯d dished out on the training ground in the name of receiving challenges, but in the mild panic of absconding with the princess for more than a day. By foot, the branch was a little over half an hour away. Aiden took in the simple sights as he walked. The potters shop. The apothecary. The smithy where the blacksmiths pounded away at iron and turned it into tools for killing or cooking or defending. He also passed at least two enchanter shops. The residential buildings were simpler things. Tall and easy, they employed a concept very familiar with what earth had, growing up not wide. They were made from bricks and stones, and painted in colors Aiden believed most likely suited the occupants. After all, he couldn¡¯t find any justifiable reason for a ground floor to be brown just to have the floor above it be blue or pink or forest green. Through out his entire journey to the hall Vanisi followed quietly beside him. She pointed often, guiding him. Sometimes she allowed her movements lead, taking turns she knew he would follow. Covered in a simple garb of a fine flowing gown that was a simple red, she looked less like a maid or servant and more like a lady of simple birth and decent employ. She wore her hair down, allowing it flow and settle over her shoulders. Whatever she¡¯d applied to it, made streaks of it glow under the light of the sun. Aiden caught these details at simple glances during their strolls. He would not lie and say he paid her no attention. But the attention he paid her was of the simple kind. The kind you paid to a walking companion. It would be foolish not to. The adventure hall was large, almost as large as its fellow branch at the capital city of Bandiv. Aiden stood within its walls, staring up at the actual building. The Lord¡¯s manor is almost as big as the palace. The second branch is almost as big as the one in the capital. ¡°The adventure society takes a cut of all purchases made by adventurers,¡± Vanisi explained beside him, clearly noticing his expression. Aiden knew that. ¡°And that helped them build something this grand?¡± The building wasn¡¯t necessarily grand, but it was grand for a branch building instead of a main building. ¡°Oh no.¡± Vanisi gestured forward so that Aiden would lead. ¡°Lord Naranoff contributed generously to building this branch. The initial branch was a little farther into the city. From what Lady Nella told me, it was a hassle to be going there from the manor.¡± So he chose to build something grand enough to rival the capital. Aiden was beginning to wonder if the man himself had an ego on him. That reminded him of Naranoff¡¯s son, Derendoff. Being in his level thirties Aiden was catching up to Valdan, so much so that while the knight didn¡¯t know his specific level, he had commented on Aiden¡¯s growth during their spar. Aiden wondered just how strong Derendoff was. Could he take the knight in a fight now? They walked up to the building, following a single pathway. It was a path of cobble stones flanked on both sides by well groomed fields that led from the gate to the building. It curved here and there so that it was a winding path and not a straight line. The fields on both sides of them were littered with a few simple trees here and there. Park benches were occupied by adventurers who were engaged in conversation. Some sat in twos some in more. Aiden¡¯s guess was that they were strategizing, possibly talking about an adventure they had concluded or were about to go on. Other adventurers walked in the opposite direction, leaving just as Aiden and Vanisi were arriving. Vanisi, to Aiden¡¯s surprise, got a few greetings. A few head nods were thrown her way, so were a few waves. But that was not all. There were adventurers who actually stopped to have a conversation with her. ¡°You¡¯re popular,¡± Aiden said casually when Vanisi managed to extricate herself from another adventurer. He was a man on the larger side, tall enough to tower over most of the people around them. He¡¯d met her at the door to the building, coming out just as they were about to head in. Aiden hoped he would be the last delay. Vanisi wasn¡¯t to be blamed for the delays from what he could tell. Each time an adventurer tried to stop her for her time, she always did her best to try and move them along. The few adventurers were the ones unwilling to move on quickly. ¡°Lady Nella is popular,¡± Vanisi corrected. ¡°But I¡¯m often of the opinion that adventurers know I am close to her and they simply wish to curry favor.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t need to think about it as they walked further into the building¡¯s wide hall. They made a straight line for the reception desk. ¡°It would be useful for certain types of people to have the daughter of the Lord on their team,¡± he mused. Vanisi nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡± There had also been two adventurers who had been a little flirtatious in their conversation with Vanisi. It hadn¡¯t been anything on the creepy side. Mostly it had been in the tone of voice, low and gentle, going for husky. The way they spoke, hooded eyes making eye contact. Aiden wasn¡¯t much of an expert on flirting, but he knew two things. They had been flirting and Vanisi had been ignoring them. When they came to a stop at the receptionist, the man behind the counter looked down at Aiden¡¯s soldier belt. He was an aging man with a balding head. The little hair he had peppering the sides of his head were grey. As a lithe man, he stood with a straight back and an adventurer¡¯s posture. Aiden guessed the man was retired. ¡°Good day, sir. It¡¯s been a while since I last saw someone with so many soldier¡¯s belts,¡± the man said. To Vanisi, he added: ¡°A lovely afternoon to you. How¡¯s the lady?¡± Vanisi smiled kindly. ¡°The lady¡¯s fine. And a fine afternoon to you too, Delbert.¡± The man, Delbert, looked from her to Aiden. ¡°Will it be safe to assume that the both of you are together?¡± Vanisi nodded. ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Delbert turned to Aiden. ¡°How can I help you this fine afternoon, sir?¡± ¡°Just here to claim the reward of a system quest I got a while ago.¡± Aiden reached into the pockets of his soldier¡¯s belt and pulled out a handful of tags hanging from their ropes. He placed them on top of the receptionist¡¯s desk gently. Delbert¡¯s eyes flickered down to them. Then back up to him. ¡°How many?¡± Delbert asked, voice solemn, eyes sad, almost mournful. Off the top of his head Aiden couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°A few.¡± He pulled up the quest notification he¡¯d gotten and showed it to the receptionist. Delbert¡¯s lips pressed into a controlled thin line. He looked like a child fighting back his tears. [Optional Quest: Kind Adventurer.] You have found an unfortunate adventurer, dead in his quest for greater heights. Identify dead adventurer¡¯s and inform the adventure society of their passing so that their families may have closure. [Objective complete: Collect adventure tags 19/???] [Reward: Adventure society designated.] [Quest Complete] When he was done reading it, Delbert looked to Aiden. ¡°If I may ask, where did you find them?¡± ¡°The cave,¡± Aiden answered simply. Since waking up he¡¯d learnt that the adventure society was still having trouble keeping adventurers out of the cave. However, since the wall was now perpetually open¡ªhow? He didn¡¯t know¡ªadventurers had started venturing into it in search of unique skills. From what he¡¯d learnt from Valdan, at least ten teams had gone in since Aiden had come out. But only three people had gotten a unique skill so far. ¡°Ah, I see,¡± Delbert mused. ¡°May I have your name, sir.¡± ¡°Lord La¡ª¡± ¡°Aiden,¡± Aiden interrupted Vanisi. ¡°Call me Aiden.¡± Delbert looked from him to Vanisi but chose to ignore what had happened. ¡°Well, Aiden, what would you consider a befitting reward?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take an item that will help keep me alive during my adventuring days.¡± Aiden had been thinking about it for a while and this was what he¡¯d come to as a conclusion. Delbert counted the tags slowly. He separated each one along with its rope from the tangled mess. He counted gently but not slowly, almost reverently, as if in respect of the dead who had once owned them. It wasn¡¯t that he doubted the notification¡ªAiden was yet to meet a person that doubted a quest notification¡ªthe man was simply meticulous. Aiden gave Delbert his time. He watched the man count each tag, eyes perusing the names and every other piece of information on the tag. Then he wrapped up each tag with their rope and set them aside. When he was done, Delbert looked up at him. ¡°My apologies for the delay, Aiden.¡± Aiden waved the apology aside. ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Delbert. You¡¯re just doing your job, and I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Delbert gathered the tags and disappeared them into a compartment under his desk. ¡°So, an item¡­¡± he scratched his jaw thoughtfully. ¡°Do you by any chance have one in mind?¡± Aiden did. It was a simple item that could be commissioned for a significant fee. To an adventurer worth their weight in gold, it was a good item to have. At least for an adventurer like him. ¡°Do you by any chance have [Enchanted Gloves]?¡± he asked. Delbert nodded. ¡°We have a lot of them. Do you have any specifics? We have enchanted by flames, water, ice. We have enchanted with mind. Just the other day we acquired one with an enchantment of gills that would allow the wearer breathe underwater.¡± ¡°Are any of those enchantments permanent?¡± Delbert paused. Then he shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately not. Most enchanted items have a use limit. I believe the one enchanted by flames has a limit of fifteen uses.¡± Aiden nodded appreciatively. At his level, that would be a good enchanted item to own. It would let him cast the equivalent of fire magic and would probably grant him a level of resistance to fire damage. And fifteen uses was on the high end. ¡°So no permanent enchantments?¡± he asked. ¡°Unfortunately not.¡± Delbert gave him an apologetic look. ¡°But if you would like one commissioned for you, the society would be willing to shave off thirty percent of the cost for you as a reward for your completion of the quest.¡± ¡°And what if I choose to get a third party artificer, and not one sanctioned by the society?¡± ¡°Then you will need a system sanctioned invoice.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°Endorsed by a [Scribe].¡± ¡°Or a [Scholar] or a [Polymath],¡± Delbert added. ¡°Any would suffice.¡± Aiden tapped a thoughtful finger on the surface of Delbert¡¯s desk. Did he really want to go through the hassle right now? If he was being honest, he had the money but not the time. ¡°How long would it take to get one with an enchantment of strength?¡± he asked. Delbert¡¯s eyes turned up as the old man did the math with considered variables. ¡°Nine days.¡± Nine days was too long. ¡°And what if I wanted to pick it up at the branch in the capital?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an extra four days. At an extra charge you can get it in one.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s express shipping.¡± Delbert¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°My apologies but I do not know what that is. And we only employ ships when delivering to outside countries.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Aiden stopped his tapping finger. ¡°It was just an inside joke.¡± Delbert gave Vanisi a questioning look and Aiden caught the maid give a simple shrug. Aiden said nothing on the matter. ¡°What if I want to collect my reward at another date?¡± ¡°Then we can set the reward to pending collection, sir. It will allow you claim it at any date of your choosing at any branch of your choosing. However, it does not extend to branches outside of the kingdom in this case.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Aiden stepped away from the desk. ¡°Please set it to pending.¡± ¡°Alright, sir.¡± Delbert bent and rummaged behind his desk once more. As he did so, Vanisi leaned towards Aiden as a person would when intending to whisper. He was taller than her so she had to push upwards, going up on her tip toes. Aiden lowered his head to meet her. ¡°What¡¯s express shipping?¡± she asked in a whisper. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Aiden looked down at her. ¡°It¡¯s just shipping. The express part is an inside joke.¡± Vanisi nodded, but Aiden watched the suspicion cloud her eyes for a moment. She suspected that he was lying. ¡°Alright.¡± Delbert¡¯s attention came back. In his hand he held a small piece of brown paper. ¡°This is for you, sir.¡± Aiden took it, already aware of what it was. ¡°You¡¯ll take that and head to the reward center,¡± Delbert continued. ¡°There your quest reward will be updated. Please note that you don¡¯t have to turn this in. If you change your mind along the way and decide on a reward, they can conclude the process there.¡± Aiden folded the paper once without looking inside, gaining him an odd look from the old man. ¡°Thanks,¡± he told Delbert. ¡°If I may ask, where¡¯s the reward room?¡± Delbert pointed. ¡°Down that hallway, third path on your right.¡± Aiden and Vanisi turned and made their way for the hallway. Vanisi exchanged a smile and two quick words with the man before they left him. Her popularity within the hall continued to stand strong. It was surprising for a maid, but Aiden assumed it had to do with the fact that she was the maid to the daughter of the Lord who also happened to be an adventurer. ¡°You won¡¯t check what it says?¡± Vanisi said when they got to the hallway. Aiden looked down at the piece of paper. There was really no point in checking what it said. It was simply an instruction to update his reward. So he shook his head. ¡°I heard you were new to the territory,¡± Vanisi said at his response. ¡°And new to adventuring. Most adventurers check what is written on the piece of paper.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about Vanisi having information on him that he didn¡¯t share with her. It felt like walking down the road and hearing your friend¡¯s personal assistant gossiping about you. ¡°Is what¡¯s on the paper ever different from what the man at the counter says is on it?¡± he asked as they got to the first turn down the right. Vanisi shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She positioned herself between Aiden and the first turn on the right subtly. If he¡¯d tried to take the turn, he would¡¯ve run into her. It was an interesting guiding method if he was asked. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He proceeded forward without hesitation, moving past the first turn on the left. The path remained busy. But this part of the building was far less busy than the main hall. The adventurers that past them by had less maintained gear. Aiden chucked it up to probably just returning from whatever adventure they had gone on. A man had a still healing injury on his face, evident from the bloodstained bandage that covered his left cheek. He¡¯d finished his battle and come straight for his reward. Aiden had known a few people like that. When they got to their destination, Aiden was glad to find that there was no long line he would have to wait at. There were eight sections, basically holes in the wall, that had lines in front of them. Adventurer¡¯s waiting to claim some reward or the other. Each line was no more than four people long. ¡°This branch is always the busier branch of the two,¡± Vanisi explained as they approached the fifth line to their right. ¡°Lady Nella believes that it is because of the beauty of the branch. Some of the adventurers say the branch is very efficient.¡± Aiden nodded, coming to stand behind an adventurer. ¡°And what do you say?¡± ¡°I like how spacious it is.¡± The adventurer in front of Aiden was a woman. She wore her hair short and there was a knife slash at the back of her shirt. The skin beneath the shirt was fresh and a little pink. Recently healed. Vanisi continued to offer him pieces of information as they waited and the line moved. She told him of how Nella had spent a significantly long amount of time between teams after her first two teams had only liked her for her position of daughter of the Lord. She spoke of the sadness she¡¯d watched Nella go through as a solo adventurer before finding Ventel and creating a team. Aiden wondered if this was information Nella didn¡¯t mind people having but said nothing against it. He¡¯d learned long ago that no information was bad information. Even information that got you in trouble with a [Sage] was good information as long as you knew how to use information and how to shut up. The man in front of the lady Aiden stood behind delayed a little. It turned out that he had a grievance or two with the person in charge of the reward. He was beginning to get loud about it when the woman stepped in. ¡°This makes no sense!¡± he argued. ¡°How can eight goblin corpses be such a small amount?¡± ¡°Like I said, sir,¡± the man on the other side said amiably, ¡°the request for goblin corpses isn¡¯t high here.¡± ¡°Well it sure as hell was high in the capital!¡± the man growled. ¡°It¡¯s over seventy percent less here. Explain that?!¡± Aiden could¡¯ve sworn he knew the voice. The lady stepped up to them and placed a gentle hand on the man¡¯s forearm. ¡°What have I said about your temper?¡± ¡°How do you expect me to be calm when this is so outrageous,¡± the man said, then grumbled under his breath. His large broad sword hung at his waist, from a loose sword strap. ¡°They are practically stiffing us. Each goblin is a level 21. Level 21.¡± A week ago that had been a high level when compared to Aiden¡¯s. ¡°And they¡¯ve explained that the request for goblin corpses is low here. That is not their fault.¡± The argument didn¡¯t last long. In time, the woman diffused the chaos, calmed the man, and they were on their way. They turned, walked a few steps past Aiden and Vanisi who stepped forward for their turn when the two adventurers stopped. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± the man laughed. Vanisi paused and gave him an odd look. She probably assumed the man had something to say to her. ¡°My apologies,¡± she began with a polite smile as she had been doing since they¡¯d entered the hall. ¡°I¡¯m here with someone.¡± The response rarely ever did anything to deter the male adventurers, regardless of why they were stopping her. Flirtatious reasons or otherwise. Aiden caught sight of the adventurers faces and already knew who they were. The adventurer gave Vanisi a strange look. ¡°Sorry, wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± Aiden was impressed at how easily the man made an apology sound so rude. It didn¡¯t even sound like he was trying to. He just did. The woman beside him smacked him on the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡± The person at the reward desk gave Aiden an encouraging look. He stepped forward and the man followed him. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± the man greeted with a mocking tone. It carried a healthy air of banter behind it that surprised Vanisi. Aiden¡¯s lip twitched in a smile as he dropped the paper on the counter in front of the person in charge of the rewards. ¡°Otid.¡± Aiden placed the paper face up so that he could see what was written on it. All it said was ¡®set status to reward pending.¡¯ Under that was a signature and a purple stamp. Otid leaned forward and read the piece of paper, then whispered very quietly. ¡°Is this your father¡¯s territory?¡± As for Taliner, she stood back slightly, probably to keep Vanisi company. The man behind the counter wore glasses. Aiden doubted they were due to bad eyesight. He retrieved the piece of paper, looked at it once and placed it aside. ¡°Quest status.¡± Aiden pulled up the quest with a shrug of his will. The man read it once, then nodded. After that, his eyes went to the empty space in front of him. Aiden knew he was accessing the quests the adventure society had under their purview. ¡°It¡¯s a system quest,¡± Aiden offered, hoping to reduce the man¡¯s work. The man nodded. It was the only acknowledgement he got. ¡°Ooh,¡± Otid cooed. ¡°System quests. You¡¯re moving up in the world.¡± He looked back at Vanisi, gauging her distance, before returning his attention to Aiden. ¡°You¡¯re really not going to answer the question I asked?¡± He sounded like an offended friend. ¡°The answer is no.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t take his eye of the man behind the counter as he took the piece of paper and placed it out of view. ¡°I just happen to be here for certain reasons.¡± Otid nodded sagely. ¡°Your companion of choice is a bit more interesting than the last one.¡± Aiden cocked a brow at him. ¡°What¡¯s an adventurer from the capital doing this far south?¡± ¡°Sir.¡± Aiden and Otid raised their heads, moved their attention to the man behind the counter. He had a name tag that claimed his name was Cest. Aiden¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t help putting an apostrophe between the first two letters. Certain that he had Aiden¡¯s attention, Cest continued, ¡°Would you like a card at the end of this interaction?¡± Aiden raised a brow. ¡°A card?¡± Otid groaned. ¡°Yea. It¡¯s this marketing bullshit you get in every adventure hall or any designated commercial institution. It all comes down to the banking system. Some new piece of banking scheme. I¡¯d say no, if I were you. It¡¯s just another bullshit system manipulation. I say it¡¯s just an excuse to take more money from you.¡± Cest frowned as Otid spoke, but did his best not to look at him. Aiden realized what the man was talking about. Not long after he¡¯d arrived on Nastild, the kingdoms had started the concept of banking cards. They were, in summary, a version of debit cards from his world. The palace had given it to them just before their trip to the cannibal town. You placed your gold in the bank or any financial institution and got a card that was linked to your account with the institution. It allowed you move your money to other people by tapping cards or to claim your money from another financial institution. Back then he¡¯d thought one of the summoned had pitched the idea, advancing a new world as some people had no doubt considered. It had turned out that no such thing had happened. Someone on Nastild, from Nastild, had simply come out with the idea organically. ¡°And I can get one of those here?¡± Aiden asked the man, to Otid¡¯s dismay. ¡°Aiden, it¡¯s a terrible idea,¡± Otid insisted. ¡°Trust me. Ask them the price.¡± Cest grimaced at his words. Aiden knew the price. It was steep. It would reduce in price after a few years and become accessible to everyone. For now, only those with money would be able to access it in the beginning. Aiden waved Cest down discreetly, hoping the man understood it meant that he wasn¡¯t holding anything Otid was saying against the man. ¡°He isn¡¯t wrong,¡± Taliner offered from behind. ¡°It¡¯s quite the amount.¡± Aiden looked back at her. His eyes settled on her haircut. Taliner tapped it gently with a friendly smile. ¡°I let my intrusive thoughts win. Do you like it?¡± Aiden smiled. The last time he¡¯d heard someone use the term ¡®I let my intrusive thoughts win,¡¯ it had been from the lips of a man who¡¯d slaughtered an entire village because they had been unkind to him as a child. ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± he told her. ¡°Suits you.¡± He turned back to Cest. ¡°Can I get it here?¡± Cest nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden thought about it. The entire new banking process was a part of his plan. But opening his own account wasn¡¯t really a good idea since Brandis was already going to open accounts for all of them with their own cards. What he needed was to subvert his own account. But he already had plans in mind for that. ¡°You know what?¡± he said. ¡°Never mind. I know where I¡¯ll get it handled.¡± Otid gave him a questioning look. ¡°What does that mean? You have a connection in the bank?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Would you still like your reward to be set to pending?¡± Cest asked. ¡°I can see here that you wanted an enchanted glove?¡± Taliner hurried up to join them, shocked. ¡°An enchanted glove? What did you do to be deserving of one of those?¡± ¡°A thing or two.¡± ¡°Those things are expensive.¡± Taliner looked between Aiden and Cest. ¡°What is he pending for?¡± Cest looked to Aiden, keeping the confidentiality. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling for an enchanted glove yet,¡± he said simply. ¡°I¡¯m holding out for a different reason.¡± ¡°What reason?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Cest looked between all three of them. He raised a stamp over the piece of paper and made eye contact with Aiden. The moment Aiden nodded, he stamped down on the paper and it went up in blue flames. [You have received a reward update] [Optional Quest Kind Adventurer has been update] [Reward has been updated to Pending] Aiden tapped the counter once. ¡°Thanks.¡± Cest nodded. Then he turned away. Before he could take two steps, Otid threw an arm over his shoulder. The man grinned at him. ¡°How about we go grab a drink?¡± he asked. Aiden looked at Vanisi and the woman shrugged. Considering he still had time on his hands, Aiden didn¡¯t see a problem with it. ¡°Why not.¡± ¡­ The sun was still up when they left the society hall. They did not take a carriage or hire jepats. They walked. They took in the sights of the city, Taliner more than anyone else. Their destination¡ªled there by Otid¡ªwasn¡¯t far so they didn¡¯t walk long. He brought them to an inn. It was a building with three floors and a placard hung, dangling from the door, with its name. Young Blood. Aiden had no inkling of an idea why that had been chosen as the name. He¡¯d half been expecting a name that better suited Nastild as a fantasy world. Something more... interesting. The inn was surprisingly quiet. There were patrons within, chucking away at the midday weather, drowning themselves at the bottom of some jug or the other. They were getting their head start on the drunken vomiting of the evenings. Some ate some easy meal or the other. As they navigated their way through the sea of tables and customers, Vanisi once more got her fair share of greetings and flirtations. Surprisingly, everyone was respectful about it. Those who were surprisingly already too drunk to control themselves, reserved naught but a nod for her. Vanisi responded equally. ¡°You have quite the famous friend,¡± Otid remarked as they took their place at a corner table. ¡°It¡¯s like she¡¯s famous.¡± Taliner nodded, adjusting in her place beside Otid. ¡°Even people on the street kept glancing at her. Who is she?¡± They were placed so that they sat opposite each other. Aiden and Vanisi on one side while Taliner and Otid sat on the other. ¡°She¡¯s right here,¡± Aiden said. ¡°You might as well ask her.¡± Otid and Taliner turned to Vanisi. She gave them the shyest smile Aiden had seen on any body. ¡°Simply a lady trying to court Lord Lacheart.¡± All the eyes moved back to Aiden. Aiden dismissed their confusion with a wave of the hand. ¡°She jests. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a new skill she¡¯s picked up.¡± Otid¡¯s eyes shifted to the side and he raised a hand, flagging down one of the wandering waitresses. He turned back to Aiden as the lady approached. ¡°So you¡¯re not being courted?¡± ¡°I am not.¡± ¡°But she is famous around here?¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡± Aiden paused, thinking about it. ¡°I guess it is fair to say that she¡¯s famous by association.¡± ¡°Association to you?¡± Taliner asked with an odd look. Again, Aiden made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Gods no. Not to me. Someone else.¡± The waitress arrived a moment later, a small note pad in hand. ¡°What can I get the group?¡± she asked nicely. ¡°Ale for me,¡± Otid said easily. ¡°That new one from the south. I¡¯ve always liked the taste of it.¡± The waitress paused. ¡°Palm¡¯s nectar?¡± Otid snapped a finger. ¡°That¡¯s the one. You have it, correct?¡± ¡°We do.¡± She looked at the others expectantly. ¡°I¡¯ll have a regular ale. Nothing fancy,¡± Taliner ordered. ¡°Water,¡± Vanisi said. Aiden ordered the same as Vanisi. ¡°And to eat?¡± Otid waved her off. It was a simple gesture but a rather rude one. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure he even noticed it. ¡°We¡¯re good. Just drinks.¡± Taliner must¡¯ve noticed it because she frowned. The waitress simply moved on. ¡°So,¡± Taliner said when they were free once more, ¡°what brings you this far south, away from the capital.¡± ¡°Adventuring,¡± Aiden answered easily. Otid turned to Vanisi. ¡°And you, my lady? I take it you are a resident. And how did you meet this scallywag?¡± Vanisi looked confused for a moment but schooled her expression quickly. ¡°Ran into him at the cave, actually.¡± Aiden turned to her, surprised. She was quick on that lie. ¡°You¡¯ve been to the cave?¡± Otid asked, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s one of the things we plan on trying out. It was one of the adventurer attraction we learnt of when we were coming here.¡± ¡°We heard there was a bit of controversy about it on our way here,¡± Taliner said. Aiden looked between the both of them. ¡°So it¡¯s not what brought you here?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Otid shook his head and leaned back on his chair. ¡°We came for other reasons.¡± Aiden held his silence, said nothing. As if on cue, Taliner leaned forward as if she was trying to reach across the table. ¡°Remember that expedition we did together?¡± ¡°The one with the Shaman king and the Hobgoblins,¡± Aiden said. ¡°How can I forget. It¡¯s the only one we¡¯ve done together. And it was a difficult one.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have been difficult if not for the damned Shaman,¡± Taliner grumbled. ¡°But, yes, that.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Otid said smugly, ¡°it turns out that even though we completed the quest, it somehow evolved into something of a linked quest.¡± Aiden tapped a finger against the table. ¡°A linked quest.¡± That wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d been expecting to hear. Linked quests weren¡¯t rare but it was rare for a completed quest to evolve to a linked quest. Usually, it became a linked quest on completion. ¡°How did that happen?¡± he muttered, mostly to himself. ¡°Well, apparently, the branch head had a conversation with your friend, Ded. According to what we were told, he claimed to have seen something escape the Shaman after it¡¯s dead. He just didn¡¯t know what it was, and didn¡¯t think it was important,¡± Taliner said. Ded saw something? Aiden¡¯s finger stopped tapping. ¡°A parasite?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Otid said. ¡°But it was something, because two days later we got news of a string of necromancy issues between the capital and here.¡± ¡°Well the second place was a bust,¡± Taliner said, frowning. Otid agreed with a nod. ¡°Those guys just seemed to frown on necromancy. It was illogical.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s happening with this linked quest?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°It led us here,¡± Otid said. ¡°So we plan on going to sort that out as well. Wanna join? The latest information is that it¡¯s taken a place in one of the forests around.¡± Aiden thought about it and shook his head. ¡°I think I¡¯ve done more than enough goblin killing for a year.¡± Otid grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the good thing. It¡¯s not a goblin this time. Not from what we¡¯ve discovered.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Discovered?¡± Vanisi was a quiet nonexistence beside him, listening to the conversation attentively. Everything she was doing was what was to be expected from a well trained maid or personal assistance. But Aiden wasn¡¯t trained to see maids in certain behaviors. He was trained to pick out the behaviors of a spy, even if it overlapped with that of a maid. Otid¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Mantises.¡± It was a testament to Aiden¡¯s time on Nastild that his mind did not go to the praying mantis of earth. On Nastild, mantises were a different kind of monster. Nothing like the praying mantis. Otid¡¯s amusement, however, was in the demand for mantises. They were a budding [Crafter]¡¯s greatest fantasy. ¡°We could make a lot of money,¡± Otid continued. ¡°I know you probably don¡¯t need it, but it¡¯s always good to have something on the side just for yourself.¡± Aiden caught the confused look Vanisi gave him but didn¡¯t address it. ¡°Do we have an estimate on their levels and numbers?¡± Otid paused. ¡°Good point,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°So far we¡¯ve estimated their levels to be somewhere between fifteen and twenty.¡± ¡°But you know how these things are,¡± Taliner was quick to interject. ¡°You can¡¯t always trust the information completely.¡± As long as they weren¡¯t in the forties, Aiden was sure he would be fine. ¡°And their numbers?¡± ¡°On that we have no idea,¡± Otid said. ¡°That¡¯s why we intend on investigating first. While we¡¯re at it, we can just dwindle their numbers a little bit.¡± Taliner looked at Aiden expectantly. ¡°So what do you say?¡± Five feet tall six legged spiders that don¡¯t shoot webs but have a paralytic bite. It had been a very long time since Aiden last fought one. Did he really want to tangle with them again? ¡°When¡¯s the soiree?¡± he asked Vanisi, instead. ¡°Two days from now.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t pleased to hear that. He¡¯d already missed the mock battle between the two teams of the summoned. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, the others would be leaving for the town of cannibals tomorrow. That would leave him with nothing to do tomorrow. As the waitress came with a tray of drinks balanced carefully on her hand, Aiden gave his answer. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Otid smacked Taliner playfully on the arm in excitement. ¡°As long as he can pull of that explosion thing he did last time, I think we¡¯re a shoe in for this one.¡± Taliner smirked. ¡°Would you like to challenge him for leadership of this one, too?¡± Otid laughed heartily at that. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. He clearly doesn¡¯t want to lead this.¡± Aiden said nothing. Taliner didn¡¯t laugh. Vanisi was adequately quiet. Otid looked from Aiden to Taliner, then back. The laughter died. ¡°Right?¡± FORTY-SEVEN: A Sharp Sense And A Gentle Breeze Aiden spun on a third step, like a dancer on a particularly quick beat. The moment his second foot hit the ground, the mantis lost its third leg. The creature dropped heavily to the ground in a thud. Still, it refused to stop putting up a fight. Around Aiden and the beast, the grassland was upturned at different spots not vastly too far from each other. They were evidence of the beast¡¯s failed attempts to skewer him in one way or the other. The creature struggled to reach for him, sharp fanged teeth snapping at the air from a head that reminded Aiden of a cockroach. Ignoring it, he swung his sword casually, severing its head from its body. [Congratulations! You have slain Mantis Lvl 16!] [You have Leveled up!] [Level 35 --> 36] [You are now level 36] Aiden swung the blood of his sword. He had gotten one of the sturdy swords from the Naranoff armory. And by that, he meant Vanisi had gotten one for him before he¡¯d come out here to the middle of nowhere to meet Otid and Taliner. He turned to the others as he sheathed his sword only to find Otid staring at him, mouth agape. Today he wore simple brown pants, a milk cotton shirt, and simple boots. His soldier belts hung around his waist. All three of them. Taliner walked up to Otid and made a show of closing his mouth. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a fly, Otid.¡± Otid blinked as if just regaining himself. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± ¡°Shocking,¡± Taliner snorted. ¡°I agree.¡± Otid pointed a volatile finger at Aiden who was over twenty feet away from him. ¡°Shocking does not even come close to it.¡± Aiden stood in place. He was being talked about but had not been addressed so he was in no hurry to join the conversation. ¡°He didn¡¯t even use a single enchantment!¡± Otid continued. His voice was sharp but not baleful, carrying with it the loudness of shock and confusion. ¡°And did you see how he moved? I can count how many times I could predict his attacks.¡± Taliner sighed as if she was dealing with a dramatic child. If it bothered Otid, he didn¡¯t show it because he continued. ¡°Zero, Tal. Zero. And last time I could count almost every swing. And he just took down twelve of them by himself." He ran a hand down his face, paused, then frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve got mantis blood on my face, haven¡¯t I?¡± Taliner nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisonous.¡± Otid sighed, deflating further. His shoulders seemed to slump as he turned to Aiden. ¡°How?¡± Beside him, Taliner pulled out a small napkin from the single soldier belt around her waist. The belt hung low on one side, giving her that fantasy look of a video game character when the designer chose to use a belt to emphasize their hips. Taliner dabbed at the green bloodstains on Otid¡¯s face. She did it without care. Like a mother tired of how often a child stained themselves. Otid scratched his head in frustration. ¡°You¡¯re not saying anything, Aiden.¡± Finally pulling his attention from Taliner¡¯s actions, Aiden sheathed his sword. ¡°Practice, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°And I¡¯m sure the swordsmanship skill helps.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the swordsmanship skill helps,¡± Otid repeated in a childish tone. Taliner smacked him painfully on the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be a child.¡± Otid frowned but obeyed. ¡°So you just got better at the sword through practice? I almost want to ask what mastery you¡¯re at.¡± Taliner shot him a look. ¡°But I won¡¯t, because that would be rude.¡± Aiden was finding the whole exchange interesting. It was as if Taliner was the mother in their relationship. Or the girlfriend that keeps him on his best behavior. In the past, Aiden was always the one keeping Zen on his best behavior. But Zen wasn¡¯t rude, he was just¡­ a little bit too much for strangers sometimes. Aiden had been the reins to pull him in. Aiden turned around, took in their environment. ¡°It¡¯s actually not that high.¡± They¡¯d been investigating this portion of the forest for a few hours now. He¡¯d met them a few hours after first light and the sun was almost at its highest point in the sky. Trees spanned around them for as far as the eyes could see. The were interspersed unevenly as nature tended to have them. Their branches were full with leaves of the most luscious green, which made it easy to forget how close the winter season was. Some of the trees sported boorish gashes, some of them had had their barks practically ripped off. One of them had a gash so deep Aiden wondered how it hadn¡¯t fallen over yet. ¡°Eighteen mantises,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Quite the number.¡± Taliner stopped whatever she was doing with Otid. ¡°Very high when you consider that these creatures don¡¯t move in packs.¡± ¡°But they move in threes,¡± Otid pointed out. ¡°Three to eighteen is quite the leap, though.¡± Aiden walked up to one of the corpses and squatted next to it. Sometimes those with the [Beast Tamer] class tended to use enchanted items to secure a link with their tamed beasts when they didn¡¯t want a magical tracker tracking it back to them through their mana signature. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Otid asked. Aiden shifted a large leg. Mantises had legs that were furry like a dog¡¯s but long and bent like a spiders¡¯ that ended as pincers. He pushed it aside at the joint where it met the torso. The leg shifted disturbingly since it was one he¡¯d tried to server at the joint but hadn¡¯t been very successful. Green blood spilled from it, pooled to the green grass. ¡°For the record,¡± Otid called to him. ¡°That¡¯s gross.¡± Taliner, however, walked up to join Aiden. She squatted beside him, studying the creature¡¯s body. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°I met a man not too long ago.¡± Aiden ignored the leg and ran a hand through the body¡¯s black fur. Its entire fur was black. ¡°He told me that sometimes, when a [Beast Tamer] wants to be safe, they use an enchantment instead of a skill.¡± Taliner blinked at the piece of information. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Aiden admitted. ¡°Not until I met him.¡± The man in question was an enchantment instructor at the Order. Aiden had learnt a few things about enchantments from the man. The same man had also been the one to teach him what was known as Order enchantments. Enchantments only the Order knew. Apparently, the Order had discovered them and hoarded them from the world. How? Even now, Aiden had no idea. Aiden dropped his hand from the creature, got up and moved to its head. Taliner followed after him. When he bent and started attending to its furless head, she asked, ¡°What?¡± Aiden pointed at the leg he¡¯d just abandoned. ¡°When you want to take control of the beast¡¯s body, you place the enchantment as close to its heart as possible. That¡¯s the closest place to a mantis¡¯ heart.¡± Taliner looked at the leg and back. ¡°And you saw nothing there.¡± ¡°I did not,¡± Aiden said, returning his attention to the head. It was as large as two water melons. Unhealthily large in his opinion. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you place it close to its brain to take its mind,¡± Taliner offered. Aiden nodded. He¡¯d made a few enchantments for this reason in his past but hadn¡¯t possessed the necessary skills or discipline to use them. To use a mind enchantment on a creature, you needed a significant level of mental strength. In this life he had [Willpower] to be his mental strength. But could he enact this level of control over eighteen mantises at the same time? He doubted it. As nice as skills were with their mastery, a person¡¯s level still affected them to some degree. With [Will power] at its current mastery he could shrug off a mental attack from even a mind mage at the same level as him, but twenty to thirty levels higher would be pushing it. Nothing, he thought, abandoning the search on the creature¡¯s head. He got to his feet, hands placed a little low on his waist, just below his belt line. If there was no enchantment in use, then it meant that whatever was happening with the creatures wasn¡¯t related to a taming class. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find any thing like what you mentioned,¡± Otid said, finally joining them. ¡°It¡¯s possible that we¡¯re hunting the same thing that was responsible for the goblin situation. And the goblins didn¡¯t have anything like that.¡± ¡°Goblins are communal monsters,¡± Aiden said, disagreeing with Otid¡¯s reasoning. ¡°They are also intelligent animals. Sapient, some people would argue. All you need is a way to communicate with them and you can easily raise an army. These,¡± he gestured at the corpse around them with a sweep of his arm, ¡°are not.¡± Taliner was still squatted in front of the head. ¡°Eighteen of them means six groups of threes. What if they held only six of them? Tamed one in every group?¡± Mantises didn¡¯t work under a hive mind concept. They also didn¡¯t have leaders of the group. It wouldn¡¯t have worked. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Doubtful.¡± ¡°So our investigation continues,¡± Otid declared, stepping over a corpse and walking deeper into the forest. Aiden watched him go. Taliner finally got up. She pulled the same cloth she¡¯d used on Otid¡¯s face and wiped her bloodied hands. Aiden didn¡¯t remember her touching any blood. The cloth was brown, like parchment, and he caught a glimpse of an enchantment on it as Taliner tucked it away back into the pocket she¡¯d picked it from. That¡¯s interesting, Aiden thought, moving his eyes away from it and back to Otid as he stopped at a tree. Adventurers of their class couldn¡¯t afford a cleaning enchantment on a piece of cloth. Cleaning enchantments were mostly placed on hard surfaces or the wooden handle of a broom. Placing it on things as soft as fabric was considered stressful, and unnecessarily so. So it was expensive¡ªan enchanter¡¯s punishment for stressing them unnecessarily. ¡°Found something!¡± Otid called out. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Gauging the distance from the scene of the fight to where he was, there was a very rare chance that whatever he¡¯d found was a result of the fight. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look,¡± Taliner said. ¡°He won¡¯t leave there until we do.¡± Aiden walked with her, eyes still scanning their surrounding. He didn¡¯t feel like they¡¯d missed something, not at all. But there were times when you didn¡¯t know what you¡¯d missed until you accidentally saw it. ¡°You look skittish,¡± Taliner told him as they drew closer to Otid. ¡°Like you expect something to jump you.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t stop roaming. ¡°We¡¯re in the forest and just fought of a good number of mantises. I expect something to jump me.¡± Taliner paused. ¡°Good point.¡± Her eyes panned the environment until they got to Otid. ¡°What did you get?¡± she asked when they got to him. ¡°New marks,¡± Otid said, pointing at a scratch on the tree bark. Aiden looked at it. Three clean cuts on the tree bark. He moved between Otid and Taliner, creating a crescendo of height from tallest to shortest with Otid on the tallest side. The tree bark was a deep brown but the lines were stained white on the edges. Too clean, he thought, placing a hand on the cuts. Otid grabbed him by the wrist before he touched it. ¡°Careful. You see the white lines at the edges? Tree¡¯s brown, almost black, white lines would mean something else. I could say sap but I don¡¯t think so. Whatever creature left these marks, it probably has some kind of poison coating its claws.¡± But that was the thing. Aiden didn¡¯t necessarily think it was poison. Otid was right to err on the side of caution, however. So he didn¡¯t touch it. The cuts were at the head height of an average man so he leaned forward and sniffed. The scent was familiar, and Aiden had to pause to scan through his memory for where the familiarity was coming from. He leaned in for another sniff, this one a beat longer than the last. He frowned as he thought about it. My memory used to be better. As if his self deprecation worked properly, it triggered the answer to what he was smelling. Rotsbane. He paused, there was something else mixed with it. Leshri dung? That was a strong brew designed for monsters. Powerful, too. But it wasn¡¯t strong enough to put down a person. At least not for long. He¡¯d been right in his suspicions, not that he¡¯d doubted himself. Stepping away from the tree, he folded his arms with a frown. ¡°Not claw marks.¡± Taliner tapped a finger to the edge of her jaw. ¡°Kind of makes sense.¡± ¡°Kind of makes sense?¡± Otid looked from Aiden to Taliner. ¡°What am I missing?¡± Taliner gestured at the lines. ¡°Cuts are too clean. Too smooth. Claws don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Talons?¡± Otid asked still confused. ¡°So we¡¯ve got¡­ what?¡± ¡°Not talons.¡± Aiden was still frowning. ¡°Handclaws.¡± Otid looked back at the marks, then at Aiden. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± Taliner frowned in thought. ¡°It would make sense.¡± She gestured again, trailing the lines without touching them. ¡°Handclaws have three claws. But aren¡¯t they usually curved at the end. Lines are too smooth. Too clean.¡± Otid was growing restless. ¡°Handclaws? What are those?¡± ¡°Nothing complicated.¡± She patted him kindly on the arm. ¡°You¡¯re a sword freak so you wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Aiden knew why Taliner was doubtful. Most handclaws were curved but there were varieties that were not. The ones used for stabbing, like wolverine¡¯s claws. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± he said. ¡°What matters is that they are not talons or claws.¡± He stepped away from the tree and turned eastward, in the direction they were supposed to be heading. ¡°What matters is that we should be expecting to run into other people.¡± ¡°Other adventurers?¡± Otid asked. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure. He didn¡¯t think so. But when adventurers entered a forest with monsters, it was usually to kill them. Coating your weapon in paralytic agents didn¡¯t really say adventurer. It said poacher. And Aiden would know. He¡¯d been so strapped for funds once upon a time that he¡¯d taken up poaching. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep our eyes open and our heads on a swivel,¡± he said, tracking forward. Hopefully, he was wrong. ¡­ Aiden and the team walked for a while longer. The sun reached its peak and ruled the sky in all its radiance. But, like all things, its decline began. It tipped to the side and began its descent. Its rays still peaked in through the canopy of trees. Leaves of luscious green undulated at the touch of the gentle breeze. Winter was coming. ¡°So what¡¯s with the girl?¡± Otid asked as he led. He stepped through a ray of sunlight that cast his face in a soft glow. He winced as the light touched his eye. ¡°Damned sunlight,¡± he muttered under his breath. Beside him Taliner rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯d hate on it if it was moonlight, too.¡± ¡°Light shouldn¡¯t get in the eye,¡± Otid grumbled. ¡°Then don¡¯t place your eye in its line,¡± Aiden said. Otid turned and looked at him so he raised a finger, then slid it under the closest ray of sunlight, then pulled it out. ¡°Stay out of its path and I¡¯m sure it will stay out of yours.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll make a proper noble,¡± Otid said to Taliner. ¡°Talks too much.¡± ¡°Nobles talk too much,¡± Taliner pointed out. ¡°They do, but not the way he talks. He¡¯s not so¡­ elegant.¡± This time, Aiden was the one to roll his eyes, to his amazement. ¡°Just lead.¡± ¡°So¡­ the girl.¡± ¡°A friend I stumbled onto.¡± Aiden ducked under a particularly low branch. It was barren of leaves. ¡°I ran into her¡­¡± ¡°At the cave,¡± Taliner interjected. ¡°I remember her saying something about that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Otid turned as if suddenly remembering something. ¡°What¡¯s the place like?¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°The cave?¡± Otid nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve been hearing about it since we got here. Even when we were making our way here, any question we ask always gets the cave attached to the answer somehow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like talking to someone who¡¯s been to the Holy Kingdom,¡± Taliner added. ¡°No matter what you ask them, they always want to add how amazing the library of Living Truth looks. Even when you didn¡¯t ask them.¡± ¡°Any way,¡± Otid took over, ¡°it turns out there¡¯s a good reason adventurers are always talking about the place. Unique Quest, unique skill. It¡¯s an adventurer¡¯s dream.¡± Curious, Aiden asked, ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you gone?¡± Otid pouted. ¡°Tal keeps holding us back.¡± Aiden turned to the female adventurer and she waved a dismissive gesture. ¡°I¡¯m very much aware of the benefits but I¡¯m not stupid. It has as much good as it has its bad. Missing adventurers. No one turning up with a unique skill for months and suddenly four people in the last few days. Too deadly to risk it.¡± ¡°I heard the cave is fine now,¡± Otid complained. ¡°That¡¯s a unique skill just sitting there, waiting to be taken.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. If the both of us went in, only one of us would get one. And that¡¯s if we¡¯re lucky. And you can¡¯t get the quest twice from what I¡¯ve heard. You either get it when you go in or never again.¡± ¡°Another one,¡± Aiden said, pointing. At the end of his finger, three trees away was a rough work of slashes. It scattered the tree bark in a way that told them whoever it was had tried to kill something quite vehemently. ¡°That¡¯s the third one so far,¡± Otid said, worried. Taliner agreed. ¡°And its following the trail.¡± ¡°You sure whoever they are aren¡¯t hunting the same thing we¡¯re tracking?¡± Otid frowned. ¡°That would be stupid. Why would they be hunting what we¡¯re hunting?¡± ¡°They could¡¯ve stumbled on it and decided to level up,¡± Taliner said. ¡°Everyone¡¯s trying to level up.¡± ¡°With level nineteen monsters?¡± Otid shook his head. ¡°Seems like a stupid thing to do unless you¡¯re in your twenties. It only sounds reasonable if you¡¯re getting paid for it. I don¡¯t see the point of a risky subjugation if the only reward is leveling up.¡± Taliner paused and shot him a baleful look. ¡°So its reasonable when it¡¯s you but stupid when someone else does it.¡± ¡°It was just one time,¡± Otid groaned. ¡°Just one time? You almost cost me an arm.¡± ¡°I said I was sorry.¡± ¡°A lot of good that did.¡± Taliner sighed, suddenly seeming tired. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d expect you of all people to understand the appeal of leveling up even in a risky situation with no reward but the levels.¡± Otid paused, then shrugged. ¡°Nope.¡± Taliner clenched her jaw as if she had something to say but was stopping herself from saying it. Aiden simply watched the exchange in silence. Taliner pointed suddenly and started walking over to a tree. ¡°Pincer mark.¡± Aiden was about to follow when Otid called out from the side. ¡°Found some mantis fur.¡± He took a step towards Otid and paused. He¡¯d had his eyes on the ground. The highest he¡¯d raised it so far was to eye level. What was it he always taught new recruits back in the days? Humans never think to look up. So he did. And frowned. ¡°Found a body.¡± Otid and Taliner turned to him, then looked up. Aiden turned, eyes trailing backwards, and he corrected himself. ¡°Found some bodies.¡± Above them three bodies rested in tall branches. Aiden, Otid, and Taliner stood looking up at them. They were held aloft amongst the high branches, their weights bearing on them as far as the branches could bend without snapping. Taliner looked down at the ground, eyes scanned the green grass and brown dirt. Aiden knew what she was looking for. ¡°No blood,¡± she said. Aiden scratched the ground with the toe of his boots, scattered the dirt. She was right. Not that he hadn¡¯t expected her to be. The ground and the grass around them was dry with no sign of blood. ¡°How long do you think they¡¯ve been up there?¡± Otid asked, unsheathing his broadsword. Aiden gave him a quizzical look. ¡°Too long perhaps. I¡¯d wager a day at the most.¡± If you pierced a hole in the jugular of someone with a class and allowed them to bleed out without healing, it could take somewhere between sixteen to thirty-eight hours. Judging by the state of the bodies above them, he doubted there was anything small about the injuries they¡¯d gained. The knowledge of how long it took for a body less than level fifty to die from blood loss was not one of his favorites. Neither was how he¡¯d gotten it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Taliner asked suddenly, turning on Otid. Otid had his head to the branches. ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing? I¡¯m getting one of them down so we can figure out what happened to them.¡± Taliner looked from him to the sword in his hand. ¡°By throwing a broadsword?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done it a thousand times. Trust me, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Otid paused. He finally looked at her. ¡°Or would you like to climb up and get it?¡± Taliner gestured at the branches dramatically. ¡°I trust you.¡± Otid snorted. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± He aimed, then threw. Aiden watched the sword spin through the air, rising higher and higher. Otid¡¯s strength stats had to be good because he doubted he could throw the broadsword Otid carried as if he was throwing a balled up piece of paper. The sword sliced through a branch and Otid pumped a fist in the air in celebration. It cut a few more before reaching its highest point and coming back down. There were a handful of other casualties on its way back. ¡°Incoming!¡± Otid announced, backing away. Taliner moved as well before the sword came down, embedding itself in the dirt. Otid stepped up to the sword and withdrew it from the dirt. ¡°You¡¯ve got balls kid,¡± he said to Aiden. ¡°You didn¡¯t even flinch or take a step back.¡± Aiden shrugged noncommittally. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anywhere near me.¡± Taliner snorted. ¡°How would you know? You only had your eyes in the trees.¡± Aiden knew because his perception was high enough to be aware of things as simple as a sword fallen down from above him when he¡¯d watched it get thrown up. For now, it was his turn to make an announcement. ¡°Incoming.¡± Above them branches waned and teetered. One snapped, then two. Then a body came falling down, pulled by the powerful hands of gravity now that there were no branches opposing it. Otid and Taliner hopped back and Aiden took a single step to the side. When the body hit the ground, it was with a thud. Oddly enough, it didn¡¯t even bounce. Aiden¡¯s nose wrinkled at the stench that came with the body. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t of death or decay. It was something else. Something worrying. ¡°What the hell is that smell?¡± Otid frowned. ¡°It smells like a smithy.¡± ¡°Burnt hair, blisters, burnt skin, and¡­¡± Taliner sniffed the air. ¡°Hot metal.¡± Otid heard hot metal and stepped away. Like an overly curious child, he reached a booted leg out and hovered it over the body. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s hot,¡± he said. It wasn¡¯t. Aiden knew the smell. Not as specifically as Taliner had described it, but he knew it. They were in for a treat, and not the good kind. ¡°What the hell killed this guy?¡± Taliner was squatted, studying the corpse but not touching it. She was probably worried that touching it might affect her in someway. ¡°His clothes are a mess.¡± She finally reached forward and moved a tattered piece of clothing to the side, exposing more of his chest. His pants were an equal mess and she ignored his exposed crotch. ¡°That¡¯s one massive stab wound. But¡­¡± She leaned a little close, not too close. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°Iron,¡± Aiden confirmed, squatting on the other side of the body. Just beneath the massive stab wound as wide as Aiden¡¯s hand was a metal glint. They were looking at one of the man¡¯s ribs. Taliner looked up at Aiden. ¡°Have you seen something like this before?¡± Otid leaned in, then joined them. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of someone with metal bones before.¡± Aiden had. Elites of the Mba-chukwu kingdom were one of the few humans to possess [Traits]. And their possession of it was artificially induced through alchemical processes, a bit of shamanic enchanting, a touch of necromancy, and the venom of a Dahnal. A large scorpion-like creature the size of a bus. The creature had a stinger that filled the victim with a special kind of poison. If being stabbed by something the size of the stinger didn¡¯t kill you, then the burning process of your bones being turned to metal from the inside would. Otid reached a finger into the wound and tapped the rib. ¡°It¡¯s like knocking steel.¡± The fighters of Mba-chukwu had found a way survive the process and come out with steel bones. It was one of the things that had succeeded in making them very formidable fighters. There was a slight shift in the air. It was sudden. Too sudden. One moment there was a gentle breeze caressing his cheek, paid attention to as subconsciously as you pay attention to the feel of your clothes on your skin, then it was gone. Otid knocked against the rib once more as Aiden frowned. He knew the feeling; he just couldn¡¯t put a finger on it. His brows furrowed as his frown deepened, eyes still downturned to the corpse. The feeling named itself suddenly and Aiden¡¯s head snapped to the side. Stealth. His head turned just in time to watch three points from a descending handclaw shoot straight for his face. His hands came up on instinct. Honed from years of training, one grabbed the weapon by the wrist before it stabbed him. Aiden pushed himself off the ground, his second hand taking the man in the crook of the elbow. Stepping into the man, he turned and threw. With his recent increase in strength from the cave, he put a little too much force into his throw and sent the man flying all the way into a tree in the distance. Otid and Taliner scrambled to their feet immediately, weapons drawn. ¡°How the hell?¡± Taliner scowled, realizing that they were already surrounded. Eight men stood around them. Not too close, but not too far. Stealth. Aiden scowled. He hated the skill just as much as he liked it. The way it worked was nothing grand. What it did was to eliminate sensations. Your quarry did not get that feeling of being watched. Footsteps were muted to the point that only your quarry¡¯s level and perception stats could help them notice you. Even sounds suffered the same attention. But while the skill had that effect on people, it had no effect on the world. You would still be seen in a mirror. You would still make a sound if you hit something and it fell on the ground¡ªspecifically, the thing would make the sound. You would still cast a shadow and obstruct light. And while you wouldn¡¯t leave a scent, you could still stand in the way of a gentle breeze. This was what had saved Aiden. A sharp sense and a gentle breeze. One of the men leveled a spear at Otid, probably judging him to be the largest threat due to his size. He was the only one in the group not wearing a handclaw. ¡°What did you people do to Jazna?¡± FORTY-EIGHT: A Risk And A Waste There were rules to a group fight, patterns to follow and rhythms to obey. In movies on earth they made it seem simple. One actor would turn and move, head on a swivel, eyes darting about. In that, they weren¡¯t very far off. Where they failed, however, was on the part of the assailants. Nobody, alone or otherwise, was nice enough to give you the luxury of coming at you in turns. Most of the comics and manhwas¡ªmostly the manhwas¡ªAiden had read did it best. A character would claim that he was busy and didn¡¯t need his time wasted, then he would ask that the enemies come at him together. In the real world, they most often always would. On Nastild, in a world where skills were real and people grew strong enough to drop buildings when they put their mind to it, with the right skills and strength you could fight a group and get away with it. Aiden couldn¡¯t fight this group and get away with it, though. Not when they currently had the upper hand. He wasn¡¯t fast enough and he wasn¡¯t nearly strong enough. The man with the spear, the only one without a hand-claw, jabbed his spear threateningly at Otid. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself. What did you do with Jazna?¡± Otid frowned and Aiden could see the man considering their chances of taking all eight men. Nine, if they counted the man Aiden had thrown into a tree. It wouldn¡¯t have been Aiden¡¯s choice but Otid was spoiling for a fight. The man didn¡¯t like being threatened by men smaller than him. The man with the spear settled its point squarely on Otid¡¯s chest. ¡°Silence will get you nowhere.¡± Otid¡¯s hands balled into fists and Taliner spoke immediately. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything.¡± The man looked at her. ¡°I see you all huddled over my friend and I¡¯m supposed to believe you?¡± Taliner pointed above them and the man looked up. His jaw dropped, aghast. ¡°Tiny! Temper!¡± Aiden barely held back the chuckle that threatened to pass his lips. In the end, he succeeded in limiting it to a smile. Sometimes, Nastild threw curve balls at him. Otid¡¯s hand moved in the moments of the man¡¯s despair and snatched the spear, grabbing it just beneath its blade. The man next to Taliner moved to intercept him and got a knife in his shoulder for his worries. Aiden was already moving, taking advantage of the distraction. He swept the first man¡¯s feet out from under him with a vicious kick, stepped past the second man¡¯s forward stab to knock him down with a well placed blow to the jaw. A third man got a Spartan kick to the chest that sent him tumbling along the grass. As the third man went tumbling, the man who had the spear crumpled to the ground. Two men were writhing on the ground, throwing knives embedded in painful but not vital parts of them. Aiden drew his sword on the remaining two. ¡°We have the advantage!¡± Taliner declared. ¡°We had the upper hand and spared you.¡± ¡°Despite you threatening our lives for no reason,¡± Otid growled. ¡°Stand down,¡± Taliner told him. ¡°We¡¯re not drawing blood. Not today.¡± Otid looked like he was ready to disagree with that. The others kept their eyes ready, angry yet skittish, attention glancing between him and Aiden. ¡°Don¡¯t do it,¡± Taliner warned. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to die here.¡± One of them looked down at the corpse at their feet. ¡°That wasn¡¯t us,¡± Taliner insisted. The others were getting up now, even if a little groggy. Personally, Aiden hadn¡¯t expected Taliner to be the one to keep them from killing. But this was unnecessary stalling. Her hesitation would buy the others the time to regroup and come at them. Aiden wasn¡¯t in support of that, so he made a move. He stepped forward casually. Everyone watched him carefully until he stood over the man that had once held the spear. On the ground, the man was out cold. Only his rising and falling chest was a sign of the breath of life still in him. Aiden cocked a brow at Otid. ¡°How hard did you hit him?¡± A blade flew from Taliner''s hand in Aiden''s periphery and was followed by a grunt of pain as Otid grumbled out an answer. ¡°Not hard enough.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Aiden shrugged, returning his attention to the men around, still struggling on the ground or standing menacingly. Then he placed the point of his sword to the neck of the man who¡¯d held the spear. ¡°Now here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen.¡± He activated a skill. [You have used skill Detect] The men bristled only very slightly. Unlike monsters, humans knew when you used [Detect] on them. It was a terrible feeling of attempted intimidation. Like someone placing a hand on your shoulder, looking into your eyes, and challenging you. For some, it made them cower, others only ended up being annoyed. There were some that described it as just having the weird feeling of a thousand eyes on you. Those with significantly higher levels and high [Resilience] were often immune to most of it. The magic of the system on Nastild wasn¡¯t entirely clear and cut. It was a part of the world¡¯s nature, ingrained into every facet of its being. Variables, often times annoying, existed. Aiden¡¯s hold on his sword relaxed with the information he got from the skill. He turned his head and looked at the man rested against the tree. He looked like he¡¯d broken something. Finally, his eyes rested on the man on the ground and he shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Really?" he said in disappointment. "Level 26? That''s the highest?¡± Otid and Taliner shot him a look as if he¡¯d just broken some common law. Which, if he was being honest, he had. Checking another person¡¯s level or personal information without permission was one of the rudest things you could do on Nastild. In my defense, they just tried to kill us. He ignored the looks and returned his attention to the men around him. ¡°I don¡¯t need to explain, so I¡¯ll make it short. First and most important is this; the next person that tries to attack us will be responsible for my blade going into your friend¡¯s neck.¡± Taliner made a surprised sound. It wasn¡¯t really a gasp, but it was something. ¡°Second,¡± he continued. ¡°You might want to claim rights under the laws of the adventurers but you are not, so please don¡¯t attempt it. You are poachers of exotic creatures¡ªat least exotic to the clients you sell to¡ªso I will not be paying attention to whatever excuses you make about the plaques in your possession.¡± Someone inched closer at those words and the tip of Aiden¡¯s sword drew blood from the neck of the unconscious man. It was nothing more than a prick, but it sent the message he wanted it to send. The man that had moved froze in his steps, anger clouding his eyes but worry showed in how stiff he had become. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Otid said with a slightly shaking voice. Their assailants grew tenser than they already were at the sound of the title. They would not know what noble house carried the name of Lacheart because there was none, but they would understand ¡®Lord¡¯ perfectly well. ¡°I think they get the message,¡± Taliner said, worried. They did not. Not yet. Aiden had been a poacher once, and he knew the laws that governed poaching. You did not smuggle creatures that went through innocent civilians like hot knives through butter and expect to see the light of day after you¡¯ve been captured. Until death was a very present possibility, they would always consider killing at any cost. Why? Because they didn¡¯t want to go to prison forever. And killing a fellow human gave a very significant boost to a person¡¯s level. Even a weaker opponent¡ªnot too far from your level¡ªcould grant you an extra level. So killing the enemy in front of you to survive was always an acceptable option to a poacher. It was always better than going to prison. ¡°You can¡¯t take us all,¡± one of them snarled. He had a throwing knife still embedded in his thigh. Aiden sighed, putting on the full bravado of a bounty hunter. ¡°You¡¯re weak. Trust me, most of you will be dead before you land a strong enough blow. And the strongest of you is unconscious. I¡¯ll just kill him and move through the rest of you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s bluffing!¡± someone else hissed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the balls. It doesn''t matter your rank, killing the defenseless is a crime punishable by death in Bandiv.¡± That told Aiden that not all of them were native. In fact, there was a chance that none of them were. Regardless, he pushed his sword slightly deeper. It was enough to draw more blood but not become something fatal. ¡°Woah! Woah! Woah!¡± Taliner¡¯s hands shot out in a placating motion. ¡°We definitely all want to leave with our lives intact.¡± She looked from Aiden to the man that had tried to call his bluff. ¡°Right?¡± The man nodded slowly, still looking angry. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if Taliner was saving the poachers¡¯ lives or hers and Otid''s. Taliner nodded. ¡°Good. Then if we let you guys leave, you promise not to come back?¡± The man¡¯s eyes darted between the man at Aiden¡¯s mercy and the corpse. His frown deepened, eyes narrowed on Aiden. ¡°We didn¡¯t kill your friend,¡± Otid insisted. ¡°We found him this way.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t like the idea of letting them go. Only fools let enemies with the very real intentions of killing them go. The others might¡¯ve been capable of simply turning tails and running, but not the one staring daggers at him. You always tied up loose ends. This wasn¡¯t some morally right super hero movie. He wasn¡¯t superman. ¡°And our friend?¡± the angry man asked. Taliner looked down at Aiden¡¯s sword, then back at Aiden. She was asking for permission. With a frown, Aiden took his blade away from the man¡¯s neck. ¡°You can¡ª¡± Taliner¡¯s words died in her mouth when Aiden placed the point of the sword back. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Her address of him using his title didn¡¯t come out as naturally, not as Otid¡¯s had. ¡°They can have him,¡± he said. ¡°But I have a question.¡± The man snarled, showing teeth. Two of them were filed, canines sharpened into small fangs. ¡°Ask.¡± ¡°What were you hunting?¡± The man pressed his lips into a thin line and broke eye contact. So they¡¯re not exploring, they¡¯ve been commissioned. But what kind of monster lurked in this part of the forest for some rich man to commission. It could easily be a noble or not. Nobles weren¡¯t the only ones with the money and the liking for exotic monsters that could kill in one strike. ¡°My partner over here is a good person.¡± Aiden moved the tip of his sword to his victim¡¯s stomach. ¡°I am not. You¡¯re doing something bad, something deadly. And in the territory of king Brandis. That is something I cannot let slide.¡± Look at you, sounding like a loyal subject. ¡°It¡¯s nothing deadly,¡± someone said from the corner. Everyone was on their feet now, everyone that wasn¡¯t knocked out, that is. Those that had tasted the steel of Taliner¡¯s throwing knives had since removed them and discarded them to the grass. If a fight broke out now, it would be bad for Taliner and Otid. Aiden didn¡¯t doubt his ability to survive in this current situation. In fact, he would likely excel, seeing as some of them were already wounded. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The level boost wouldn''t be bad. The thought crossed his mind only momentarily. He was good at fighting people, trained to be for that matter. But he wasn''t a fan of killing those that he didn''t have to kill. It always left him feeling... bad wasn''t the word, maybe uncomfortable would suffice. ¡°You are poachers,¡± Aiden told the man easily, repeating what they already knew he was aware of. ¡°Everything you have your hand in is deadly. Dangerous. And most often stupid.¡± Aiden had clipped the words in mild annoyance and the boy had flinched away. And he was indeed a boy. Now that Aiden thought about it, while the others looked to be in their mid twenties to late twenties, he was barely twenty. ¡°What are you hunting?¡± Aiden repeated. ¡°What are you trying to steal?¡± ¡°Not stealing,¡± the angry man snapped, unable to hold his tongue. ¡°Repossessing.¡± Repossessing only meant one of two things to a poacher. They¡¯d either lost something in transit or they were stealing back a monster from a client for one poacher-justified reason or the other. Although there were some stupid poachers who sold you a monster just to come through the back and steal it from you. They were called stupid for a reason. If a person had enough money to pay for and care for such monsters, it was very likely that they had enough money to pay people to hunt you down. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what noble owes you what?¡± Aiden''s words were curt and annoyed, and he kicked the corpse lightly. ¡°I care about what the monster is.¡± With how messed up the corpse was, there was always the possibility that it actually belonged to some stray elite of the kingdom of Mba-chukwu and they weren¡¯t actually dealing with a Dahnal. Aiden almost laughed at the thought. Mba-chukwu was currently under who¡¯s leadership? He turned thoughtful. In the eleven years of his stay on Nastild they had swapped two leaders before finally being annihilated by the combined might of Nel Quan and an insignificant kingdom name Telahi. The answer came to Aiden. Onyedi Mbaku. This time Aiden did laugh. Onyedi ruled with an iron fist. There was very little chance that the corpse would turn out to be a stray if it was from his kingdom. He looked around just in case someone was pulling up on them with [Stealth] once more. Nobody was. ¡°You¡¯re wasting my time,¡± he told them. ¡°I don¡¯t need some unnecessary details. Just the name of the beast, and you can be on your way with your friend. Back to whoever¡¯s leading this bunch.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Fharanal,¡± the youngest blurted out. ¡°You fool!¡± the angry one hissed at him. ¡°You just served us up to a noble.¡± His fists tightened, his handclaws gleamed under the rays of sunlight, ready and menacing. ¡°Now we can¡¯t let them live.¡± ¡°He promised to let us go if we told him,¡± the boy said. ¡°And the thing¡¯s dangerous. If we don¡¯t catch it on time, a lot of people could die.¡± He¡¯s definitely new to this, Aiden thought. But he was right. The Fharanal was a greater monster than the Dahnal. They were native to the hot deserts of Naralagua, home to a few nomadic tribes. The creature was a greater threat because they didn¡¯t just kill the same way the Dahnal killed, they planted their eggs inside their dead victims as well. They were rarer than the Dhanal even though they were something of their female counterparts, and their eggs hatched to become Dahnals in any conditions and Fharanals in rare perfect conditions. In a sense, they were an endangered species, a true prize to possess. That¡¯s why the bodies were hidden among the trees. To buy the eggs time to hatch. ¡°We need to get the bodies down,¡± Aiden said to Otid suddenly. ¡°All of them.¡± He turned to the poachers. ¡°How long have your friends been missing? How long have you been looking for the Fharanal?¡± ¡°Three days,¡± the angry man bit out the words. Fharanal eggs take a week or more to hatch. We still have time. The problem is the Fharanal. Aiden wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight a Fharanal. At least he didn''t think he was. ¡°You guys weren¡¯t reclaiming it from some rich fool, were you?¡± he said. To his side Otid was aiming with the spear. He doubted the man would find success as he had with the sword. ¡°You were smuggling it through Naranoff¡¯s territory.¡± The boy nodded. A loud thud erupted beside them. Aiden didn¡¯t have to look to know that it was one of the bodies hanging in the trees. Otid grinned to himself, reveling in his victory over the trees. ¡°One more,¡± Otid muttered to himself. All the tension in the space was currently focused on Aiden. So much so that it seemed like Otid couldn¡¯t feel it anymore. ¡°Why are we bringing the bodies down?¡± Taliner asked. ¡°Because Fharanals are dangerous creatures, and they lay their eggs inside the bodies of their dead victims.¡± Taliner looked down at the corpse that had just fallen from the tree. ¡°All their dead victims?¡± Aiden nodded, taking his sword away from the man at his feet. There was no further need for a hostage. ¡°Their stinger serves to inject their venom into their victims and their venom also carries their eggs. If their eggs hatch, this whole place is in trouble.¡± Otid paused. He had a spear in hand, aimed upwards. He looked back at them. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be more focused on the town. If that thing gets into town there could be problems.¡± ¡°We should focus on the corpses,¡± Aiden said. Fharanals didn¡¯t like people, so they stayed in deserts and, at times like this, it would most likely be making a nest in the forest somewhere. Otid¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yea.¡± Aiden moved to sheathe his sword out of habit and stopped himself. ¡°Let¡¯s get all the corpses.¡± He turned to the only boy in the group. ¡°How many of your men are missing?¡± ¡°Shut up, Fjord!¡± the angry man hissed. Aiden sighed, tired of having to listen to the angry man. ¡°You know what?¡± He turned to the boy, Fjord. ¡°For the duration of my time with you guys, I will speak only to you. I don¡¯t care about the rest of you. Got it?¡± Taliner gave him a look. It said he was being unnecessarily harsh. The look told him that Taliner wasn¡¯t very versed in the underworld of Nastild. The underworld was established with power, and it was power not held with civility. You held it proudly and you held it cruelly. ¡°This one has survived for now,¡± he continued then pointed the sword at the angry man. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean that¡­¡± He paused and a body hit the ground with a thud, then he continued. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean that you have to.¡± The man kept his words but his anger did not change. He¡¯s going to be a problem, Aiden noted. Reasonably, it would be best to be rid of him to prevent further problems. The last thing he needed was to be stabbed in the back while looking for all the corpses, that was if he was even going to go looking for the corpses. Now that he thought about it, the Naranoff territory had never had a case of some exotic beast stabbing its way through town in his past life. Aiden wondered how this problem had been resolved in his past life. They probably caught the thing before it became an issue. ¡°They¡¯re all the same,¡± Otid said, looking down at the latest corpse. It had a massive stab wound in its gut and he was poking its metallic vertebrae with the point of the spear. ¡°Whatever this thing is,¡± Taliner said, ¡°we can¡¯t let its eggs hatch or let it get into town.¡± Aiden agreed, but they also couldn¡¯t fight it. With what they currently had, they were lacking the man power necessary. Should we still take it? There would be a lot of casualties. His attention moved to the poachers. They could play the role of canon fodder. He shook his head. You are not in the Order. You don¡¯t sacrifice lives you don¡¯t have to when there are alternatives--when you can simply retreat. ¡°Says the guy that was about to kill a hostage,¡± he muttered to himself under his breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Fjord asked timidly. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Nothing, kid.¡± Fjord¡¯s expression took on one of confusion. It was probably very confusing to have someone that looked probably only a year older than you call you ¡®kid.¡¯ ¡°What do we do with the bodies?¡± Otid asked. Aiden didn¡¯t have to think about the answer. ¡°Burn them.¡± Otid paused before responding. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡­ It turned out that Aiden was right. The nine men that had tried to ambush them had not been the only ones in the forest. They had a master that the angry man, Bora, claimed was up to level fifty. Aiden didn¡¯t doubt it. But chances were that the man was below fifty. Most poaching groups didn¡¯t waste a level 50 poacher on even a level 50 monster. They preferred to send the lower levels in groups. As for the bodies, Fjord said that there were a total of eight missing members that they were looking for. So far, they¡¯d found two more. Before leaving, he¡¯d split the poachers, taking three of the nine with them. Fjord, Bora, and Maxi, a skinny man who looked like he didn¡¯t have any food. Ever. The others, they¡¯d instructed to head in another direction in search of the creature to cover more grounds, though he doubted they would. As for their classes, while Aiden¡¯s [Detect] was strong enough to get him the levels of human opponents, it was still a good way away from getting him their class. So he didn¡¯t ask and they didn¡¯t tell. It was not necessary. They walked through the forest, eyes constantly paying attention to the trees and the leaves and everything that moved. They had been attacked by another group of mantises earlier, seven in total, and had survived in wiping them out. One of the poachers, however, Maxi, had not made it. He''d died as he''d probably lived, looking malnourished. Taliner led the group as they walked now, standing at the front. Otid walked in the middle with Bora grumbling his annoyance every now and again, while Aiden took the rear with Fjord. From what he''d learnt of the boy, he was almost nineteen and had gotten his class a few months ago. He was unsurprisingly new to the poaching industry, barely three months into it. He¡¯d run from his village with delusions of grandeur, plans of being one of the greatest mercenaries known. Life hadn¡¯t been so fair to him, though. Luckily, he¡¯d run into a group of poachers who had been happy to take him under their wings. He¡¯d been running with them ever since. ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay with this?¡± Aiden asked him. Fjord kept his eyes on the road and shrugged. ¡°It works for me.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s poacher or mercenary.¡± Aiden was sure that he was missing something. ¡°Why not adventurer or something else? You could be a soldier.¡± Fjord shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a combat position, though,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Domestic positions are also achieving. Worthy.¡± ¡°Satisfactory,¡± Fjord said in a low, underwhelming voice. Aiden didn¡¯t like satisfactory either. He¡¯d liked it before Nastild, but he couldn¡¯t imagine himself doing satisfactory now. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with satisfactory?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want satisfactory.¡± Fjord frowned. ¡°All my life I¡¯ve wanted fame and glory. To be somebody.¡± Doesn¡¯t every kid? Even on earth children were not inspired by the accountants in the movies or the mayors of the towns. What moved them were the super heroes giving the bad guys a beat down. The wrestlers getting up covered in sweat¡ªsometimes blood¡ªwhen the referee hit that three count. The Seals. The Marines. The victory at the end of all the violence and blood. Nobody wanted satisfactory. Even Aiden, despite the quiet and satisfactory life he had wanted, had been inspired by wrestlers. There was always that thrill at the victory. He cared nothing for the three count victory. No, he liked to watch a man submit, tap out under the strength of a submission lock. ¡°I want to ask your class,¡± Aiden said to Fjord after a moment''s thought. ¡°Will you be willing to tell me?¡± Fjord gave him a surprised look. Taliner led them around a massive tree, picking out a mark on the tree. It belonged to a mantis not a Fharanal. It wasn¡¯t surprising since Aiden doubted she would know what to look for when tracking one. So he left the tracking to Bora and himself. And whatever little Fjord knew enough of to help. ¡°I¡¯ve met a few nobles,¡± Fjord said suddenly. ¡°They¡¯re not nice to people like me.¡± ¡°Poachers or commoners?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Both. But mainly poachers.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Nobody likes poachers. Nobody¡¯s nice to them.¡± ¡°But they use our services.¡± Fjord frowned. ¡°They buy from us.¡± ¡°And that is their sin. They know it as clearly as you know the sun is bright. That they love their sin does not mean they would love those who aid it. In their sin, someone has to be less than them. Those who peddle in it are the chosen victims. So no, nobody¡¯s nice to poachers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nice to me,¡± Fjord said, voice small. He talked like he was ashamed of something. It had been that way since the beginning. ¡°And I¡¯m a poacher.¡± Aiden had been a poacher once, but poachers were neither here nor there to him. ¡°I¡¯m nice to you,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m nice to Fjord. Not a poacher.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Taliner raised a hand, and everyone came to a stop. She bent to the ground and moved her hand about. Aiden doubted it was a skill. He doubted she or Otid had a scouting skill. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in why you say I¡¯m nice to you,¡± Aiden said, voice almost too low to even be called a whisper. ¡°All I¡¯ve done is make you speak instead of Bora.¡± ¡°You also asked if I was willing to share my class,¡± Fjord pointed out in a whisper. ¡°You¡¯re strong enough to simply ask for it. I won¡¯t hesitate to tell you.¡± That much was true. Power worked that way among criminals. ¡°I¡¯ve met nobles not old enough to have levels who have looked down on poachers.¡± Fjord shrugged as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°In this line of work, you learn a few things.¡± The boy still hadn¡¯t told Aiden his class, though. ¡°How about this?¡± Aiden asked when Taliner gave them the signal that things were clear. ¡°How about you tell me if it¡¯s a combat class or not?¡± Fjord¡¯s face became thoughtful. ¡°It isn¡¯t, but I think it can be,¡± he said in the end. That wasn¡¯t very much to go on. Why are you even asking? Aiden asked himself. Why do you care? It wasn¡¯t as if the boy reminded him of himself when he¡¯d been younger or anything. And it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d been the underdog when he¡¯d become a poacher. He¡¯d led a team during his own time. At some point he¡¯d even had his own crew, each member hand picked by him. So why the questions? Small talk? Humanity? Aiden didn¡¯t have the answer. So he opted for silence to himself. ¡°I see,¡± he said, and that was where he let the argument die. The walk continued in relative silence. Aiden kept his eyes on Bora, having kept him in front of him so that he could keep an eye on the man. He could¡¯ve sent him with the second group but Bora was clearly the kind of man to go for petty vengeance no matter the cost to himself or those around him. Aiden needed such a person within his reach until he couldn¡¯t keep them within his reach. As for their new quarry, he was not in support of fighting it if they did run into it. Instead, his plan was to find a way to report it to the Naranoffs so that it could be taken care of. Unless the poachers actually had someone with a high combat level waiting somewhere, there was no way they could get the creature out in record time and be on their way. ¡°May I ask a question?¡± Fjord said as they walked. Aiden didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Go for it.¡± Fjord shot Baro a careful glance, made sure the man was not paying attention, then reduced his voice to a whisper. ¡°Can you employ me?¡± Aiden paused at that. ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± Fjord shot Baro another glance. ¡°I really don¡¯t like doing what I¡¯m doing. It¡¯s risky without the sense of achievement. It doesn¡¯t have to be a fighting position. I can learn basic things and do them. I¡¯m a quick study, not system level good, but good enough. I can help in the kitchen or the stables or even in a smithy.¡± I thought he didn¡¯t want a life that was just satisfactory? ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want satisfactory?¡± Aiden asked. Fjord shook his head vehemently. He looked like he was going to cry. ¡°I¡¯ve been out here for almost a year, and I¡¯ve got nothing to show for it but almost dying and not leveling up. I¡¯m not risking my life, my lord, I¡¯m wasting it. I¡¯ll die one day with nothing to show for it.¡± Aiden frowned. Everybody died one day. But the boy was right. There was a difference between risking your life and wasting it. The former had a reasonable possibility of reward while the latter had so unreasonable low a possibility of reward that it could be categorized as none. Sadly, Aiden had no reason to help the boy. Reality was sad, truly so. Still¡­ if the boy was useful, then he could find a use for him. And the boy was putting in the effort. As Aiden¡¯s father had often said: You have no obligation to help anyone, but someone who¡¯s tried and failed by themselves before asking for help earned the right to some level of opportunity. So Aiden was willing to give the boy some attention. ¡°What¡¯s your class?¡± he asked once more. Fjord hesitated. In front of them Taliner pulled them to a stop again with a raised fist. ¡°I think I see something.¡± Otid and Bora snuck forward. Aiden and Fjord followed, but slowly. Fjord worried his bottom lip between his teeth. He seemed unwilling to answer. It was the issue with kindness, it gave people a choice. If Aiden had continued to wield his power cruelly, he would¡¯ve gotten the answer to the question without a waste of time. But Aiden wasn¡¯t that man. He was often apathetic, but cruelty had never been one of his preference. Not when it wasn¡¯t necessary. Not when it didn¡¯t serve a necessary purpose. ¡°Fjord,¡± Aiden whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not so free that I can figure out how to help you with no information.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ve found it,¡± Taliner muttered, then pointed. Bora and Otid were crouched beside her now, peering forward. The sun was descending, and while the forest wasn¡¯t as bright as it had been in the afternoon, it wasn¡¯t so dark that they couldn¡¯t see. They still had a few hours before nightfall. Aiden turned and met Fjord¡¯s gaze. When he spoke again, it was in a commanding tone. ¡°Your class, boy.¡± Fjord stiffened and his response poured out from his lips. ¡°I¡¯m a... [Gambler], my Lord.¡± Aiden paused. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say to that. The [Gambler] class was far from just a tricky class. In the end, his brain produced only one sound. ¡°Oh.¡± FORTY-NINE: Lesser Than Less The [Gambler] class was a class of luck. By every means known to Aiden, the system of Nastild had no [Luck] stat. Not among the humans or the non-humans. He didn¡¯t know of an animal that had it, a general monster that had it, or even a unique monster that had it. And if the Order knew about it, then it was in the archives hidden within the archives. The library nobody knew the Order had. Not even the Order itself¡­ perhaps. With the Order, it was hard to tell, they were so wrapped in secrets that they shrouded their secrets in the secrets of others. So what the [Gambler] class really was, was the class of probability. No, it did not increase probability, it did not bend fate to the person¡¯s whim. It merely took advantage of it. It was also a rare class, so rare that most people knew next to nothing about it. Aiden could see why the boy was not growing in level. On Nastild you focused on the things that benefited your class to grow your level. So what kinds of actions benefited the [Gambler] class? A class that benefited off of successful risks. The boy¡¯s class was nigh useless. Teaching it was as much a gamble as the name of the class. I guess life isn¡¯t fair. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something,¡± he told Fjord, moving up to join the others. Fjord wore a downcast look but said nothing. It seemed that Aiden hadn¡¯t been the first person he had asked for help. And ¡®I¡¯ll think of something¡¯ seemed to have become a part of the boy¡¯s life, a string of words that meant ¡®I can¡¯t help you.¡¯ Aiden put it out of his mind as he crouched beside Taliner. ¡°What do you see?¡± She pointed forward and Aiden followed the direction of her finger. Just there, dancing between two trees, was an elevated ground. It was covered in grass and fern, and shrubbery of three colors. Aiden squinted at it. The elevation was as high as a man was tall. It was also a section of the forest that span as far to both sides as the eyes could see. It was merely higher between the trees they were looking at. It seemed like they had come upon a different section of the forest. ¡°Any sign of a mantis?¡± he asked, still surveying the view. Taliner shook her head. ¡°I lost it a while back and followed the one Bora pointed out.¡± Aiden remembered Bora exchanging a word or two with Otid at one point but hadn¡¯t thought much of it. The exchange had been short and Otid had seemed annoyed by it. Personally, Aiden had thought the man was trying to convince Otid of something. It wasn¡¯t beyond common sense to try and bribe your way out of a problem. ¡°Are the marks here?¡± he asked Taliner. ¡°Where was the last one?¡± Taliner looked down and Aiden followed her eyes. Just there on a visible tree root was a single scarred line. It was large, deep, and clean. At least as clean as an animal marking could be. It¡¯s already making a territory for itself. Aiden looked back at Fjord. ¡°How long has this thing been missing?¡± ¡°More than a week,¡± Fjord answered. Bora shot him a scowl. ¡°You¡¯ll answer to me once we get back, boy. Best be sure of that.¡± Aiden sighed and looked at him. ¡°Keep threatening the kid and you might not be around for him to answer to by the time he gets back.¡± Otid gave him a strange look. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of how quick he was to defend Fjord or if it had something to do with the depth of the threat. After a moment, he realized another possibility, one he really should¡¯ve considered. He was calling a boy no more than a year younger than him ¡®kid¡¯ as if he was some old man. Aiden could see how it could be odd. Especially when he did it so naturally. ¡°There¡¯s an opening right there.¡± Taliner pointed once more. ¡°The shrubbery. Something¡¯s off about it.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t look long to know that she was right. In the evening breeze, the shrubbery swayed, its leaves ruffling. But there was something off about it. It was also moving at its base. None of the plant life in front of them, Aiden discovered, had sprouted from the ground. Fharanals were known to possess some level of intelligence. If this was its nest, Aiden wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it had actually covered the entrance with false plant life. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it.¡± Bora grinned. ¡°They are quite the fascinating creatures.¡± ¡°They should be dead creatures,¡± Otid scowled at him. ¡°Not for the price they go for.¡± Bora¡¯s grin widened and showed teeth. In some story somewhere where mothers told bed time tales of terrible men and unfortunate woes, Bora had a toothy grin with a few missing teeth, a breath of deep old tobacco, and some kind of wart or scar. But this was Nastild, a world of proper fantasy where everyone was blessed by it. It was difficult to run into a person over the age of eighteen with any real terrible ailment. If you were healthy until your eighteenth birthday, there was too little of a chance that that would change. Still, there was something off-putting about the man¡¯s grin. Something about it made Aiden want to slap him across the face. He obviously didn¡¯t. Otid ignored the man and turned to Aiden. ¡°If that is what we think it is,¡± he said. ¡°I say we go in there and confirm it.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see any reason why not. You¡¯re the one in charge here.¡± Otid paused and Taliner chuckled. It was a muffled sound, suppressed for the sake of how serious the situation was. But it was unmistakable. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been acting like you¡¯re the one in charge,¡± Otid grumbled, voice so low it could¡¯ve been to himself. Aiden smiled, amused. ¡°And for that, I apologize.¡± Otid schooled his face back to seriousness. ¡°How bad is it? Really?¡± ¡°Together,¡± Aiden said honestly, ¡°we¡¯d be hard pressed to win. It can be a tricky creature. Unless you''ve got the [Beast Tamer] class." ¡°So we can¡¯t fight it.¡± Aiden nodded. They couldn''t find it in its nest. And as good as he was, Aiden was unfortunately specialized in fighting people not monsters. He could face monsters, yes. But facing people was where he was confident. Bora snorted. ¡°And we don¡¯t have to. We¡¯re poachers not imbeciles. We don¡¯t go around getting into trouble that we can avoid.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes narrowed at that. ¡°What¡¯s it¡¯s level?¡± ¡°Sixty-two,¡± he said, nonchalant, as if he was talking about some hapless child. Otid paled. Taliner frowned. As for Aiden, he really, really wanted to slap Bora. Bora, for his part, shook his head and reached inside his shirt. He brought out a vial with a white liquid inside it. It sloshed about as he twirled it. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed as his mind went through what he knew about the Fharanal and how to hunt it. ¡°Dahnal semen?¡± he said, appalled. ¡°Just how stupid is your group? Unless¡­¡± He paused. ¡°Rotsbane and Leshri¡¯s dung.¡± Bora grinned at him. ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t just some stupid noble¡¯s kid playing adventurer.¡± Aiden clenched his jaw but said nothing. After all, he actually wasn¡¯t some stupid noble¡¯s kid playing adventurer. Fharanals were capable of self reproduction but they weren¡¯t asexual. And they enjoyed their mating seasons which was every season. However, the Dahnals didn¡¯t enjoy it as much as they did. Fharanals were known to go into a fit of rage at the smell of a Dahnal¡¯s semen or even the slightest secretion of its pheromones. Most times, they ran into so strong a fit of rage that they would forget they were meant to be the females in the mating activity. In summary, if there was a vial of Dahnal semen present, the dumbest thing you could do was to get between it and a Fharanal. ¡°It¡¯s a mixed concoction, kid,¡± Bora was saying. ¡°Semen, rotsbane and dung. It will put it out like a child filled with milk from its mother¡¯s teat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s if it¡¯s in there,¡± Otid pointed out. ¡°Oh, its in there, my adventuring friend.¡± Bora swirled the contents of the vial menacingly. ¡°It¡¯s in there.¡± How the man succeeded in making the act of swirling a vial look menacing was impressive by Aiden¡¯s standard. Otid looked at Aiden. ¡°We go in?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t point out that Otid was in charge this time. Instead, he nodded and moved ahead. Taliner grabbed him before he took the lead. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want your father mourning before he even gets to celebrate now, would we?¡± she said with a grin. Aiden¡¯s brows rose in confusion but Taliner was already walking past him, taking the lead. True to their suspicion, the shrubbery and tall grasses that seemed to mask the entrance were not naturally placed there. They were not connected to any other plant neither did they grow from the ground. ¡°Smart bastard,¡± Bora muttered, a touch of fascinated excitement in his voice. Otid drew his sword gently and rested its blade on the shoulder of the squatted man, standing behind him. ¡°Do anything stupid and your head goes first.¡± Bora turned back to look at him. He placed a finger on the blade of the sword and gently moved it aside. ¡°I thought adventurers were the heroes in the stories where knights didn¡¯t show up? Keep your pants on.¡± Bora got up and pushed the plants aside. Aiden watched him, unhappy. He didn¡¯t like the man¡¯s confidence. Not one bit. Maybe it came with not knowing their exact levels but a level 23 poacher had no place being so confident in the presence of three adventurers. Especially a confidence that turned up so suddenly after finding their quarry. If he has one vial hidden in his shirt, he can easily have two. Aiden came to the conclusion of paying extra attention to the man. The wariness you gave to a man with a sword, after all, was always different from the one you gave to a man lurking in the corner with poison in hand. As for their current quarry, Fharanals nested in burrows. When you walk in a desert, everyone knew to stay away from man-sized holes burrowed in the sand. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a beauty,¡± Bora marveled as a path opened into the hole. It was cavernous, soft broken up dirt that made the walls and roofs solidified to rocks. There was no falling debris of sand from the ceiling. Otid touched the wall to his side. There was a frown in his voice when he spoke. ¡°Too dark.¡± Aiden reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a small orb. He channeled mana into it and it let out a soft glow, blue-white. It encased the area around them in its light. The ground was barren of plant life, not even the shortest blade of grass. The walls and ceiling were a deep mud brown as was to be expected of a burrowed cave. Aiden rapped his knuckle against the wall. The sound came out as if he was knocking glass. Otid looked at him. ¡°You really have everything in those belts of yours, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Everything but food,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing,¡± Bora said suddenly, hands gliding over the walls. Aiden tilted his head to the side and realized that the walls were actually glossy if you looked at it from the right angle in the light. The ceiling too. Bora¡¯s smile was slightly manic, awe turned to a slight touch of euphoria. ¡°As they burrow, they coat the place in their own fluid. It holds the place intact and serves to mark the territory. Lesser creatures wouldn¡¯t dare to venture in here.¡± ¡°That makes us lesser than the less,¡± Taliner muttered. Fjord walked quietly beside Aiden, crestfallen. He was likely still disappointed by Aiden¡¯s words. How disappointed will he be when he finds out that I¡¯m not even a noble? They were still moving forward when Aiden felt something wrong, different. It was a straight tunnel, stretching for the length of at least a five minutes¡¯ stroll. ¡°Fharanals don¡¯t built tunnels in their burrows,¡± Bora was explaining even though no one had asked or was listening. ¡°They make the single tunnel because they are brave creatures that will not back down. Some say they revel in the kill.¡± Aiden moved the hand holding the orb of light closer to the pocket he¡¯d gotten it from. ¡°How did you people lose the creature?¡± he asked. He didn¡¯t know what it was but something was wrong. Fharanals were known to be intelligent in the way that dolphins are said to be intelligent. For all he knew, they could¡¯ve just done the stupid thing of being lured into a trap. Bora¡¯s face squeezed in barely concealed rage at the question. ¡°It broke out of its cage. Killed three of our guys before scurrying off.¡± ¡°Broke out, how?¡± ¡°A certain fool,¡± Bora shot Fjord a dark look, ¡°forgot to secure the cage.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Fjord looked down and away. ¡°I did it properly,¡± he muttered, ¡°just the way you showed me. I swear some of the bars were chipped.¡± ¡°Sabotage,¡± Bora scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re still sticking to that story. The last crew¡¯s already dead. They chased us and we killed them. No one could¡¯ve sabotaged nothing.¡± Taliner¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You just admitted to murder.¡± ¡°And what are you going to do about it?¡± Bora shot her a confident look that said he wasn¡¯t afraid of her, not right now. ¡°Not like you¡¯re the king¡¯s men or women. And they were poachers. They don¡¯t fall under the protection of the king¡¯s laws or the adventurers.¡¯¡± Aiden ignored the man and turned to Fjord. ¡°Chipped how?¡± ¡°Like they¡¯d cut it roughly on purpose.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that have been obvious?¡± Fjord shook his head. ¡°When it got out, there were too many skills flying, the cage was a mess.¡± ¡°Then how did you plan on transporting it back?¡± Bora waved the question aside. ¡°Boss has got that taken care of. Ours is just to find the damned¡ªOi! Who the fuck are you?¡± Aiden paused. But before he could do anything, Bora had reached into his shirt and was already throwing a round vial at whoever he¡¯d seen. The person came into sight just before the vial hit him. Still, the vial never actually did. The man stood with a raised, gloved hand and the vial stopped maybe three inches from his open hand. It stayed there, suspended in mid air. Bora didn¡¯t hesitate in his surprise. He reached across himself and threw something, handclaw deftly manipulated in the action. Whatever he threw smashed into the bottle and it exploded in a spray of brown. It was like watching an explosion of dust. Aiden took a step to the side. This was already a mess. If the person was supposed to be a potential enemy, the person was definitely an enemy now. The dust didn¡¯t settle for a little too long. Aiden frowned, watched it for a moment longer. He made sure there was no subtle disturbances. If the man was going to step out of the cloud of dust, no matter how quickly, it would leave a disturbance. None occurred. Instead, a swirl appeared at the center of the cloud, then it pulled to the side, dragging the rest of the dust cloud with it. Everything pooled to the side and the man came back into view. With a swipe of his hand the entire dust cloud blew past him. It bent around him, flowing deeper into the tunnel. ¡°Nice going, nimrod,¡± Otid scowled, holding his sword out in front of him. Taliner stepped forward, hesitated. ¡°Look?¡± Behind the man was a massive looking creature as tall as a man. It looked like a scorpion. Aiden would¡¯ve thought it dead if it¡¯s massive front claw wasn¡¯t still twitching. In front of it the man stood calmly. The lower half of his face was covered with a piece of cloth, giving his face that old western bandit look. His clean shaven head stared at them along with his deep green eyes. In his hand he held a simple contraption. Aiden recognized it for what it was. A special pocket trap. The man kept his eyes on them. It moved to the side for the briefest moment and Aiden saw a massive hammer rested against the wall. Its handle was as long as a man was tall and its head as large as a barrel, maybe two. Strength class? Aiden thought, eyes shifting back to the man. The man raised his hand to his side, bringing it and the contraption he held to attention. Then he dropped the contraption. The moment it hit the ground, he was gone. Aiden didn¡¯t know how many people had fallen for the misdirection but he had not been one of them. Bora was the first to fall, letting out a pained grunt. Aiden stepped back, hands raised in defense. Otid went next, but he didn¡¯t fall immediately. He let out a grunt. It was followed by the loud sound of what was clearly a painful punch. Then another grunt. Aiden¡¯s eyes shifted in time to see the adventurer take a large fist to the face, followed by a spray of blood that splattered all over the wall. Otid didn¡¯t go down immediately, he staggered a little instead, but the man moved from him. Taliner dodged the first fist but the man gave her a kick in the ankle. It shifted her balance, destabilized her. She hopped back in pain and got a backhanded slap that sent her staggering into the wall. Then the man was gone from her. It all happened in the space of a few breaths. Quick. Too quick. The man¡¯s feet carried him easily, precisely. As quickly as he moved, Aiden knew he wasn¡¯t employing the [Dash] skill. The man came to a stop in front of Aiden as if suddenly surprised. He brows furrowed very mildly. Fjord cowered behind Aiden. The man glanced behind him, then returned his attention to Aiden. ¡°You did not draw your sword.¡± Behind him the contraption he¡¯d dropped exploded in a myriad of colors that wrapped around the Fharanal. When it was done, it sucked the entire thing into the contraption. Like capturing a Pok¨¦mon, Aiden thought. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill them,¡± he said simply, hand rested on the hilt of his sword. ¡°I didn¡¯t see a need to.¡± The man nodded. ¡°They didn¡¯t have to die because they did not pose a threat. Adults do not give their all in a fight against children.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°Level 50?¡± Only those above level fifty said that about those below it. Behind Aiden Fjord slinked farther away from the both of them. ¡°Tell your friends to stay down.¡± The man let out a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t mind taking all of you at once. It will not be difficult.¡± ¡°Personally, I wouldn¡¯t disagree with your logic.¡± Aiden kept himself from drawing a length of steel. You never drew a weapon unless you were ready to use it until the end. ¡°Sadly, I can¡¯t let you walk away with that thing.¡± ¡°You know what that is?¡± The man¡¯s head tilted to the side in surprise. ¡°Now that I think of it, I didn¡¯t see you with the other poachers. Why are you here?¡± None of the others were getting up. Aiden¡¯s eyes glanced to the side. Taliner, Otid and Bora remained out cold. Taliner body rested against the wall she¡¯d been slapped into. Otid¡¯s face was bloodied. Aiden was surprised that Otid wasn¡¯t standing since he didn¡¯t remember him being knocked out. ¡°Sometimes there¡¯s a delay,¡± the man said as if in explanation. ¡°Sometimes it takes a little longer for the body to realize that it shouldn¡¯t still be standing. That said, are you just another poacher?¡± ¡°Adventurer.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Bastard to a Lord, I¡¯ve been told.¡± ¡°And the one behind you?¡± ¡°Potential page, employee¡­ something. Not sure yet.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes moved briefly to the contraption on the ground. The man¡¯s eyes watched his. ¡°Do you believe you will be enough to stop me?¡± ¡°Seeing as you took down everybody, nope.¡± Aiden shifted so that he covered Fjord some more. To the boy, he said, ¡°Find your way to the Naranoff estate. Do you know the place?¡± Fjord nodded. ¡°If I don¡¯t, I can ask.¡± ¡°Yes, you can,¡± Aiden agreed. The man¡¯s expression shifted to amused surprise. ¡°Really?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Once you get there, tell them Lord Lacheart sent you. Ask for backup. Tell them why?¡± ¡°And you believe I will let him go?¡± The amusement hadn¡¯t left the man¡¯s mouth. Aiden shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Fjord, go.¡± Fjord turned and ran. The man moved. Aiden stepped back, then moved to block the man¡¯s path. The man didn¡¯t hesitate. His hand shot out immediately, fingers bent like a claw. He went for Aiden¡¯s neck but Aiden anticipated it. He raised his arm, took the blow against the forearm. Then his second hand shot out, a quick jab. His opponent moved his head to the side. He tried to spin around Aiden, but Aiden didn¡¯t let him. He covered the space just as quickly, feet moving quickly beneath him. The man¡¯s brows frowned. He feinted to the side, then threw a kick. Aiden raised his leg, checked the kick and brought the leg back down. He stepped in, put his weight behind the next move, and knocked the man a few steps back with a shoulder thrust. His opponent staggered but regained his composure almost immediately. ¡°Confident,¡± the man said. ¡°The kid¡¯s gone so I¡¯m currently winning.¡± Aiden grinned. ¡°You¡¯re a kid, too.¡± The man pointed out. Yes, I have to keep reminding myself of that. The man moved again. Aiden followed. They exchanged a few blows, enough for Aiden to know that his opponent was stronger. Worst, the man wasn¡¯t truly paying attention to him. His eyes kept glancing about, as if expecting some hidden trick or some unknown attack. Aiden couldn¡¯t help but feel a bruise to his pride. So he did something stupid. He switched the flurry of blows, threw in a few mix ups. The man frowned. Then he changed up his own pace. Aiden switched his attacks, locked the man¡¯s hands down in a move he¡¯d used against Jang Su. That gave him the man¡¯s undivided attention. The man¡¯s face darkened into a deep scowl. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Aiden saw his mistake too late. Before he could do anything, the man broke the lock in a single move. It carried strength but technique, too. They moved again, the fight progressing. Aiden caught an angry fist to the face. A vicious kick to the side that threatened to knock the wind out of him. And a blow to the jaw that blurred his vision momentarily. He knew he was in trouble when he took another blow to the face that spun him. It was all he could do to remain on his feet. The scowl never left the man¡¯s face. ¡°Who. Are. You? I will not repeat myself.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t winning the fight. That much was obvious. And the others were far from standing up. ¡°Who,¡± the man took a menacing step forward, ¡°taught you how to fight like that?¡± Aiden gulped. I¡¯ve messed up. He brought his hands up and the man moved in a blur. Shit. The man grabbed his hands as they came together. His eyes flickered down to them, then back to Aiden. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± he asked in curious anger. ¡°Pray?¡± Wit? That¡¯s your choice? Just amazing. The man pulled Aiden in and into a headbutt. Aiden staggered back, vision swirling, the taste of blood in his mouth. But he didn¡¯t need his vision for what he needed to do. His hands started moving again, fingers intertwining. Then he activated [Walking Canvas] and his interface flashed in front of him. [You have used skill Walking Canvas] ¡­ [You have activated Weave of Lesser Lightning] [Effect: Deals lightning damage.] [Effect: 30% chance of dealing stun damage] [Duration: 00:03:00] His mana dropped and he felt the reach of the weaving increase with the aid of [Walking Canvas] as the man closed the distance between them once again. The moment he was within reach, electricity sparked out of Aiden and the man twitched suddenly. It broke his rhythm for a fraction of a second and Aiden threw a punch. He put all his weight into the blow, enough to send the man staggering. The cloth fell from the man¡¯s face and Aiden faced another level of surprise. His mouth fell open and he almost didn¡¯t stop himself from saying the words that threatened to come out. Olstead? Olstead stood in front of him. He was younger, and didn¡¯t have his glass mana eye. But it was definitely him. Aiden hadn¡¯t expected to run into Olstead here. Now the hunt for the Fharanal made sense. Olstead had the [Beast Tamer] class. And he tamed any and every beast. It was part of what made him an amazing scout. Olstead rubbed his jaw gently. He raised his other hand, the only gloved one, and the contraption shot into the palm of the hand. An enchanted glove with magnetic principles, Aiden noted. Even now, the man was well equipped. More importantly, though, the man was currently a part of the Order. It was why he¡¯d gotten angry when Aiden had used a move from the Order¡ªa move he wasn¡¯t supposed to know. Aiden couldn¡¯t win. He knew this as surely as he knew the Fharanal was inside the contraption. He¡¯d eventually out-leveled Olstead in his past life but that was because the summoned leveled up faster than those from Nastild. Right now, Olstead was stronger. ¡°I have a proposition for you,¡± Aiden said, electricity still crackling through and around him. Olstead watched him. ¡°I might be listening.¡± ¡°How about we do this?¡± Aiden pointed at the wall next to Taliner. ¡°Why don¡¯t I just go there and pretend to pass out for¡­ thirty minutes?¡± Olstead¡¯s brows drew together. ¡°An hour?¡± Aiden said. ¡°And what happens?¡± Olstead asked. ¡°You just walk out of here, and I don¡¯t have to get too beat up.¡± Olstead didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± ¡°No one starts scouring the forest when you start making your way out,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°When backup comes, I¡¯ll tell them you went left when you go right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going left.¡± There was that dry humor delivered with a straight face Aiden knew Olstead for. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell them you went right.¡± ¡°And why should I believe you?¡± Olstead took a step forward. ¡°Why would I let you go when I have questions?¡± ¡°A man calling himself Tanarat stopped by my father¡¯s place when I was younger,¡± Aiden said. ¡°In exchange for allowing him hunt down some specific monsters, he promised to teach me a thing or two in unarmed combat.¡± Olstead¡¯s expression tightened. It was exactly what Aiden had been hoping for. ¡°He taught me a few things for a month,¡± he went on, feigning a touch of worry and nonchalance in equal measures. ¡°Not enough time to teach me a lot of things. However, before he left, he did tell me that if I ever met anyone who recognized it I shouldn¡¯t try to fight them.¡± ¡°Did he say why?¡± Olstead asked, practically biting out the word. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Just that not fighting was the best way to stay alive.¡± Buy it. Come on. At this point, Aiden had come to the acceptance that Olstead would not be a part of his team in this life. Not unless he joined the Order, which he had no intentions of doing. ¡°And which way did this man go?¡± Olstead asked. ¡°What monsters did he hunt.¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Aiden watched the tension slowly leave Olstead¡¯s shoulders. He waited, allowed the man think. When Olstead seemed to be coming to a conclusion, Aiden heard footsteps. Reinforcements? They were too quick. He had hoped they would be, but this was unnaturally fast. There was no way Fjord would¡¯ve gotten to the Naranoff manor, convinced them that he was sent by Aiden, and led them back here in so short a time. Which meant only one thing. Olstead let out a tired sigh. ¡°You did well in stalling. Sometimes the truth is a powerful tool. And you¡¯ve used it well today.¡± ¡°What¡¯s all this madness about.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t recognize the voice and that made him feel stupid. In his confidence, he¡¯d done something stupid. Criminals were not above doing whatever they could to buy their freedom or steal it. Earlier on he¡¯d thought Bora was trying to talk Otid into taking his side when Fjord had been the one playing him. He¡¯d sent the boy off so confidently that he¡¯d comfortably ignored the fact that the poachers were closer and Fjord could just go for them. The owner of the voice groaned from behind Aiden, down the tunnel. ¡°I just keep losing men today,¡± it said. ¡°That¡¯s why I should¡¯ve brought better men. Who¡¯s the highest here?¡± ¡°Me, boss?¡± a voice answered. ¡°And what level are you?¡± ¡°Twenty-seven, Boss.¡± Aiden turned to Olstead quickly. ¡°They¡¯re not with me. I swear.¡± A weird feeling washed over Aiden. It was like being spied on. As if he knew where the person was, who the person was, and knew the person had intentions for him that weren¡¯t kind. He frowned as laughter echoed from down the hall. ¡°Forty-nine and thirty-six!¡± the voice barked in laughter. ¡°Maybe you might just be useful.¡± Aiden finally turned around and set eyes on the intruders. A single man walked confidently clad in light armor befitting an adventurer. He had red hair, dull, that basked in the glow of the fire from a lit torch in the hands of one of the men that walked with him. His height was average and so was his size. His face said he was probably in his forties or at least getting there and he walked like a leader of a gang of bullies. Ten men walked behind him. Aiden recognized two of their faces. One of them was the man who¡¯d held a spear to Otid not too long ago. Aiden moved back slowly until he was standing beside Olstead. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here for a fight,¡± Olstead grumbled under his breath. Aiden kept his eyes forward but spoke to him. ¡°And you don¡¯t have to. I can hold them off while you find a way out.¡± ¡°This is a one-way tunnel.¡± Olstead pocketed the contraption and held out his gloved hand once more. His hammer left the wall it was rested against, spun perfectly through the air, and he caught it by the handle. ¡°There¡¯s only one way out.¡± ¡°If you can make it out, I can hold them off.¡± This time Olstead turned his head to look at him. ¡°His at least at level fifty-four.¡± ¡°How are you sure?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t see the level of people five levels above me.¡± Aiden hesitated. ¡°So he could be more than five levels above you?¡± Olstead nodded. A slow idea bubbled up in Aiden¡¯s head. ¡°Do you have another one of that contraption thing on you?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Olstead gave him a confused look. Aiden motioned with his hand low and to the side. ¡°Give it to me and find a way out.¡± The man and his group had finally come to a stop. The man was looking around now, eyes scanning over the unconscious. It settled on Bora for a moment before moving on. ¡°I don¡¯t see my monster,¡± he said calmly. He held a hand out behind him and someone handed him a spear. He leveled it casually it Aiden and Olstead. ¡°Where¡¯s my monster?¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Olstead asked, retrieving a contraption from his pocket and passing it to Aiden. Aiden hesitated long enough to Olstead¡¯s surprise before taking it. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just find a way out. No one can explain your presence here, but mine can be. Legally.¡± Olstead only frowned. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± ¡°Because I hate poachers. And while this place is full of poachers, you¡¯re not one of them.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± the man asked. Olstead ignored him. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Lord Cornwall. Vanti Cornwall. Will I have yours?¡± The leader of the poachers frowned, annoyed at being ignored. Olstead hesitated for a moment before he answered. ¡°Dane,¡± he said. ¡°Dane of Altik.¡± Aiden almost laughed. He restrained it to a smile instead. ¡°Alright, Dane of Altik. Find your way out.¡± Olstead pulled a dagger from behind him. ¡°If you survive this, Lord Cornwall, I will come looking for you. You and I need to have a conversation about your teacher.¡± He channeled mana into it and a soft hybrid of runes and sigils glowed softly. An enchantment. ¡°May the gods show you favor, Lord Cornwall.¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± The leader of the poachers, Aiden assumed he was the leader, scowled deeply. His face contorted in rage. ¡°I was going to let you go if I got my answer. But it doesn¡¯t matter any more. I¡¯ll take that contraption from your cold dead hands after flaying you, young Lord.¡± Aiden sighed, a hand going to his soldier belt. ¡°You talk too much.¡± He unclipped the pocket and an orb fell into his hand. The man snarled. Olstead threw the dagger. It crossed the distance to take the man in the head, but he ducked to the side just in time to avoid it. The dagger went deeper into the tunnel. It struck the ground and bounced, unable to take purchase. The enchantment on it glowed and Olstead vanished in a streak of deep blue light. Aiden threw the orb like a baseball pitcher at the same time, aimed it at the spot where the dagger was. [You have used Orb of Lesser Gas] ¡°Don¡¯t let him¡ª¡± the head of the group was interrupted as Olstead appeared where the dagger was and the orb burst into smoke. Everyone hesitated. In their hesitation, there was another blip of blue light within the smoke and Olstead was gone. The leader turned and aimed his spear at Aiden. Anger contorted his face and he bared his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you slowly.¡± Aiden drew his sword and drew an enchantment on its blade. It glowed a soft orange. [You have used skill Unarmed Engrave(U)] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Flame] [Effect: Fire damage with a 25% chance to deal critical damage on every blow.] [Duration: 00:06:00.] Aiden nodded at the man and twirled his sword. It left a trail of orange light even in the soft blue of his light orb on the ground and the soft orange glow from the fire the poachers had come with. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll try,¡± he said. Aiden was good at fighting monsters. He¡¯d had to be. But the thing he was better at was fighting people. And at that, he was significantly better. Right now he had the time, ease and motivation. Against poachers in his current position, he wasn¡¯t too worried. His only challenge would be the leader. FIFTY: Not His Justification He wasn¡¯t surrounded. Out-numbered, yes, but definitely not surrounded. Aiden held his sword to the side and lowered his stance. If blood would be shed today, he would have to shed it fast. But there was no ifs about it. Blood would be shed. The man in front of him raised his arms like an archer and drew it back. Knowledge is power, they always said on Earth, and Aiden had enough knowledge to know how true the saying was. He darted forward, stance kept low. He did not use [Dash]. The man taking aim released his back arm. Aiden trailed the direction of his front hand and ducked to the side. The ground exploded in a pop of sound behind him but was left wholly unscathed. It was interesting to see the skill [Formless Bow] in use so soon. It wasn¡¯t necessarily rare, but it was interesting. In early levels and mastery, it was an invisible bow drawn from air and wisps of the person¡¯s mana that fired air shots. At higher levels and mastery, it was something significantly greater. A high perception stat was needed to truly see it. Or you can just follow the aim of the forward hand. The man with the skill was not the one in front, however. So Aiden didn¡¯t punish him for his action immediately. The one in front was a different opponent. He wore his handclaw in a tight fist. As Aiden approached him, he watched the fist turn a deep stone-grey. [Stone Being] was an interesting skill. But like all skills, it had its limitations and flaws in early levels. The man stabbed forward, then turned into the stab with a wide slash. Aiden sidestepped the stab, then parried the slash. An echo of metals clashing rang out. Against someone of equal level with the skill, he would¡¯ve probably been sent staggering back and into the wall. But this man was not his equal. He was barely forced to take a step back. The man scowled as he stepped into Aiden with a shoulder check, attempting to send him flying with his entire weight. With low strength stats in comparison to his other stats, Aiden wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go into a test of strength. So he slipped to the side and moved his swords gracefully. [Stone Being] was a skill that did as its name implied. In slow steps it turned its user into a body of stone that gave a very high defense. It also gave them a level of resistance to fire damage. The problem, however, was that its progression level was slow and only extended to the arms in lower levels and mastery. Aiden¡¯s sword took the man¡¯s arm at the shoulder. In a single cut, the man dropped to his knee screaming and wailing, blood dripping from his shoulder. [You have dealt Dlane a Fatal Blow!] Silence filled the tunnel as Aiden stepped past him, taking his head from his body in a second swing. The sound of the head hitting the ground was loud in the silence. [Congratulations! You have slain Dlane Lvl 19] ¡°Next.¡± The rest of the group stepped back in horror. Or perhaps it was blatant shock. ¡°He¡­ he killed him,¡± one of them stuttered, looking at the others. The group leader frowned at the body then at Aiden. On Nastild, murder was a greater crime than it was on Earth. The explanation was simply because there was an actual benefit to killing a fellow human on Nastild. The level gain was greater than killing a monster. Here the punishment for a leveled murderer was always death at the hands of monsters. Unless the murder could be proven to be justified or system sanctioned. You could legally get away with almost anything that was system sanctioned. To see a noble break such a rule so easily had to be worrying, especially one as young as Aiden currently was. ¡°If you won¡¯t come to me,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come to you.¡± Before he moved, the leader roared. ¡°Get him!¡± A flurry of movements followed. All nine remaining men charged forward, together. Aiden¡¯s hands moved quickly, fingers interweaving the magic of enchantments and casting it upon himself. [You have used Weave of Lesser Speed] [Effect: 30% increase in movement speed.] [Duration: 00:08:10.] The moment the weaving came into play, Aiden felt lighter. The first skill that came at him was a blast of molten rocks. They came to life in the air above one of the men, burning as if they¡¯d been taken directly from an active volcano. They shot forward as the others came running at Aiden. With [Weave of Lesser Speed] coursing through him, he evaded the first rock with a simple step. The speed of the fired rock was slow, so slow that he probably hadn¡¯t needed the weaving for it. The first man caught up to Aiden as he dodged, along with the second and third. Three skills came alive at the same time. A less trained man would¡¯ve thought there was strong teamwork at play, but there was none. They were simply jumping Aiden, counting on numbers over strategy. This was nothing more than a street fight, but with skills instead of fists. The ball of molten rock was as large as Aiden¡¯s head and it shattered on the ground behind him. Of the three men on him, one became a bright red. Aiden¡¯s mind flickered through the possibility of skills it could be but couldn¡¯t come to a specific conclusion. Too many skills could make a man turn bright red. Of the other two, one raised the ground beneath him. However, the ground only trembled slightly. Whatever his skill was, it wasn¡¯t strong enough to break the seal of the Fharanal¡¯s body fluid that glossed the entire tunnel. That he had been stupid enough to try said volumes about just how experienced the members of this group were. Aiden stepped into the man with the red skin and ducked a bear hug. The fact that the man had chosen a bear hug instead of stabbing with his handclaw helped Aiden narrow down the skills. It was either a physical strength enhancement or something that affected the enemy by touch. Aiden ran the man who¡¯d tried to raise the ground through the chest with his sword. [You have dealt Beraro a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Beraro Lvl 17!] The smell of burnt flesh wrinkled Aiden¡¯s nose and he drew his blade free almost immediately. He moved just in time to avoid the third man, only to realize that he hadn¡¯t needed to. The third man had thrown a punch at his face only for something to smack him behind the head with an explosive pop. He staggered forward, struck by an attack from the man with the [Formless Bow] skill. Aiden turned his sword into a reverse grip, grabbed the man¡¯s head in both hands as he passed him, and broke his neck in a single twist that carried all the weight of his strength stat. The sound of the neck breaking filled the room but Aiden kept moving forward, leaving the man glowing red behind him. Three down, eight to go. [Congratulations! You have slain Devoi Lvl 21!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 36 --> Level 37!] [You are now Level 37!] The sound of heavy footfalls rang out behind Aiden. The red man was coming after him. He could give him credit for not being loud and roaring in anger. It gifted him some element of surprise in the fight. But not enough. Aiden moved to the side, dodged another grab. He raised his sword a moment after just in time to parry the man¡¯s swing. The claws of his handclaw slammed into Aiden¡¯s sword. Weak, Aiden noted. The air around him was also growing hotter very slowly. It hadn¡¯t been hot a moment ago. His eyes moved to the man and he watched the air around him simmer and distort. That gave Aiden his answer. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and moved his sword to defend. Its orange blade clashed into a ball of molten rock and turned it aside and into the wall where it shattered on impact. The red man took a swipe at him again. Aiden stepped back, slapping the blow aside so that it continued on its trajectory. It sent the man stumbling to the side, thrown a little too far by the weight of his own punch. No martial arts training, Aiden noted as he stepped out of the man¡¯s reach. He ducked low, stepping to the side so that the next molten ball missed him. ¡°How hard can it be to kill one NOBLE BRAT!?¡± the leader roared. Aiden turned and raised his sword. Guided by instinct, he buttressed the flat of the blade with the palm of his hand just in time to take the blow that came. Something struck his sword so hard it sent him three steps back. He held his own against it for the space of two breaths before the force disappeared. Then he watched a spear¡ªthe one the leader had been carrying¡ªrebound through the air to return to the man¡¯s hand. The man looked to a man on his side. ¡°If I have to kill him myself, one of you is dying after this.¡± Ruling with a tyrannical fist, Aiden thought, smoke rising from the point on his sword the spear had struck. Curious, he checked his stamina. [Stamina 86%] With someone over level fifty waiting for the others to tire him out, maybe wasting his stamina on grunts wasn¡¯t the best idea. Besides¡­ Aiden paused and deflected a blow from the man that glowed red. Sparks flew as metals clashed. They ignited the air where the metals met, creating a small flash of fire. Aiden moved, placed the man between him and the enemy with the [Formless Bow] skill. The man that controlled the molten rocks had a partial view on him, but Aiden doubted he would be taking any shots soon for fear of hitting his teammate. He moved back again, luring the red glowing man with him. His eyes moved to the leader. Why is he standing back? The men Aiden had killed weren¡¯t even up to level thirty, yet they continued to charge after him. Was it because of fear? Aiden¡¯s eyes flickered to those that remained around the leader as he parried another blow and stepped away from a thrusting stab from the red man. The others remained standing around their leader. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Why? They wouldn¡¯t win, but they stood a better chance at victory if they all rushed him at once. Then again, they lacked order. If they all rushed him, there would be too much chaos. With just the three that had attacked him someone had already suffered the pain of friendly fire, and had proceeded to lose his life for it. They weren¡¯t just weak in level, they were weak as a team too. Aiden had seen teams like this before. Coupled together by some strong person. They were like bandits in the forest, versed in violence but not strength. His eyes moved away from his opponent again. He took in the two ranged attackers at a glance as he deflected his enemy¡¯s attack again. In front of him his opponent was growing into a maddening rage. Aiden ignored him, taking in everything else. The leader was watching him with his complete attention. It led Aiden to thinking. And he came to a conclusion a moment after. The leader was not experienced. He had his level going for him, maybe even some skills. But he lacked experience and he knew it. With that, Aiden ducked a hot claw, came up behind the red man and thrust his sword into his neck. It was a quick strike. A straight jab. The sword was out as quickly as it had gone in. The man fell silently to the ground, body crumpling like a puppet that had lost its puppeteer. [You have dealt Guaron a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Guaron Lvl 22!] Aiden set his eyes on those that remained. The man that had been using the balls of molten rocks and the man with the [Formless Bow] skill looked worried. Considering the fact that they were the only ones who¡¯d attacked from a distance, except the leader, it was safe to say that they were the only ranged attackers the team had. Six more remained. The leader opened his mouth to speak but Aiden cut him off with a raised hand. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen,¡± he said, loud enough for all to hear. ¡°For the safety of those currently passed out behind me, I will not be taking any offer of surrender.¡± He reached for one of his pockets and opened it. A small orb fell in his hand. ¡°I will also not be allowing any retreats.¡± He tossed the orb on the ground in front of them casually and it activated. [You have used Orb of Lesser Solitude.] The men watched in confusion as the dome spread around them, swallowing them and banishing away the rest of the world around them. None of them moved, their leader¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°You do not want to do this,¡± he warned. ¡°You have no idea who we are.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t care. He knew all the major poaching crews currently operating in and around Bandiv. None of them was beyond reproach. None of them were truly powerful. One would emerge in the next four years but that was not a problem since Aiden had no intentions of going into the poaching business. And if this was the crew that was supposed to be it¡ªhe doubted they were¡ªthen there would be no rise to power in the future. ¡°More people will die here,¡± Aiden continued, interlacing his fingers, weaving a new enchantment onto himself. ¡°And I don¡¯t intend on being one of them.¡± [You have used skill Walking Canvas] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Lightning] The air crackled around him. Lightning coursed through him and streaked from his skin to charge the air. With [Weave of Lesser Speed] still coursing through him, Aiden felt light on his feet. With the lightning, he was like a child on a sugar rush. Placing a finger against the red hot blade of his sword where the symbols for the enchantment that currently kept it burning, he¡ª Aiden took his hand away and twirled the sword with a flick of the wrist. He stepped to the side immediately and his blade smashed into another ball of molten rock. His eyes settled on the man who had used the skill. The man took a hesitant step back before regaining his wits about him. ¡°If you want to go first,¡± Aiden said, voice calm and intimidating by choice, ¡°then I will be happy to oblige.¡± Aiden took a single step forward and activated [Dash]. In the space of a breath he was amongst them, sword swinging, dancing with death in hand just as the Order had taught him. The first man, the wielder of the molten rocks, saved himself from death with one of them. Aiden¡¯s sword slammed into it shattering the rock but did not harm the man. Aiden ignored it and ducked low into a pivot. When he came up for an attack the entire group was surrounded in the colors of activated skills. Aiden¡¯s eyes darted about in his socket, catalogued every attack. Skills of yellow and blue and purple and pink filled the air. None were auras. He knew this as surely as he knew he killed without remorse. Aura had a weight to it, a weight that none of these had. Aiden stepped forward, distanced himself from a man with a skill that spread like pink fire and rushing into a man with what looked like a sword made from shadows. He stuck his blade in the man¡¯s neck before the man could strike. Blood didn¡¯t spray when he drew his sword free, the heat from the sword cauterizing the wound almost immediately. His interface popped up in front of him. [Congratulations! You have slain Attus Lvl 18!] ¡­ [Darinus has received lightning damage!] [Darinus is stunned] Aiden turned not knowing who or where Darinus was. He went to the left, went for the leader who leveled his spear immediately at him. The act was nothing but a feint, and Aiden took the left arm of a man to the side. He had short hair, shaved clean on one side with a tattoo of a snake. The man screamed in pain as Aiden¡¯s interface told him what he already knew. [You have dealt Bari a Fatal Blow!] The air exploded against Aiden¡¯s shoulder and he spun from the force of the blow. He staggered to the side, letting the force take him. [Antel has received lightning damage!] [Antel is stunned] Aiden ignored the pain in his shoulder as he hopped to the side a moment before something exploded there. His hand went to his bright orange blade just where he could still see the soft blue sigils that made up the [Enchantment of Lesser Flame]. He¡¯d practiced his new skill enough in the past few days to be confident in what he was about to do. The sword was hot to the touch when his finger met it but didn¡¯t burn. He placed a finger on the edge of the sigils and runes and manipulated it. When his finger moved, so did the lines. [You have used skill Modify Engrave] The modification was done within the space of a breath. Aiden took a cut to the cheek from a sword stab to the head he¡¯d failed to avoid properly for his worries. It stung and began to bleed almost immediately. [You have used skill Modify Engrave on Enchantment of Lesser Flame] [Enchantment of Lesser Flame is now Enchantment of Lesser Ice] The skill was nifty. With it, Aiden could rearrange any enchantment he had power over to another at the cost of no mana. The enchantment would simply continue to feed off whatever mana had activated it in the first place. With cold mist spilling from his sword, darkening its steel into a strong blue, Aiden turned and thrust at the man with the molten rocks. Unsurprisingly, the man summoned the rocks again as he staggered back in fear. Aiden¡¯s pushed forward and his sword pierced a straight hole through the molten rock. He knew when his blade slipped out the other side of the rock and stabbed into the man¡¯s head. Aiden withdrew his blade the moment it did and was already moving. The rock broke into different pieces and fell from the air, dry and cracked in different pieces. [You have dealt Antel a Critical Blow!] [You have dealt Antel a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Antel Lvl 25!] ¡­ [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 37 --> Level 38!] [You are now Level 38!] ¡­ [Congratulations! You have slain Bari Lvl 22!] Aiden could scarcely remember the name as he moved on, the energy of leveling up flooding him from his heart to fill his body. He stepped over a man slumped forward on the ground with only one arm. A spear shot out from his side as he moved and Aiden threw himself to the ground. He hit the ground in a roll. Coming up to his feet, he scrambled to get behind the group as quickly as he could. The leader was already moving now. Turning, he stabbed forward with his spear only to seize up for the briefest moment. Lightning continued to spark in the charged air around Aiden. [Voshret has received lightning damage!] [Voshret is stunned] The stun lasted for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough. Aiden was gone before the spear thrust was completed. It skewered only a part of his shirt as he escaped. Then he was on the next man. [You have dealt Bratvi a Fatal Blow!] The poacher called Bratvi was bald and he cried out in pain as he lost his leg to the bite of cold steel. The cold from Aiden¡¯s sword would not be enough to stop the blood flow. If not attended to, the man would die soon. Aiden slammed a vicious knee into his head as he passed him. [You have dealt Bratvi a Critical Blow!] [Bratvi is stunned] Aiden turned an attack from a handclaw to the side with his sword. Sparks didn¡¯t fly when both metals clashed. He turned, hand shooting out, and grabbed the man by the face. He shoved him into the wall and heard a crack as the man¡¯s head struck the wall. It would not be enough to kill him. Again, Voshret, the leader, came at Aiden with a spear thrust. Aiden released the man in his hand in time to escape and Voshret¡¯s spear impaled the man. Aiden¡¯s mind ticked off the dead man. His feet moved beneath him and carried him out of Voshret¡¯s range in a dance for survival. [Health 96%] [Mana 50%] [Stamina 58%] Voshret ripped his spear from the corpse and chased after Aiden. He proved himself of relative skill with the spear. It was in the way he followed, ran with it. He held the weapon like someone who knew what he was doing. Aiden did not engage him. He could not. Not if he wanted to win. There were two more men to be dealt with. If he was to face someone as strong as Voshret, it would have to be one on one. He turned so he could keep an eye on Voshret and his eyes widened as the tip of the spear made a straight line for him. Aiden ducked his head to the side in time and barely survived the attack. Could¡¯ve lost the eye, he thought with a mild panic as he continued his evasion. He kept his feet moving him around in a circle, martial arts guiding him so that he was difficult to hit. This way he kept them within the confines of the [Orb of Lesser Solitude]. But he was running out of time. Aiden reached into his pocket and pulled out a prism. Activating it with a sliver of mana, he threw it in the air. Voshret reacted immediately. His spear shot upwards, lightning fast, and skewered the device. Aiden turned his face away at the last moment. [You have used Prism of Lesser Flash] A blinding flash of light filled the entire cave. It lasted for less than a heartbeat but worked for its purpose. Unlike most enchanted items that were actual enchantments, this one was simply light trapped within a prism. What the enchantment did was release the light in a flash. An instructor in the Order had once claimed that supporting classes like [Enchanter], [Blacksmith] and [Alchemist] were classes worthy of being feared should they ever possess active combat capabilities. Aiden knew why. You did not want an enemy with a device for almost everything. He tried his luck on Voshret, stabbed forward, sword aimed for his heart. Even blinded, Voshret moved quickly, diving away. Aiden doubted the man had actually dodged his attack. He was likely simply moving to avoid a possible attack. Smart, Aiden thought as [Dash] carried him forward, and he ran his sword through the man who¡¯d possessed the [Formless Bow] skill. This is a massacre, he told himself as the man scraped at his sword in pain. You can¡¯t justify this. Aiden did not intend on justifying it. He knew what he was doing. He knew what he was. He could claim self-defense and get away with it, but this was... Anyone with a good eye that saw this would know that it was too precise, trained. Aiden had broken no laws but Valdan might look at him differently... He frowned. Why did that matter? He pulled his sword free and swung it in an arc, ridding it of any blood on it. [You have dealt Darinus a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Darinus Lvl 20!] Aiden ignored the notification and turned in time to watch the last man stagger back with horror on his face. He was pale, white as a sheet. His mouth moved in barely formed words. Fear painted him like a clown. It danced in his eyes and held his tongue greedily. In the end only a weak croak spilled from the man¡¯s lips as he pulled himself back and away from Aiden. ¡°Please¡­ no.¡± Aiden¡¯s heart tightened at the words. It was unexpected. He didn¡¯t think of himself as a monster, but he had considered himself cold blooded when he needed to be. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d needed to be cold blooded here. He thought he had closed his heart to the pain and the suffering he was about to create. To the madness he was still painting with the corpses of others who had tried to take his life. The man was still shaking his head, pulling himself back. His mouth moved but no sound came out. He could¡¯ve been praying. Pleading. His eyes were wide in horror. He could¡¯ve been... A spear ran him through the forehead and everything went silent. Voshret stood next to the man¡¯s body, spear in hand. He spat to the side in annoyance, eyes red in anger. He fixed the eyes on Aiden. ¡°It was slow,¡± he said, voice bitter. ¡°But I was trying to build an empire. These riff-raffs were to be the first of my crew. Then I would grow them one by one. Those that would not grow would be replaced. But this is what you have made of them. Such quick work.¡± He looked at him, shook his head. ¡°And all they were able to do was land a scratch or two. But this is their state.¡± He gestured around with a sweep of his hand. Around them the tunnel was still cast in blue light. At some point the light of fire from their torch had gone out. The stick lay barren in one corner, discarded at some point. Aiden did not turn his head to look at the scene around him. He did not take in the corpses or the chaos he knew himself capable of. He had fought weaker men than him and killed them. They had come for him first. That was his justification. They had threatened to take his life. But he knew himself. It was not his justification. It was his excuse. ¡°At the risk of sounding clich¨¦,¡± Voshret continued. ¡°I will make you an offer. As the son of a noble, I would rather not have your death on my hands. So accept me, finance me, and I will regrow a network of men that will serve me. I will build you power in the underworld where you have no hold so that when you rise to power, your power will extend to every reach.¡± Aiden watched him and waited. Then he let out a tired sigh. Everyone is always working an angle. He ran a hand through his hair. Even me. Voshret paused at his action. ¡°I see I have wasted both our times,¡± he said. ¡°I would apologize for it, but an apology is beneath me.¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°Shall we just bring this to an end?¡± ¡°From your lips to my ear, boy.¡± Voshret¡¯s frown did not falter. He raised his spear and pointed it at Aiden¡¯s chest. ¡°From your heart to my spear.¡± Aiden took an offensive stance and held his sword in both hands. For the corpses, he would do something about them, maybe he could hide what had happened here long enough--until he and the princess and Valdan returned to the capital. But for now, he needed to win, to walk out of this cave alive. There was no other option than that. FIFTY-ONE: Locked Cold steel in hand leaking mist of equal cold, Aiden stood opposite Voshret. In normal combat, you were taught to gauge your enemy¡¯s reach. A spear was longer than a sword. It made it difficult to fight against from a point of safety. But while he was taught this, Aiden had also been taught that this was a world of magic, of fantasy. This was a world were the impossible was possible. The reach of Voshret¡¯s spear was not the only reach the man possessed. Aiden twirled twirled his sword out of habit. It served no purpose besides reacquainting his hands with the weight of the sword the cold mist leaking from it. He wondered how much longer he had with the sword now that it had suffered the weight of two enchantments. [You have used skill Detect] ¡­ [Longsword] [A sword of specific blade length of the Bandiv design] [Durability: 16/100] There was no surprise there. The dying durability was not due to poor design. Normally, it would take months of using a longsword without maintenance for its durability to drop this long. If it was used against monsters, it would get to this point in a few weeks without maintenance. Aiden moved his attention from the sword to Voshret. At this rate, he would need to be creating budgets specifically for his weapons. Then there was Spell Binder. A weapon that had never needed maintenance. A weapon that had been every magic user¡¯s nightmare. Aiden kept his attention on Voshret. The man held his spear with ease, like a man accustomed to using it. On the human side of Nastild, martial arts wasn¡¯t a priority. Only the soldiers learnt it, and even then it was just a little of it. The knights learnt more of it dedicating some portion of their lives to it. Why was it this way? Aiden had learnt the answer long ago. It was like technology on earth. Once upon a time people had learnt all the ways of crafting a letter. They learnt cursive bent their letters one way or the other so that they created art in lines and strokes and dots. Then technology came, telephones, the internet. People still knew how to write letters in their grandest beauties, but not at the same ratio as they once had. Now, the most beautiful handwritings were learned as skills as one would learn the drum or the trombone. The average person did not learn it or retain the skill. And why would they, when they didn¡¯t need to draft beautiful letters. They could send a simple text with the press of a button and get a response immediately. Resumes could be drafted with a chosen font style. Certain things were lost to easier methods of doing things. As they often say on earth, work smart not hard. So why would someone on Nastild choose to learn and train on the complicated intricacies of how to cut down a man or a monster in ten moves that made them bend and turn and twist and jump? It was arguably stupid. Why struggle with that when you could simply burn them down with a wave of a hand and the activation of a skill. Nastild had lost its way of combat years ago, replaced it with the dominance of skills. People claimed martial prowess on Nastild, mercenaries and adventurers alike, those who had gained the [Swordsmanship] skill or some other weapon skill. But the truth was that they were all, in the end, brawlers. Aiden let the point of his sword tip down gently, slowly. Voshret kept an eye on him. He watched Aiden like a grown man watching a small dog, perhaps a puppy. A puppy that had just taken a chunk of flesh from his calf. He was wary but not generally scared. Then Voshret moved. Aiden did not watch the man¡¯s feet or his shoulder, not even his weapon. He watched all of him, eyes gently unfocused so that he could pick out the slightest move, even if it wasn¡¯t in detail. The spear crossed the distance between them, a distance that was at least three times the length of the weapon, in the blink of an eye. Aiden moved his sword slightly to the side so that its blade would clash with the tip of the spear. As he did so, he allowed his body relax, move in whatever direction he needed it to go. The blade of his sword went through the length of the spear and the spear continued on its path to skewer Aiden¡¯s mouth. To his credit, he had expected this. So Aiden let his leg give out from under him. He survived by the skin of his teeth and took a graze to the side of his head. It was a very irregular method of evasion but the Order¡¯s fighting styles were full of irregularities if you chose to use them. It had evasive techniques that looked like nothing but feints. When Aiden came back to his feet, Voshret looked impressed. ¡°You dodged it,¡± Voshret said, a little surprised. ¡°I did not expect that.¡± With the level disparity between the both of them, Aiden shouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge it. But the enchantment for speed and lightning were still coursing through his veins. He was faster and more active than anyone in his level was supposed to be. Voshret changed his stance and leveled his spear once more. ¡°How about this?¡± He leapt forward, spear held firmly in a hand cocked back. Before he¡¯d even completed his movement, he stabbed. Three spear strikes came at Aiden, each one like an illusory thing. It was as if the weapon was flowing, bending, defying the laws of physics. Aiden didn¡¯t fear it. If the man in front of him had actual martial training, he would¡¯ve been worried. But Voshret did not, he had maybe enough to call himself a dabbler, but nothing more. What was coming at Aiden was not a distortion created from some technique or the other, it was a skill. Aiden pulled a plaque from his belt and tossed it forward before Voshret was done. Then he took a hesitant step back just in case. [You have used Plaque of Lesser Binding] [Effect: Bind the subject in an area in mana] [Duration: Varies based on level disparity] Mana erupted from the plaque like tentacles from a terrifying creature. They shot out around Voshret and he realized their presence a little too late. He tried to cancel out the skill, turned as if to give the tentacles his attention. One wrapped itself around his thigh as he did. Another shot out to grab him by the shoulder. None went for his spear since the enchantment was the variation that went for the living. It did not pull him down but it held him in place. Aiden shot forward, and stabbed with his sword. He hoped to take Voshret in one blow even though he knew he would not succeed. He¡¯d been taught in fights that every blow was to be a killing blow, even attacks that were designed to be feints. Anything less was to be considered a touch of hubris. It was the luxury of either the strong or those not ready to kill. Aiden was neither. Voshret¡¯s hand shot up at the last moment and grabbed the sword by the blade before it stabbed him in the chest, then the binding came undone, shattered in an instant. ¡°You continue to annoy me,¡± he scowled. Aiden didn¡¯t say anything in return. Voshret¡¯s hold on the sword tightened and the hand that held the spear moved to take action. With a normal sword, Aiden would¡¯ve been at a disadvantage. But this was not simply a normal sword. Not in this moment. Voshret¡¯s spear arm hesitated as the hand holding Aiden¡¯s sword in place turned a pale shade of blue. [Voshret has received frost damage!] [Voshret is stunned] Voshret¡¯s eyes moved down to his hand and Aiden ripped his sword from his hold. He did it with a flurry, strength and technique imbued into the very action. [You have dealt Voshret a Critical Blow!] Voshret yelled in pain as Aiden retrieved his sword. He staggered back and away from Aiden, jaw clenched, eyes wide and wild like a feral beast in a dire position. In the corner three frozen fingers hit the ground. They bled but not profusely. ¡°You fucking bastard!¡± Voshret hissed, one arm relieved of three fingers. Aiden took a combat stance again. ¡°Do you know the problem with growing past level fifty?¡± He brought his hands together and slowly, mockingly, weaved a new enchantment into existence. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Strength] [Effect: +25% increase in strength] [Duration: 00:04:52.] He felt the power of the weaving course through him, bolster him. As for the question he¡¯d asked Voshret, he wasn¡¯t expecting an answer. So he told him, regardless. ¡°Those who grow past level fifty,¡± he said. ¡°Start to think themselves powerful. They forget that they are still weak. They fall, ultimately, to their own hubris.¡± Voshret remained in pain but had composed himself better. Rather than reply, he attacked. He rushed Aiden in anger, but Aiden didn¡¯t back away. Voshret struck with his spear, aimed to take Aiden in the arm. Aiden defended with his sword, cold steel parried the spear¡¯s blade before it became a true threat. Then he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A spear came at him, striking from over Voshret¡¯s left shoulder. Aiden ducked away from it, avoided the blow before it even reached him. Voshret didn¡¯t give him any time to rest. The man was stronger in raw power and he knew it. He charged Aiden, attacked as Aiden avoided. He swept his spear in great display of prowess for a poacher and Aiden raised his sword to take the blow from the side. If it had been thrown with both hands maybe it would¡¯ve sent him staggering. But with only one arm, it did not. Aiden held his ground and turned the spear aside. Then he stepped forward with an attack of his own. His sword swept forward, cutting through the air. He went for Voshret¡¯s shoulder first, intent on disabling the man¡¯s spear arm. Voshret reacted quickly, knocking the sword to the side. Aiden twirled the sword with a flick of the wrist so that it moved gracefully through the path it had been sent on. Then he moved his hand and attacked from a different direction. Voshret reacted. With one hand he moved his spear and parried again. As he did, a spear came at Aiden, thrust from between his legs. It came for Aiden¡¯s groin and he staggered to the side, surprised by the attack. You were taught to expect anything in a fight, but a man going for your groin was always something worthy of a hesitant pause. The attack took him by surprise and broke his rhythm. Aiden frowned as he regained his composure. He moved forward and Voshret stamped the butt of his spear on the ground. His scowl was now imprinted on his face. There was no other expression the man was willing to have. The ground shook as Voshret activated another obvious skill. The glossy ground moved and trembled. Cracks spread along it from where the spear met it but that was all there was, cracks. Voshret looked down at it and his scowl deepened. The skill had not been strong enough to break the layer of the Fharanal¡¯s body fluid. Aiden didn¡¯t need to think about it as he charged forward, sword moving. At this point he would have to take his time. He kept his attention spread out as Voshret met him in combat. They exchanged blows, Aiden attacking in steps and forms and rhythm, a fighter with experience. Voshret deflected, defending with worry as blood dripped from his severed finger. For every three blows he deflected, Aiden landed one. But Voshret was stronger, almost faster. Every blow he landed was either too shallow or not deadly. Stabs ended up being cuts, cuts ended up being less. Voshret¡¯s frowns continued to fill his face. Aiden stepped away from another phantom spear, as he was beginning to call them, they slipped out from odd angles and attacked him at odder angles. It could pop out from Voshret¡¯s chest and he would be forced to avoid it in the most irregular ways. It had left him with his own scars and his own depleting [Health] levels. It was annoying. And he hasn¡¯t even used his manifesting skill, Aiden thought, his breaths coming more quickly than he would¡¯ve liked. Voshret was breathing more heavily. That was the thing about the [Stamina] life stat. No matter how high it was, if you didn¡¯t manage it properly, it was less than it really was. If two people had the same stamina levels the one who controlled his better was stronger. When you run, you must learn how to breathe while you do it if not you would grow tired faster than you should. It was why he was breathing less than someone with a higher level than himself. His eyes went to Voshret¡¯s hand, the blood dripping from his lost fingers. That certainly played a part. Blood loss meant his [Health] stat was definitely dropping consistently. With the cuts that Aiden had riddled his body with, the man¡¯s health stats had to be terrifying to watch. Voshret glared at him. ¡°What are you?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t compelled to answer. Instead, he engraved another enchantment on the sword. [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Force] [Effect: 30% chance to deal knockback on attack] [Duration: 00:04: 00] You have used skill [Detect]. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. [You have used skill Detect] ¡­ [Longsword] [A sword of specific blade length of the Bandiv design] [Durability: 09/100] Aiden frowned as he leveled his weapon at Voshret. The sword was dying out too quickly. Aiden darted forward once more, carried forward by [Dash]. Voshret had been frowning while he¡¯d drawn an engraving on his sword. Now the man was going to experience what had him curious. The moment they clashed, Aiden forced him back with a swing of his sword. Voshret frowned as he parried, staggering back. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked, voice low as if he was talking to himself. ¡°Three enchantments on one sword?¡± A smile touched his lips. ¡°I will have it.¡± Aiden almost laughed. Most enchanted weapons came with only one enchantment. At least at simpler levels. A weapon with two enchantments was powerful at their current level, even at Voshret¡¯s which Aiden wasn¡¯t completely sure of. Three, however? That was extravagant. Powerful. If only he knew. Voshret attacked again. This time there was a certain level of zeal in the blow he struck. Motivation. Aiden parried it, then swung at the phantom spear that came from Voshret¡¯s closed mouth. They were the exact reason he¡¯d used the [Enchantment of Force]. Voshret¡¯s eyes widened at the blade that came at his face. Aiden had been dodging the phantom spears long enough that he had grown accustomed to using it to create distance between them. He raised his spear at the last moment. Aiden¡¯s sword shattered the phantom spear instead of passing through it as usual, then struck Voshret¡¯s raised spear. [Voshret has received Force damage!] [Knockback takes effect.] Voshret was knocked back, the effect of Aiden¡¯s enchantment sending two more phantom spears shattering. Voshret was thrown off the ground and sent four feet back. It wasn¡¯t much by the standard of what a force enchantments were known to be capable of but it was something. Voshret¡¯s feet hit the ground, stabilizing him so that he did not fall. The moment he landed, he leaned to the side. Aiden¡¯s sword tore his shoulder. He had stabbed for the man¡¯s head and had missed, not that he¡¯d been expecting to kill him with it. Voshret cussed under his breath as he fled to the side, blood spilling from his shoulder. He moved his hand with the missing fingers and tried to grab it. He stared at the hand, his anger deepened. ¡°You know what,¡± he said. ¡°To the heavens with this.¡± He held his hands out to the side and the air grew still. Aiden took a step back, changed his stance, placed himself on the defensive and weaved unto himself two new enchantments. [You have used class skill Walking Canvas] ¡­ [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] [You have used Weave of Lesser Force] Aiden¡¯s jaw tightened as the enchantment took effect. He felt as if he was being pressed from all sides. It wasn¡¯t painful or uncomfortable, just slightly discomfiting. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be. Right now, he felt as if he was a magnet trying to repel things around him. It was a pre-emptive skill. With the stillness in the mana around him and what Voshret had said before taking such a dramatic pose that was uncalled for, he knew what was coming next. [You have used Weave of Lesser Endurance] Then he prepared himself for what would come next. Above Voshret, gathered to protect him, phantom spears slowly materialized in the air. They were hollow and empty, translucent, too. But they let out a slow mist of green, excess mana being lost to the atmosphere. ¡°There is a reason you don¡¯t look for the trouble of those over level fifty,¡± the man snarled. Aiden ignored him and paid attention on the skill. Thirteen, he counted. Those were quite the number of spears. But considering the mana leaking from them, Voshret¡¯s mana control didn¡¯t seem very good. And the fact that he¡¯d waited this long to use it, lost a few fingers, suffered a multitude of injuries and was bleeding significantly from his shoulder told Aiden one thing. There was either a significant issue with using the skill here or it consumed too much mana. He watched the spears. With that many spears, it probably consumes too much mana. ¡°Beg and I might spare you,¡± Voshret bit out in barely withheld annoyance. Aiden had his own cuts and bruises. The side of his face was still bleeding from the cut he¡¯d received from the first phantom spear. Regardless, he couldn¡¯t say that he was truly afraid. A manifesting skill was powerful but it was not invincible. It was simply a first stage of a strong skill. Its next evolution would be at level hundred, then the next fifty, then the fifty after that. Once you take away the intimidation that came with it simply being a strong skill, there wasn¡¯t much to fear but the owner¡¯s ability to use it. Aiden raised a hand and made an obscene gesture at Voshret. Then he charged forward. The moment he took two steps forward, one of the spears flashed forward. It cut through the air like a thrown javelin. Aiden felt its presence the moment it got within the reach of [Walking Canvas]. It was like being pressed against one side. He could feel the [Weave of Lesser Force] doing its best to deflect the skill. It would fail, of that he was sure. Even under the current circumstances, the weaving still worked under the command of chance. It wasn¡¯t going to knock back everything. But there was a positive to it. The weaving was mana based, which meant it could affect things that were mana based. Aiden swung at the spear as it pierced through the weaving and smashed the phantom spear to the side. Voshret¡¯s snarl dropped slightly. Another spear shot forward. It was fast, quick. Almost too much for Aiden to follow with his eyes. He felt the discomfort against his shoulder, like something attempting to push it back at a point. Aiden turned, went low and moved to a pivot. The spear shattered against the ground behind him. Voshret took a step back, frowned, then took two forward. Three spears fired forward. Aiden deflected two, switching through sword strikes, and dodged one. More came and Aiden continued to move through stances. At some point, he wasn¡¯t even sure if he was moving through sword stances at all or just general combat stances. He didn¡¯t deflect all. He didn¡¯t dodge all. And his interface was there to keep him updated. [Health 58%] Aiden moved, unable to give the spears his entire focus. After all, not knowing enough meant that Voshret could just as well join in the attack. He winced as one of the spears tore a gash in his inner thigh. [Health 49%] Aiden wanted to swear, cuss something vile, but he couldn¡¯t. He needed his entire attention on moving and keeping track of Voshret who was currently removing a¡ª Fuck me! The bastard was pulling out a health vial from inside his shirt. For most of the fight, neither of them had had the time or opportunity to do it. So now that he did, Voshret was going to replenish his health, heal himself. It was completely normal and reasonable in a fight. But Aiden would be damned if it didn¡¯t feel like the man was cheating. Aiden moved into a spin, avoiding another spear. Then, with all the might he could muster, he threw his sword. It went flying through the air. Voshret panicked at the sudden action and dropped the open vial as he scrambled away from the sword. It whizzed passed him and into the distance. In the air above, one of the spears faded out of existence before fading back in. Focus, Aiden realized as Voshret shot him a glare. He needs focus to hold the skill intact. That was all Aiden needed to know. One of the spears shot at him but was knocked a bit to the side. It went slightly off course but still cut an injury in Aiden¡¯s shoulder. Aiden leaned forward, angled his body, and positioned his leg. Then he activated a skill. [You have used skill Leap] He felt power gather to his leg. Where he would jump high, with his angled position, he dashed forward. Voshret¡¯s eyes widened as he came for the man and he raised his spear to skewer Aiden. The spear was forced to the side the moment it got within reach of Aiden¡¯s skill [Walking Canvas]. Voshret was forced back as well. [Voshret has received Force damage!] [Knockback takes effect.] Unarmed, Aiden switched tactics. Above him, three spears winked out of existence as Voshret struggled to get his bearings about him. Aiden ignored them and stepped into Voshret¡¯s personal space. The man swung his spear, too close to go for a stab. Aiden raised his hand and took the blow to the rib. He felt something crack but refused to dwell on what it was. Instead, he dropped his arm and trapped the spear beneath it, locked between his side and his arm. Voshret moved, tried to remove the spear. Aiden knew the man would need more power than he had to throw him off. Spear still locked down, Aiden¡¯s hand flashed out in a jab that cracked Voshret¡¯s nose. The man staggered back once more. With his hand unwilling to release the spear, he didn¡¯t go far. So Aiden helped him. He struck the hand holding the spear with enough power to force it to let go. The moment the spear was free, Aiden turned. He moved the spear from its trapped position and transitioned into a spear stance. He darted forward as force pressed against his forehead. A phantom spear skewered the air a moment after, but he was already gone from there. Aiden stabbed forward in his first attack. Voshret avoided it by the skin of his teeth. Aiden moved his hand slightly, slapped Voshret across the face with the flat of the spear blade. Moving gracefully, he thrust the spear forward again. Destabilized, Voshret tried to survive, to endure. He failed and the spear stabbed a precise hole in his shoulder. His arm went limp as if he¡¯d lost control of it. Aiden pulled the spear back and stabbed the man in the thigh. It was a deep wound, greater than the gash one of the phantom spears had given him. The moment he pulled the spear back, Voshret dropped to a knee, face twisted in pain. Above them only one phantom spear remained. He can still focus. The focus wasn¡¯t strong, but it was there. And that fact alone was worthy of respect. Not enough respect to save Voshret¡¯s life, though. The spear took Voshret in his second shoulder, and the tunnel was filled with Voshret¡¯s cry of pain. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air from the poacher¡¯s spilled vial of health potion as Aiden finally relaxed. The man was done. The spear in the air remained there, but it struggled to exist. Aiden could scarcely call it a spear at this point. He looked up at it casually, pointedly, something he couldn¡¯t have dared to do a few moments ago for fear of losing his life. Then he looked down at Voshret. He leveled the spear and aimed for the man¡¯s head. ¡°WAIT!¡± Voshret cried out. Aiden did. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Voshret said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to kill an unarmed man.¡± Aiden cocked a brow at that, then looked up at the still struggling spear. It did not disappear. ¡°If you do this,¡± Voshret said, making Aiden look back at him, ¡°it will haunt you. You believe you¡¯ll be fine because you¡¯ve killed my men, but you won¡¯t.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t bother to look back at the corpses. ¡°Even if you will be,¡± Voshret said. ¡°It won¡¯t be as easy as you think. You killed them in self defense. They tried to kill you and you had no choice. You can justiiy that, but not this.¡± Aiden took a step closer and Voshret seemed to pale. ¡°You believe I can¡¯t kill you?¡± he asked. He allowed his attention move around as he did, paid attention. For all he knew, anything could come at him. Voshret shook his head. ¡°You can,¡± he said. ¡°But it will haunt you. Killing isn¡¯t as easy as it seems. Killing an unarmed man will haunt you. Your life won¡¯t be the same.¡± ¡°You are a poacher,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe you haven¡¯t killed an unarmed man.¡± ¡°And this is what it made me,¡± Voshret said. ¡°You can be better than me. You should be better. You are the son of a Lord. You have your whole life ahead of you. You can¡¯t let a man like me disrupt your future.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. Well, he could but¡­ ¡°You are better,¡± Voshret said. ¡°Take me in. Arrest me. Do the right thing.¡± Aiden frowned. What¡¯s his angle? Around them he couldn¡¯t see anything that stood out as a problem. He couldn¡¯t afford to look behind him for fear of the man in front of him doing something. But he was listening, paying attention with every other sense he had. Nothing. ¡°You want me to do the right thing?¡± he said. ¡°But you haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why my place is as a poacher, staring down a life in jail. You are the son of a Lord.¡± Aiden paused, thought. In the end, he saw no angle. The man was simply begging for his life. That was all there was to it. But he was too proud to plead. Too proud to say ¡®please.¡¯ ¡°You are a better ma¡ª¡± Aiden thrust the spear forward. It found a place in his neck, silencing him. Aiden pulled it free and watched the man bleed from his neck. Blood spurted out and the man¡¯s arms twitched by his side. He was probably trying to reach for the injury. But both arms were useless, unable to function. Above them, the last phantom spear was dissolving, its mana being absorbed by the world around it. Something pressed against Aiden¡¯s back as he watched it. It was a feeling. A sensation. It pressed against his entire back. But there was a part at his lower back that was firmer, more precise. Three simple points. Aiden wanted to sigh. He did not. Instead, he turned, spear flashing in an arc, and cut a clean line across Bora¡¯s neck. While Voshret continued to struggle in his death throes, Bora slumped forward and passed. [You have dealt Bora a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Bora Lvl 24!] [You have Leveled Up!] [Level 38 --> 39] [You are now Level 39] He placed a leg on Bora¡¯s body and pushed it, turning the man on his back. He would¡¯ve said it was an unfortunate thing for Bora, but the truth was that it was neither here nor there. Whether the poacher had chosen to attack him or not, his fate had been sealed long ago. If he had remained unconscious, chances were he would¡¯ve died unconscious at Aiden¡¯s hand. No. Aiden shook his head at the thought. Not in this life. Voshret¡¯s death had been certain, unchangeable. But Bora had been weak. Aiden could¡¯ve found a way to bind him and imprison him. He needed to remind himself that while he was the man the Order had made him, he didn¡¯t have to live by all the principles the Order had taught him. Everyone didn¡¯t have to simply die unless they had to. Maybe if he had taken his time to stand in front of Bora¡¯s unconscious body, he would have had all these thoughts and spared the man. I guess I¡¯ll never know. The spear in the air finally dissolved into nonexistence, its mana absorbed by the world around it. Voshret finally came to a stop. His death throes ended with a final twitch, a last ode to his life on Nastild. [Congratulations! You have slain Voshret Lvl 59!] Aiden stared at the notification for the space of a moment, studied the level as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I¡¯ve got to sit down for this one,¡± he muttered to himself. [Achievement unlocked!] You have brought massacre in resect of itself. Blood has been spilled for the purpose of being spilled and you have brought death. You stand against the laws of nature and have defeated one you should not have been able to. You have slain an enemy 20 levels higher than you. [You have earned a new title!] [Giant Slayer] [Effect: +10% increase in damage when facing opponents 10 or more levels higher than you.] [Effect: 10% damage resistance when facing opponents 10 or less levels higher than you.] Power curled around Aiden¡¯s heart like a physical thing. I was strong, powerful. Surprisingly, he felt heavy. He eased himself against the wall but didn¡¯t sit down. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] Aiden groaned from the power filling his chest. [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 39 --> 48] [You are now Level 48] ¡­ [Congratulations Prisoner # 234502385739] [You have reached level 40.] [You have gained a class skill] [You have gained Class skill Broken Weave] ¡­ [Broken Weave (Mastery 00.00%] The weaver is his own tool. You are your engraver and your canvas. With your body you weave enchantments into being. And even an incomplete enchantment is, in its own right, an enchantment. Aiden stared at the latest notification as he finally eased himself down to a seated position. He placed the spear aside, putting it down gently. Corpses littered the space around him, blood staining the ground in a glossy crimson, reflecting the blue of his light orb. Otid and Taliner were yet to stare from their state of unconsciousness. Aiden had considered what he would do to the corpses once. Now he did not. He knew Valdan¡ªhe hoped he did. The knight would give him a worried expression at best. But he would not ask too many questions. He would not pry. Do you want him to? Aiden didn¡¯t have the answer to that. His instinct would be to lie, and he found that he didn¡¯t want to lie to the knight. An incomplete enchantment is, in its own right, an enchantment. That was contrary to what Aiden knew about enchantments. There were no enchantments that worked when they were not complete. There were things called broken enchantments but those were different. And very chaotic. He doubted the skill was the same as a broken enchantment. Aiden took his mind from the skill for a moment and retrieved a health potion from his belt. In the process of doing so, he realized that he hadn¡¯t used a lot of his enchanted items. Most of them still occupied their pockets. I defeated someone twenty levels higher with so little enchantments? The thought didn¡¯t last long in his mind, however. The reason he¡¯d been able to do so was because while he hadn¡¯t used his enchanted items, he had used enchantments. At this point, the enchanted items were beginning to feel redundant. What purpose were they serving? He discarded that thought, too. They served a purpose and he would be stupid not to see it. Besides, he couldn¡¯t keep weaving himself. Sometimes he had to use enchantments outside himself to prevent what had happened when he was done with the cave. He uncorked the vial and drank its contents. Muscles slowly mended themselves. Blood clotted where it had to. Skin stitched back together. And the power curled around his heart remained. Aiden had come to the understanding that achievements you could meet by killing monsters most likely had a way of meeting them or possible alternatives that could be garnered by killing humans. It was a worrying thing to think about, but not for people who knew the things he knew. Humans weren¡¯t the only species alive that were sapient. As such, the system wasn¡¯t built for them. Even creatures like Elves and Dwarves and Giants gained titles and achievements from killing humans. Aiden discarded the empty vial unceremoniously as he waited for Otid and Taliner to wake up or for reinforcements to arrive. While he did, he decided to pay some attention to his newest skill. Its description was practically the same with [Enchanted Weave] except for the added sentence at the end. Should be safe to assume that it works the same way, he thought, putting his hands together. The moment his fingers interlaced he felt the slow flow of mana. Incomplete, he reminded himself. Broken. His fingers weaved together, as they did, coming together and separating, he realized what was happening. The flow of the hand-signs were not as rigid as he remembered. There was some level of flexibility. In it, he found himself skipping some signs. His weaving was¡­ incomplete. Broken. He shaved off almost forty percent of hand-signs he needed before his interface appeared in front of him. [You have used Class skill Broken Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Endurance] [Effect: +15% increase in strength] [Duration: 00:02:52.] It was twice as fast but not as strong. It was an emergency skill for that little top up when you needed it quickly. Aiden could find a use or two for it. For now, however, he sat and waited. And the curl of power around his heart remained there, never leaving. [You have achieved one criteria to unlock skill Locked] ¡­ [You have slain an enemy 20 levels higher than you] ¡­ [Remaining criteria: Unknown] FIFTY-TWO: Fate Walker The forest was dark. Night had fallen and taken reign. It was a moonless night, leaving the faintest of starlight to guide anyone. The sky had broken a few minutes ago, bathing the world in its dramatic rain. It alternated between heavy and light, raging downpours one minute and slight drizzling the next. It was as unsure as Valdan¡¯s decision to remain in the service of king Brandis fourth of his name. Unlike the rain, however, he was not fickle. He was a man of duty and honor. A man who kept his word. He knew what decision he would come to. Valdan walked behind a boy who had claimed that Aiden had sent him. He walked quietly, a simple orb that let off a sun-colored glow in hand. Rain drenched him, a heavy pitter-patter of sound with every drop. Behind him were two other men, taken from amongst Lord Naranoff¡¯s soldiers. Each one held an orb of their own and wore their light armor where he was dressed in casual clothes with different enchantments sewn into its seams. His sword remained the thing of very obvious value. As the boy¡ªFjord, he had called himself¡ªled, Valdan followed with the men behind him. They kept their attention about them, watching, anticipating. The men were obvious about it and Valdan couldn¡¯t blame them. After all, while he wasn¡¯t a man walking with his head on a swivel, it didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t paying any attention. For all he knew, this could easily be some kind of foolish ambush. Fjord had said he was a reluctant poacher that Aiden had saved. How much of everything he said was true remained a mystery. ¡°And you said you were hunting a Fharanal?¡± Valdan asked, voice slightly raised to surpass the sound of the rain. Fjord nodded, moving them around a corner, past a tree. He moved like a tracker, trained but not enough to be granted a system skill in the art. A Fharanal was a creature Valdan had never heard of before. But his lack of knowledge was not surprising. If the boy really was a poacher, he would know far more monsters than Valdan would possibly know in his lifetime. ¡°And you guys were interrupted by another poacher?¡± he asked. Again, Fjord nodded. ¡°He took them down without using a skill.¡± ¡°But you made it out alive.¡± ¡°The young lord stopped him from getting to me,¡± Fjord said, voice timid. ¡°And that was when he told you to come and find us?¡± ¡°He said I should find the Lord¡¯s manor,¡± Fjord answered. ¡°That I should tell them what I said and ask for help.¡± Valdan ran a tired hand through his hair. He moved a few loose strands plastered against his face away. We¡¯ve only been here fir a few days. He hated to admit it, but it was getting quite worrying how easily Aiden was getting himself into trouble. Valdan couldn¡¯t necessarily say the boy was doing it intentionally, but it was worrying. First was the cave. That was intentional, Valdan thought, of that he was certain. The cave fiasco had been even worse when you considered the fact that Aiden had gotten himself into that mess with the princess at his side. Now he¡¯d gone out to update his adventurer detail and get whatever rewards he¡¯d been talking about. And that was just yesterday. Valdan had seen him this morning. They¡¯d sparred, then gone their separate ways. Now he¡¯s gotten himself tangled with poachers. Unable to stop himself, Valdan rubbed his forehead with thumb and forefinger, smoothing away the crease that was there. At this rate he was going to grow older than he was. But Melvet will like him. Melvet had always had an odd taste in people. She had very few friends but all of them were eccentric in one way or the other, and verily so. ¡°Were you able to learn anything about the man that stopped you guys?¡± Valdan asked Fjord. ¡°Only that he was bald and fast,¡± Fjord answered. ¡°Only?¡± Fjord scratched his head in thought as he walked. ¡°He was also strong?¡± Is he asking or telling? Valdan didn¡¯t doubt that the man was strong. But how strong? Aiden¡¯s level was in the thirties, and he had been able to intercept the man. Valdan had a feeling Aiden would be a match for whoever this man was. ¡°He also had a telekinesis skill,¡± Fjord said suddenly. ¡°Bora, one of the poachers, threw something at him and he stopped it in the air just by raising a hand.¡± One of the poachers, Valdan thought. How easily he tries to isolate himself from them. The boy either really thought that way or he was smart and was intentionally using words and phrases that tried to establish that he was not one of them, at least not willingly. If it was the latter, then the boy was smart. ¡°What of the rest of your team?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°You said your leader might be over level fifty. Do you think he would follow?¡± Fjord shook his head. ¡°He normally likes to send us out to do the small work. I think it makes him feel important. The only thing that would make him move is if¡­¡± The boy¡¯s words trailed off ominously, in a way Valdan was certain he didn¡¯t like. ¡°Is if?¡± he pressed the boy. Fjords feet suddenly started moving in a hurry. He walked faster, increased his pace, like a man about to take off in a run. ¡°The young lord was strong when we ambushed him and the others,¡± Fjord said, tone thoughtful. ¡°If the others tell him that they met someone possibly over level fifty, he might make a move.¡± ¡°How would you be able to tell?¡± Valdan asked, picking up the pace. ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯ll show you his level.¡± Behind him the others moved faster as well. Fjord was leading them, weaving through trees and taking sudden turns. ¡°I¡¯m weak,¡± Fjord said as if in explanation. ¡°Most of us in the group are. But we¡¯ve seen enough people over level fifty to know how they behave. It¡¯s in the confidence. The way they carry themselves. They act assured¡­¡± ¡°¡­Like even if there were ten of you, you still wouldn¡¯t win,¡± Valdan finished for the boy. ¡°Yes,¡± Fjord confirmed. That was Aiden. A boy who sparred against a knight from the moment of his summoning and did it without fear. A boy who tested and tried new things when facing a knight. A boy who cared nothing for a princess, requested an audience with a king as if it was his right, and defeated an opponent almost twenty levels higher than him in a friendly spar. Aiden definitely carried himself as if he was powerful in combat, more powerful than his level or class implied. Now that Valdan thought about it, anyone in the lower levels would think Aiden was over level fifty if they encountered him. He certainly carried himself with the certainty of someone with a manifesting skill. ¡°Will your boss go alone?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°As a man of honor.¡± Fjord snorted in derision. ¡°Voshret has no honor. He¡¯ll take every man he can and use him to weigh the young master down before he attacks.¡± Valdan¡¯s feet moved faster until he was almost moving past Fjord. ¡°Hurry,¡± he told the boy. ¡°Run if you have to. If the young lord dies, all I will know is that you are a poacher as you have declared with your own mouth.¡± Valdan didn¡¯t have to repeat himself. Before the words were done, Fjord was already running, sprinting through the forest, guided by the light of Valdan¡¯s orb. ¡°Hurry!¡± Valdan called to the men behind him. ¡°Do not fall behind.¡± Although, he doubted they would. There was a very high chance that Fjord would not be able to outrun them, even if he tried. The boy led them farther. His steps were sure. He never stumbled or slipped, despite the wet ground. Valdan noticed how he kept his head on a swivel but never hesitated on his path. He kept his eyes to the trees as if he was looking for something. Every now and again, Valdan looked up, sought out whatever it was the boy was seeking. He saw nothing. It was a while before Fjord¡¯s footsteps began to slow. They came upon a different section of the forest. It had an elevated ground and the trees seemed equidistant from each other. The one thing that stood out about it all, however, was the hole burrowed into the elevated ground. Fjord came to a slow stop in front of it. Something pricked Valdan¡¯s senses. He came to a halt and drew his sword without hesitation. Fjord looked at him in worry but he ignored the boy. There was a significantly high chance that someone over level fifty was within the hole. King Brandis and a few of Valdan¡¯s peers had told him that level fifty wasn¡¯t all it was made out to be. And he would¡¯ve believed them if it wasn¡¯t the one level he¡¯d been stuck unable to get to for months now. Level fifty might not be all it was cracked up to be, but it was still level fifty. There were people that spent their entire lives at level forty-nine. It was currently Valdan¡¯s fear. An unreasonable fear, but a fear nonetheless. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fjord asked, looking between Valdan and the burrowed hole. Valdan raised a silencing finger to his lips. ¡°Blood.¡± It was all he could say. The smell of it was strong, very strong. If not for the fact that he knew his perception stat was on the high end and affected his senses, he would¡¯ve asked how the boy wasn¡¯t smelling it. But it wasn¡¯t just blood. There was a touch of burnt flesh as well. ¡°You will walk beside me,¡± he said to the boy, still not trusting him. Then he turned to the others. ¡°Draw your weapons. We may run into issues, maybe a level fifty class. Do not hesitate, fight with your life on the line and you will stand a chance of coming back out with it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± all three men chorused, voice low. Valdan turned and placed a hand on Fjord¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They moved cautiously towards the entrance. There was a chaotic display of grasses and shrubberies lying carelessly on the ground. Chances were that the rain and breeze had thrown them aside, pulled from somewhere or the other. Valdan ignored it, pushed forward. The moment they were within the confines of the hole, he took his hand from Fjord and dimmed the light from his orb with a touch of mana. He tossed the orb forward, allowed it roll across the ground. In the light of the orb, the ground was glossy. The walls and ceiling as well. Someone had covered it in something that looked like fluid. Behind Valdan someone knocked a gauntleted hand against the wall. Like glass, Valdan thought at the sound it made. In front of them, the orb continued to roll forward. Valdan and the others followed it, steps careful, silent. Valdan didn¡¯t activate [Stealth]. There was no need as far as he was concerned. Especially if Fjord wasn¡¯t activating the skill. The tunnel went deeper still, a straight path curving only ever so slightly. There were no branching paths and winding paths. The orb stopped on its roll twice, and each time Valdan pushed it forward with his foot, rolled it further along. Finally, it came to a stop, illuminating something new. The orb was stained red as it rolled no more, stopped by a small puddle of blood. Everyone stopped and Valdan¡¯s heart took a deep breath. ¡°What the hell,¡± someone muttered behind them in a low voice. A worried voice. Valdan forgot about Fjord for a moment and stepped forward. Although his sword was suddenly heavier in his head, he did not put it away. He did not drop it. He did not sheath it. But he held it down, low enough that it touched the ground at the tip. The farther he walked, everyone else behind him, the deeper the breath his heart took. At some point, his heart began beating so loud he could hear it in his ear. There were bodies, yet not enough blood. The smell of burnt flesh was as heavy if not heavier than the smell of blood. Even the smell of the rain outside hadn¡¯t been able to usurp it. Why? At some point, Valdan came to a stop. He stood amidst a small artwork of corpses. Each man had died in a different way. There was a man with a severed hand slumped over in a puddle of his own blood. At his shoulder, where he¡¯d lost his arm, Valdan could see whispers of cold smoke. There was a man with a stab wound in his neck. He was battered and bruised. Cuts riddled his body. Each cut was stained a pale blue, as if he¡¯d fought off an ice user. Or had been wounded and left out in the cold. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Or fought against someone that used an ice enchantment. Valdan¡¯s hold on his sword relaxed. Please be alive, he thought, walking forward. Bending down, he picked the orb with three fingers, making sure he didn¡¯t get blood on his fingers, then tossed the orb forward casually. It soared through the air and Valdan saw what he needed to see before he hit the ground. His shirt was torn in some places. There were no obvious injuries. He wasn¡¯t wearing his overgrown coat that stopped at his ankle, and Valdan didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d even worn it out. His pants weren¡¯t too bad, but they had been better. There slight splatters of blood on him, but his arms were coated the most in them. Tired eyes moved to the orb before it hit the ground. The yellow light gave those eyes an amber hue, almost like Brandis¡¯. They looked tired, thoughtful. They looked almost fed up. Those were not the eyes of someone that needed to be scolded. Those were the eyes of someone who¡­ I don¡¯t know, Valdan thought to himself. I just don¡¯t know. In the end, he settled for something he hoped would help. Because those eyes didn¡¯t belong to a young boy, not one the age of the person that owned them. Valdan gestured around casually, took in the bodies around him with a sweep of his hand. ¡°I see we¡¯re reaching new heights. I¡¯m impressed.¡± He did his best to put as much casualness into his tone¡ªto sound truly impressed not alarmed. Those eyes moved from the orb still on the ground. They looked up slowly, tired. They settled on Valdan. Valdan watched him a smile try to touch them and fail. There was a hesitant touch he hadn¡¯t seen in them before. Fjord peeked out from behind Valdan. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes barely acknowledged the boy. They remained on Valdan instead, stained with hesitation. Worry. ¡°I count ten,¡± Valdan said. Aiden looked down at the corpses. ¡°Twelve,¡± he corrected, then he cocked his head to the side, deeper into the tunnel. ¡°There are two more. Unconscious. Not enemies.¡± Aiden was counting his words, speaking with caution. He¡¯s afraid of the punishment for murder, Valdan thought. The boy had spent a lot of time in the libraries back at the palace. It was difficult to believe that he didn¡¯t know at least a thing or two about the laws of Bandiv. He¡¯s worried for what will happen. Valdan pushed the foot of a corpse calmly, as if making sure the owner was dead. The owner was, not that he needed to confirm. ¡°Fjord tells me they were poachers,¡± he said. Aiden nodded. ¡°They were after a creature called a Fharanal.¡± He paused, thoughtful. ¡°We found it.¡± ¡°And someone else,¡± Valdan added. ¡°And someone else,¡± Aiden agreed, solemn. ¡°He helped. Then fled.¡± Both men remained silent while Fjord looked down at the corpse, taking them in, giving them his attention. He looked like he was taking a head count. ¡°Did you see which way he went?¡± One of the soldiers with them asked. Aiden spared the man a glance, then shook his head. ¡°But he took the beast with him.¡± Fjord¡¯s head shot up in surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the Fharanal was a large creature?¡± Valdan asked, sparing Fjord a glance. ¡°As tall as a man and as wide as three.¡± ¡°It was,¡± Fjord replied quickly, a slight panic in his voice. ¡°I swear it.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Aiden reached down, retrieved something, and rolled it along the ground. ¡°He trapped it in one of these before he ran off.¡± Valdan bent and picked the item up. It was a contraption, round. He knew of them. The items were created by different kinds of artificers and enchanters, sometimes mages. It followed some laws of spatial spells or enchantments that warped the space. It was very similar to a storage space. Objects like these were also intelligence bound. Creatures of certain levels of intelligence couldn¡¯t be held in it. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, it had something to do with their self-awareness. The higher it was, the more difficult it was to move them from their space without their permission or significantly higher will and power. Valdan sheathed his sword. It hissed with its return. ¡°What of the two that are unconscious?¡± ¡°Adventurers,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with them before. Good people.¡± Aiden looked up to the ceiling and let out a sigh. It was heavy, tired. It said he had been through something he didn¡¯t want to go through. ¡°Poachers who wield their weapons and or skills against someone of noble birth after being caught committing a crime are doomed to a severe level of punishment,¡± Valdan said simply. ¡°Do you know what that punishment is?¡± Fjord took a hesitant step to the side, away from Valdan. One of the soldiers stepped closer to him ominously. Aiden looked at it, then back at Valdan. He said nothing. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me that for all the time you spent in the library you never learnt of this,¡± he said. ¡°That would be vastly irresponsible of you.¡± ¡°Death,¡± Aiden said simply. Valdan nodded. ¡°Death. Under certain circumstances, the noble is allowed to execute judgement on the spot.¡± He gestured around him once more, indicated the corpses. ¡°In this situation, you have administered justice. Lord Lacheart, your actions are justified.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t look convinced. Maybe it was because he wasn¡¯t an actual Lord as one of noble birth and decent would become, or one with a system sanctioned appointment. ¡°And even those that are not lords,¡± he continued, ¡°possess a permission of their own. Are laws are not so strict that they would not allow a man defend himself. One against ten is a situation that cannot be denied. You were within your rights to defend yourself by any means necessary.¡± Although this looks systematic, Valdan thought, eyes taking in another severed arm. Vicious even. But justified. Valdan raised a hand, gestured forward. ¡°Find the unconscious. We are taking them back.¡± Two soldiers stood at attention. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Then they moved into the darkness beyond. Fjord stepped a little more to the side as if he needed to be sure that Aiden was watching him. The third soldier moved closer to him. ¡°You can leave that one,¡± Aiden said absently. ¡°He¡¯s with me, currently under my employ.¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed at that. ¡°Are you sure, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°He currently is,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I sent him on an errand and haven¡¯t concluded his payment. Which places him under my employ in some way.¡± ¡°And after he¡¯s paid?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden shrugged. ¡°I may have a use or two more for him. I can¡¯t be completely certain just yet. For now, I¡¯ll keep an eye on him.¡± The soldier on Fjord took a single step away from the boy and Fjord let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden acknowledged his gratitude with a tired nod. Then he pushed himself to his feet. He rubbed his chest with the heel of his palm as he did. ¡°Are you fine?¡± Valdan asked him. Aiden¡¯s hand froze. He dropped it. ¡°Yes. Just have somethings on my mind.¡± ¡°And your chest?¡± Aiden looked down at it and dropped his hand. ¡°It¡¯s heavy.¡± Valdan understood that. Such a thing would make a man¡¯s heart heavy. A thought came to mind and he remembered something else. ¡°There was supposed to be a level fifty class,¡± he said. ¡°Did you¡ª¡± Aiden cocked his head in a direction and Valdan looked behind him. ¡°He had a skill that made spear attack from random places,¡± Aiden said. ¡°In the end he used a skill that summoned a number of spears in the air that he just kept sending at me.¡± That sounded like a weak manifesting skill. Unless he could fight while using the skill, then it would be a boon in combat. The man Aiden had gestured at, the man Fjord was currently looking down at, was the one that had a hole in his neck and various cuts that were a pale blue. Unlike the others who carried a few precise cuts, two or three or four, it bore too many as if from a drawn out battle. Valdan took in Aiden¡¯s clothes once more. The cuts were much, and each one carried a blood stain. He must¡¯ve used a potion to heal himself. More importantly, however, was that Aiden had killed someone above level fifty. Valdan wasn¡¯t sure what his level was, but he had his suspicions of what this meant. Aiden was growing too fast. At this rate, by his estimate and that of his peers, the boy would leave the rest of the summoned in the dust. Teaming up with them will hold him back. If he was to continue growing, he would need to work alone. Or with someone strong enough to match his level. Someone like you? Valdan banished the thought. The summoned were destined to go beyond the castle walls, beyond the kingdom of Bandiv. Theirs was a fate that sent them into the world to save the world. His was a fate that protected Bandiv from evils within and without. But at this rate, Aiden was going to outgrow him as well. Valdan found himself wanting to ask certain questions, curious questions. He stopped himself. They were not questions you asked in public. They were questions asked in private, away from ready ears. ¡°We should return,¡± he said, turning away as the other soldiers returned with a male and female adventurer being carried. ¡°We should place them with the adventure hall and return to the manor.¡± Aiden agreed, walking forward. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± ¡­ Aiden lay on a soft mattress, staring up at the ceiling above. The ceiling was plain, simple. A gentle milk color stared back at him ignorant of his ability to be a ceiling as he was of its ability to be human. He had been here, staring up at the ceiling for the past half hour. From the burrowed hole, they had taken Otid and Taliner to the adventure hall, walking under a rain that teased them with heavy falls and light drizzles. Both adventurers had been abandoned to an infirmary and left to the care of the Healers. That they had remained unconscious for so long was testament to Olstead¡¯s power and precision. That Bora had gotten up so early, however, was one thing he figured he could add to the wonders of Nastild. Now, he was forced to focus on something else. The exact same thing he had been focusing on before Valdan had arrived. His heart. It was heavy. On that he hadn¡¯t lied to the knight. And it remained heavy, even now. Once again, he pulled up his notification. [You have achieved one of the criteria to unlock skill Locked] ¡­ [You have slain an enemy 20 levels higher than you] [Remaining criteria: Unknown] He¡¯d never heard of a skill that required you to kill an opponent significantly stronger. The closest thing he¡¯d heard of was a skill that took a massive chunk of a person¡¯s mana. She had been some warlord in some unknown lands. The woman had possessed a skill called [Falling God]. It was, in a sense, overpowered. And it took far too much from the woman. Luckily for her, she had a skill that served to store mana. Was that similar to what was happening? Aiden thought it was, yet he doubted it at the same time. He placed a hand against his chest, feeling the weight of it. Lying on his back, it pressed downward so that it was like a weight on his chest. I hope I don¡¯t have to live with it like this. Aiden¡¯s best guess was that the mana gained from killing enemies that helped a person level up had somehow accumulated instead of being distributed to making him more powerful. But what did that mean? He opened a second notification. [Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!] [You have reached level 40] ¡­ [You have gained stat points] [You have gained 8 unallocated stat points] [Your existing stats have gained additional points] [Dexterity 20 --> 26], [Agility 12 --> 17], [Mana 19 --> 25], [Speed 17 --> 22], [Perception 13 --> 18], [Strength 10 --> 14] ¡­ [You have 8 unallocated stat points] [Would you like to use unallocated stat points?] [Y/N] Aiden watched it, unsure. He¡¯d been staring at it for a while now, contemplating. He¡¯d done the same in the forest. But with the weight on his heart, he¡¯d been worried. He knew it was mana but didn¡¯t know why. And it wasn¡¯t even the type of mana people could use. So he¡¯d been worried. What would happen if he allocated his stat points with whatever was going on? Something could happen just as easily as nothing could happen. There was also the possibility that he would carry the weight in his heart until he unlocked his [Locked] skill. Too many new things were happening to him. Not that it was a bad thing. ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Then he allocated. Whatever was going to happen to him, he at least knew he wasn¡¯t alone. He might be alone in his room, but he had enough ears on him to save him. Dexterity was his highest, and while it was necessary for his class, Aiden wasn¡¯t sure it needed any more stats right now. In a pickle, he could always use [Broken Weave]. So he put that aside for now. Strength was his weakest, and significantly so. He put three points into it. There was no point being a skillful fighter if you lost to a clash of strength. Perception gave him awareness, and with his close save from [Stealth]¡ªif he could really call it a save¡ªhe found his mind leaning towards it. He gave perception two points. It put him down to three more points. He distributed them among speed, mana, and agility, evenly. [Dexterity 26 --> 26], [Agility 17 --> 18], [Mana 25 --> 26], [Speed 22 --> 23], [Perception 18 --> 20], [Strength 14 --> 17] With the new stats, he waited. He braced himself for impact. All that happened was that the weight in his chest reduced. It wasn¡¯t a significant reduction, but it was something. Noticeable. I guess it¡¯s just locked to the skill, he thought as regards the weight in his chest. That said, he pulled up his personal details. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 48] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 31.41%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 19.04%)], [Unarmed Engrave (Mastery 12.38%)], [Modify Engrave (Mastery 02.49%] , [Broken Weave (Mastery 00.21%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.25%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier], [Protector], [Stone Guard], [Giant Slayer] [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 99.73%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 62.10%)], [Willpower (Mastery 04.14%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 32.42%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 50.17%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 19.33%)], [Stealth (Mastery 02.01%)], [Detect (Mastery 19.21%)], [Leap (Mastery 09.14%)], [Pathfinder (Mastery 02.00%)(U)), [Lockpicking (Mastery 00.02%)], [Spearmanship (Mastery 03.48%)]. [Stats] [Dexterity 26], [Agility 18], [Mana 26], [Speed 23], [Perception 20], [Strength 17] [Life] [Health 100%], [Stamina 100%], [Mana 100%]. Aiden couldn¡¯t even remember when he¡¯d gained the [Stealth] skill. In this life, it had been so insignificant a skill that he hadn¡¯t cared for it. In its place he¡¯d lost [Quick Movement] and [Light Step]. As for his stat build, he was beginning to consider what he was going to do. Maybe I should get the others to twenty before moving the others along. He wasn¡¯t sure he was comfortable with the gaps between them. Aiden was still contemplating when he heard a knock on his door. He rose from his bed, covered in the clothes he¡¯d changed to after having his bath, and walked up to the door. He placed a hand on the small enchantment he¡¯d created just below the knob, right next to the enchanted lock that came with the room. He channeled a touch of mana into it, then turned the knob. The door opened to someone he hadn¡¯t been expecting to see. Elaswit gave him a friendly smile. ¡°Hi.¡± Aiden took a beat before he answered. ¡°Good evening, Princess.¡± Elaswit frowned at that. She looked left, then right. She did it so obviously even though there was no one in the hallway. Aiden knew that she did it to make the fact that they were alone obvious. ¡°So, we¡¯re really back to that,¡± she said finally. ¡°Princess not Elaswit.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what to say to that. She was a princess. She would be powerful and continue her role as princess. He knew the power that came with being considered a friend of royalty. He also knew the responsibility. He wanted none of it. As for Elaswit as a person, he simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to care enough to usurp the fact that she was a princess. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Elaswit said into his silence. ¡°It¡¯s no reason to think so much about it, love.¡± Aiden cocked a brow at that. ¡°Love?¡± ¡°There he is.¡± Elaswit¡¯s lips widened. ¡°We might not be close¡ªeven though I thought we would be after what we went through¡ªbut we can still be nice to each other. Right?¡± Aiden could do that. ¡°That I can do.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Elaswit¡¯s smile turned into something mischievous as if she¡¯d just caught him in a trap. ¡°Since you¡¯ve said that, I¡¯m just here to remind you of the ball tomorrow.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. He had a bad feeling about this. ¡°So,¡± Elaswit continued. ¡°You¡¯re my date for the little soiree Lord Naranoff is holding tomorrow.¡± She held out a folded piece of paper and he took it. ¡°That¡¯s a tailor Lord Naranoff uses. He can get you an amazing attire for the night. See you then.¡± Then she left without a word, leaving Aiden in his silence. Aiden closed the door and unfolded the piece of paper after reactivating the enchanted lock. ¡°Now I just have to¡ªwhat the fuck?!¡± His interface appeared in front of him. [Achievement unlocked!] You have done the impossible, faced an adversity beyond your comprehension and survived the eyes of those who peer into your fate. You have learned to walk a path not fettered to fate. You have become the master of your own fate¡­ Quite literally] [You have earned a new title!] [Unfettered] [Effect: +20% damage resistance to Time and Space based attacks.] [Effect: Skill Fate Walker (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] ¡­ [You have gained class skill Fate Walker] [Fate Walker (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] You have realized your existence at the edge of fate. You walk where even gods fear to tread. You are an anomaly unknown. ¡­ [You have achieved one of the criteria to unlock skill Locked] ¡­ [You have gained a Fate based skill] [Remaining criteria: Unknown] Aiden frowned as worry wrinkled his face. He had resisted a fate-based skill. Was it an attack or had someone been overly curious? He didn¡¯t know how to feel about that, but the none of the options he had were good. What do you know about fate based skills? There were very few, and all of them were only attainable¡ªif they ever were¡ªafter you crossed the threshold of level 400. Someone in the level 400s had used a fate based skill on him. Aiden¡¯s frown died. His expression relaxed, then slackened. He grew pale. What did I do? FIFTY-THREE-Tarot He sat in his chair and stared off into nothingness. The room around him was aptly full. A wide space, though it was, it was so filled and cluttered that you could scarcely find a place to place your feet save the straight path leading from the door to the table. Scratching his jaw in slow confusion, he sat back, rested his back against the chair. This was interesting, that much he could admit. But it was also terrifying. There were only a handful of people that could avoid his eyes. And he never looked into their lives. When the [Sage] of Bandiv had asked for a favor, he hadn¡¯t been sure what it was about. Although it has been about a month since time has gone out of order, he mused. Everything he¡¯d seen and known for the past few years, everything he¡¯d helped to put into motion had suddenly ceased in their certainty. A month ago I was sure that Falanal would die by the end of the week. He moved a piece of parchment from his front, emptied the small space on his desk. Now¡­ well, I can¡¯t say for certain anymore. It wouldn¡¯t take much to reconfirm, but what was the point to it. He¡¯d paid his attention to Falanal a few more times over the course of the past month and nothing was certain. The only time Falanal¡¯s death returned to absolute certainty was whenever he put it to mind that he would kill the young boy. This was a first for him, a very mind befuddling first. Now that the small space in front of his table was cleared out, he picked another parchment from the chaos to his right, stacks of parchments terribly placed atop each other. He did not look as he did this. His hand simply moved, retrieving what he wanted from the chaos. Unrolling the parchment, he placed it on the newly created space. He looked at it, studied its contents. There wasn¡¯t much to it. Strokes and scratches. Dots and lines. It was a mess of a work, but he could read it. It seemed Mba-chukwu was making plans that they shouldn¡¯t be. He couldn¡¯t blame them. Not all kings obeyed the words of a [Sage] in absolute. Some were defiant, believing that they were architects of their own fates. They are¡­ in some way, he thought, not too proud to admit it. But they truly weren¡¯t. Fate, he had learned, was a sequence of actions. A culmination of decisions made by capable beings finally coming to a conclusive fruition. Every man¡¯s fate was a junction where their actions met with the actions of the many or the few. Fate was as versatile as it was fixed. And he had learned to peer into it and see it for what it was. Some fates were more fixed than others. And while a handful of beings on Nastild had learned to mask theirs from his prying eyes, this fate was not one that was masked, it was one that had avoided him, slipped from his sight like a monster that lurked only in the corner of your vision. It mocked you and teased you. It stared at you with hidden fangs, only to disappear the moment you gave it your attention. It was there, as real as every figment of your imagination. Bothered by how easily he was allowing this sway him, he forced himself to return his attention to the parchment in front of him. Mba-chukwu wasn¡¯t the only land doing strange things. An enigmatic tribe to the east had learned of the summoned and their little chief was making plans that involved kidnapping. A kingdom was doomed to lose at least one of their summoned. Normally, he would pry into which summoned it would be and what the outcome would be, but he didn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t interested. So, he turned his attention to further details. He read and garnered knowledge of how the world continued to move. There he sat, for seconds that stretched into minutes. He deciphered codes as if reading a simply written prose. Eyes danced over parchment as he watched the world make decisions they didn¡¯t know he was very much aware of. Some fool to the east was trying to hunt down one of the only three dragons left on this side of Nastild. People stare death in the face and think it is their duty to come out alive. The king of Danla had his soldiers already setting camp around the ruined city of Onvoth home of the [Crystal of Existence]. He was early, years early, but there had been those who¡¯d set up earlier. Prying into the fate of that specific ruin had been a bit confusing recently, so there was no point in looking into it. On one occasion, fate had said that the [Crystal of Existence] that spawned within it had ended up in the hands of some unnamed soldier who had chosen to betray his employer. Another occasion had said that the king of Danla had come to possess it. There was one that said a young boy had stolen it at night, fallen into a river, and died. The [Crystal of Existence] had then been lost in the flow of the river. This one was his favorite. But ultimately, he knew nothing. The paths of fate were such a mess this past month that it left him feeling blind. In his lifetime, this had never happened before. What do I tell the [Sage] about the boy? He asked himself, rolling up the parchment absently and discarding it carelessly to the side. The truth? He wasn¡¯t one for telling truths. He preferred riddles and mystics. It made him seem more enigmatic. It also annoyed people. The former was the bonus. The latter was the reward. Fifteen names, he thought, leaning forward and resting his head on his desk with a loud thud, like a petulant child. Fifteen names and one is empty. Fateless. It didn¡¯t take him any significant thought to know that fate was likely on the side of the boy whose fate he¡¯d peered into. Either that or he¡¯s unlocked a class or skill so terrifying that I wouldn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of him. He doubted it, though. He¡¯d seen far too many classes and skills in his lifetime. There were even classes so unique that he had seen the first of their users. The last, too. He had also witnessed the birth of a class so grand that it had continued on until it became a common class. He raised his head and dropped it back onto the table. The thud was louder this time. He did it once more. Then again. And again. And again. And¡ª He paused. Am I throwing a tantrum right now? Before he could afford the question an answer, the door to the room opened. The sound of its hinges creaking and groaning was loud, intentional. The door opened fully, and a young man stepped inside. He raised his head, looked at the young man, then raised a hand in greeting with all the excitement he could muster. ¡°Tarot!¡± ¡°Torat, master,¡± the young man corrected. ¡°Torat, not tarot.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Tarot sounds better. It just rolls off the tongue.¡± ¡°No, it does not,¡± Torat disagreed, always the disagreeing jepat. He was not a jepat, though. He was a grown man, somewhere in his forties, though he looked as if he was in his thirties. He wore a beard that was always trimmed short and well groomed. He had the most mundane brown eyes and a head of hair that was always styled as if he was going to a ball, and was currently clad in the customary garb of a black cloak with grey highlights. He had seen Torat run a gauntlet of fifteen men and his hair had never gotten tussled despite rolling around in the ground, receiving a few blows to the head, and giving a few blows with his head. ¡°How old are you, Tarot?¡± he asked out of curiosity. Torat ignored him for a moment. He walked forward, his approach delayed by his survey of the room. There were books scattered about, parchments of information deemed important enough to topple kingdoms lying about. There was a display of a great beast¡¯s skin¡ªfur and all¡ªon the ground, at least it was supposed to be a display. ¡°Why do you keep this place a mess?¡± Torat asked absently. He came to a stop and shifted an orb with his foot. Within the orb were two compass hands opposing each other. It was supposed to lead to a hidden island where an unknown dragon slumbered. The man in the chair had followed it once and found said dragon. In his opinion, the dragon wasn¡¯t all it had been made out to be. With a sly grin, he looked at Torat and asked, ¡°Missing your home?¡± Torat looked up from the orb and ignored it. ¡°I will be calling on three students to clean this room.¡± ¡°But I like the mess,¡± The man on the chair complained. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Your interest in your mess is not important.¡± Torat continued forward, the orb forgotten as if it had never existed. ¡°You have a reputation to uphold. Cleanliness is a quality of one of them.¡± ¡°As it is next to godliness.¡± Torat gave him a tired look. ¡°You are not a god, master.¡± ¡°I have been mistaken for one over the years, though.¡± ¡°By fools and half-wits.¡± ¡°Hey! Some of those half-wits were kings.¡± Torat pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. ¡°My point still stands, master. Fools and half-wits. That aside¡ª¡± ¡°You always put the nicest things aside. Like that one girl from Verinoz.¡± ¡°That aside,¡± Torat bit out a little too harshly. ¡°Why are you displeased?¡± ¡°Displeased?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, master.¡± Torat came to a stop in front of his table. ¡°I could hear you banging your head from two hallways away.¡± His eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°You don¡¯t have the perception for that, Tarot.¡± ¡°Torat. And I do.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s your perception?¡± ¡°Eighty-seven.¡± ¡°Only?¡± Torat cocked a brow. ¡°I am merely level two hundred and seventeen. Perception is not the forte of my class. It is my lowest stat.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Torat placed both hands on the table. In one hand was a short dagger. It looked ceremonial. ¡°What,¡± Torat said, ¡°has the [Master of the Order] throwing a tantrum?¡± The [Master of the Order] looked from Torat¡¯s face to the dagger. ¡°Is today the day you finally throw a coup and usurp my position?¡± Torat didn¡¯t react to his words. ¡°If it is,¡± the [Master of the Order] continued, ¡°then could you give me three minutes for celebration before you do? You know how much I¡¯ve been looking forward to this day. This is like a dream come true for me.¡± This time Torat frowned. ¡°It must be really troubling if you¡¯re stalling with so many words, master.¡± The [Master of the Order] paused. Then his face tightened, expression hardened. The jovial excitement that had danced about on it since Torat had stepped into the room vanished like the life from the eyes of a dying being. In its place was an expression so deep that Torat was forced to mirror it. ¡°What is wrong?¡± Torat asked as if he could slay the problem with his ceremonial dagger. With his class and level, the [Master of the Order] didn¡¯t doubt that he had slayed things with less. ¡°I received a request to look into the fates of a group of people,¡± the [Master of the Order] explained. ¡°And you took it?¡± Torat asked, confused. The [Master of the Order] waved his confusion aside with a simple gesture of the hand. ¡°The requester is nice enough. Also, I was going to look into these beings, regardless. I might as well be paid to do it.¡± Torat nodded. ¡°And what problem has this caused you?¡± ¡°Not a problem. A discomfort.¡± The [Master of the Order] looked into Torat¡¯s eyes. ¡°There is one whose fate continues to evade me.¡± Torat¡¯s hand tightened on the dagger. ¡°Someone you do not know has learned to mask their fate from you?¡± He shook his head. ¡°It is not masked, Torat. It evades me, which is worse. It is always there. But every time I turn to look at it, it¡¯s gone.¡± He frowned in thought. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if it dances too carelessly upon the path of fate. As if it is on everyone¡¯s path and yet no one¡¯s path. I will admit that it irks me greatly. So greatly that¡ª¡± ¡°You are not allowed to leave the Order for whatever personal reason for the next three years, master,¡± Torat interrupted him. ¡°You know this.¡± The [Master of the Order] sighed in defeat. ¡°I know this. It¡¯s a stupid rule, but I know this.¡± ¡°A stupid rule you put in place with good reason,¡± Torat pointed out. ¡°The gods¡ª¡± ¡°I know,¡± he grumbled. ¡°They continue to seek me out. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn¡¯t have angered them. Then I think to myself, ¡®maybe I should have angered them more.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been so much more¡ª¡± he paused, a realization coming to him. ¡°Just a moment.¡± He needed to check something. He needed to be sure. He closed his eyes, allowed his attention to reach beyond him to the contingencies and protections he¡¯d put in place. When he had learned what he needed to, he reached farther out, to territories that were not his. Then he reached further, into the Otun, the path between worlds. This was risky, but even if anything happened, he could simply return here, hide again. He noted how the man who carried the title of [Enemy of the Order] continued to evade him, his fate dancing continuously and chaotically enough to hide him. It was there, just ever changing. The [Master of the Order] ignored the [Enemy of the Order] and started laughing. It was a full laugh, a belly laugh. The kind that rumbled from within you and filled the world around you. The kind that made the stranger next to you want to slap you and your friend want to laugh with you. Torat gave him a look. ¡°What¡¯s amusing you?¡± ¡°Nothing much,¡± he answered, allowing the laughter spill from his lips until he laughed so hard it filled the room and he held his side. He slammed a hand against the table, laughing more and more. ¡°Those pesky priests must be rolling in their sanctuaries.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Torat asked. ¡°The gods,¡± he said, still laughing. ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°Their eyes aren¡¯t on Nastild.¡± The laughter died down and a slow grin split his lips. ¡°Something has their attention.¡± ¡°And the lesser gods?¡± Torat asked, holding back his worry. The [Master of the Order] made a nonchalant gesture with his hand. ¡°Those pesky little things are still watching. But the fifteen--the big fifteen--they¡¯re not looking. Something must have their panties in a twist.¡± ¡°Language,¡± Torat said before he could stop himself. ¡°Apologies, my amusing student,¡± the [Master of the Order] said. ¡°But this is so amusing that I could die. Now that I think of it, I haven¡¯t felt their eyes for¡­¡± his expression deadened with realization. ¡°The last month.¡± Torat¡¯s expression turned worried. ¡°The last month? Isn¡¯t that when¡ª¡± ¡°Time became problematic,¡± he finished for the man. ¡°Yes. Time starts throwing a tantrum and the gods stop looking at us. That does not bode well for Nastild.¡± ¡°Has this world been abandoned?¡± Torat asked seriously. The [Master of the Order] gave him an odd look. ¡°This world? You say it like it¡¯s not your world. Still, I doubt it has been abandoned. All those lesser gods still have their eyes on us. My guess is that whatever happened to time is probably so great that it requires the attention of the other gods. The big gods.¡± ¡°What are the chances that it happened a month ago?¡± ¡°Very great.¡± ¡°And what happened a month ago?¡± The [Master of the Order] pretended to think about it before answering. ¡°Nastild had guests.¡± ¡°The summoned?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°So, whatever this problem is,¡± Torat said slowly. ¡°It¡¯s coming from them? Or potentially the reason they were summoned?¡± The [Master of the Order] thought about it for a moment. There was no pretense here. A chaotic timeline, the first he¡¯d ever witnessed. A bunch of summoned beings. And the absence of the attention of the big gods that had always kept their eyes on Nastild. This was a problem. Torat was right, though. This was either happening because of the summoned or the dimensional mana most commonly known as demonic mana. But there was a third option. An option only he knew about. It was unlikely but not impossible. ¡°Torat,¡± he said suddenly. ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°What is the update on the dragon Sinepor?¡± Torat frowned. ¡°No news yet. I¡¯m beginning to think it might just be a lore.¡± The [Master of the Order] shook his head. ¡°It is not. I feel more certain of it now than ever before. How many men do we have looking into it?¡± ¡°An entire department. We¡¯ve commandeered at least a hundred men.¡± ¡°How many are above level hundred?¡± ¡°Forty.¡± ¡°Level two hundred?¡± ¡°Ten.¡± ¡°Stronger than you?¡± ¡°Ikem is there.¡± ¡°Ikem is good. He has good leadership qualities. He also listens. And I can also kill him with a snap of my finger.¡± The [Master of the Order] nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. Besides, he wouldn¡¯t lie to me. Add another stronger than you. Someone with a time affinity or a time class. Have them focus on what they cannot know.¡± Torat was clearly confused by that last instruction but nodded, regardless. ¡°I will. And what do we do about the person whose fate continued to avoid you?¡± The [Master of the Order] pulled a random parchment from his table. He tore a piece from it and scribbled on it with his finger, no ink or pen. He handed it over to Torat. Torat held the piece of paper, looked at what was written on it. ¡°Two odd words. I have no idea what they mean.¡± ¡°Odd? Haven¡¯t I taught you not to judge, Tarot?¡± the [Master of the Order] chided. ¡°Torat,¡± Torat corrected absently. At this point correcting the [Master of the Order] was a habit, a reflexive one at that. ¡°So, what would you have me do? Should I assign someone to this task?¡± ¡°Nope. I would like you to handle this yourself.¡± Torat raised a quizzical brow. ¡°I thought Sinepor takes precedence?¡± he asked. ¡°It has been the most important task of the Order for over two decades now, with the enemy being a close second.¡± ¡°And they remain the same,¡± the [Master of the Order] confirmed. ¡°However, this,¡± he pointed at the piece of torn parchment, ¡°is now a very powerful third. You will attend to it.¡± Torat frowned down at the parchment. ¡°How do you pronounce this? Aiden Latch-heart?¡± ¡°Lack-heart,¡± the [Master of the Order] corrected. ¡°Not Latch-heart.¡± ¡°Odd name,¡± Torat grumbled. ¡°You want me to find this person?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Torat folded up the piece of paper. ¡°Do I have any leads to start with or are you going to send me on some learning experience.¡± ¡°No learning experience. He¡¯s currently in Bandiv. Where in Bandiv is what I do not know. Find him.¡± Torat nodded. ¡°What of the one who commissioned the search you made? What will you tell them?¡± The [Master of the Order] paused. It was a good question. Usually, he just winged things like this, treated his replies on a whim. Those powerful enough to make a direct request of him knew that having him play around with them before giving an answer was a possibility. He¡¯d held information from one of them for the past thirty years out of nothing but spite. His credibility remained solid, though. He was never known to tell a lie. The problem was simply trusting when he would give the answer. In the end, he came to a conclusion as he looked at Torat. ¡°I¡¯ll probably keep it from the person,¡± he said. ¡°He might be a friend, but he has plans that I cannot say align with mine. That plan might tie into this problem, and I cannot say I want his plans to succeed.¡± Torat nodded as if he understood. ¡°When would you like me to leave?¡± ¡°Will now be asking for too much?¡± Torat¡¯s brows furrowed in thought. ¡°I have a lecture right now. I was just about to teach the new intakes on what to do when you are caught under the aura pressure of a level two hundred and above aura user. Specifically a user that is at least a hundred and fifty levels above you.¡± The [Master of the Order] wrinkled his nose at that. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just supposed to roll over and die? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s another option, unless you¡¯ve discovered something that I do not know.¡± ¡°I have not,¡± Torat confirmed. ¡°Then what exactly are you teaching them?¡± ¡°How to roll over and die.¡± The [Master of the Order] shook his head. ¡°You guys teach the dumbest things in this institution.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Torat snorted and turned to leave. ¡°I will hand over the lecture to Nan. He will prove adequate. Then I will leave for this Aiden Lacheart in Bandiv. And just so you know, you are the one that introduced teaching the new intakes how to die.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m sure it''s important,¡± the [Master of the Order] said as he watched Torat leave. Only when the man was at the door did he speak again. ¡°Why exactly did you come looking for me, Tarot?¡± ¡°To¡ª¡± Torat stopped himself with a resigned sigh, hand on the knob of the now opened door. ¡°I told you already, master. I could hear you banging your head against the desk.¡± With that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. Left alone in his room, the [Master of the Order] stared out into nothingness. The world was changing. Things were about to get far more interesting yet far more terrifying. Perhaps he should send an envoy to the giants. He discarded the thought as easily as it came. They would not reply to him. Not on this matter. Only certain people had ever gotten them to listen over the years and people like him were not one of them. Aiden Lacheart, he mused. There had never been any who had evaded his sight. Not now, not ever. Not even the last two that had held the title of [Demon King]. What exactly are you, Aiden Lacheart? He was either going to be a truly terrifying [Demon King] or something else. And that something else would only be confirmed if they found Sinepor¡¯s lair. If they found the sword of myth: [Spell Binder]. Until then, he had a lot of thinking to do. Decisions had to be made. Sacrifices had to be decided. And lesser gods had to be blinded. He had a lot of work to do. FIFTY-FOUR: A Troublesome Younger Brother ¡°You have a healthy size for a young man your age.¡± ¡°I could be larger,¡± Aiden muttered. Chibor, the tailor of the Naranoff family, looked up at him from his place taking measurements of Aiden¡¯s ankle. ¡°Are you a strength based class?¡± Aiden looked down at him and shook his head. Chibor returned his attention to his task. ¡°Then I see no reason for you to add any more weight at your age.¡± Chibor was an elderly man with skin as brown as oak. He was¡ªto Aiden¡¯s great surprise¡ªa level 89 [Tailor] and wasn¡¯t hesitant to inform anyone who asked. In fact, Aiden hadn¡¯t even asked before the man had shown him his interface. It had carried his name, class, and level only. The man, surprisingly, had a family name that was so long and complicated that Aiden couldn¡¯t remember it. He tried not to hold it against himself since it was long, and he had seen it only once. He certainly wasn¡¯t from Bandiv. As for how he had raised a class like [Tailor] to level 89, it was beyond Aiden. His best guess was that the man made more than just clothes of different kinds. ¡°Very few people cross my doors that are not of noble birth,¡± Chibor said, measuring the length of Aiden¡¯s leg a second time. He did it slowly, meticulously. ¡°Fewer still are quiet and without hubris.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I leave my hubris for combat.¡± ¡°And I leave mine for my interactions with the quiet,¡± Chibor chuckled. He moved on from Aiden¡¯s legs. From Aiden, he walked about, perusing the things in the room they stood in. It was a tailor¡¯s space with walls that were nothing more than a cacophony of different wardrobes and coat racks and hanging rails. Spaces for full suits were scattered amongst spaces for folded materials or attires of different kinds. There were attires of varying designs. Clothes that looked like they would serve for the grandest ball if you attended it for the soul purpose of assassinating the host. Aiden wasn¡¯t so sure how the man had pulled it off, but he had. But that was not all there was to the room. Some shelves housed nothing but materials, folded up and placed in preparation for when they would be used. The shelves were all brown, light as any brown could be. In the right light and seen from the right angle, the color could be mistaken for something trying to be yellow. Each section of the wardrobes that housed folded materials were large enough to house two severed heads, which¡ªin Aiden¡¯s opinion¡ªwas a very terrible way to compare sizes. The clothes hung from hangers and some simply hung from nothing high up in the air, in sections of their own. The latter looked less extravagant, simple. To Aiden, something about them felt different, and he doubted it was because they were kept differently. Something caught Aiden¡¯s eyes as the tailor moved around his shop, checking clothes and materials. One of the materials closest to him and farthest from the door moved. Folded up as it was, it rose and fell gently, as if it was breathing. ¡°Getting you a fitting material would be interesting,¡± Chibor said, moving over the breathing material to check on another attire. He studied it twice, lifted its pink sleeve, before dropping it with a shake of his head. ¡°It would be prudent of me to find something that matches your aura. Something strong and fitting.¡± Aiden took his attention from the breathing material to face the man. ¡°My aura? I don¡¯t have one yet.¡± Chibor paused to give him an amused look. ¡°I thought you said you keep your hubris from the battlefield.¡± ¡°Combat,¡± Aiden corrected with a shrugged. ¡°And I do.¡± Chibor gave him a pointed look. ¡°But you don¡¯t have aura¡­ yet?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that is hubris or confidence.¡± Chibor turned his attention back to his clothes, resumed his perusing. ¡°A lot of people go through life never gaining any aura, not even a manifesting skill. But you sound so certain.¡± The man kissed his teeth as he shook his head. ¡°The young are always full of strength. They assume themselves capable of anything.¡± He paused over an attire, pulled it out. It was a deep brown, a long jacket that was not too long. ¡°Perhaps it is a good thing, that sense of adventure. It helps them grow old properly, you might say.¡± He turned and held the jacket up to Aiden as if measuring them against each other. ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked. ¡°Is it to your liking?¡± Aiden shook his head. It was not. Chibor squinted slightly, as the old tend to do. Then he nodded in agreement and returned the jacket. ¡°Pray tell, young lord,¡± he said, moving on to another section of his many wardrobes. ¡°Just how curious are you about this tailor¡¯s manifesting skill.¡± Aiden watched the man move. His steps were old, but anyone with enough knowledge knew that they were precise. There was no combat training in them, yet he walked like a man who had learned to walk, steps precise, cautious. He could probably walk straight with his eyes closed and weights on his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m more curious in the how than the what of things,¡± he answered the man. Again, Chibor paused in his perusing, black eyes turning to Aiden. ¡°The how not the what?¡± he asked with a note of surprise. ¡°Everyone achieves great things every now and again,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I am rarely interested in the great thing. I find that I am more enamored by how they achieved it than what they achieved.¡± ¡°So, you would like to know how a tailor gained a manifesting skill, not what the manifesting skill is.¡± Chibor stroked his clean shaved jaw. It looked less like it was clean shaved and more like it was always barren of hair. ¡°That is most impressive.¡± ¡°Perhaps you would be willing to tell me more about that material over there, though,¡± Aiden said, pointing out the breathing material. It was still breathing. ¡°That¡¯s if you would rather not speak of how you gained your manifesting skill.¡± A glint touched the old tailor¡¯s eyes and Aiden saw a hint of mischief cloud the man¡¯s face. The old man¡ªas old men were wont to do with children¡ªwas about to play a game. ¡°How about you pick one, young lord?¡± he said with a respectful smile. ¡°If you would indulge an old man his games?¡± Aiden raised a slow brow. ¡°An old man his games,¡± he repeated. ¡°If you would.¡± Chibor bowed respectfully. The man had clearly been around a lot of nobles. He was also held to a certain level of esteem in the house of Naranoff if he was playing games so happily with young lords. Personally, Aiden didn¡¯t mind. To offend him, you mostly needed to actually offend him. He folded his hands over his chest and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll play.¡± ¡°You prove gracious.¡± Chibor lifted his head from the bow to meet his eyes. ¡°Would you rather the story of how a tailor gained a manifesting skill or learn what the material is?¡± That was easy. ¡°The material,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Oh.¡± Chibor sounded genuinely surprised. Aiden couldn¡¯t blame him. Most people would choose the story of how, but he was not most people. They would choose the how in the hopes that it would tell them something about how to achieve theirs. But in this case, it would be a mistake for him. The achievement of a manifesting skill for a [Tailor] class, while interesting to know, would not help a combat class achieve a manifesting class. What both classes would consider as stakes would be daringly different from each other. ¡°This,¡± Chibor moved over to place a hand on the breathing material, ¡°is a material woven from a man-eating tree and a basilisk from some marsh in some kingdom somewhere.¡± Aiden moved to step down from the platform he was standing on but stopped himself. Chibor had placed him there, right in front of a mirror, when he¡¯d decided to take his measurement. The tailor¡¯s eyes looked down at the platform then to the Aiden. ¡°You may come down if you wish, young Lord,¡± he said. ¡°I am done with the measurements.¡± Aiden stepped down and walked up to the material. There, he placed a hand on it. The moment he touched it, the material stopped breathing. It turned still, unmoving. A living material, Aiden noted. He had suspected but wanted to be sure. ¡°It lives, seeking out life,¡± Chibor explained. ¡°Although living is not the right word. Think of it as death throes even after death. However, once it comes in contact with a living being, it calms down.¡± Aiden nodded absently. [You have used skill Detect] ¡­ [Basilisk Thread] A hybrid of a Basilisk¡¯s blood, woven from its still beating heart, and the bark of a man-eating tree. This is a crafting material, created to craft greater masterpieces. [Durability: 300/300] Aiden would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t impressed. He¡¯d seen better, though. But this was also impressive for his current levels. If a proper class turned this into a finished product, it could possess a durability that numbered in the five hundreds easily. A [Tailor] was a proper class. ¡°You seem smitten by it, young lord,¡± Chibor pointed out. ¡°A material that breathes.¡± Aiden looked at him. ¡°It would be odd if I wasn¡¯t smitten. Would it not?¡± Chibor nodded. ¡°Most aptly put. An honest lord is a rare lord, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°And a [Tailor] with a manifesting skill is a rare [Tailor], Tailor Chibor.¡± Chibor bowed low, bent at the waist. ¡°You flatter me with a title, my lord. However, it is one too great for me.¡± Aiden cocked his head to the side. ¡°You are a tailor, are you not?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°So shouldn¡¯t it only be fitting that I call you a tailor?¡± ¡°A title of any kind,¡± Chibor said, ¡°is a title too much for me, my lord.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how to navigate this. Actually, he knew how to navigate it, just not how to navigate it honestly and in good faith. It mattered very little. ¡°This.¡± He patted the material once more. ¡°What will it take to have something made for me from this?¡± Chibor looked surprised. ¡°You want an attire made from this?¡± ¡°Will that be too much to ask?¡± Chibor shook his head, expression growing confused. ¡°No¡­ but¡­ Why? It is not an attire fitting for any social occasion. And attires fit for combat are better made by one with the [Artificer] class or the [Blacksmith] class or some other class designed for creating such things.¡± Aiden understood. You did not craft battle outfits at the hands of a tailor. Even the combat attires he¡¯d worn in his past life had been crafted by him and someone with the [Artificer] class. Still, he looked at Chibor, hand still on the material. ¡°Is it possible?¡± ¡°I will have to seek permission from Lord Naranoff,¡± the old tailor said hesitantly. ¡°Then I will need a few days, if permission is given. Then there¡¯s the question of pay.¡± He looked visibly flustered. Aiden almost smiled at that. A flustered old man was interesting to see, especially one that had just finished playing games with a ¡®young man.¡¯ ¡°So, if all these are done,¡± he said to the tailor, ¡°then I can have an attire crafted?¡± Chibor involuntarily wringed his fingers together. The action was smooth, revealing a very high level of dexterity. Aiden wondered just how many points someone with the [Tailor] class at level 89 would have in his dexterity stats. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. In the end, the old man nodded. ¡°If all the criteria are met, I can present you with a well-crafted attire from it.¡± ¡°One that I can wear into combat,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°Something breathable. Comfortable. Simple.¡± Chibor nodded to each. ¡°Would you require me to present more materials?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Not at all, young Lord,¡± Chibor said, shaking his head. ¡°I have everything I need in my little space here.¡± There was nothing little about the tailor¡¯s space. This room was only one section of his store. And it was on the large side. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± the man rubbed his jaw. ¡°You might need more materials if you choose to upgrade it after its creation.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°And what benefits do you believe I will be able to get from the finished material?¡± ¡°A self-regenerating attire,¡± the man said easily. ¡°Of that, I am certain. It is a positive of living materials.¡± Living materials. Aiden knew of them. They were materials taken from the sources¡ªwhich were usually living beings¡ªwhile they were alive. There were those who were against monster cruelty of such level on Nastild. They were personally against the existence of living materials because they involved putting the sources of said materials through excruciating pains as they were pulled from them. Aiden was neither here nor there on the subject. Monsters were all that they were to him: monsters. How they died rarely bothered him, though he wasn¡¯t one to show a monster cruelty if he didn¡¯t feel that it was deserving of it. Aiden paused, suddenly curious. He turned to the tailor. ¡°Do you know how this was crafted?¡± ¡°I most certainly do.¡± Chibor placed his hand fondly on the material. ¡°I harvested it myself.¡± That was surprising. Aiden didn¡¯t know that the [Tailor] class had harvesting skills that worked on living beings. It was practically unheard of. ¡°You did it yourself?¡± he asked, doing nothing to mask his surprise. Chibor nodded. ¡°My manifesting skill is called [Living Tailor].¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t mind sharing,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s rare.¡± ¡°What can I say,¡± Chibor took his hand from the material. ¡°When you¡¯re old, a lot of things become very¡­ unnecessary. I am also a tailor, my lord. My skills are quite literally my trade. I have to advertise them to make money.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t argue with that. But the tailor wasn¡¯t done advertising himself. ¡°My manifesting skill allows me a certain level of¡­ abomination,¡± he went on. ¡°With needle and thread, I can craft whatever I want out of anything that has life. The average person shirks away from it. Not that it is their fault.¡± Aiden could understand that last part. You didn¡¯t want to be with a tailor that could turn your skin into crafting materials. Tailoring materials to be more precise. ¡°And how did you come to be in the Lord¡¯s employ?¡± Aiden asked, partly for the sake of conversation. The man was slowly beginning to look like he rarely had conversations even though he would prefer to have them. ¡°I¡¯ve always been in his employ,¡± the old man said. ¡°I¡¯ve served him for over ten years.¡± ¡°And you gained your manifesting skill under his employ?¡± Chibor chuckled. ¡°He made sure of it. Inspired it, even. He has always been an interesting man. Kind and generous.¡± ¡°Did he know what you were going to¡ª¡± The sound of the door at the entrance outside their room opening interrupted Aiden¡¯s next words. He and the old tailor turned in its direction. ¡°I was not expecting a customer,¡± Chibor mused. ¡°That is odd.¡± ¡°Chi!¡± a voice called from outside the room and Chibor relaxed. Aiden couldn¡¯t say for certain that it relaxed him. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s around?¡± another voice asked. Chibor bristled at it, stood straighter and at attention. Aiden only grew tired. His time in the cave and in the manor had shown him that he had a social battery that had since run out. Drama was not his forte in any way. ¡°In here, Lady Naranoff,¡± Chibor called back in his old voice. ¡°Oh! Great!¡± Nella called out. Her voice was preceded by the increasing sound of footsteps. The knob of the door leading out of the room turned and opened outward. It revealed Nella standing next to Elaswit. Aiden was running into both ladies quite often. It was beginning to worry him. Not for the first time, he found himself wishing he could simply blow through the days remaining and just return to the palace. At least there he could run into more people and build more shallow relationships. Here, it was as if some great force was trying to compel him into building a deeper relationship with the princess and the daughter of the Naranoff household. Thinking about it made him sound like a terrible person, but he was simply who he was. If that makes me a terrible person, then so be it. ¡°Ah!¡± Nella clapped her hands together in excitement when her eyes settled on Aiden. ¡°Was today your appointment?¡± Aiden fought back the urge to let out a sigh. What other day would be my appointment? The ball was tonight and Elaswit had only just informed him of the tailor last night. It would be insane to assume he would be here at any other time. Then again, perhaps the princess was supposed to have informed him days earlier and Nella simply didn¡¯t know. Chibor bowed at the waist. ¡°Lady Naranoff. Your highness.¡± ¡°Oh, stop it, Chi,¡± Nella chided. ¡°Lady Naranoff was my mother. To you, I¡¯m the superlicious beauty of house Naranoff.¡± The old man raised his head with a funny look. ¡°If you can¡¯t remember that,¡± Nella said without missing a beat. ¡°Then you can just call me Nella.¡± Chibor lowered his head. ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± Then he looked at Elaswit while Nella pretended to pout. The princess shrugged. ¡°Call me whatever. I really don¡¯t mind.¡± Nella sighed as if she was the eccentric friend and Elaswit was being a boring party-pooper. Aiden still wasn¡¯t completely sure of what the dynamic of the both of them was or how it worked. He knew Nella did what she could to create some level of activity in her life, but did she do the same for the princess¡¯ life. ¡°Oh, Lord Lacheart.¡± Nella turned to him. ¡°Thank you for what you did for Vanisi. She had so much fun. For that, you have my gratitude.¡± Elaswit looked between the both of them, confusion playing the trombone on her face. ¡°Vanisi?¡± she asked, voice a little too confused. ¡°What happened between him and Vanisi?¡± Nella did her poorest impression of hiding a feline smile. ¡°They just went out two days ago. Did some necessary things.¡± ¡°Necessary?¡± Elaswit¡¯s brows furrowed. Aiden had no intentions of being a part of this. ¡°She showed me to the adventurer society hall,¡± he explained. ¡°That was all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be modest.¡± Nella made a very lady-like gesture. It suited her in the gown she was currently wearing but not the adventurer image Aiden already had of her. ¡°She told me that you also took her to have a meal. You were the perfect gentleman. Kind and nice. Loving even.¡± Aiden turned to Chibor abruptly, unwilling to be a part of this any longer, and asked, ¡°You are done with everything you need from me, correct?¡± The man looked momentarily confused. ¡°Uh¡­ yes, my lord?¡± ¡°And how long do you think the other one will take if it is permitted?¡± ¡°A few days,¡± Chibor answered. ¡°Less than seven but more than three.¡± It was Nella¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°What is this other one?¡± Chibor turned, an answer obviously on his lips. Aiden preempted him. ¡°It is protected under tailor client confidentiality. He is not at liberty to tell you.¡± Chibor paused, mouth suddenly clamping shut. Nella looked from Aiden to Chibor. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing before.¡± ¡°Because Tailor Chibor has never had a reason to bring it up.¡± Aiden shrugged, a little proud of himself for the confusion on her face. ¡°Tailor Chibor?¡± Nella asked, surprised. ¡°When did that happen?¡± ¡°Today,¡± Aiden answered before the tailor could, then started walking towards them. Elaswit looked very curious. She probably had a lot of questions. Questions that Aiden wasn¡¯t going to answer. He stopped before he got to the two ladies and looked back at the old man. ¡°When should I come for tonight¡¯s attire?¡± ¡°In an hour, Lord Lacheart,¡± Chibor said easily. ¡°It would not take me long to craft something simple for you.¡± He paused, attention resettling on Elaswit and Nella. ¡°Make it three hours, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Three hours it is.¡± Then he made his way in between both ladies. Nella hesitated to give him the space to leave but Elaswit complied easily. It brought a disappointed pout to Nella¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Elaswit said as Aiden opened the door. ¡°You¡¯re the one picking me up.¡± Aiden paused, unsure of what that was about. They quite practically lived in the same building. The same building the ball was also being hosted in. What exactly did she mean by picking her up. ¡°I won¡¯t forget,¡± he replied. ¡°Will thirty minutes before the ball work or would you rather an hour after its official start.¡± From what Aiden knew, there were three types of nobles when it came to parties. Those that came early, those that came on time, and those that liked to make an entrance. ¡°Your choice,¡± Elaswit said easily. Aiden noticed there was no flirtation or expectation. Right now, he might as well be talking to a girl that was nothing but a friend making arrangements with him. ¡°Let¡¯s do an hour late,¡± he said. Elaswit nodded and gave him a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll make an entrance.¡± A little belatedly, Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about making an entrance with the princess. Is this her or is she still holding on to whatever plans she had in the beginning? Walking into a ball with her to the sight of everyone present would practically be an announcement of a status of importance. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about it. But you¡¯ve already decided to be late, he thought, unwilling to take his words back. It would say less about him to be changing his mind so suddenly. Still, he wanted to. It would be better for him in the long run. Especially with the plans he had for when he returned to the capital city. The last thing he wanted to do was cause public problems when he finally put his plans into motion. Nodding to Nella in greeting, he made his way out, leaving Chibor to the mercy of both ladies. Before he was out of the store, though, he heard Elaswit ask a question. ¡°When did he go out with Vanisi? And why is he going out with Vanisi?¡± Aiden shook his head. Nella, it seemed, had the princess right where she wanted her. ¡­ Level 48. Even now, Valdan was having a very difficult time believing it. Lord Aiden Lacheart¡¯s growth had moved from impossibly amazing to gravely terrifying. The boy had gotten the [Spearmanship] skill in a single day, maybe two. That was unprecedented. It was as if the more he did and the more he experienced, the stronger he became. Forty eight levels in about a month or less was¡ªin the shortest amount of words¡ªterrifying. Valdan scratched the back of his head in slight frustration, his fingers scattering his hair, not that it wasn¡¯t already a mess. Of all the things he would have to report to the king, this seemed like the one that would really prove an issue for Aiden. The death of the poachers was ignorable. It would speak much to Aiden¡¯s character but, ultimately, it would matter very little. Objectively, it would show that he was a boy willing and capable of doing whatever he had to do. A person capable of improvising and trusting his judgement in difficult scenarios. And anybody who would stand to say that he had a hand that was too heavy would only need to look to the boy, Fjord, to see the lightness of his hand as well. Fjord was living proof that Aiden wasn¡¯t some blood thirsty person looking for any excuse to shed blood. He still had a touch of mercy to him. Still¡­ Valdan moved to sit on a chair and stare at nothing. Level forty-eight. The boy was arguably now his equal. All he now had on Aiden was experience. But did he really have that upper hand? Aiden had proven once upon a time that he could hold his own against opponents stronger than himself in his fight against the envoys of Nel Quan. Then again by killing someone above level fifty. The foolish leader of the poachers was merely a poacher, but he was still above level fifty. The level was powerful, and time and experience were what led to it, but it was still just power in the end. In the wrong hands, it was useless. But the man had had his subordinates as part of that fight, though. I guess I won¡¯t be able to hold back in our training if I want to give the boy a useful session. Valdan remained unsure of how to feel about it, though. Am I jealous? he asked himself. Bothered? It took him only a moment to find the answer. He was not. Aiden¡¯s growth did not terrify him because the boy was growing to match him. In fact, Valdan had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t really be bothered if Aiden entered level fifty before him. He would be disappointed in himself, but he didn¡¯t think any of his feelings on the matter would be projected onto the boy. What worried him about the speed of Aiden¡¯s growth was the allure of power. The boy wouldn¡¯t have the time to acquaint himself with it. A slow and steady growth allowed you get accustomed to yourself as well as your power as you grew. But Aiden was experiencing none of that. He was breezing through levels like a starving man who had arrived late to a feast. The problem with this was that power corrupted. It affected all men in all ways. Allowing himself the taste of so much power so quickly would not only give Aiden a taste of power, but it would also give it to him in large doses. The boy could drown in it. But more importantly, Valdan realized, was the fact that he was more worried about reporting Aiden¡¯s new level to the king. The reasonable thing to do would be to stunt his growth, force him to take some time off leveling, Valdan thought, frowning slightly. It would be the wise thing to do. But there was also a chance that it would breed caution¡ªhave the king keep too close an eye on his growth. Brandis was a good king, but he was still a king. As a leader, you kept a cautious eye on powers that could be a threat or a boon to your kingdom. And there lay the problem Valdan was faced with. Not the problem of what his king would do but the problem of why he was currently considering keeping Aiden¡¯s growth from the king. Why he was considering lying for the boy. He dropped his head in his hands in dismay. Where has my loyalty gone? His worry continued to gnaw at him when a knock came from the door. His mouth opened to call the person in, but no words came out. It would be a futile action. Instead, he got up and made his way to the door. Just below the knob, Aiden had engraved a locking enchantment for him. For a boy who claims to have come from a peaceful world, he is quite paranoid. ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked. ¡°Your friendly neighborhood spiderman,¡± the voice on the other end answered with a touch of amusement. Valdan sighed. He had no idea what that meant, but he knew Aiden¡¯s voice when he heard it. Channeling a touch of mana into the enchantment, he released the lock, leaving only the physical lock in place. He undid that immediately after and opened the door. Aiden stood in front of his door clad in a simple attire fit for a noble at a party if he wanted to keep a low profile. Black pants over brown boots and a black cotton shirt with silver buttons worn beneath a simple brown jacket adorned him. ¡°You look dashing enough,¡± Valdan said, giving a compliment to a person he just realized would care nothing for it. Aiden looked him up then down, studied him. He frowned in the end. ¡°And you are under-dressed.¡± Valdan looked down at himself. He wore a simple loose white shirt and black pants that were looser than the shirt. ¡°I believe I am dressed quite properly for bed.¡± Aiden gave him a look he couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°You should sleep naked; I hear its good for physical growth.¡± This time Valdan gave him a skeptical look. ¡°Do you sleep naked?¡± ¡°Gods no. I sleep with my sword under my bed and properly prepared for sudden combat.¡± ¡°That is worrying¡­ but understandable.¡± Valdan folded his arms over his chest. ¡°That said, I would be happy to ignore your advice¡­ wait, you said under-dressed not over-dressed.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Then you advised me to sleep naked.¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you think both statements correlate.¡± Aiden pushed his way into the room and made a straight line for the wardrobe. ¡°They do not.¡± Valdan allowed him then closed the door. He turned the lock but didn¡¯t activate the enchantment. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, arms folded over his chest and back rested against the door. Aiden paused in his act of going through Valdan¡¯s wardrobe. He pulled out an attire and held it up by its hanger. It was the attire Valdan had worn to the ball for the envoys of Nel Quan. ¡°You brought this with you?¡± he asked, surprised. ¡°I did,¡± Valdan answered, unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s a very nice attire.¡± Aiden gave it a skeptical look before nodding in acceptance. He went back into the wardrobe almost immediately, returning the attire and perusing once more. Valdan held back a sigh, knowing exactly what the young lord would find. Aiden turned back to him with a slight frown a moment after. ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± Valdan shook his head slowly. Aiden¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You have definitely got to be kidding. You have only the one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nice attire,¡± Valdan repeated. ¡°Sir Valdan Dirtwater,¡± Aiden began in a faux haughty tone. ¡°You do not carry only one attire fit for outing when visiting a noble house. And seeing as it is the one you wore for the only other ball I¡¯ve attended with you¡ªthe last ball you attended, might I add¡ªthis will lead anyone to believe that it is the only pair you have.¡± It wasn¡¯t the only one he had. In fact, Valdan had three dashing attires for party occasions. Melvet had made sure of it. Aiden pulled the attire out again but wore a thoughtful expression. ¡°Maybe I should¡¯ve dragged him along with me,¡± he muttered to himself. It was low enough that Valdan barely heard it. Then he shook his head. ¡°No, he¡¯s a tailor not a miracle worker. And I don¡¯t have time.¡± With a sigh, Valdan pushed off the door. ¡°What exactly is going on right now, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Aiden closed the wardrobe and walked over to the bed. He dropped the attire on the bed unceremoniously. ¡°We have a ball to attend.¡± Valdan chuckled. ¡°These things give me a headache. I would rather not attend this one.¡± ¡°Oh, Valdan,¡± Aiden grinned. ¡°But you must.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the ball has already started, and we¡¯re supposed to pick the princess up in half an hour from her wing. We wouldn¡¯t want to give her anything less than the grandest.¡± Valdan¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. He should¡¯ve known nothing good was about to happen when Aiden came looking for him by himself. Unable to say no, he walked over and picked the attire up. Keeping an eye on Aiden was beginning to feel like having a very troublesome younger brother. A very young and troublesome younger brother. FIFTY-FIVE: Mage Radiant Elaswit had the most politically correct smile on her face as they walked into the ball. It would¡¯ve been hilarious to look at if it didn¡¯t fit her expression quite perfectly. ¡°Why exactly are you here?¡± she muttered under her breath in an attempt to not make her words too obvious for anyone watching from afar. ¡°It¡¯s kind of my party,¡± Nella answered, walking with a smile beside her. ¡°I mean here, beside me.¡± Elaswit did her best impression of having a pleasing conversation. Nella feigned ignorance. ¡°Because you¡¯re my friend.¡± On the other side of Nella, Aiden did his best to hold his laughter behind a simple smile. Valdan, however, wasn¡¯t very poised in the art of pretense. He looked as uncomfortable and tired as he was. ¡°Remind me why I¡¯m here again, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said in complaint. ¡°I told you already,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°We needed to pick up the princess.¡± Around them the entire hall was filled with people in attires so varying that Aiden could¡¯ve worn a peacock¡¯s tail for a collar and still wouldn¡¯t be out of place. In fact, there was a lady who wore exactly that at one of the tables where the food was placed, at least what passed for extravagant colors in feathers on Nastild. She had a bottle of some fizzy drink and was talking to an actual child who was dressed in a suit. As for the rest of the room, it was loud with people moving about doing one thing or the other. Aiden counted at least six full noble houses, and too many emblems representing other noble houses. A quick perusal told him that there was no noble house of Bandiv that was not either here or being represented by someone that was here. Valdan was caught looking around as if he was a prey in a predator¡¯s den. Uncomfortable was a word that hardly did justice to how he looked. ¡°Am I the one that¡¯s going to have to tell you to loosen up?¡± Aiden whispered to him. Barely five minutes ago, the man at the entrance had announced their arrival, placing a lot of emphasis on Elaswit¡¯s title. It was almost as if making sure everyone knew she was the one entering would somehow give him a raise. ¡°I hate politics,¡± Valdan frowned. ¡°Everybody hates politics, Valdan,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°Those that like it usually have some kind of screw loose in their head. No offense, Nella.¡± She stood beside him, placing herself between Aiden and the princess in a way that seemed strategic. Whether it was or not, Aiden was grateful for it. ¡°None taken,¡± she said. ¡°After all, I don¡¯t like politics.¡± She raised her hand almost regally and returned the wave of a man off to the side. Aiden didn¡¯t recollect the man¡¯s face but he knew the emblem that was emblazoned on the breast of his shirt. ¡°House Ermillion,¡± Nella said in way of explanation. ¡°The first son. I¡¯m sure his father¡¯s too busy gallivanting around in search of his next mistress so he sent his son for the sake of appearances.¡± Aiden knew house Ermilion. He couldn¡¯t say they were the best of houses but they weren¡¯t necessarily the worst. In two years the first son. Nayrat Ermilion would die to some drug overdose and his younger brother would eventually rise to become the lord of the house when their father passes in the next five years or so. Useless pieces of information, Aiden thought. All the information he had about his earlier years on Nastild were pieces of information you gained when you had plans of involving yourself in the politics of the kingdom. It had been a requirement that he learn all of them when he¡¯d met the head of the Order in his previous life. Useful only for court intrigue, forwhich he had no interest. The head of the Order had been so appalled by his lack of general knowledge involving anything in that life that he¡¯d forced him to learn everything that there was to learn. In hindsight, Aiden could comfortably say that he knew too much about the politics of too many kingdoms on Nastild in the earlier years. A lot of macrocosms but not enough microcosm, he thought. All useless at his current stage. Valdan slowly started branching away from the group as they walked further in and Aiden reached out to grab him by the arm discreetly. ¡°What are you trying to do, sir knight?¡± he asked with a false smile placed for the sake of the audience. Nella and Elaswit gave them a look. Valdan looked down at Aiden¡¯s hand and smiled easily. Gone was the worry on the man¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m just getting a drink, Lord Lacheart. Would you like one?¡± Valdan¡¯s false smile was so perfectly placed that Aiden was almost proud of the man. Almost. Aiden kept his own smile in place. ¡°How about we go get that drink together?¡± Nella reached out and grabbed Aiden by the arm. Aiden turned, a little surprised by her action. ¡°Lady Naranoff,¡± he said politely. ¡°You two should stop making excuses to leave the ladies you came with,¡± she said, then waved at someone. ¡°The drinks will come to us quite easily.¡± Valdan made a displeased sound. Aiden was more discreet about his displeasure. He hid it behind a smile as he was taught to. Nella leaned closer to him and raised a hand to cover her mouth. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a bastard who just found out you¡¯re a Lord¡¯s child?¡± Her action drew a lot more eyes than Aiden would¡¯ve liked. ¡°Certain,¡± he answered. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t act like it.¡± Nella dropped her hand. ¡°You act like you¡¯ve been to balls all your life.¡± ¡°One thing you may not know about commoner children, Lady Naranoff, is that some of us liked to dress up and pretend we were at balls full of political intrigues and daring.¡± Aiden nodded in greeting to a young man that had nodded to him. ¡°It might not be the best, but I¡¯ve had a lot of practice over the years.¡± One of the guests, a huge man with heavy beards that grew so long they covered his neck made a straight line for them. They were brown like the hair on his head that was full and practically a mane. A few strands were braided, bearing small beads in them. To his side, just a step behind was a young man that could have easily passed for a beardless version of him. ¡°Lord Jaga of House Vilion,¡± Nella muttered quickly. ¡°And his annoying third son, Jen,¡± Elaswit added. ¡°Annoying how?¡± Aiden asked, but he never got his answer. Both men were already in front of them, Jaga smiling so widely that it was obvious even beneath all that beard. ¡°Princess!¡± he called in a loud and deep voice, coming to a stop in front of them. He gave a gracious bow, but not at the waist. ¡°It has been far too many years.¡± Elaswit returned the bow, so did the others. Valdan did not. Existing outside the hierarchy by his title as [Knight of the Crown] he was not obligated to be involved in politeness of any kind, not necessarily. However, the reason he didn¡¯t return the bow was because his eyes were trained on a man in the corner. ¡°I was at the ball a few weeks ago when the Envoys from Nel Quan visited,¡± Elaswit pointed out. ¡°And I was not,¡± Jaga replied. Elaswit put up a surprised look. ¡°You were not?¡± Jaga shook his head solemnly. ¡°Sadly not. My first represented the family. I was away, bringing control to the nomadic tribes just east of the kingdom. There were rumors of an uprising that the kingdom could not have.¡± ¡°And were the rumors true?¡± Elaswit asked. Jaga shook his head, his entire hair moving with the motion, the beads in the small braids in his beards making a soft rattling sound. ¡°Not at all. They were merely squabbling amongst each other.¡± ¡°Yet you brought control to them,¡± Nella said politely but pointedly. ¡°How so?¡± Jaga gave her a wider grin but didn¡¯t answer. His son, Jen, however, did. ¡°My father chose to take the side of the weaker group,¡± he said. His voice carried slight touches of a baritone but was too light for it. The baritone almost sounded forced. ¡°It is my principle,¡± Jaga said to the princess, ¡°to always take the side of the weak in such a situation.¡± Nella¡¯s jaw tightened but her smile never left. Jaga¡¯s action had not gone unnoticed. By speaking directly to the princess but leaving his son to speak to Nella, he had proudly pointed out that she was beneath his attention. Naturally, it was true that she was. But he had made a show of it, speaking so loudly to the princess that was known to be her friend, drawing a crowd to their conversation so that there was no one that did not see his treatment of Nella. Aiden knew the man. He had been a prominent figure in the Demon wars. He was known for his prowess in combat and his love for taking to battle any chance he got. Political intrigue was not his forte and he wasn¡¯t good with manners of court. However, anytime he did play political games, it was always on the boorish side of things. Jaga took a moment to turn his attention to Aiden and Valdan. His eyes settled momentarily on Aiden before moving to Valdan. ¡°Sir Knight,¡± he greeted casually. Valdan spared him nothing but an assessing look. Jaga was clearly stronger than Valdan, but there was no noble present that was not aware of the difference in their authority. An unprovoked show of disrespect to a knight bearing the title of [Knight of the Crown] was disrespect to the crown. There was none that didn¡¯t know this. Unwilling to get caught up in what was happening, Aiden turned and offered Elaswit and Nella a gracious bow. ¡°Princess. Lady Naranoff,¡± he said kindly. ¡°If you do not mind, Sir Valdan and I would be in the corner if you need us.¡± He paused for a bit long enough to seem like he might await a reply before turning away. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± he said as he passed the knight. ¡°If you would be so kind.¡± Valdan nodded and turned with him. ¡°Gladly, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Lacheart,¡± he heard Jaga say behind him. ¡°The one that put on a show at the party I missed. To see your skill would be of interest to me.¡± ¡°Faster,¡± Aiden muttered to Valdan as he increased his pace. With their backs turned on the bear of a man, Jaga clearly didn¡¯t see the amused smile that crossed Valdan¡¯s face. ¡°Are you sure you would not like to take your time, Lord Lacheart?¡± Valdan said, amused. ¡°The wine, I¡¯m sure, will be more than happy to wait for us.¡± Ah, a wise guy. ¡°If we are to find ourselves being challenged by house Vilion,¡± Aiden said simply. ¡°It would be me by his son. Who do you think will challenge you?¡± Valdan shook his head with a smile. ¡°Lord Jaga would not challenge me.¡± ¡°Because of your title?¡± ¡°Nope. Because he should at least be over level 100 by now,¡± Valdan said as they approached an empty table. ¡°No one¡¯s going to allow someone of my level duel against a level hundred. From the last update the palace got of him, he was a level ninety-nine. So, unless that level 100 threshold eludes him, he should be above it.¡± Aiden almost looked back at the man. That¡¯s odd. He was level 150 at the start of the Demon wars. That was at least five years into the future. ¡°When was that update?¡± he asked Valdan. Valdan took a quick moment to think about it. ¡°Maybe five months ago.¡± Aiden was fairly certain the man was still not at level hundred, unless the man knew some secret method to reaching the level. Then again, there were those who were just like that, breezing through the fifty level walls as if they were born for it. He¡¯d known of a few people like that in the Order. But to have stagnated for the next fifty levels for five years was worrying. Curious, he asked, ¡°Would they allow the both of us face him?¡± Valdan gave him an equally curious look. ¡°If he isn¡¯t at level hundred yet, then yes. But don¡¯t let all that power get to your head, Lord Lacheart. There is power, and there is power with experience. Even if Lord Vilion and I were of the same level, I would not be in a hurry to face him. He has enough experience under his belt to make me lose.¡± Aiden nodded to that. It only made sense. Before they got to the empty table, a waitress walked past them. She carried a tray in her hand, balanced atop it were different glasses, half-filled with effervescent liquid, slightly golden in color. Aiden snatched up two as she passed and handed one over to Valdan. The knight gave him a look as they took a seat. ¡°How is it that you always have eyes for the drinks in these occasions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a drinker,¡± Aiden said simply. ¡°It¡¯s how I get through the headaches of the crowd.¡± Valdan took a sip of his wine and frowned at it. ¡°Its like drinking sweetened juice.¡± Aiden took a sip of his own. ¡°But not as thick.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d serve better wine at events like this,¡± Valdan grumbled but took another sip, a longer one this time. ¡°I think they normally would,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°But they have to be careful. It wouldn¡¯t be nice to accidentally offend their guest with alcohol that¡¯s heavy enough to notice. You wouldn¡¯t want drunken men hobbling around when the priests show up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Valdan adjusted on his seat. He moved to drop his drink on the table, paused, took a full swallow that emptied the glass, then dropped the glass. ¡°I heard that¡ª¡± He paused. ¡°What?¡± Aiden was giving him a look. ¡°For someone that complained about the drink you sure finished it quickly.¡± ¡°I just wanted to get it out of the way.¡± ¡°Of course you did. You certainly didn¡¯t enjoy it.¡± Aiden smiled impishly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t get you another glass.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, Lord Lacheart.¡± Valdan¡¯s eye moved very briefly, picking out another waiter before returning to Aiden. ¡°On a more important note, I heard rumors of this party being hosted for the priests of the church. Why is that? Everyone knows that you cannot gain favor from the church. At least not in so obvious a manner.¡± Aiden furrowed his brows intentionally. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, am I expected to be privy to the inner working¡¯s of the Lord¡¯s decisions?¡± ¡°No, but Nella seems to take some level of interest in you so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard something.¡± ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± Valdan blinked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Just something we say where I come from.¡± Aiden waved the question aside. ¡°But you¡¯re right. I did hear something about the party.¡± Valdan leaned in, like a teenage girl anticipating the latest gossip. ¡°What did you hear?¡± It was so uncharacteristic of the man that Aiden almost laughed. ¡°You seem¡­ invested,¡± he said. ¡°Because I am,¡± Valdan admitted, unashamed. ¡°I know someone who is quite religious and expects any and every gossip regarding the church from me.¡± That piqued Aiden¡¯s interest. ¡°You have friends?¡± he asked, surprised. Valdan reeled back as if physically struck. ¡°Of course I have friends. What kind of person doesn¡¯t have friends?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I just thought that you had colleagues, not friends.¡± Aiden folded his arms. ¡°And what do you mean by what kind of person doesn¡¯t have friends?¡± ¡°Oh, come off it,¡± Valdan chided him. ¡°Your lack of friends is intentional. I have it on good authority that those your colleagues¡­ what are their names?¡± he snapped his finger in thought, trying to recollect the information he was looking for. He continued only when he had it. ¡°Letto and Drax. I have it on good authority that they are trying to be your friend. You¡¯re the one pretending you don¡¯t want their friendship.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°Pretending?¡± ¡°I said what I said, Lord Lacheart. Now let¡¯s move on to more important matters. This thing you heard¡­¡± Valdan allowed his words trail off, waiting for Aiden to offer more information. Aiden raised a cautionary finger. ¡°Before we continue,¡± he said. ¡°I have a question.¡± Valdan frowned. ¡°You¡¯re stalling, but go for it.¡± ¡°This friend,¡± he said. ¡°How religious is she?¡± Valdan blanked. ¡°Who said they were a she?¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Alright, let me teach you something my fine combat instructor.¡± A frown touched Valdan¡¯s lips but Aiden continued. ¡°First of all, you told me everything I needed to know the gender of your friend,¡± he said. ¡°First, you leaned in, too interested in what was ultimately gossip. And you and I know you have no interest in gossip. Which means that you want this information, not for yourself but for someone else. Which means you are either a spy or a someone gathering gossip. And you, Sir Valdan, are not a spy.¡± Valdan pursed his lips. ¡°Alright. You said first, so what else has given you this impression.¡± ¡°The second one is more of a guess,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Girls are mostly the ones interested in gossip. And when a man such as yourself shows this much interest in gossip he wishes to share with someone, its most usually a girl. And finally,¡± he raised his hand to stall Valdan¡¯s words. ¡°There¡¯s the fact that you went the extra mile to say ¡®who said they were a she?¡¯¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just reaching,¡± Valdan said with a chuckle. ¡°Maybe,¡± Aiden conceded. ¡°But if it was one of my friends or even my brother whose identity I was hiding, I would¡¯ve said ¡®who said it was a she?¡¯ your specific choice of they not it implies that you are completely unwilling to demean them to a pronoun that possibly objectifies them. That shows care. So I¡¯d say either a very close relative or a romantic interest. Now tell me, Sir Valdan,¡± Aiden sat forward, placed his elbows on his knees and leaned in, glass of wine still in hand, ¡°who is this beautiful young lady that has you so enamored and when do I get to see her?¡± There was a moment of silence that stretched between them. Even in the chaos of the party and its loud noises, Aiden could hear the silence between them. It was like a physical thing, as if he could just reach out and grab it. Valdan broke it not long after. ¡°Have I told you how much I hate you, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°And there in lies my personal opinion that it is a romantic interest.¡± Valdan shook his head in surrender. He was smiling. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± he said in defeat. ¡°She is a romantic interest.¡± ¡°Had no idea you had it in you, Valdan,¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°I always thought the only interest you had was in the sword and getting to level fifty.¡± ¡°Well, jokes on you. I have other interests. For now, she holds the fort at my estate until when I return.¡± ¡°Are you both wedded?¡± Aiden asked, genuinely interested. ¡°Married under a system binding oath or just a kingdom and church certificate?¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed in surprise. ¡°How do you know about system binding Oaths?¡± ¡°You honestly don¡¯t think all I do in the library is study beasts and classes, do you?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°I read up on everything. I know the king has vowed to get us home but I¡¯m not naturally an optimistic person. In the event that he cannot, I¡¯ve more than accepted the fact that this is where I end.¡± It wasn¡¯t far from the truth. In his past life, Aiden had learnt of the rules governing marriages from the palace library. A king or an appointed delegate could legalize a couple¡¯s marriage under the kingdom laws with a marriage certificate and so could a priest of the church. Most people settled for that. But system binding Oaths worked differently and weren¡¯t just marriages. For one, they were almost impossible to break. Two people could not so simply annul it just because they were no longer interested. Secondly, its major benefit was the fact that each party could always find each other through the binding as long as there was no interference. Each party could also have access to the other¡¯s personal details whenever and wherever, going as far as real time information of their life stats and more. In Aiden¡¯s past life it was rumored that it allowed parties share pain, and sometimes even skills as long as they were close enough. The benefits were vast, but so were the drawbacks. However, as a random man in a random tavern had once said in Aiden¡¯s previous life, the drawbacks only existed if you planned on being anything but a good spouse. Valdan¡¯s eyes lowered slightly, and Aiden took it as a cue that the knight was not willing to share that specific piece of information. ¡°You don¡¯t have to share,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s your personal life, and far be it from me to pry.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Valdan said, a deep gratitude in his voice. ¡°However,¡± Aiden added quickly. ¡°What I do need to know is what precedence religion takes in your relationship with her. The truth, please. It is the only thing that would help me judge how best to give you this piece of information.¡± Valdan gave it a moment of thought before he answered. When he did, he spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. ¡°The church was once her number one priority,¡± he said slowly, after making sure no one was clearly eavesdropping. ¡°Then we met. Now, in her words, I am her number one priority, our relationship is her number two priority, and the church is her number three priority. And I am inclined to believe her.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°What¡¯s your take on the church?¡± Valdan¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know you better, I¡¯d say that you are beginning to sound like a heretic trying to convert me to his ways. Should I be worried, Lord Lacheart?¡± There was a note of warning in his voice, a warning to Aiden in his relationship with others moving forward. Aiden waved him aside. ¡°Not a heretic. But I see your point.¡± ¡°So, are you giving me the gist or not?¡± It was really weird to hear Valdan so comfortably use the word ¡®gist.¡¯ ¡°Fair enough. The gist is that there may or may not be a [Saint] coming to the banquet.¡± Valdan frowned immediately. ¡°A [Saint],¡± he said, voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°But those are rare, almost mythical. What are there? Only thirty known in the entire world?¡± Twenty-nine, Aiden corrected in his head. At least at this point. By the time the Demon wars started, they had increased to near fifty. And that was only on the human side of Nastild. ¡°Well,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I heard one of them might be coming here. Them and members from the Mage Radiant.¡± Valdan scoffed hearing of the Mage Radiant. ¡°They are nothing but second fiddle to the [Saint] at this point.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Aiden leaned back on his seat and took a sip of his wine. ¡°That what I heard.¡± ¡°Did you learn the [Saint]¡¯s name?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden shook his head. ¡°No idea.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. That¡¯s something only the lord would know at best.¡± ¡°Uhuh.¡± Aiden crossed his leg, rested one ankle over the lap of the other. They remained there, quietly enjoying their company and disapproving of the noise of the party with nothing but their expressions. Lord Jaga Vilion had moved on from Elaswit and was currently talking to some other man. The man was smaller and wore the emblem of some unknown house. It wasn¡¯t necessarily unknown, but it was unimportant. Aiden doubted there was a house on Nastild that he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Don¡¯t look now,¡± Valdan said. ¡°But the young Vilion is heading our way.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t look. ¡°Are we giving him his father¡¯s hospitality?¡± ¡°And by that which one of us will talk to him?¡± Valdan asked, pointedly keeping his eyes on Aiden¡¯s. He was clearly keeping tabs on the boy, Jen, in his periphery. Aiden smiled in response to his question. ¡°Ever played rock, paper, scissors?¡± Valdan blanked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t lie, he was having so much fun using terms Valdan didn¡¯t understand. There was just something about that innocent confusion. Nastild had its own version of the game but where was the fun in that. Aiden opened his mouth to reply when the announcer at the door spoke. His voice was so loud that it overshadowed even the noise of the room. ¡°Introducing Lady Estabel, [Mage] and Magus of the Mage Radiant!¡± the man¡¯s voice boomed, declaring her presence. ¡°And her entourage, consisting of three [Mages], four [Enchanters] and one servant.¡± Aiden¡¯s head moved instinctually. There was always something alluring about the Mage Radiant. Those who had gained the title of Magus within the organization were basically like anime characters. The moment his eyes settled on Lady Estabel, he knew his eyes were not the only ones on the lady. She had hair of the brightest pink. Bright grey eyes glowed subtly behind round glasses with wooden frames of the sharpest brown. She wore a bright yellow cloak, equally as bright as her hair. Aiden knew that if it was before his death, he would¡¯ve been able to sense at least eight enchantments on the cloak. There were probably a series of spells on it, too. Another enthralling aspect of the lady was her staff. She walked with it, stamping it on the ground with each step as if she needed it, despite how young she looked. It was a straight staff, made of what Aiden believed the Mage Radiant would call an elder tree. At its peak it spread out into a weaving of roots with a deep blue orb at its center. Staring at the orb was like staring at the constellations if they moved. With a staff like that, she had a mana storage that could be arguably up to that of two men. The problem was that it was only used to cast really powerful spells. If he was to face Estabel right now, he doubted she would need to use the staff. ¡°Always showing off,¡± Valdan grumbled. Aiden almost laughed. The Mage Radiants, especially those that had risen to the title of Magus were rarely ever known for their humility. At this point, it had taken Aiden a moment to take in the other members of her entourage. They were, in the simplest sense of the word¡ªnext to Estabel¡ªboring. The entire room still had its attention focused on Estabel. One of the lords, a man in his fifties walked up to her. Before he got to her, she turned, and her eyes met Aiden¡¯s. The orb of her staff glowed very faintly, and her mouth moved. ¡°Found you.¡± Aiden heard the words as if she had whispered it into his ears. FIFTY-SIX: A Man With So Little Pride ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Belle turned at the sound of Alev¡¯s voice. She was currently standing guard at one of the back entrances into the building. It wasn¡¯t popular to anyone, but guard duty was never to be taken for granted. There was also the fact that if for some reason something went wrong, dereliction of duty by leaving her post could get her in trouble. However, there were some things that had to be done. Honor could not be allowed to be left behind just because of duty. After all, of what purpose was duty without honor? ¡°Some things have to be done, Alev,¡± she said, imbuing her words with as much determination as she could muster without moving her voice from cold and determined to loud and ambitious. ¡°This is one of them.¡± Alev gave her a look that she knew. It was the look he often gave her when he came to the realization that there would be no talking her out of whatever it was that she wanted to do. They¡¯d both been friends since joining the Naranoff family as soldiers and had worked their way up to the position of squire. It was her dream to hold the title of [Knight]. In that dream, she was closer to achieving it than Alev was. Sometimes the man made it seem like she was closer than he would ever be. ¡°Honor,¡± Alev muttered. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to keep my job.¡± ¡°And you have my word that this will not affect you,¡± she assured him. ¡°Just a gentle switch in rotation.¡± Despite her assurances, worry still colored Alev¡¯s face. ¡°And how will they explain the axe?¡± She gave him her trademark smile. ¡°I¡¯m a resourceful squire capable of sneaking things in and out of wherever I want.¡± With that said, she turned and left him at the door, relieved of her position. Now she would take his position inside the building, right at the banquet. Before she went far, Alev turned and grabbed her hand. She looked up at him, met his eyes. He was taller than her by a few inches. ¡°Think this over,¡± he implored. Belle shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing to think. This has to be done.¡± ¡°He won the last time,¡± Alev pointed out, his worry growing. ¡°What if he wins this time?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°Because last time he took the cowards way,¡± she said, knowing it to be true. ¡°You do not ask a group of soldiers to fight without their skills. It gives them a handicap, an unfair one.¡± Alev shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°Not if you don¡¯t think about it. So think about it.¡± She tapped a finger against her temple. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he face me?¡± ¡°Because you refused to fight without a skill,¡± Alev answered. ¡°And he was adamant about it, insistent.¡± Belle met his eyes, hoped he saw the truth in hers. ¡°You only stand so strongly on such a handicap if it brings you down to the same level with your opponents. Better if it gives you an edge.¡± ¡°He was a better fighter with the weapon,¡± Alev pointed out. ¡°We¡¯ve seen him train with the knight ever since. He¡¯s good, Belle.¡± Belle snorted in derision. ¡°He¡¯s passable.¡± ¡°He beat Narteng.¡± ¡°Narteng couldn¡¯t boil a pot of water if you asked him to do it without a skill. That fool uses [Dash] for every step he takes. Always told him it would get him in trouble one day.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t think it was going to be against some scrub,¡± Alev muttered solemnly. Belle smacked him on the arm and he released her, shooting her a confused look. ¡°What was that for?¡± he frowned. ¡°Even now you underestimate him,¡± she told him, disappointed. ¡°He trains with a knight, Alev. He might not be strong, but he trains with a knight. That¡¯s why they lost. They underestimated him along with the handicap.¡± Alev looked down and away, chastised. ¡°But why do you have to do this?¡± ¡°Sir Derendoff wanted him dead.¡± She looked him in the eye. ¡°We all know that Derendoff does not do anything without reason.¡± Alev looked away. Like every other person under Derendoff¡¯s command, they had slowly begun to doubt Derendoff¡¯s dedication after his imprisonment. They were weak. She knew this as surely as she knew that she was doing the right thing. Belle let out a tired sigh. ¡°I know Derendoff¡¯s not perfect, Alev. I¡¯ve seen it. Sometimes he gets out of hand. But you heard the rumors. You heard the message he passed. The boy is a threat to the kingdom. Derendoff didn¡¯t want him punished, he wants him dead.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Alev asked sharply. ¡°Why does he need a boy dead?¡± It was Belle¡¯s turn to look away. She was twenty-six, to her the young lord was truly nothing but a boy. She didn¡¯t know why he had to die, and she didn¡¯t like having to be the one to kill him. But some things were necessary. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said in the end. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I believe it has to be done, Alev. Derendoff would not go through all that stress to get that information to us if it wasn¡¯t important.¡± Alev wasn¡¯t convinced. She could see it in his eyes. But he didn¡¯t have to be. What mattered was that she got back into the building. ¡°The only way to do this honorably is with a duel,¡± she told him. ¡°It will prove us to be in the right.¡± Alev¡¯s eyes widened in understanding. ¡°You¡¯re going to challenge him to the death.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°That is madness.¡± ¡°It is the only way,¡± Belle insisted. ¡°You know this.¡± ¡°And what if he refuses?¡± Alev frowned. ¡°Or worse, what if he doesn¡¯t? You¡¯ve heard the rumors about him and the poachers, Belle.¡± ¡°They were just poachers, and he had adventurers with him.¡± Belle knew it was a stretch, but she used it as an excuse to appease Alev. She didn¡¯t want him to worry. ¡°He¡¯s strong, but I have no plans of underestimating him.¡± ¡°What if he refuses?¡± ¡°In the company of all those people?¡± Belle scoffed. ¡°He will not. I am yet to meet a man with so little pride.¡± ¡°What if he offers the same request as last time?¡± ¡°No skills?¡± Belle asked and Alev nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll plead my case, render it in front of the audience. This duel is happening, Alev. And you can¡¯t stop it. Come morning, Aiden Lacheart will be a name of the past. And the best I can afford him is an honorable end.¡± ¡­ Aiden jerked at the sudden sound in his ear and Valdan gave him a skeptical look. ¡°Are you good?¡± Valdan asked, eyes moving between him and the [Mage], Estabel. ¡°She¡¯s pretty for her age, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that pretty.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Not her looks.¡± He¡¯d almost bitten out the words in annoyance. ¡°Then what?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°Magic,¡± Aiden answered. It was one word, but he had a feeling that his tone carried how he felt about it. ¡°Did she detect something?¡± Valdan asked, tone growing cold, serious. ¡°Does she know what you are?¡± From Aiden¡¯s experience and what he knew, there was no way of knowing for certain that he and the others had been summoned from another world, not even with magic. At least there was no way to know for certain. ¡°No. I doubt it.¡± In an attempt to ease out some of Valdan¡¯s sudden seriousness, he put a finger in his ear and shook it a little to make it obvious that it was the sound that annoyed him. ¡°I heard her voice in my ear.¡± Valdan cocked a brow. ¡°Through all this? Must¡¯ve been a spell if I didn¡¯t hear it. Sounds like a useless use of a spell?¡± ¡°No idea,¡± Valdan answered. It was, however, a very useless use of a spell. But he wasn¡¯t supposed to know enough about spells. And the fact that the orb of the staff had glowed slightly, it was safe to say she had channeled the spell through the staff. It made her seem arrogant. Then again, she could just be testing him in some way. Even now, she kept her eyes focused on him. A small smile touched her lips. Certain that he also saw the smile, she turned her attention to the man who¡¯d walked up to welcome her and shook his hand. Aiden had had a few run ins with the [Mage] classes in the past. He¡¯d had a few run ins with the Mage Radiants, too. Even killed some. One thing he could say for certain was that a fight with a [Mage] from the Mage Radiants was an annoying one, victory or defeat aside. ¡°Good day, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden straightened slightly at the sound of the voice, remembering that Valdan had pointed out the young Vilion earlier on. He also remembered his suggestion of giving the boy the same treatment that he and his father had given Nella. So he gestured Valdan to silence with a discreet move of his hand and rose to meet the boy. ¡°Lord¡­ Vilion?¡± he said with a touch of feigned forgetfulness, even though he knew the boy¡¯s name. Jen, the young lord, chuckled lightly. ¡°Lord Vilion is my father,¡± he said. ¡°Please call me Jen.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. He held his hand out for a handshake and Aiden paused before he took it. The young lord was probably twenty-two, certainly in his early twenties, and he held his hand out like a lady who wished for you to shake it then plant a kiss on the back of it. Aiden did his best not to narrow his eyes at the man, remembering what the gesture meant. A young lady from the Contrell family had made the same gesture to Jang Su at the party held to host the envoys of Nel Quan. Aiden dropped his hand without taking Jen¡¯s. ¡°Apologies if I do not wish to conclude this handshake,¡± he said simply, keeping insinuations from his tone. Jen¡¯s face rumpled in confusion. When he looked down at his hand, however, his eyes widened in understanding. ¡°My deepest apologies, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said quickly before dropping the hand. He gave Aiden a silent pause, enough time for Aiden to correct him and offer his name. Aiden did not, so he continued, raising his other hand for a proper handshake. ¡°I must apologize for the awkward position I had almost put us in. ¡°I had an injury a few years back that rendered my hand a little worse for wear. Please accept my apology.¡± Aiden eyed the boy but couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion on if he was lying or saying the truth. Regardless, he shook the outstretched hand. ¡°All is fine, Lord Vilion.¡± He gave the man¡¯s hand a firm shake before releasing it. ¡°So, how are you finding the party?¡± He turned to look in the general direction of the Mage Radiant., glass of wine still in hand. ¡°I¡¯ve never been a fan of these events, so I can¡¯t really say.¡± Jen turned to look at the slow gathering that was beginning to grow around the Mage Radiant. ¡°She is pretty, though.¡± Perhaps. To Aiden she was just young. She was also a [Mage] with a mage-staff. A difficult opponent in a fight. He watched Estabel, with her hair of the brightest pink, make a few gestures, exchanging words with some members of her entourage. As she did, the lords that had gathered to her slowly dropped into different looks of confusion. From this far out, Aiden couldn¡¯t make out what had happened, and she was turned away from him so he could not read her lips. ¡°That can be quite displeasing,¡± Jen said. ¡°I¡¯ve run into those from her organization a handful of times while traveling with my father, and they have a habit of making Lords feel lesser than they are. It is why my father does not waste his time going to them in an occasion.¡± True to Jen¡¯s words, Estabel was already turning away from the lords, her cloak swishes around in a flurry as she did. One of the Lords stepped to her when she turned only to have his path blocked by another [Mage]. This one was a man with hair tied back in a perfect bun. He engaged the Lord quickly and respectfully, cutting of his path to Estabel. Estabel was suddenly moving through the crowd with a single man at her side. The man kept a pace behind him, two steps behind and to the side. It placed his station as the servant in the entourage. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jen stuttered. ¡°Is she heading towards us?¡± She was making a straight path towards them, staff clacking away at the ground as she walked. Aiden could hear the sound even through the rondo of conversations that filled the air like ten thousand fireflies. ¡°She¡¯s not coming to us,¡± he said, voice flat. ¡°She¡¯s merely trying to get a better vantage point so she can take to the skies and fly.¡± Jen turned to give him a flat look. ¡°Lord Lacheart, sarcasm is not a skill befitting of a noble.¡± ¡°Then you haven¡¯t been around interesting nobles,¡± Aiden returned not taking his eyes off the approaching Magus of the Mage Radiant. ¡°You should probably observe Lady Naranoff more, you¡¯ll learn a fun thing or two from her.¡± Jen frowned. ¡°Did my father¡¯s treatment of her offend you? Do you intend to ridicule me for it?¡± Aiden gave it a thought and realized that the boy wasn¡¯t truly at fault. He didn¡¯t deserve to be punished simply because he had played a part in his father¡¯s game. At his age and position amongst his siblings, he was in no position to oppose his father over something as petty as a slight against the child of his father¡¯s equal. ¡°Perhaps that was heavy handed of me,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°But no, I do not wish to ridicule you. You are not your father.¡± ¡°And I am¡ª¡± Estabel got to them before Jen could finish his statement, interrupting him with a greeting directed at Aiden. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± she said amiably. ¡°It has been a long while.¡± She did not make a move to shake his hand or make physical contact in anyway. She simply came to a stop an arm¡¯s length away from him and gave him a smile. Her teeth were a bright white, unnaturally so. ¡°Lady Estabel,¡± Aiden returned, his attention flickering to her servant only momentarily. Unlike Aiden, Jen nodded in acknowledgement of Estabel¡¯s presence. ¡°Lady Estabel.¡± She spared him only a cursory glance before returning her attention to Aiden. ¡°Oh, Lord Lacheart, don¡¯t be so formal. May I call you Aiden?¡± ¡°It would be against all forms of decorum, Lady Estabel,¡± Aiden said with a pleasing smile. That took Estabel by surprise, a surprise that showed on her face. She schooled it quickly. Once she regained her composure, she turned and gave Valdan who had remained seated a proper bow. ¡°Knight Dirtwater,¡± she greeted. Valdan raised his empty wine glass to her. ¡°Lady Estabel.¡± ¡°It is good to see you again.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°Likewise.¡± While they exchanged that quick greeting. Estabel¡¯s servant gave Aiden and Jen a respectful bow each. It was a bow that bent at the waist. ¡°When we last met, Lord Lacheart, you were in a bit of a bind,¡± Estabel said, turning to Aiden, pointedly uncaring of Jen¡¯s presence. ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you survived your condition and are out and about.¡± Movement caught Aiden¡¯s eye in the corner. He catalogued it momentarily. Someone had entered the room with a demeanor that made it seem as if the person¡¯s intention had been to slink into the room unnoticed. He had a knack for noticing those who wished not to be noticed. It was one of two reasons he¡¯d noticed the person. The second reason was because he knew the person. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Estabel said, attempting to regain his attention. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could I hazard a moment of your time?¡± Jen looked between them, hiding his confusion and irritation at being ignored behind a polite smile. He had been so abruptly relegated to the position of a spectator, kindly informed to take his leave in the most politically correct way a Magus of the Mage Radiant could pass the information. But he did not leave. He merely stood there, likely interested in whatever conversation that had a Magus asking for Aiden¡¯s time. Aiden was beginning to garner the limelight everywhere he went. It was a worrying feeling when he still felt weak. Too many eyes on him was always the same as too many threats being aware of him. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden forced himself to return his attention to Estabel. The person he had seen moving about had also been on the training ground the day he¡¯d taken all the challenges. He had refused hers, though. She can¡¯t be, he thought. Right? ¡°What would you like to know?¡± he asked Estabel, his mind still fleeting around. He was arguably certain that the lady was going to try something. She had been, after all, quite adamant on fighting him with her skills. But she wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to challenge him at a gathering such as this, right? He was a guest of her Lord, one that had come in at the side of the princess. It was one thing to challenge him on the training grounds, away from prying eyes. It was another to challenge him in public, in front of the Mage Radiants and other nobles. It would be a slander on the name of her Lord. Naranoff would not be able to live it down. She would be punished as well. Severely. ¡°It is said that you were the one that solved the mystery of the cave in this region,¡± Estabel said. ¡°And from what I learned, you came down so high a level of enchantment poisoning that, dare I say, there is no recorded history of anyone coming down that badly from enchantments instead of potion toxification.¡± ¡°You were there when I was unconscious?¡± ¡°I was.¡± Estabel¡¯s staff remained firmly in one hand. ¡°In fact, I even offered my services to aid you. I am a [Mage] after all, I possess a vast array of healing spells at my disposal. However, Sir Valdan over here was quite adamant on me staying away.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°On you staying away?¡± ¡°Well,¡± she made a vague gesture with her hand, ¡°he was actually quite adamant on everyone staying away. But I¡¯m a [Mage]. I had a spell or two up that let me know your underlying condition.¡± ¡°Questions,¡± Aiden said casually, eyes narrowing as the lady he¡¯d been keeping track off had disappeared from his periphery. ¡°You have a question, Lady Estabel. I would be glad to give an answer to it if you ask it.¡± Maybe if I can sneak away, Aiden thought. The last thing he wanted was to get into any form of official altercation at a party such as this. His spar with Jang Su and Haruto had been just that, a spar, a friendly display of abilities. This would not be the same. It would also be uncalled for and draw the wrong kind of attention to him. Why does there always have to be a fool when things like this are involved? If she challenged him to the death in public, then they would have to fight to the death. He could always turn her down, but people like her would make a scene. With all the people present, refusing would not be impossible but it would be an issue. ¡°I am merely asking what exactly happened in the cave, Lord Lacheart,¡± Estabel said. ¡°A lot of things happened, Magus Estabel.¡± Aiden¡¯s eye darted to the nearest exit but it was too far. His eyes were pulling back when he paused. He¡¯d caught movement there too, just beyond the ajar door. A frown touched his face. Was that Vanisi? Why the hell was she outside, and why had she moved just before he¡¯d seen her? ¡°Anyone with two functioning eyes can tell that a lot happened, Lord Lacheart,¡± Estabel said, and Aiden thought he¡¯d heard a note of irritation in her voice. ¡°I am simply asking for the specifics. What kinds of enchantments did you run into to lead you into such a dire state of enchantment toxicity? By their very nature, enchantments are subject to items. The human body does not experience the magic going through them but the side effects of being around them. The levels of toxicity you went through imply high levels of exposure to enchantments going through you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Aiden said. Estabel¡¯s lips pressed into a firm thin line. ¡°Which implies that a lot of enchantments were applied upon you.¡± ¡°And?¡± This time it was very obvious that the woman was gritting her teeth. ¡°Which means that either you and the princess had a very unhealthy fight, or you were separated at some point and you ran into enchantments of varying kinds or very powerful kinds. In normal situations, one can only expect such levels of toxicity from enchantments if the victim had been experimented on or has died from whatever enchantments were inflicted upon them. ¡°Furthermore, investigations into the cave following your time out of it revealed too many chunks of dead stones and not enough information. There were stories of strange monsters not native to Bandiv that turned into these dead stones when they were slain. And a pocket area with strong ties to¡ª¡± her voice dropped to a whisper ¡°¡ªa strange kind of mana.¡± ¡°What do you mean a strange kind of mana?¡± Estabel¡¯s eyes narrowed on him, and she frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me, Lord Lacheart. I have afforded you the decorum and understanding required for someone such as yourself after going through whatever you went through. But any smooth brained child can see that you are clearly not paying me any attention.¡± Her hand tightened around her staff. Aiden¡¯s eyes went to the orb, but it wasn¡¯t glowing. ¡°If you do not wish to speak of your experiences within the cave, simply say so. It is a better option than debasing me to such levels of disrespect.¡± ¡°I do not wish to speak of my experiences.¡± Aiden turned his head so that he could look for the lady he¡¯d seen more appropriately, widening the scope of his vision. Where the hell is she? Is she just out on her duty and I¡¯m just being paranoid? It was always a possibility. A tug on the hem of his jacket pulled his attention to the side and Aiden found Valdan giving him a worried look. ¡°You look flustered,¡± Valdan said. ¡°One of the trainees is here,¡± Aiden said simply, ignoring the fuming Magus in front of him. Valdan¡¯s look turned worried even though Aiden was certain he didn¡¯t know what exactly he was talking about. ¡°What trainee?¡± ¡°The one who would not face me without a skill.¡± ¡°The one you turned down?¡± Aiden nodded. The moment Valdan¡¯s worry deepened, he knew the man understood his worry and his mind had gone in the same direction Aiden¡¯s had. Valdan was already on his feet. ¡°How was she dressed?¡± Aiden knew why the knight was asking. Her attire could infer her purpose. ¡°As if she¡¯s on duty. Clad in the family¡¯s colors and her soldier¡¯s armor. Just like the rest that are present.¡± There was a soldier at every door, and not just the simple soldiers, the trainees who worked their way on the path of being squires. The lady had been dressed just like them. ¡°Is there a problem, Lord Lacheart?¡± Estabel asked. ¡°Something I can assist you with, perhaps? I would be remiss to¡ª¡± ¡°ANNOUNCING!¡± the announcer¡¯s voice cut through the din of the conversations. ¡°From the Saint Aelti parish, High priest Binti and his entourage, comprising of four priests, two deacons, and one seminarian.¡± Eyes turned at the announcement. But while everyone blessed themselves with the holy sign, another highlight of their day coming in the form of someone bearing the title of [High Priest], Aiden¡¯s highlight came in another form. A massive axe slammed into the table behind him and Valdan. It embedded itself firmly in the wood with a loud enough thud to draw not just Aiden and Valdan¡¯s attention, but that of Jen, Estabel and a few other eyes. The lady he¡¯d seen stood on the other side of the table, a firm hand on the haft of the double headed axe. Determination flared in her eyes with righteous fury. Valdan leaned towards her, placed a hand on the blade of the second head of the axe. ¡°You do not want to do this, child,¡± he told her in a calm voice. ¡°Not here. Not now. Wait until this is over.¡± She afforded him a respectful look, but her eyes said that she was not dissuaded. ¡°I have waited too long, Sir Knight.¡± A small smile touched Jen¡¯s lip just as a simple figure walked in behind the entourage of priests. Aiden saw the figure out of the corner of his eye. It was only a brief note, but he¡¯d lived long enough and seen enough to not mistake the blonde, white hair and the bright skin that marked a man with the power of divinity. The [Saint] was here. Unannounced by the announcer. And as enamored as people were by the man¡¯s arrival, their enamor did not last. ¡°I,¡± the lady with the axe¡¯s voice boomed over the entire room, ¡°BELLE OF SINORA, BEFORE ALL NOTABLE FIGURES PRESENT AND THE GODS, CHALLENGE YOUNG LORD, AIDEN LACHEART, TO A DUEL OF HONOR! A DUEL TO THE DEATH!¡± A sharp scowl passed Aiden¡¯s lips as all eyes settled on their table, pulled away from the [Saint]. She had done it. She had invoked the gods as well, dragging the priests into this in the presence of a [Saint]. A fucking [Saint]. Aiden¡¯s jaw tightened. You dumb child. FIFTY-SEVEN: Palm Open Power has always been the gift of the strong. With the weak, power was simply relative. Most people would have you believe that power in general was relative. But it was not. If you were an ant in a battle against termites you could argue relativity. But anyone who had seen two elephants get in a fight up close, or two gorillas batter at each other in pure unadulterated violence knew that power was not relative. There was power, and there was playing at power. At least Aiden thought that. So, it was always confusing to him when the weak tried to live in the relativity of their power. He understood the reason, very much so in fact. When you stood against those who put your power under the world of relative, it made you feel a certain level of power, it deluded you into thinking you were powerful and not just relatively powerful. The weak did not attack the strong. That much was true, and there was a reason for this. But even the Order believed that the weak needed to work together to make each other stronger until they could attack the strong. Until power was no longer relative to them. Until they became one of the strong. The weak were supposed to understand more than anyone why violence was not always the answer. And yet, amongst each other, the strong held¡ªeven if more volatile¡ªgreater peace between each other than the weak. The weak were always more than eager to claw at each other¡¯s throat. So, yes, Aiden Lacheart understood why the weak fought so eagerly amongst each other at the slightest offense. But why the larger population of the weak refused to understand why it was not right continued to confuse him. And, often times, it angered him. So here Aiden was, seated in a bedroom he¡¯d never been in, upon a bed he¡¯d never been on. He¡¯d been pulled in here by Lord Naranoff himself after Belle of Sinora¡¯s very unhelpful declaration of challenge. Amongst those within the room were Valdan, Belle, Lord Naranoff, Nella, and the Magus, Estabel. The princess had tried to be a part of it, but Lord Naranoff had been happy to educate her in the most discreet of voices on how her station was above such a squabble and how his station only paid attention to it because it was his duty as host. And downstairs a [Saint] waited for whatever decision would come out of this. Whatever decision would be made, all Aiden knew was that he had now garnered the attention of a fucking [Saint]. Good fucking job. With his head in his hands, he half listened to the conversation going on around him. Lord Naranoff, it seemed, was also not in the best of moods. ¡­ This cannot be happening to me. Lord Naranoff ran a hand through his hair. It had been kempt once. Cut to medium length, he¡¯d kept it in a nice perm, with gels of different kinds that kept it intact with a side pathing. Like his daughter, he hated such extravagant primping but knew to conform to the occasions as they came. Now, the hair was an unruly mess. Although Nella would call it a handsome bed head. She was always quick to compliment such things. Lord Naranoff currently stood in one of the guest rooms not far from the hall where the ball was being held. It was simply a floor above the ball, a simple room with a simple bed and a simple painting of some made up horizon where the sun set dramatically. Personally, he¡¯d always felt the painting to be a little lackluster¡ªpoorly made. A simple wooden chair he was surprised still hadn¡¯t broken sat next to a boring table with a candelabra, and a soft brown carpet coated the ground. But the aesthetics of a room designed for an unimportant guest was the least of Lord Naranoff¡¯s worries right now. He ran his fingers through his hair. Again. ¡°This is madness,¡± he muttered before he could stop himself. ¡°My Lord, I assure you that it is¡ª¡± ¡°Be silent, soldier!¡± he snapped, cutting the young squire off. ¡°You are the very reason for this madness. You had your options. You had time. You had place. By Newtan¡¯s beard! You could have done this while he slept! Taken his life quietly!¡± He pressed his lips into a thin line to prevent himself from saying more rubbish than he¡¯d already accidentally said. Taking a deep breath, he continued. ¡°But no. You spat directly in my face with this one.¡± He turned away from her, looked to the ceiling and laughed in self-mockery. ¡°I thought this was already done with. I thought this madness was put to bed.¡± Belle stood at attention. ¡°It was not, my lord.¡± ¡°He bested over five of you who¡¯d challenged him,¡± Lord Naranoff pointed out. ¡°How in the name of all that is unreasonable did that not put this to bed.¡± ¡°Because he did not take my challenge.¡± Lord Naranoff¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°And why, pray tell, did he not take your challenge, Belle of Sinora?¡± If his emphasis on her name to show his disdain affected her, she did not show it. ¡°Because he refused to fight with our skills.¡± Lord Naranoff spun, maddened to extremes. ¡°And yet he bested trained soldiers. Are you telling me that I am raising squires who cannot hold their own without using their skills? Is this how far my own army has fallen? I hold an army of people who fall over themselves without their skills at their aid? What next? Will I raise knights as stupid as the brainless?¡± Belle had the decency to be chastised. She did not meet his eyes when she answered. ¡°No, my lord.¡± Lord Naranofff pointed at young lord Lacheart. The boy¡ªbecause he was just a boy¡ªsat silently on the only bed in the room with his head in his hands. He hadn¡¯t said anything since they''d entered the room. He hadn¡¯t said anything since Belle had dropped her challenge. Quiet people in crisis were people to worry about, Lord Naranoff had learned over the years. A quiet boy in crisis is a boy to worry about. Always. ¡°Do you take pride in what you have done, soldier?¡± Lord Naranoff asked Belle. ¡°Is this something worthy of pride? What, are you out to seek revenge for your colleagues he defeated? Colleagues who challenged him, might I add.¡± ¡°This is not about pride, my Lord.¡± Belle stood at attention, ever so defiant. ¡°It is about honor.¡± ¡°Honor!¡± Lord Naranoff spat. Honor was always used by those who had never graced the battlefield and seen men die in the most dishonorable way in the name of the very word. Honor was a terrible thing. It did not mean that honor was not real, though. It just meant that he could not take the word seriously when it came from a child who had never been faced with the true choice of upholding honor or setting it down to what was necessary. Very few people had ever upheld honor even when dishonor was an easier and safer action to take. Belle had no idea what honor was. Still, she stood at attention, met his gaze, and nodded. ¡°Yes, my lord. Honor.¡± It was the height of stupidity. ¡°And what is this honor?¡± he asked her. ¡°For what reason has picking a fight with a boy become honorable.¡± ¡°Your son made a choice at the risk of his own title,¡± she began, only for him to cut her off by turning away. Again, he ran his fingers through his hair. He used both hands this time. It was all he could do not to pull at his own hair. ¡°My son,¡± he laughed darkly. ¡°Even from a dungeon cell many miles away from me he still reaches forth with his hubris to ruin my peace of mind.¡± ¡°My Lord, Sir Derendoff is not a dishonorable man,¡± Belle protested, her stoic military demeanor slipping. ¡°Sir Derendoff is a¡ª¡± Lord Naranoff rounded on her like a whirlwind. ¡°There is no Sir Derendoff, you misguided fool! There is none alive under his command that does not know that he has been stripped of that title. And just so you know, young Lady, continued reference to that fool using his title is not loyalty to him but disloyalty to the crown. I will assume that you did not know better and pretend I did not hear you.¡± Belle¡¯s lips pressed into a firm line. She fought with her clearly blind loyalty to his son and her loyalty to the crown. Lord Naranoff was disappointed to see that. He was raising soldiers that were loyal to the crown, not loyal to his stupid son. Worse, Belle was actually a promising talent. She was over level thirty at just age twenty-six and her growth was continuing at a steady pace. She was probably the soldier with the highest potential amongst his son¡¯s subordinates. It was a sad thing to know that his son¡¯s arrogance had corrupted her. ¡°Is this truly a fight you cannot let go off?¡± he asked her, his voice slightly imploring, more for the sake of his image than her. ¡°Is your concept of honor that rigid?¡± Belle straightened up. ¡°Honor does not bend. If it bends, it is not honor.¡± ¡°How about we just have it happen in the arena?¡± Nella spoke up, interjecting. ¡°We could keep it away from too many eyes; control those that witness it.¡± Lord Naranoff dismissed the suggestion with a simple gesture. ¡°She called on the gods in the presence of the priests. By law, my place is only established by the right of host. The regulations of the duel will be under the supervision of the church. And they will not bend the rules.¡± Nella went back to her thoughtful silence. Unlike his son, her thoughts were always turned towards solutions, not necessarily peaceful solutions but the best solutions for the situation. If only Derendoff was this smart. Still, Lord Lacheart had said nothing. The Magus from the Mage Radiant offered him curious looks as they spoke, as if she was waiting for him to say something. As for Sir Valdan, he simply stood next to the boy, silent. He was like a man awaiting the decision of his friend. A man that would support that decision no matter what. It was an odd thing to see a [Knight of the Crown] behave in such a way to a young Lord he had no obvious connections to. ¡°And you will not accept a fight without skills?¡± Nella asked. Belle shook her head. ¡°He would only use it to find a space to wiggle his way out. I have seen him train with Sir Valdan on multiple occasions. I am ashamed to say that a fight with only armed and unarmed combat would merely leave us as equals. It would do no good.¡± Lord Naranoff thought he heard the Knight, Valdan, snort. But when he looked at the man, the man remained expressionless. His poise remained one of a waiting man. ¡°Since she is the challenger, can she choose to have the duel away from prying eyes?¡± Nella asked. Lord Naranoff gave it a thought before answering. ¡°If she pleads the case to the priests, I am sure it is possible.¡± Belle bowed her head even before Lord Naranoff turned to her. ¡°If it is what I need to do,¡± she said, ¡°I will bow and put my head to the ground to request discretion of viewers to the priests. Believe me, my Lord, it was not my intention to bring you shame in anyway.¡± ¡°You challenged my guest in view of my other guests,¡± he pointed out. ¡°You also went as far as to call upon the gods in that challenge in the presence of the priests, inevitably insinuating that you do not trust my authority to be a fair and just judge. The shame is already done, child. And you¡¯ve done it in the greatest way possible. A mere soldier challenges the guest of their Lord.¡± He shook his head in dismay. ¡°The bards will have a lovely time with this one.¡± Belle closed her eyes, pained. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t thought this far. She had allowed her devotion to his son blind her. And blindly, she had done far too much. ¡°You say that you are willing to apologize, Belle of Sinora,¡± the Magus, Estabel, said. ¡°Is this true? To apologize and make certain requests?¡± Belle¡¯s gaze narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Yes, Magus.¡± ¡°Put your eyes in order, Belle of Sinora,¡± Estabel said dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are truly capable of, but understand that I am a Magus of the institution. I hold the title at a younger age than most would imagine. But while I may look it, I am not that young.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Belle was smart enough to obey. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Estabel continued. ¡°I seem to have taken a rather unhealthy interest in the young lord. Not necessarily in him, but in what he has experienced. That said, it would not be to my pleasure if he were to suddenly up and die. So how about we all save face. All of us except you, of course. You will adjust your challenge and correct it to first blood or first strike or whoever surrenders. Whatever other options you people may have, I don¡¯t really care. Just anything that will keep the child alive enough to grant me answers when this entire thing is over.¡± ¡°I apologize, Magus,¡± Belle said, ¡°but that cannot happen.¡± Estabel smiled sadly then shook her head. ¡°Such ardent determination to kill a child.¡± ¡°Then this fight must be to the death. Is that it?¡± Lord Naranoff asked. ¡°To the death?¡± Belle nodded once. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± A solemn silence settled over the room at her words. Lord Naranoff had nothing to say, and it seemed like no one else did. It had been decided. There would be bloodshed tonight. Unless the young lord was willing to shame himself and turn down her challenge. A single statement cut through the silence like a sharp knife. Two words. ¡°Aight, bet.¡± Everyone turned at the sound of the voice and found Lord Lacheart finally looking up. His eyes were focused on Belle. Lord Naranoff had no idea what the words he''d uttered meant, but they were said in such a tone of finality that he didn¡¯t need to know what they meant to comprehend what they implied. No one had asked for his opinion throughout the conversation because he had looked like he was unwilling to talk. Some people were like that, coming to decisions by themselves. And Lord Aiden Lacheart had come to his decision. ¡°I spared a man who had challenged me to death once,¡± he said, voice cold as steel. ¡°It was my mistake. I tried to teach where there was no need for a teacher.¡± He rose from the bed, the action slow and gentle, yet oddly worrying. ¡°Once more, someone has looked me in the eye and told me ''to the death.''¡± ¡°Young Lord Lacheart¡­¡± Lord Naranoff started but could not bring himself to continue. Valdan leaned closer to the boy, voice low. ¡°Aiden,¡± he began, but Lord Lacheart cut him off. ¡°No, Valdan.¡± Rage stained his voice now, a silent rage that did not lend its power to sound, but it was sharp, nonetheless. ¡°I have done everything in my power to be what I had to be. I have stayed away from greater sins than most people will ever know. I have lived my life in a lesser way than I would¡¯ve liked.¡± Belle stood straighter. ¡°I will face you with honor. Of that I can promise you, young lord.¡± Lord Naranoff dropped his face in his hand. Could the woman be any stupider? ¡°Honor?¡± the young lord spat in so much derision it stained even the air. ¡°What do you know of honor? You are but a child grasping at words to justify delusions too great for even your own mind to comprehend. Honor, you say. What honor compels a person of your age to challenge a person of mine to the death.¡± ¡°It is necessary,¡± Belle bit the words out. ¡°Necessary.¡± The young lord hadn¡¯t moved from where he was standing. ¡°That is the word you should use. Ne-ce-ssa-ry.¡± He pronounced every syllable. ¡°Necessary is the same word that leads raiders to pillage and steal and kill and rape. Necessary is the word the weak use to justify taking the life of a harmless child. But you call it honor because you do not have a brain that works for itself.¡± ¡°Oof,¡± Magus Estabel muttered to the side. The young lord cared nothing for it, continuing forward. His eyes were wide now, livid with rage and decision. ¡°Hold your honor to the chest, child,¡± he said, his voice calming. ¡°Because that is all you have; an empty word. It has compelled you, and compelled you are. It has brough you here, before me. To me. It has dictated your path.¡± He ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably. He turned away, pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger as if confused at the inability to comprehend a stupid decision someone who should know better had made. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± he said, finally turning back to her. ¡°You are weak. What do you not understand about that? How do the weak not understand that they should always be the underdog? How do they not understand that they should not seek out fights except fights that are designed to help them grow? How do you not understand that this is not hubris or pride or arrogance but sheer fucking STUPIDITY!¡± Belle opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off with a raised hand. ¡°It matters not. This...¡± he pointed between the both of them. ¡°This will happen, child. I have chosen to deem it so. You will go downstairs. You will take your axe from my hands when I have ripped it from the table. Then you will stand in front of me with the weapon in your hand. And that, right there and then,¡± he pointed at the ground vehemently, ¡°is all the honor you will get. Once that is done, you will have no more honor. When they tell stories of what happens next, your honor will end with you standing with an axe in your hand to face a child. Then it will be a tale of disgrace and humiliation, a story without honor, so that others will listen to it and know what honor does not look like. You will fight and claw and grab and grovel for every inch of time you will have before the end.¡± He took three simple steps and was in front of her, the length of an arm was all that stood between them, and Lord Naranoff inched closer to them just in case. He would¡¯ve liked to say that he saw murder in the boy¡¯s eyes, but he could not. All he saw was death. ¡°I will not see you in an arena,¡± the boy continued. ¡°I will not see you in the presence of a chosen few. I will see you on the same grounds I stood upon when you challenged me. In the presence of the same people who heard you challenge me. You will fight me with your skills, for all the good they will do you. However, by right of a duel as official as this, I will not tell you my level. You will fight me, guessing it until the very end of the duel. Know this, and know peace.¡± Valdan took a step forward but stopped. ¡°Somebody is going to die tonight, Belle of Sinora,¡± Aiden Lacheart said with a finality in his tone. ¡°Pray to the gods that it is not you. Because I know that I do not need them for it to not be me. So, pray, child. Pray that in the stories they tell of today, the one who dies does not die like a dog.¡± His words ended simply, and a sad expression crossed his face. He looked as if he¡¯d just realized that he¡¯d talked far too much. But he was unapologetic. With that, he turned and, with no words to anybody, left the room. The door closed quietly behind him. The room was quiet again. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Lord Lacheart could use so many words,¡± Nella said into the silence. Estabel folded her arms. ¡°And I didn¡¯t know a young child could make anger look so good.¡± She turned to Belle. ¡°Are you sure your conscience will allow you do this? Also, aren''t you older than the child? Why did he keep calling you a child?¡± That last piece of information seemed to really bother the Magus. Belle¡¯s expression was stone. Lord Naranoff was uninterested in any of that. The boy had been rash and had made a rash decision. Anger helped no one in a duel. If the child was to give himself a chance at success, he needed to control that anger. ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± he said. Valdan paused on his way to the door. ¡°Lord Naranoff.¡± ¡°As per the rules of a duel, the challenged has no reason to disclose their level as long as they are within the fifty-level mark of the challenger,¡± he said. ¡°One to fifty, fifty-one to a hundred and so on. As you seem to be the closest person to the young lord, and a man of reputable honor, can you vouch that the boy is below level fifty?¡± Valdan sighed like a man tired of a farce but nodded. ¡°He is not yet level fifty.¡± ¡°Then I believe this duel will hold.¡± He shot Belle a scathing look. ¡°I hope that honor lets you sleep at night after this is done.¡± Belle looked slightly saddened and bothered. ¡°The consequences are ones I¡¯ve always been ready to bear.¡± ¡°Sir Valdan.¡± Lord Naranoff turned to the knight and approached him. ¡°A moment of your time.¡± Valdan did not look happy to give it. When Lord Naranoff got to him, he guided him to the door and opened it. ¡°Can you speak to the boy,¡± he said in a whisper. ¡°Anger, as you know, is not a proper tool to face a duel. Though his anger is understandable, he will need control if he is to stand a chance. I understand that he bested a handful of my trainees, but Belle is not like them. She stands at least ten levels above the second strongest. And with her skills, she is more than just formidable. I have seen what she can do.¡± ¡°I understand. Even I have never seen him this thrown into rage. I will speak with him,¡± Valdan replied in an equal tone of voice. ¡°However, there seems to be a misunderstanding.¡± Lord Naranoff¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°And what is that?¡± The knight gave Belle a sad look. ¡°You are worrying about the wrong person.¡± Then he too was gone. ¡­ Valdan caught Aiden halfway down the flight of stairs. He did not call out to him and try to catch his attention from the distance. Instead, he caught up to him and grabbed him by the arm. He spun Aiden to him and said, ¡°Do not kill her.¡± The flame of anger was still in Aiden¡¯s eyes. It was a cold simmering thing, waiting to flare up and consume everything. ¡°Why?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Why should I spare her when she does not need or want to be spared?¡± Valdan searched the boy¡¯s eyes. He saw no falsehood to Aiden¡¯s fury. He saw control, though, the rage ready to be wielded like a weapon. But it made little sense to him. Aiden had always been mature about certain things. When the soldiers had challenged him, he¡¯d been happy to duel them. He hadn¡¯t been angry then. So, what was different now. ¡°Why are you angry, Lord Lacheart?¡± Valdan found himself asking. ¡°This is unlike you.¡± ¡°Unlike me?¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°Yes,¡± Valdan insisted. ¡°You said more words in that room than I have ever heard you say in a single conversation. I half expected you to start the duel there and then. Why does this have you so bothered?¡± Aiden¡¯s anger flickered, dimmed slightly. His jaw clenched, tightened. It was clear that something had been different here. ¡°Was it the honor?¡± Valdan asked, remembering the boy¡¯s words about pillaging and stealing and raping. ¡°Were you wronged where you come from in the name of honor?¡± ¡°Valdan.¡± Aiden¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Honor is not a word used carelessly. In the years of my life and the things I have seen, the honorable are the ones that use the word the least.¡± He took a step closer to him, eyes searching Valdan''s. ¡°A sense of honor that would lead a woman to kill a child in its name is not even up for debate. There is scarcely anything that would justify what Belle of Sinora has chosen to do today.¡± ¡°You forgave the other men, though,¡± Valdan pointed out. ¡°Because even if they did not know it, they¡¯d made a mistake.¡± ¡°Then forgive Belle¡¯s mistake.¡± Valdan¡¯s hold on Aiden''s arm tightened. ¡°Mistakes can be forgiven. She does not know better.¡± ¡°She had a chance at that duel. She saw what happened to her colleagues and chose to go forward.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°She cannot be forgiven. If I leave her, she will only come again, and again, and again. Until one day her honor tells her that it is honorable to take my life in my sleep. This ends tonight, Valdan.¡± ¡°Leave her with her life, Aiden,¡± Valdan implored. ¡°Do what is right. You know what I ask is right.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes hardened suddenly. ¡°There seems to be a misunderstanding here, Valdan. I am not a good man.¡± ¡°Then are you a bad one?¡± Valdan challenged. ¡°No. I am neither good nor bad. And that is where the problem lies. People spend their lives never understanding a simple truth. I am neutral. In stories told back in my home, there are those that are called morally grey. Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°That they would do anything they want without the guide of morality?¡± ¡°Perhaps. But it really just means that they will do what is necessary.¡± Aiden shook his head and removed his arm from Valdan¡¯s grip. ¡°I am necessary, Valdan. And what is necessary is for everyone to see what happens when you challenge me to the death. If someone does not die, no one will ever learn. I showed a man mercy once.¡± He pointed an angry finger in the direction of the room they¡¯d just left, practically shoved his finger at it. ¡°That child saw it and saw weakness. She will not get to experience it again. Some mistakes change lives. Some end them. A life must end tonight.¡± Valdan¡¯s expression saddened. His next words were said in a whisper. ¡°And you don¡¯t need the gods to know that it is not yours.¡± Aiden mirrored Valdan¡¯s expression. ¡°I will see you downstairs, Valdan.¡± As he continued down the stairs, Valdan watched him go. He was a young boy with too much life in his eyes. Personally, Valdan wasn¡¯t one to pry into people¡¯s lives simply because he didn¡¯t like others prying into his. But whatever Aiden¡¯s world had done to him, it had left him broken on some level. The boy was going down a dark path. If the world left him alone, he would most definitely be fine, but that was not how the world worked. It came after you with everything it had. Valdan had seen it turn good men into monsters. If he was to save Aiden from himself, he would need to know what demons Aiden was fighting. To learn that, he would need to talk to Lord Lacheart the older once they returned to the palace. For now, he only had to worry about the aftermath of the duel. For all of Lord Naranoff¡¯s words, Belle might have stood a fighting chance if this duel had happened a few days ago. But not tonight. Because not only was Aiden stronger, but his enchantment skills were also vastly so. Not too long after his recovery, Aiden had used one of his skills in front of Valdan. What Valdan had seen told him that the young lord had likely gained a skill that allowed him to enchant himself without the hand signs he was prone to using. When Aiden had moved, all Valdan had seen was the boy clap. It was either a new skill or the boy had grown so strong that his hands now moved too fast for Valdan to see the hand signs. Accept her demise and move on, Valdan tried to convince himself. This sin is not one you can save him from. He knew it as surely as he knew he loved Melvet. But even if he tried to save the boy, what would he do if Aiden went astray. You will have to follow him. Valdan shook his head in refusal but not disagreement, and he spoke words he was beginning to find himself saying these days. ¡°I will not leave my king.¡± The words were losing the weight they once had. Valdan¡¯s loyalty was shaking. ¡°I will not leave my king,¡± he repeated, walking down the stairs. His voice had far too little conviction in it. ¡­ Belle stood at the center of a very large crowd. Lord Lacheart had handed her axe over to her in the most respectful manner she¡¯d ever been privy to witnessing. Then he¡¯d walked away from her. Now, he stood opposite her. They stood in a dome of shimmering golden light. After a conversation with the lord, one of the men with the announced high priest had opted to officiate the match. He had blonde, white hair that stood out and a very regal poise. All there was to officiating such a duel was to give the starting command. That was all. The man must be powerful because he had cast the dome that currently contained all three of them and stood unbothered within it. ¡°This duel,¡± the man said with the detached emotion of the powerful. ¡°Will be to the death.¡± He looked between both of them. Lord Lacheart was unfazed. He stood where he was, armed only with a sword at his hip. A sword that he did not draw. With one hand behind his back, he held his other hand at his side, palm open. It was an odd stance. Pray that in the stories they tell of today, the one who dies does not die like a dog, Lord Lacheart¡¯s words came to her. He had gone the extra mile to say he hadn¡¯t needed the gods which was sinful in its own way, declaring that he did not need the gods. Whatever Derendoff had seen in the boy to want him dead might just be that. What was the possibility that the boy was a [Heretic]? Heretics do not discriminate against age. He¡¯d also refused to share his level. Chances were he already had the title of [Heretic] as well and was hiding it. The thought made Belle feel better about what she was about to do. It is necessary, she told herself. It is honorable. The man that stood between them, ensuring they kept a distance of at least fifteen paces between each other, raised his hand. ¡°To the gods, a life is offered,¡± he said. Then he dropped his hand. ¡°Fight!¡± Belle swung her axe in a one-handed grip the moment the words left the man¡¯s mouth. Her interface flashed in front of her and she ignored it, already moving forward. [You have used class skill Lumberjack] The axe swing cleaved the air, cutting through the space between them like a physical thing. Belle had a feeling it would not suffice to kill the boy, so she was already on the move. What she was about to do was necessary, but it didn¡¯t mean that she had to like it. So, she would be fast, quick. She would end this painlessly. The cut met Lord Lacheart and the boy merely leaned to the side to avoid it, unfazed. His stance remained, one arm behind him with the other obvious at his side. The cut shattered against the dome of gold behind the young lord, the crowd made amused noises. Belle ignored it as she came to a stop right in front of Aiden Lacheart. She was half a step behind the slash. With as much power as she could muster, she swung her axe. She would cleave the boy in two and be done with it. It was all the honor she could give him despite the hubris he¡¯d spouted. Suddenly the world shook terribly. Belle¡¯s vision blurred as pain erupted in her head. A loud sound boomed through the entire hall, bringing silence in its wake. Pain flared in her face and Belle staggered back, confused. She hadn''t even gotten to complete her swing. Did he¡­ she tried to focus but her vision cleared too slowly. Did he just slap me? Her grip on her axe slackened, her swing never having been completed. Then you will stand in front of me with the weapon in your hand¡­ the words echoed in her mind from a place she did not know. And that, right there and then, is all the honor you will get. Anger flared from deep within Belle. With it came her pride as a subordinate of Sir Derendoff. She would not allow this. Tightening her grip around her axe, she tried to swing again, only for her interface to grant her an update of what had happened. [You have been struck a powerful blow!] [You are stunned.] She staggered again, her body hunching over. Lord Aiden Lacheart just stood there, towering over her, an arm behind his back and the other held out at the side¡­ ...Palm open. FIFTY-EIGHT: A Symphony of Silence Valdan winced visibly when Aiden slapped Belle. The action had surprisingly been like watching an adult slap a child. He¡¯d just stood there, waited, then slapped her at just the right moment. In the eyes of some people, it would probably have been disrespectful. But what worried Valdan was the emptiness in Aiden¡¯s eyes. He looked down at Belle with eyes that didn¡¯t even seem to see her. He was not lecturing her. He was not punishing her. Punishment, after all, was given so that the punished would know not to commit the crime again. This was not a fight. ¡°He did say he keeps his hubris for combat.¡± Valdan turned and found an old man seated next to him. He had in his hand a glass of water where everyone satisfied themselves with some glass of wine or the other. ¡°He sounded convincing,¡± the old man continued, staring at the duel within the golden dome. ¡°But I¡¯d thought he meant combat against his mates or monsters.¡± Valdan still didn¡¯t know how to feel about what was going on. What would he do when Belle died? ¡°But this isn¡¯t hubris,¡± the old man said. ¡°This is a man stepping on an ant. It¡¯s not even cruelty. It¡¯s just¡­¡± the man shook his head. ¡°And this is how she is going to die?¡± Valdan really hoped it wasn¡¯t. He really hoped that she would not die. Belle staggered, knees quaking beneath her. She could barely hold her axe up, but she refused to fall. She stared up at Aiden with defiant eyes, unrelenting. Anyone with any combat experience knew the slap had stunned her. Valdan had been stunned by enough blows to the head to know that it was a terrible feeling. To know that your opponent was strong enough to stun you with a single blow. I can only imagine how bad it is to be stunned with a slap. Aiden had promised her no honor beyond her standing in front of him with her axe, and he was keeping to his word. Beside him, the old man continued to shake his head. ¡°And he has so much potential to be good,¡± he said. ¡°Another child, drawn to the darkness because the world wouldn¡¯t let him be. Such a pity.¡± ¡°Sometimes,¡± Valdan found himself saying while Aiden waited for the woman in the duel, ¡°we can do nothing but watch.¡± The old man gave him a sad smile and held his hand out for a handshake. ¡°Chibor,¡± he said. ¡°Tailor Chibor.¡± Valdan shook the man¡¯s hand hesitantly. ¡°Valdan. Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d run into a knight tonight.¡± Valdan was slightly stuck on what kind of title ¡®Tailor¡¯ was. He¡¯d never heard of a tailor referring to themselves with the occupation or class as a title. A bit of his confusion must¡¯ve on his face because Chibor smiled slightly. ¡°I was given the title recently,¡± he said. Valdan¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯d never heard of a person gaining such a title before. ¡°Not system sanctioned,¡± the old man hurried to add. ¡°Just some young lord that came into my shop. No idea why, but he just decided to start adding tailor to my name. I figured it was because he didn¡¯t like how formal it was for me to call him young lord while he had to call me Chibor so informally. He tried to play it off as some kind of game, but I know he was just uncomfortable about it. Good home training, I¡¯ll say. Very rare among the young lords these days.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Valdan agreed. Chibor sighed. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d see the young lord in such a state.¡± Within the duel, Belle was finally getting her bearings back. The moment her grip tightened on her axe, she swung again. Unlike before when she¡¯d attacked with precision, her face carried anger now. Aiden stepped to the side so that she missed and slapped her once more. The sound echoed through the room again, silencing the entire ball. Valdan doubted anyone present had ever seen a duel so¡­ heartless before. The nobles present would¡¯ve seen duels of cruelty and showmanship. They would¡¯ve seen duels of disrespect. But he doubted they would¡¯ve ever seen something like this. Aiden waited again. ¡°He¡¯s not moved from that position since this started,¡± Chibor pointed out. ¡°He moved the one leg to avoid the skill, but that¡¯s all his done.¡± Valdan had noticed it. That a tailor was the one pointing it out, however, was intriguing. Belle staggered again. She stared at the air and her anger deepened, darkened. It took her a moment, but even hunched over, she held onto her axe with a powerful grip. ¡°You bastard!¡± she spat at him. ¡°Fight me like a ma¡ª¡± Aiden cut her off with another slap. This one dropped her to her knee and her axe clattered to the ground. ¡°You do not get to make demands, child,¡± Aiden said to her, voice calm, contained. He was like a man simply going through the motions. ¡°You requested for this. You challenged me, and I accepted. This is the outcome.¡± The man in the dome with them, with his bright white hair and regal demeanor simply looked at him. Whatever feelings he had on the matter as the regulator were hidden behind a placid face. Belle reached for her axe and struggled to pick it up. If the third slap had also stunned her, from Valdan¡¯s experience, a fourth would give her a concussion. To be informed by the system that you have been concussed by a slap would be a terrible blow to anyone¡¯s morale. At this point, Valdan didn¡¯t know if letting the girl live would even be a mercy. If she survived this fight, she would be so terribly affected by it that he doubted she would ever grow. This duel would haunt her for the rest of her life. ¡°Stand, child,¡± Aiden said. ¡°The duel ends when you¡¯re dead. Until then, you¡¯ve got more of this in store. Stand it like the challenger that you are and try and give some back.¡± He didn¡¯t even have to mercy to call her by her name. Not anymore. It hurt Valdan to watch. From the way the tailor next to him sighed, it seemed like it hurt the tailor to watch as well. And with the silence of the entire ball, Valdan wondered just what was going through everyone¡¯s mind now. Dismay at having a grown woman challenge a child would¡¯ve turned into something else. In the beginning they would¡¯ve looked at Belle of Sinora, a soldier of the house challenging a child, as a terrible person. They would¡¯ve written her off as a woman with no honor even though she¡¯d called the duel an honorable one. But what about now? Valdan wondered what they were seeing now. They would¡¯ve seen the first slap as some kind of poetic justice. The second slap could have been seen as a proper punishment. But how would they interpret the third? How would they interpret what was to come? Belle¡¯s hand settled on her axe and both edges shone brightly. Each blade extended beyond their physical reach in bright brown lights the color of mud. Belle pulled herself to her feet and hopped back, creating distance between her and Aiden. The lights of the axe shone brightly, as brightly as the color of mud could shine. Each blade was now extended as long as a foot, maybe longer. The woman had a feral scowl on her face that made her bare her teeth. Aiden brought his hand casually from his back and clapped once. It was a soundless clap, all Valdan saw was his hands meeting. The regulator of the duel looked at him, brows furrowing. Valdan wondered how many people had been paying attention to Aiden. It was the thing about Aiden¡¯s skill. First, even if you could see what he was doing, you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what exactly the hand signs were supposed to do. And if you weren¡¯t watching him specifically, you would likely not even see the hand signs. Aiden returned to his initial stance casually. An arm behind his back, a palm open at his side. It seemed to enrage Belle all the more. In her rage, she swung her axe. One of the blades of light shot from the axe. It split the distance to meet Aiden. Aiden¡¯s response was as simple as it was casual. He raised the single hand and slapped it aside. It connected with the back of his hand only to be sent aside to shatter against the dome that protected them. ¡°Such precision,¡± Chibor marveled. Valdan understood what had the man in marvel. Aiden had timed the moment of his action so that he slapped the blade of light not at its edge but by the flat of it. It was the only way he had come out unharmed. Those who did not see it, who were not watching so keenly, would believe that it had been nothing but a display of strength. They would believe Aiden to be stronger than he was. Belle charged the second blade, and the blade of light grew longer, clearly more powerful. Aiden stood in place, undeterred. She sent this one flying with another swing, but her demeanor had changed. Aiden¡¯s actions were breaking her mind as easily as his slaps were breaking her swollen face. ¡°Fight me! You bastard!¡± she screamed as she sent the second blade flying. Aiden simply stared ahead as if he hadn¡¯t heard her. Then he broke her mind more with his next action. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. He raised the one hand he had been using since the beginning of the fight and held it out in front of him as if seeking to grab the air. The blade of mana flew straight into the hand and shattered on impact in an explosion of mana. When the explosion cleared, Aiden was still standing, hand still held out. He pulled the hand back to himself and looked at his hand. He raised his eyes from his hand to look at her. ¡°All that,¡± he said with a touch of disappointment, ¡°just for a drop of blood.¡± Belle¡¯s reaction was a single step back. Valdan could almost hear the woman¡¯s brain convincing itself that it was taken in only retreat. But there was no one present that didn¡¯t know that to be untrue. The step had been taken in fear. For the first time in a long while, Valdan pitied a person. He pitied Belle of Sinora. Aiden Lacheart was right. When stories are told of tonight¡¯s duel, the person that died would¡¯ve died like a dog. It saddened Valdan. It saddened him for Aiden. ¡­ Aiden had used a weave of strength when he¡¯d seen Belle charging her axe skill. He hadn¡¯t wanted to use any, but he wasn¡¯t so stupid as to think he could defeat her when he was just at his current level. It wasn¡¯t that she was strong, it was that he didn¡¯t know her level. And when you didn¡¯t know your opponent¡¯s level or have an inkling of what it might be, it was always reasonable to err on the side of caution. So, he¡¯d erred on the side of caution. But that wasn¡¯t all there was to it. What he had done to the blades of mana was a calculated action. It was also entirely Belle¡¯s fault. If she hadn¡¯t been showing off the skill so much during her trainings, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do what he had just done. It looked different but ultimately, it was the same skill she¡¯d always used in training. Aiden wondered for a moment why it was a mud brown now. He remembered it being blue. It didn¡¯t matter, though. Seeing it used so many times had taught him a lot. With the eyes of an instructor from his time in the Order, he had noted its weaknesses. How it moved. How it affected its targets. Belle might¡¯ve been using the skill so many times to intimidate him, but all she¡¯d been doing was showing him how to survive it. And now here they were. Aiden looked at the cut it had made in his palm. He had actually intended on just shattering the mana blade by catching it, but his timing had been off. On the training ground he¡¯d noted that the mana that formed it wasn¡¯t so strong. It was brittle, like rusted iron. And while it was strong on impact, Aiden hadn¡¯t truly been able to categorize it as powerful. Someone weaker than Belle would definitely struggle with being hit by it. For him, however, it would merely shave some points off his health percentage. It¡¯s probably stronger due to the change in color, he thought. Or maybe your calculations were off and you just made a mistake. There was also that possibility, but it was not important. What was important was the scared woman in front of him. In the end, this was a miscalculation. A comment on his ability and not hers. It was an error that would not happen again. Moving his attention from his hand, he looked at her. He held a slight disappointment in himself for his miscalculation, but he tried not to let it bother him. ¡°All that,¡± he said sadly, ¡°just for a drop of blood.¡± Belle took a step back. Her face was swollen badly, her cheeks pushing up so that it looked as if it was trying to close her eyes. He had bruised her terribly, inflicted pain to her body and mind. Do what is right, Valdan¡¯s words crawled into his mind. Aiden shook the words free. Sometimes what was right was not what was good. It was a mistake people made often. Right and good were not necessarily synonyms. People just always used them interchangeably. What was right was to put down rebellions. What was right was to make sure that for every enemy you met, you had one less enemy plotting against you. What was right was to set an example so that people learnt. ¡°If you will not come to me,¡± he said to Belle simply. ¡°Then I will come to you.¡± Then he moved. [Dash] carried him forward in a blur of motion. Aiden cut through the distance between him and Belle in the blink of an eye only to stop short. He came to a halt over a measured distance, just in time for Belle to swing her axe and miss his neck by a hair¡¯s breadth. He stepped into her space and struck her in the side. He would¡¯ve liked to go for another slap, but slaps would only drag out the duel for too long. Besides, the [Saint] had given him a look earlier when he¡¯d used [Enchanted Weave] and he didn¡¯t want the man watching the fight any longer than he had to. It did not mean that Belle would not have what he promised her. Belle gasped when he struck her and staggered to the side. She moved as if the weight of her axe pulled her. Then she bent herself oddly and was suddenly swinging again. Fear and pain had dulled her. She had lost her precision in just a short span of time. A few slaps and a punch to the side in public had turned her from a soldier in training into a desperate mess. She had seen him bleed and it reminded her that he was not invincible. But that was hope. It was all that it was. All that it would ever be. As beautiful as hope was, it was a terrible companion when it ended up turning into nothing. Belle¡¯s swing cut through the air, easily missing Aiden. It was wide and designed to bear the effects of brute force. From her angle, it lacked technique and left her wide open for an attack. Her eyes were feral as she struck. Aiden saw the fear tearing at her anger, reducing her to nothing. Replacing it with desperation. But sometimes, desperate people tended to forget that they were afraid. They acted and did all in the name of survival. Aiden needed her to forget her desperation and anger. He needed her to remember her fear. He needed everyone to see what she could be reduced to. So he slapped her again. Again, it sent her staggering. This time her feet guided her backwards and Aiden followed with casual steps, a single hand held out at his side. In her pain, he watched her eyes dart to the hand. She was adapting to her situation, her brain rewiring itself, training her to understand the threat. It was a sad thing how the human brain could lead a person astray. When Aiden¡¯s hand twitched, her eyes twitched with it even as she tried to regain herself. He kicked her in the shin to correct her brain and she almost fell over herself. As much of a threat as his hand was, she couldn¡¯t let herself be bullied by her own brain. She needed to remember that the hand was attached to a complete person. Even now, he thought to himself, you continue to teach. Aiden didn¡¯t argue with his own thoughts. He kept his eyes on Belle and a small portion of his attention on the [Saint]. The man didn¡¯t seem to have any plans of interfering with the fight. It seemed like he had every intention of observing until the very end. ¡°Why?¡± The words spilled out of Belle, sounding very much as any word would when spoken from a mouth with a significantly swollen cheek. On second observation, Aiden realized that her cheeks weren¡¯t just swollen, he¡¯d actually broken the skin. She bled from a terrible bruise and had a nosebleed. She¡¯d also cut her lip. Aiden gave her a questioning look. That was a stupid question. ¡°Why won¡¯t you fight me?¡± she asked, her voice muffled with pain and slightly slurred. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. Was she having a concussion? Does it matter? ¡°Why won¡¯t I fight you?¡± Aiden almost got angry at the absurdity of the question. ¡°I told you what would happen when we got here.¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know.¡± Her voice was weak, broken. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°And that makes it better?¡± Aiden asked, voice empty, devoid of emotion. Belle looked down and away. At least she tried to, but her eyes kept flickering back to his open hand. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sor¡­¡± her words died on her lips as if someone had snuffed it out. What she was trying to say seemed too heavy for her to say. Aiden shook his head at her. ¡°Don¡¯t go regretting your choices now, child.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not a child,¡± Belle protested. ¡°You are the child.¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°And yet your honor brought you here.¡± Her resolve tightened again, flared up by her sudden anger, and she struck once more. She dived forward, axe swung with one arm. So much for honor, Aiden thought, already moving. He was faster than her by a significant margin and was in her space before the swing was halfway done. Grabbing her hand, he turned and swung her into a shoulder throw. Her back hit the ground so hard that he might as well have flogged the ground with her. She bounced once, gasping as the air left her lungs. Her eyes bulged, widening in the pain of the impact and her axe clattered to the ground. Aiden released his hold on her hand and took a single step to the side. The [Saint] remained motionless. He was not going to interrupt. He was not going to intrude. Do you want him to? The words echoed in Aiden¡¯s head, surprising him. Of course he didn¡¯t want the man to. And he didn¡¯t expect him to. This was a duel to the death. Aiden knew how they worked. Both parties fought until someone died. Then why do you keep checking if he will? Aiden gritted his teeth. Did he want the [Saint] to step in? Why? Do the right thing? A scowl touched his lips. He was doing the right thing. This was the right thing. Put your enemy down so that they never got to get back up. When you hit your enemy, they were meant to stay down and never get back up. That was how the world worked. That was how the world would always work. He placed his foot on Belle¡¯s shoulder and pushed her gently, guiding her onto her side. Silence reigned beyond the dome of light, whispering the nonexistence of sound amongst the audience as Belle pushed herself to her feet. Aiden took three steps away from her, allowed her pull herself together. When she finally got back to her feet, she took her axe with her. Now she had her focus¡ªwhat little there was¡ªon Aiden as a whole. The shoulder throw seemed to have reset her brain. Then his hand twitched to the side and her instincts flared in its direction. This fight is over, Aiden told himself. You¡¯ve made your point. Still, he had given her an assurance in the room. There was that. He walked up to her. The moment he took the first step, however, she flinched away from him. There was no one watching that didn¡¯t see it. He could see it in her eyes now. He had broken her. ¡°So¡­sor¡­ry.¡± Aiden closed his heart to her words. There was a place for mercy just as there was a place for wrath. Mercy¡¯s place had been on a training ground a few days ago, existing within a ring drawn in the sand. Despite her reaction to his very presence now, Aiden walked up to her. She swung out of nothing but instinctive fear. Aiden didn¡¯t give the action much thought. He moved the hand he¡¯d kept behind him, slammed the back of his hand into her wrist at a specific angle. When the axe fell from her hand, it was because he¡¯d broken her wrist. Then he drove a fist into her chest. He felt her ribs give way under the weight of the blow and she coughed up blood. Aiden didn¡¯t know how exactly they¡¯d gotten to this point of the dome, but in his periphery, just within the crowd, he saw Valdan wince and look away. This is cruelty. Aiden withdrew his hand and Belle staggered away from him. She coughed once more into a raised hand and stared down at her own blood. Her fear drained from her eyes and in its place was despair. Then terror. She looked up at Aiden and a single word left her lips. ¡°Plea¡­se.¡± She fell back and hit the ground with a thud. Silence met her fall. It was like a dirge to her end. It was, in its greatest crescendo, a symphony of silence. Aiden ignored his audience, did his best not to look in Valdan¡¯s direction, as he walked over to the woman¡¯s axe. He bent slowly and picked it up by the handle. It wasn¡¯t as heavy as he¡¯d expected it to be. But he couldn¡¯t really say that it was light. With her axe in one hand, he walked over to her. His steps were slow, solemn. He did not hurry. He did not delay. He walked as quickly as a man on a leisurely stroll on a nice evening until he was standing over her. Belle¡¯s lips were stained with blood. One side of her face was severely swollen, and she stared at him as if she was a Christian sent to hell, staring at the devil. This was too much, he thought. But he¡¯d been angry at her. She¡¯d taken the word honor and perverted it so terribly. She had challenged him in the name of honor as the kingdom had condemned him for being the brother to the [Demon king] once upon a time. Condemned him and forced him into a terrible life on the run¡­ All in the name of honor. People used honor where honor had no stake¡ªwhere there was no honor. You are angry at a life that hasn¡¯t been, Aiden, he told himself. Let it go. Aiden¡¯s lips tightened at the thought. It might not be anymore, but I still lived it. His hold on the axe tightened, his anger rising. I STILL LIVED IT! RUNNING AND FIGHTING AND HIDING AND KILLING! I DID NOTHING WRONG! He raised the axe high over his head. In his past life, he¡¯d been hunted in the name of honor until he¡¯d joined the Order. He¡¯d been hunted for the greater good. He¡¯d held a grudge until he¡¯d forgotten his grudge. Then Belle had to challenge a boy of nineteen in the name of honor. She had brought back memories he had left in the recesses of his mind. The pain. The hurt. He might not have been a child when it had happened, but he had still been young. Hiding in the woods, looking over your shoulders and wondering if today was the day someone from the same world as you would forget a sword in your back in some foreign world and be done with it. ¡°Plea¡­se,¡± Belle pleaded in a weak voice, choking on her own blood. Aiden raised her axe higher only to realize that he couldn¡¯t raise it any higher. The tension in the room was tight, wound up like a rope woven too tightly. The slightest thing would make it snap. Even within the confines of the dome the [Saint] had erected, Aiden could sense it, feel it. More than half the people in the room had held their breaths. He had their emotions, and worries, and anticipation held above them. They danced in the air, waiting like a thousand men on the words of their commander. Belle suffered on the ground beneath him, but Aiden¡¯s eyes were on Valdan. The knight stared at him, and Aiden knew that the man would not judge his decision. He would not understand it. He would not agree with it. But he will not judge me by it. For some reason, it was all he needed to know. Aiden looked down at Belle¡¯s broken face. ¡°The Bards will tell of what happens tonight,¡± he told her solemnly. ¡°And each time they do, I will remember you.¡± Then he released the tension in the room. Aiden swung. FIFTY-NINE: The Churchs Gift Aiden brought the axe down, andthe tension in the room came down with it. Emotions crashed into their owners. A few eyes looked away, faces turning away for one reason or the other. A few gasps filled the room. The blade of the axe cut through the tension and embedded itself in the ground, right next to Belle¡¯s head. The woman had tears in swollen eyes and her breaths came from her mouth and nostrils in a way that seemed very painful. In everything, she was crying. A calm settled on the room as Aiden stepped away from Belle. When there was enough of a space between her, he turned his attention to the [Saint]. The man must¡¯ve understood what was happening because he looked away from him and walked up to Belle. Where he¡¯d been standing, Aiden noticed an enchantment on the ground. It was a modified version of a shield enchantment. He already knew the enchantment, so he didn¡¯t bother trying to commit it to memory. There was a high chance that his level was currently too low for his mind to be able to recreate it. But it was there, hiding in a part of his brain that knew almost every enchantment but could currently not bring them to bear due to his level. The [Saint] came to a stop and stood next to Belle. He looked down at her and Aiden thought he saw a touch of disgust on the man¡¯s face. If he had, it was gone as if it had never been. ¡°Is the current state of the duel to the satisfaction of the challenger?¡± the [Saint] asked. Belle¡¯s head twitched. Her mouth moved as if she tried to speak but only blood came. ¡°A nod will suffice for an answer,¡± the [Saint] said. Belle nodded. The [Saint] turned to Aiden. ¡°Is the challenged satisfied with the current state of the duel?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°The challenged is.¡± The man looked back down at Belle. ¡°Does the challenger concede defeat?¡± Belle nodded. ¡°The challenger requested a duel to the death. Is the challenger waiving their demand to die as the conclusion of this duel?¡± Belle nodded and the [Saint] sighed. ¡°Does the challenger wish to live?¡± Belle nodded again. ¡°Is the challenged, young lord Aiden Lacheart, satisfied with his victory in this manner?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aiden answered. At this point, Belle was choking on her own blood. The [Saint] had to know that, but he continued to take his time, as if time was not of the essence. ¡°Then in my authority as regulator accepted by the church,¡± the [Saint] said. ¡°I have judged that in all fairness, the challenged, young lord Aiden Lacheart, has proven himself within his complete capability of taking the life of the challenger. As such, he has been judged the rightful winner of this duel.¡± All the tension eased out of the room and a slow rise of mutterings came to life. People shared their opinions on the duel, none loud enough to stand out. But the [Saint] was not done. ¡°In lieu of any deaths,¡± he continued. ¡°The church will take charge of the outcome and aftermath of this event. We will take the defeated into our care and pray for her until her possible recovery. The gods bear witness.¡± A few people blessed themselves with the sign of the church and the golden dome eased away. It did not disappear or collapse in on itself. Instead, it was drawn to the side, pulled back. Aiden followed its path and watched it get drawn into the enchantment that was where the [Saint] had been standing for most of the duel. Once it was gone, the priests were the first to intrude upon the space. The High priest led two others until they stood next to the [Saint]. They exchanged a few words, and one of the priests bent and picked Belle up. Without a word, he turned and proceeded out of the hall. No one stopped him and no one got in his way. Aiden caught a sad look on Lord Naranoff¡¯s face when it happened. The Lord was clearly unhappy with how the party had turned out. ¡°Young Lord, Lacheart.¡± Aiden turned at his name to find the High priest standing in front of him. The man was surprisingly tall up close. He had soft eyes, pulled at the edges by age. He looked like a disappointed loving grandfather, without the bent back and slacked jaws. ¡°This,¡± the man raised his hand, offering him Belle¡¯s axe. ¡°Is for you.¡± Aiden took the axe by the handle, but the priest did not release it. ¡°You have earned it,¡± the priest said. ¡°You were challenged with the reward of a life, but in your show of wrathful mercy, you have taken only a weapon that had not even been strong enough to best you. May the gods look upon your actions and reward you with greater gifts in the years to come.¡± He released the axe and Aiden took it. ¡°As a gift from the church,¡± the priest continued. ¡°In your show of mercy, we have decided to grant you a boon. Should you ever be challenged again with the gods called upon as witnesses to your duel, it is within my privilege as a [High Priest] to grant you this.¡± The man blessed Aiden with a holy sign, performing it on the space between them. Aiden¡¯s interface lit up. [Congratulations! You have received a boon from the holy church] [You have received A Way Out] [A Way Out] When challenged to a duel with the gods as witness, the bearer is allowed to opt out of this duel or modify the nature of the duel. The gods bless this, and all present must obey or suffer a wrath. ¡°As long as there is a member of the church present,¡± the priest said. ¡°Know that you will be protected from the challenger and all who seek to stand in the way of this boon by them, be they alone or not.¡± Curious, Aiden asked, ¡°And what if they do not come to my aid?¡± ¡°Then they shall suffer the wrath of the gods. And should you come out alive, and the punishment inflicted upon them is not to your satisfaction, you can also report them at the nearest church and be sure that an acceptable punishment¡ªone chosen to your satisfaction¡ªwill be meted out.¡± Aiden nodded once. If the church had such a boon, he had a feeling that kingdoms would have something similar. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, accepting the boon. Anything could happen in life. It would be ironic if he ended up using such a boon against a man of the frock. As ironic as it felt, he did not pose the possibility of such a situation to the priest. The man turned away from him and Aiden let him go. Only then did the party encroach on the space. Jen Vilion was the first person to get to Aiden, meeting him as if he had rushed to do so. When he got to Aiden, he gave him a disapproving look. Jen was probably a year or two younger than Belle. Thus, he was older than Aiden. ¡°You should not have done that,¡± he said. Aiden raised a brow at him. ¡°Explain.¡± The boy bristled at the request. ¡°You should¡¯ve taken her life,¡± he said. ¡°If the idea of killing makes you so squirmy then you should¡¯ve taken something. A limb, maybe. So that she knows never to challenge you again. You have shown weakness tonight. You, Aiden Lacheart, are weak.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows drew together in a frown, and he stepped forward so that their faces were mere inches away. ¡°Weakness? I have shown weakness, Jennifer?¡± Jen turned confused. ¡°Jennifer? My name is Jen.¡± ¡°It does not matter.¡± Aiden let his disapproval show on his face. ¡°Challenge me to a duel to the death, Jen. Before all that is present, give me the chance to show you that mercy is not always weakness.¡± Jen said nothing but Aiden saw his hand clench into a fist. ¡°Are you scared, child?¡± Aiden asked him. ¡°Is this fear? Is it weakness?¡± Jen¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Far from it. One such as myself cannot be seen challenging one such as yourself.¡± The group was already gathering. The only reason Aiden and Jen had not been overrun by them was because they were polite enough to await the conclusion of their conversation. Aiden made a show of moving only his eyes to take in their audience. ¡°One such as yourself should not be caught challenging one such as myself?¡± A wry smile touched his lips. ¡°Then, tell me, child. Would you like me to challenge you¡ªto put your life on the line in the name of honor.¡± Jen¡¯s jaw tightened. His shoulder twitched very slightly. Aiden watched it all. ¡°Go on, Jen. Give me a reason.¡± Before anything else happened, Aiden sensed the boy¡¯s father beside him followed by a hand landing on each of their shoulders. The heavily bearded man let out a rumble of a laugh. It came from his stomach and threatened to swallow the room. Aiden let his attention on Jen relax but did not look away from the man. ¡°A beautiful display,¡± Jaga Vilion said in a voice low enough to be simple. ¡°And yet, my son comes to tarnish it with his concept of victors and vanquished.¡± His hand tightened on Jen¡¯s shoulder and the man winced. ¡°He will apologize for dishonoring your victory like a child that has never left his mother¡¯s teat and does not know the wicked ways of the world.¡± His hand tightened more, and Jen¡¯s legs shook beneath him. Jen clenched his teeth harder, and his jaw ticked. ¡°I apologize for my dishonor, young lord Lacheart. I should¡¯ve known better.¡± Aiden dismissed the apology as if it was unnecessary. ¡°It is not a problem. We all have our opinions on right and wrong. All we can do is learn as we are taught so that they continue to evolve for the better.¡± Jaga nodded. ¡°Aptly put, young lord Lacheart.¡± He took his hand from his son¡¯s shoulder and Jen took it as his cue to leave. When he left, it was in such a hurry that you would think he was running from something. Then Jaga turned his complete attention on Aiden as the rest of the crowd closed in to congratulate him on his victory. The congratulations were quick and simple. Through them all, Jaga Vilion stood next to Aiden with a hand on his shoulder, as if he was somehow his guardian or benefactor. A few people made mention of how they¡¯d seen him during his spar against the envoy of Nel Quan. Some complimented his decision to show mercy. Others came to offer their advice on what he should¡¯ve done differently. There were some that felt he had faced the duel with a hand that was too heavy. Aiden took all their words with a placid expression. Their words did not matter to him. It never had and it never would. So, he stood there, Jaga standing beside him, and an axe in his hand, listening and nodding. When the greetings were finally done and the people moved on to whatever else interested them, Aiden was left with Jaga and Valdan and Estabel and Nella and Elaswit. ¡°Useless wimps with no knowledge of what strength truly is,¡± Jaga spat in annoyance. ¡°I swear sometimes the king should just send them beyond the boarders so that they see what the world really looks like outside their cozy duels.¡± Aiden eyed the man. Maybe he wasn¡¯t so terrible as a person. ¡°Anyway,¡± Jaga turned and took Aiden¡¯s shoulders in both hands. ¡°You did good, boy. To show mercy to the weak is never a bad thing. Although,¡± his expression softened. ¡°I cannot say for certain that what you did was a good thing. You may have shown her mercy, but you have crippled whatever potential she may have ever had. I doubt she will ever hold a weapon with as much confidence as she did before meeting you. She might be ruined as a soldier.¡± Aiden had considered that. He hadn¡¯t just taken away her confidence, he had taken it away and shattered it right in front of her. It would take far more than just an iron will to gain it back. ¡°Still,¡± Jaga said. ¡°You did a good thing. With your actions, there will be those who would think you weak, but mark my words, even in your perceived weakness, they will not challenge you. Because while they know that they will not lose their lives, those with half a brain will fear the humiliation you may bring upon them. And those with a complete brain will fear having their wills crushed so blatantly.¡± Aiden shook his head in disappointment. ¡°And who said that they will not lose their lives?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Jaga looked at him in stunned silence, then burst into laughter. ¡°Your father must be proud,¡± he said, laughing. It reminded Aiden of the part where he was some noble¡¯s bastard. ¡°He is a fool for not claiming you.¡± Jaga sighed. ¡°Men have always been foolish. And so what if he bedded some woman he should not have? That is the sin of him and the woman. It does not fall upon you that he should refuse to acknowledge you. I have bedded my fair share of women and my sons continue to be my sons to this day. And my daughter remain my daughters. They hold no right of succession, clearly. But they are mine in blood and name as long as they wish it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see that going very well with your wife,¡± Aiden said. Around them, Valdan and the others were silent. ¡°Women will always bicker,¡± Jaga said. ¡°Ultimately, I am the lord. All decisions of importance fall to me. If my wife does not agree with my choices, she is always welcome to leave.¡± Aiden said nothing to that. Cheating always rubbed him the wrong way. And it was also not his place to comment on the man¡¯s way of life. Nella opened her mouth but Jaga spoke again. ¡°A thought just occurred to me,¡± he said suddenly. ¡°If your father continues to drag his feet under him in making a decision, what do you say to traveling with me beyond the borders? You will gain strength and fame. You will gain the possibility of legal adoption into the Vilion family. It does not sound like a bad deal.¡± Valdan gave Aiden a look. ¡°A generous offer,¡± Aiden said in response. ¡°But I was born to only one father, and I intend on having only one father until the day I die.¡± His response wrinkled Jaga¡¯s lips and the lord frowned. ¡°Loyalty to blood even when it is not deserved in a type of loyalty I envy.¡± He took his hands from Aiden¡¯s shoulders and scratched the back of his head. ¡°If you ever change your mind, just find your way to the Vilion territory and ask for an audience with me. If I am not around, just enlist as a soldier. We are always looking for the powerful. I assure you that as long as you survive long enough to see me on my return, my offer still stands.¡± Then he looked around. ¡°Now where¡¯s that son of mine?¡± Jaga Vilion left them, grumbling about what no one understood as he went in search of his son. When he was gone Aiden¡¯s mind went back to Belle. In a duel such as this, if the church was not involved, it would be left to the host to provide medical assistance in treating the parties that had been involved in the duel. But with the church present, there was no way of knowing what would happen. The church had its combat units besides the [Saints]. In fact, the [Saints] were not necessarily a combat unit. They were simply people said to have been blessed by the gods. The church¡¯s military actually consisted of normal soldiers that they kept on their payroll, and those who played the role of adventurers and knights and the likes. Their adventurers, those who went out into the world dealing with whatever problems were called Inquisitors, and they always had an ordained priest with them. Then they had those graced with the title of [Paladin]. Those were powerful and where mostly sent out in situations that required the assistance of the strong. Then there were the [Apostles]. Most people avoided them, and their presence was never a good sign. They always moved in a group of twelve and were raised with the primary purpose of stopping what was termed a rampaging [Saint]. In summary, there was no way that the priests present did not know that Belle needed immediate attention. It was one thing to spit up blood when you¡¯ve been punched in the face. But a blow to the chest that cracked ribs was a terrible thing. It was worse when it was the reason you were coughing up blood. It was a blow that could kill you if left unattended. ¡°What do you intend to do with your new weapon?¡± Elaswit asked, drawing Aiden¡¯s attention. ¡°If I remember correctly, you are more accustomed to the sword.¡± Aiden raised the weapon. It wasn¡¯t too heavy, but its weight was definitely not something he could ignore. It was a large thing. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to sell it, I would go with auctioning,¡± Nella suggested. ¡°Why?¡± Estabel asked, genuinely curious. ¡°Because then I would be able to get it for more than it¡¯s price,¡± Aiden answered absently. ¡°The rich have a thing for novelty. If I sell it on the market, it would go for its normal price, very possibly less. But if I sell it at an auction, then the rich can fight over it.¡± Estabel frowned. ¡°That sounds stupid. Does it have any special features?¡± Aiden looked at the weapon and activated [Detect]. [Battle Axe] A heavy weapon designed for those who have dedicated their lives to the path of war using the axe. It is a deadly weapon designed for slaughter. [Durability: 89/110] Aiden shook his head. ¡°Nothing stands out.¡± ¡°Then why will they fight over it?¡± Estabel asked, unable to comprehend the reasoning behind it. ¡°It¡¯s about the novelty,¡± Nella was happy to explain. ¡°As Lord Lacheart had said in the room, stories and songs will be told of tonight. With the church being a part of this, there is a very high chance that these stories will be famous. They would even give it some great name to make it stand out.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t see what that has to do with anything,¡± Estabel said. ¡°Novelty, Magus,¡± Aiden said. ¡°They would be more than happy to have the simple honor of being able to brag to their peers that they have the famous axe from the legends hanging on some wall collecting dust. It might not go for some exorbitant price, but it will at least go for twice the price.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re auctioning it?¡± Estabel asked. Aiden lowered the weapon. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He had other possible uses for it. Judging from the look Valdan had just given him when he¡¯d replied, the knight definitely knew what he had in mind. You did have plans of getting the axe skill after all. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have a weapon to train with. ¡°You non-mages will always confound me.¡± Estabel shook her head, adjusting her glasses. Aiden knew for a fact that she didn¡¯t have them on for the sake of some bad vision or the other. They most definitely had some spell or enchantment attached to them that granted her an advantage in whatever she wanted to do. ¡°So you don¡¯t have auctions amongst the Mage Radiants?¡± Elaswit asked, voice a little sour. Aiden assumed the sourness of her tone came from her general dislike for the institute. ¡°Of course we do, princess,¡± Estabel was more than happy to answer. ¡°We just auction things worthy of auctioning. An orb that significantly increases mana output. Things like that. You know, things with actual benefits that aren¡¯t common, and everyone wants.¡± ¡°There are a lot of items that increase mana output,¡± Elaswit pointed out. ¡°Significantly, princess.¡± Estabel put a lot of emphasis on the first word. ¡°What can your items do? Grant you the mana stat at what; five points when you use it? I¡¯m speaking of orbs that can grant you as much as twenty points when you use it.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes went to the orb trapped at the top of her staff and she smirked. ¡°We,¡± she said, ¡°don¡¯t focus on novelty. We focus on usefulness. Lord Lacheart, I will leave you to celebrate your victory with your friends. However, I will come looking for you at a later time to know more about your experience within the cave.¡± Her words said, she twirled away from them and made her way back into the crowd. The first person to meet her was her servant. Then some of the entourage she¡¯d come with from the institute flocked to her. Finally, she was approached by different lords. ¡°She¡¯s so condescending,¡± Elaswit complained. ¡°I wanted to wipe that smirk off her face.¡± ¡°You would strike a [Mage] with plus twenty stat points in mana?¡± Nella chuckled lightly. ¡°You¡¯ve got bigger balls than your brother. I¡¯ll give you that.¡± Elaswit pouted but said nothing further. On Nastild, the [Mana] stat was like the [Vitality] stat. Not many people had it. But unlike the [Vitality] stat, a handful of people gained it over time and there were items that granted it for the duration of its use. Nella stepped up to Aiden, surprising Elaswit. She looked him curiously in the eye. Aiden stood where he was, unbothered by her. He would¡¯ve been more than happy to have her step away, though. ¡°You are young,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°And you continue to keep the secret of who your father is. Yet you are powerful.¡± Her tone was deathly serious. All the joviality she¡¯d had from talking with the princess was gone. ¡°A child as powerful as you would be claimed by their father in the blink of an eye,¡± she continued. ¡°Yet your father refuses to claim you. And you have turned down Lord Vilion¡¯s offer. Young, powerful, and answering to nobody. You continue to prove just how dangerous you are, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I answer to Sir Valdan.¡± Valdan made a gesture with his hand that insinuated that Aiden¡¯s words weren¡¯t entirely truly. ¡°You answer to me¡­ debatably.¡± Nella¡¯s seriousness did not change. ¡°And you travel with the princess and have a [Knight of the Crown] as a friend. You carry too many secrets, Lord Lacheart.¡± Then her voice turned cheerful. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, Elly. May you accompany me in dealing with the many young lords who fancy themselves to be my suitors tonight. I would be more than happy for the company.¡± Elaswit gave Aiden a worried look before following Nella. Left alone with Valdan, no one said anything for a while. As if their personal silence was too much, Valdan broke it. ¡°You cannot expect me to believe that you intend on getting the axe skill,¡± he said. ¡°It would be unreasonable.¡± Aiden gave him a wry smile. ¡°So was getting the spear skill. Yet here I am.¡± ¡°If those back at the palace hear of this, they would lose their minds.¡± Aiden made a gesture with his hand in dismissal. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine.¡± Another silence settled between the both of them. Someone passed them, congratulating Aiden on his victory. Only when the person was gone did Valdan speak again. ¡°You did the right thing,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for the reason you think, Valdan,¡± Aiden answered casually, then turned and started walking towards a table. Valdan followed him and Aiden was beginning to realize that the knight always seemed to follow without question. While it was an interesting thing to note, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure of how he felt about it. ¡°Then why did you do it?¡± Valdan asked as they arrived at a table and took their seats. Aiden placed the axe on the table. ¡°She was weak. Then she became pitiful. Broken. The only reason for killing her was to make sure she does not come back. I realized that she wouldn¡¯t be coming back when I stood over her.¡± ¡°You would have sent a clearer message to others if you had killed her,¡± Valdan pointed out. Aiden frowned. ¡°Perhaps. But you do not kill a child to make an example to other children. You just do enough.¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed in thought and he adjusted on his chair. ¡°I¡¯ve got two questions.¡± Aiden looked around, hoping to find someone passing with a tray of drinks. He did not. ¡°Go for it.¡± ¡°First,¡± Valdan said. ¡°What is it with you and calling people children. They are all older than you? Or is it some cultural thing from where you come from?¡± Aiden paused, giving it a thought before he answered. ¡°Age is just a number, Valdan. A child and an adult are not necessarily differentiated by their size or their age, but,¡± he tapped the side of his head, ¡°by their mindset. If someone with age on their side decides to behave like a child, then they are a child. It is as simple as that.¡± ¡°And that is just a you thing?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°So your actions tonight were designed to send a message to all the children out there that would wish to step on your toes.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Then let me tell you this, child.¡± Valdan leaned further forward. ¡°You can make excuses and tell yourself the things that you wish to tell yourself. But the simple truth is that what happened tonight was not whatever it is you have just said. What happened tonight was you showing an opponent mercy. You took a lot of lives earlier, and it might have affected you oddly. It might¡¯ve led you to believe that you are a villain. After all, killing a man does that to you. But because you have an iron will, you have chosen the path of calling yourself a morally grey person.¡± ¡°Valdan¡­¡± Aiden started to stop him only to be silenced by a raised hand. ¡°I know that you would like to hold onto your position as a person that doesn¡¯t need anyone else,¡± Valdan said. ¡°But just hear me out. Humans aren¡¯t inherently evil. They are inherently capable of good and evil. To claim that we are inherently evil is to belittle the very nature of our existence. Just as easily as a child is not taught to want to take something, the same child is not taught to want to share something. If a child is not hungry, it would be happy to share with someone that wanted a meal. That is the good in us. All we do as humans is teach them to lean towards good.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t enjoying the lecture. ¡°And you¡¯re saying that¡­¡± ¡°I am saying that you, Aiden Lacheart, are good. You are not an evil man that does good things or a neutral man that does what is necessary. You are a good man that sometimes makes mistakes. I just hope that you will one day be aware of this.¡± ¡°Are we going to talk about the power of friendship next?¡± Aiden joked. Valdan shook his head. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ve come to terms with the fact that you will not be friends with your colleagues back at the palace. Besides, most people don¡¯t understand that being truly good is a lonely road. I only suggested that you make friends because I believed you would need them to get stronger in your adventures.¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I haven¡¯t seen a man gain a second weapon skill as quickly as you have or grow as fast as you have.¡± Valdan shrugged. ¡°I will admit that it would be good for you to make friends, but now I know that it is not necessary. Regardless, I just want you to know that you did good because you are good, Aiden.¡± Aiden held his tongue. The knight was wrong. He hadn¡¯t done good because he was good. He¡¯d done good because the man had requested it of him, and in the end, he had not been able to stop himself from granting a request as simple as that. A request that had been completely within his power. ¡°What was the second thing?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, that?¡± Valdan shrugged. ¡°I was just curious as to what the word touch¨¦ means.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing big. It¡¯s just what we say when someone drops an argument that makes sense in opposition of what you say. In simpler terms, a clever or better come back.¡± Valdan nodded and leaned back on his chair. ¡°Touch¨¦,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Tou-ch¨¦.¡± He was like a man trying out a new word. ¡°It¡¯s a bit odd to say but not too bad. Touch¨¦.¡± Aiden smiled and shook his head. In his past life, Zen had been the one learning earth words from him. Now I¡¯ve got a knight doing it. ¡°What language is that?¡± a voice asked. Aiden almost jumped out of his seat. He hadn¡¯t even heard the man coming. Worse, he recognized the voice. Valdan shot up to his feet almost immediately. Aiden, however, took his time getting up. Why? Because it was a touch of defiance from a past life. The [Saint] stood next to them. His hair fell down his shoulder as beautiful as it had been when he¡¯d walked in. Grey-white eyes watched them. ¡°Congratulations on your victory once more, young lord,¡± he said. ¡°You showed proper wrath for the insult of being challenged and proper mercy as a victor. The gods will be proud.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I initially wanted to speak to you tonight,¡± the man went on. ¡°However, I have judged that it would be in my best interest to speak to you on a different day. Maybe the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°As regards the matter of the duel?¡± Aiden asked, feigning ignorance. ¡°No.¡± the man shook his head. ¡°As regards your time in the cave. I have heard that there is a natural enchantment there. I would¡¯ve liked to pick your brain but I would rather spend some time investigating the cave myself. That way I would look at it with unbiased eyes.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Aiden nodded. The [Saint] turned to leave but Valdan¡¯s words stopped him. ¡°If I may ask,¡± he said. ¡°What of the lady that challenged him? How is her condition?¡± The man watched him as if gauging his response before offering it. ¡°I will ask the priests. If we see again tonight, I should have an answer. Until then, Lord Lacheart, do enjoy the gift of the church.¡± He turned again to leave before stopping himself. ¡°By the gods, where are my manners.¡± He turned back to Aiden and offered his hand for a handshake. ¡°I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am [Saint] Clerent, canonized a year since.¡± ¡°Aiden Lacheart¡ª¡± Aiden took the man¡¯s hand only to be interrupted by his interface. He read the first few words and froze. [Warning!] [You have just encountered your first Multiverse Agent on this world!] His heart was suddenly beating too loudly in his ear. [Saint] Clerent gave him a strange look before releasing his hand and ending the handshake. Aiden was so terribly reminded of his status as a prisoner to his interface and his title of [Defier]. Did he get a notification, too? Worry suddenly filled him. His muscles grew tense, prepared itself for combat. At his current level a fight against a person above level hundred would be suicide. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll just lie down and be subdued, though. His mind was running through what enchantments to use when the man spoke again. ¡°I see, you must¡¯ve received the church¡¯s gift,¡± he said. ¡°It must feel as though we are in disagreement with your decision, but I assure you, it is not our doing. Merely that of the gods.¡± He turned away, leaving Aiden both relieved and confused. Was Clerent a [Multiverse Agent] or was [Saint] just another title for [Multiverse Agent] just as demonic mana was just another name for dimensional mana? ¡°What gift?¡± Valdan asked from beside Aiden. Aiden shrugged, more than happy to bask in his relief. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± [Congratulations! You have slain Belle Lvl 34] [You have Leveled up!] [Level 48 --> 49] [You are now Level 49!] Aiden just stared, suddenly sad as the warmth of leveling up filled his heart. When it disappeared, he was still left with the weight of energy that had always been in his heart since killing Voshret, the leader of the poachers. This was the church¡¯s gift to him. They had taken Belle away, but they had not healed her. They had allowed her wounds take her. ¡­We will take the defeated into our care and pray for her until her possible recovery. The gods bear witness. The words echoed in his head. Possible recovery¡­ They had allowed her to battle her wounds by herself, knowing very well that she would not survive it without medical assistance. Not with her level and her class. Belle had called on the gods to witness a duel to the death, and the church had ensured that the gods had witnessed the death of one of the duelists. ¡°Aiden?¡± Valdan said with a touch of worry. Aiden simply sat down on his chair, suddenly tired. ¡°Valdan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I would very much like to return to my room.¡± ¡­ Lord Naranoff sat quietly in his study. Tonight, had not gone the way he¡¯d wanted it to. The church would look at him as a lesser lord now that his own soldier had not trusted him to be a fitting judge for the duel. Then she¡¯d also gone and lost so terribly. It showed that his soldiers did not know their limits, which was a poor thing for a soldier to be found guilty of. But as if that was not enough, he may or may not have made an enemy of a powerful young lord in the name of Aiden Lacheart. And as if that was not enough, he had returned to a letter of importance on his desk. It bore the seal of the crown. He picked it up and opened it. The title made him grow pale. It read: Matters Regarding The Young Lord Aiden Lacheart¡­ SIXTY: The Weight of Their Wool The loud chime of the bell rang through the room. In all honesty, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a loud chime, it simply rang to loudly in Fjord¡¯s ears. Considering his only rising alarms were a rough tap or a kick to the feet¡ªor the occasional loud noises of chaos¡ªduring his time with the poachers, a bell was loud. Fjord turned in his bed in the servants¡¯ quarters. It was a small bed, only wide enough to contain one person. The male had their quarters just as the female had theirs. Not the only one to turn at the sound of the bell, Fjord was among the few people who looked up to watch the small slab at one side of the wall come alive. It read: Lord Naranoff requests the presence of Lord Lacheart in his study. Fjord brightened slightly at the request and was almost off his bed when one of the other servants waved him down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself,¡± he said. He was a man with at least five years on Fjord. ¡°It¡¯s a request for Lord Lacheart. You¡¯ll be making enemies if you go.¡± Fjord paused, confused. ¡°Why would answering the Lord¡¯s request get me in trouble?¡± ¡°Because Vanisi answers all requests and situations regarding the young lord.¡± The man turned on his bed so that his back was to Fjord. ¡°She usually keeps herself to the young lady, but she¡¯d developed an odd attachment to the lord.¡± ¡°I heard they went out a few days ago,¡± another servant said. This one was Fjord¡¯s age. ¡°Never seen her show any interest in a man before. Not even a lord. At a point I thought she maybe wasn¡¯t into guys.¡± ¡°Whatever the case,¡± the older man said. ¡°Vanisi is the last person you want to make an enemy of among the servants. Just stay in bed and trust that she will deal with it.¡± Fjord frowned but listened. He hadn¡¯t seen the young lord Lacheart since the incident with the Fharanal, and the man didn¡¯t seem very interested in seeing him. After they¡¯d returned from the nest filled with the corpses of people he¡¯d known for a year, one of the soldiers had simply directed him towards the servants¡¯ quarters. It had been a while before one of the servants had decided to assist him with getting himself settled in. A few of them had offered him their casual clothes when they¡¯d noticed that he¡¯d had nothing but the clothes on his back to wear. They¡¯d been nice to him, and while he¡¯d been hoping to be something more than just some random servant in some random lord¡¯s house, Fjord understood that he didn¡¯t have the luxury of choice. The servants here had a constant roof over their heads. They had money to their name and didn¡¯t have to risk their lives for no reason at all. There were even a few that were only here on shifts. By the end of the week, they would be able to go home and come to the manor to work like a daily job. And they were nice to him. All in all, while it wasn¡¯t the best, it was good. It was sufficient. Fjord still wished he could see Lord Lacheart one last time. He promised to help get you something else to do, he thought to himself, adjusting on his bed. And he¡¯s done exactly that. He owes you nothing else. Not for the first time, Fjord felt a sadness at his class. There were people who believed that your class was based on the skills you had by the time you got to level ten, and some people believed that it was ultimately the outcome of who you are as a person. Personally, Fjord didn¡¯t think anyone applied to him. He¡¯d gained simple skills before level ten. The [Stealth] skill being the only real combat related skill. In fact, if he was being honest, there was no basic skill he had that could explain the [Gambler] class. And he refused to believe that he¡¯d taken far more risks than any boy his age growing up. Fjord sighed. The gods had dealt him a horrible faith, even though the scriptures taught that the gods had no hand in what class you gained unless they deemed you important enough and chose to go out of their way to interfere. Fjord closed his eyes once more and allowed sleep to take him. This was going to be his life now¡­ Fjord¡¯s eyes shot open. Or maybe not. If he could find a way to get to Lord Lacheart, maybe things could change. At the risk of offending this maid called Vanisi? A small smile crossed Fjord¡¯s lips. It was an old smile; one he¡¯d had even as a child. He knew the answer to his own question even before the thought was done asking it. What¡¯s life without a little risk? You couldn¡¯t change your fate if you weren¡¯t willing to risk something. And offending some maid didn¡¯t sound so terrible a risk. The smile fell from his face all of a sudden. And you wonder why you got the [Gambler] class. ¡­ The ceiling had never been so boring to look at. And it had been so long since sleep had eluded Aiden so terribly. He blinked, fighting against his own thoughts. Belle¡¯s death had hit him harder than he¡¯d thought. It hadn¡¯t hit him hard, not really, but he hadn¡¯t thought that he would feel it. But why? He asked himself. Was it because he had chosen to let her live and the church had gone out of its way to overturn his own decision? Was it some kind of hubris associated with having his decision discarded as unimportant? Aiden wasn¡¯t sure he had the answer. It was clearly not because it was the church that had done such a thing. He¡¯d seen enough things to understand that the church was as corrupt as it was fanatic. The simple fact that it was run by humans was more than enough reason for it to be corrupt. Its fanaticism came from its scriptures. And Aiden had seen them do a lot of things in the name of their gods. Maybe he just hadn¡¯t wanted her to die in the end. It was like forgiving someone only for the court to still go ahead and persecute when you were the one that had been wronged. That was the best way Aiden could put it. That still did nothing to alleviate his annoyance. Aiden was still staring at the boring ceiling when his door handle moved. He fell immediately still, holding himself from reaching under his pillow. It was an old habit he was still trying to kick. He no longer hid a knife under his pillow when he slept because he had no reason to. Still, he remained silent, unmoving. He held his breath. The handle moved slowly, gently. Then the enchanted lock that came with the room moved ever so gently. Whoever was on the other side of the door was being very careful with what they were doing. Then nothing happened. The door handle stopped moving. The enchantment remained inactive. Aiden continued to wait. He allowed himself to breathe, though. His breaths came slowly, carefully. But he didn¡¯t move. He waited and watched. But his attention did not settle just on the door. He kept it everywhere. On the windows, on the ceiling. It was almost five minutes when a knock came from the door. It was politely loud. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± the person knocking called. Aiden recognized Vanisi¡¯s voice when he heard it. He¡¯d heard it far too many times, after all. Pushing himself from his bed, he got to his feet and went to the door. He activated the enchanted lock that came with the room first, undoing it before activating the custom enchantment he¡¯d placed. When that was done, he unlocked the physical lock and opened the door. ¡°Vanisi,¡± he greeted, pausing only at the sight he was met with. She wore a nightwear that was in no way designed for sleeping. Oddly enough, it wasn¡¯t very revealing, but there was a way it accentuated her curves, touching her gently in all the right places. It screamed at his eyes that the lady in front of him was not just a maid, she was a woman. Aiden took in a subtle breath and let it out, controlling his eyes before they roamed over her body, taking in the entire view. Vanisi smiled shyly. ¡°My apologies for my attire,¡± she said. ¡°It was late, and I was asleep when the request came in. I didn¡¯t want to dally so I just came straight to this place.¡± Aiden nodded, maintaining eye contact. ¡°I understand,¡± he said. ¡°What request?¡± ¡°Well, there has been a summoning.¡± Aiden paused, not at her words but at something else. He was doing his best not to look down at the rest of her body. What that meant was that he couldn¡¯t see anything that could be going on beneath her. She could be a spy, he thought, reminding himself of the possibility. If she knew his character, then she would know that he would not be in a hurry to look at her dress. Then again, she could just be a lady who actually wanted him to take note of the fact that she was a woman. Aiden found himself in a dilemma of politeness. But did he really care to know what kind of spy she was? If she was a spy, then she would either be a spy belonging to another lord or a spy keeping an eye on the crown from another kingdom. Whatever information she sent back would not really be his problem since he wasn¡¯t necessarily going to be a part of the crown¡¯s business very soon. He would¡¯ve been with the crown for a while longer if he hadn¡¯t been ambushed by the poachers. It had pushed him too close to level fifty, which was the level that would qualify him to go to some of the places that he knew would be beneficial. And its always best to challenge the [Crystal of Existence] before level fifty. So, spy or not, what Vanisi was was not his business, so he had no interest in asking. Not even in asking her if she''d seen someone at his door when she was coming. He was leaving at sunrise and he would be done with the entire Naranoff territory, never to return. Still, he couldn¡¯t control his curiosity, and his eyes dipped. He caught the smile that touched Vanisi¡¯s lips the moment they dipped, and he scolded himself mentally. As far as the maid was concerned, the only reason he hadn¡¯t made a move on her was out of some misguided sense of control and not because she was not alluring. ¡°What summoning?¡± Aiden asked her, hoping to move the conversation along. Vanisi gave him a slightly provocative smile, one that implied he could have something if he wanted to, and that she would not tell as long as he did not tell. ¡°A summons from Lord Naranoff, Lord Lacheart,¡± she answered, still smiling. It was a slight thing. Aiden would be lying if he said it wasn¡¯t a beautiful look on her. It was definitely enticing. ¡°The Lord summons me this late into the night?¡± he asked, not wanting to have to go.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Vanisi nodded innocently. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s so early into the morning. And Lord Naranoff isn¡¯t known for wasting too much time when he calls people to his study. By the time you get back to your room, it will still be dark and there will still be hours left before daybreak.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have looked down, Aiden complained. He¡¯d looked down, she¡¯d caught him, and now she was being very direct with her intentions. Maybe she just wants to scratch that itch. Aiden knew he wouldn¡¯t mind scratching an itch, too. He would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t have an itch to scratch. He took a calming breath and said, ¡°Lead the way.¡± A small frown touched Vanisi¡¯s lips, but she turned and started walking. Aiden followed behind her, locking his door behind him. The stroll down to the Lord¡¯s wing of the Naranoff building was done in relative silence. Vanisi brought up conversations here and there, wherever she could, and Aiden gave the answers that were required. Anyone who listened would know that Vanisi was the one putting in the work. At this point, she was no longer dropping hints of her interest in him, she was slowly painting a picture, trusting the process. ¡°I heard about what happened a few days ago,¡± she said at some point. They were in the lord¡¯s wing but not yet at his study. ¡°It must have been a difficult thing to experience.¡± ¡°A lot has happened to me in the past few days, Vanisi,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°And all of them have been difficult things to experience.¡± ¡°I mean the one with the poachers,¡± Vanisi said, eyes forward, following the hallway illuminated by glowing orbs. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± ¡°Soldiers talk,¡± she said easily. ¡°The boy, Fjord, also talks.¡± Aiden hadn¡¯t judged Fjord to be a person who said what he wasn¡¯t supposed to say. Poachers were generally known for learning how to keep their mouths shut after a while of doing the job. The wrong thing, after all, could get you in trouble. It was disappointing, considering he had been intending on giving the boy an important task before leaving. A shame. But even as the words crossed his mind, he wasn¡¯t completely dissuaded from giving the boy the task. Perhaps it was the benefit of doubt working. Besides, the boy had earned some of it. Aiden had once thought Fjord had betrayed him only to find out that the boy had done his best to get the job done. ¡°I heard you took the¡­¡± Vanisi¡¯s words trailed off as if she¡¯d made a mistake. ¡°I heard you administered judgement of the poachers. I can only imagine how it must have felt.¡± Aiden¡¯s instinctual response was to shrug, treat it as the unimportant part of his life that it was, but he did not. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as simple as I used to think it was,¡± he said. With Vanisi walking in front of him, it would be so easy to take in the view, yet the maid had turned down all the seductive presentations. There was nothing but a natural sway to her hips, nothing emphasized. She walked casually and Aiden noticed nothing that said she was still aware of the fact that he was a man. He frowned. All this suspicion was messing with his head. Vanisi was just a maid, a high standing one in the family. So why was he so aware of her presence. Because when those that are supposed to be unimportant keep finding themselves in places where only the important should be, it becomes questionable. A maid had garnered the favor of the daughter of the house and had risen to a position that stood explicitly outside the hierarchy of the employees. She was to answer only to Nella and her father, no one else, despite not being the head maid. It wasn¡¯t an impossible task to achieve, but it was next to impossible to believe that it was not an intentional accomplishment. Life didn¡¯t work that easily. Rarely did a man¡¯s driver of thirty years suddenly get elevated to best friend. Such insanities only happened in the stories. But if Vanisi was a spy, so what? What exactly was she going to gain from him. Unless he told her himself or Elaswit talked more than she should. It was impossible for her to find out that he was actually summoned and not some lord¡¯s bastard child. Valdan didn¡¯t even cross Aiden¡¯s mind because the man probably didn¡¯t speak to the people he dreamt about either. He probably greets them good day and then spars with them, Aiden chuckled. Vanisi looked back at him. ¡°Is everything alright, Lord Lacheart?¡± Her voice dragged him back to what was troubling him. Aiden knew almost all the spy networks that worked within the kingdom of Bandiv. And he believed he knew almost all because in the spy business, it was more likely that there was a spy group that you knew nothing about than you knowing all of them. And how many of them do I really need to be worried about? Further thought told him that there was none. There was nothing about him right now that would be of use to any spy organization. Although, there was always the possibility that he wasn¡¯t the target. If Vanisi was a spy, it was possible that she was using a very roundabout approach to gain information about the princess or a [Knight of the Crown]. Aiden frowned. But what if I¡¯m the target. He shook his head, growing annoyed at himself. You¡¯re thinking about this the wrong way, Aiden. Don¡¯t ask what benefit a spy organization would have with you since you¡¯re not sure if there¡¯s one. Ask what spy organizations you would like to avoid. That made more sense to him. Since he had no use to any spy organization, the question became which one would put him in greater trouble down the line. Personally, he thought his brain was going through a useless process of elimination. He wasn¡¯t stupid, his brain just followed processes. The answer to the question was simple. He wasn¡¯t ready for the Order to find out about him or who he was. If they found out now and made their move, it would disrupt a lot of plans that he had. He would rather meet them on his own accord. And there was no organization he knew more about than the very one he was avoiding. ¡°Vanisi,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Yes, Lord Lacheart.¡± Vanisi did not look back. They were alone in the hallway as they had been for most of the journey. It wasn¡¯t something to be really bothered by considering the time of the day. And it wasn¡¯t as if she was leading him down some dangerous path. ¡°I actually have a question to ask,¡± he said. Vanisi nodded as they took a turn. ¡°Your wish is my command.¡± ¡°At the ball last night something happened that I didn¡¯t want to¡ªcan we stop for a moment? I actually want to focus on this, in case it¡¯s something you can help with.¡± Vanisi was more than happy to stop. She turned and looked up at him. ¡°I¡¯m listening, my lord.¡± Aiden scratched the back of his neck nervously. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard of my status as a lord.¡± ¡°If you are referring to the fact that your father has not acknowledged you, then I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big deal,¡± Vanisi said as a matter of fact. Aiden¡¯s fingers scratched a little longer before he dropped his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve kind of gotten accustomed to it.¡± Vanisi paused. ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden opened his mouth, closed it, then pressed his lips together in worry. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Vanisi asked with a touch of worry. ¡°If it is something I can do to help, then I¡¯m more than happy to help. I am a maid and a woman,¡± she swayed her waist very minutely in a way that seemed to point out her entire body. ¡°But I have also been called intelligent. I wouldn¡¯t be working so closely with Lady Nella if I wasn¡¯t.¡± Aiden still hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not something someone in my position can say so easily. It¡¯s not something others should be aware of.¡± He looked around, specifically at the walls. Vanisi followed his gaze. ¡°If you are worried about the enchantments, I can always take you to a place where they aren¡¯t as active,¡± she said, voice soft. ¡°But we need to get to the Lord¡¯s study,¡± he pointed out. Vanisi shook her head. ¡°I heard Lady Nella talking about a recently discovered deadspot near the office a while back. They intend on bringing in an [Enchanter] to fix it before the week is over. We can talk there.¡± Aiden paid attention as she spoke and noticed a slight discomfort. It was as if it had hurt for her to share that piece of information. He gave her a gentle smile, a reassuring one. ¡°I won¡¯t say a word of it to lady Nella.¡± Vanisi let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But,¡± he continued, ¡°it¡¯s not that secretive. I just feel like it was a shameful thing. But not some kind of grand secret.¡± Vanisi¡¯s worry slackened. ¡°Regardless, I am all ears.¡± ¡°You spend a lot of time with Nella, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Even at some functions where she meets other noble children.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± he looked away, refused to meet eye contact for a moment before turning back to her. ¡°I met a lord last night who said something to me. He said it twice, but I had no idea what it meant. It took me a moment to realize that it was something a noble child is supposed to know. I know it¡¯s not a big deal and I could¡¯ve asked Nella but¡­ I just didn¡¯t like the way he looked at me and don¡¯t want to be looked at the same way.¡± Vanisi gave him an assuring smile. ¡°I promise to help if I can. What did the noble say?¡± ¡°Something about wool,¡± Aiden frowned like a person would when trying to remember something. ¡°Wool masks the true size of a creature or a creature¡¯s size is masked by the weight of their wool.¡± Aiden watched Vanisi like a hawk when he said it. The maid frowned. Her face wrinkled in thought. Then she shook her head. ¡°I apologize, Lord Lacheart,¡± she said finally. ¡°I do not believe I know it.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bothering you, I just felt like it was worth a shot. I¡¯ll ask Sir Valdan before I ask Nella.¡± ¡°That sounds reasonable.¡± Vanisi turned and they resumed their walk. ¡°But perhaps you should try the library before you ask others if you still don¡¯t wish to be embarrassed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°The houses,¡± Vanisi said. Her steps were moving faster now, as if she was trying to make up for the time they¡¯d lost when they¡¯d stopped to stand. ¡°Each house has an emblem. It is possible that it might have something to do with one of the houses. And some of these houses use animals as their emblem. I¡¯m fairly certain that there¡¯s at least one house that uses an animal known for its wool.¡± It was a logical first step, and Aiden agreed with it. ¡°I will try that. You have my thanks.¡± They returned to relative silence as they walked, and Vanisi did nothing to reinitiate conversations. It was only when they¡¯d come to a stop in front of a door that she spoke again. ¡°If you do not mind me asking, my lord,¡± she said. ¡°What did this lord look like? If you remember.¡± Aiden frowned, then rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Bald, with a long beard. He had blue eyes that were sharp, as if they were trying to look through me.¡± Vanisi let out a chuckle that sounded forced. ¡°You seem to be describing one of the Lords and not their child, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden returned the chuckle. ¡°I know, but I swear that even with the beard and the eyes he looked young.¡± Vanisi nodded in the end. ¡°I don¡¯t know a lord that looks like that, but I can ask around. You know that we maids see and hear more than most lords believe.¡± ¡°Thank you, Vanisi,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to help. Now,¡± she placed a hand on the door knob. ¡°Lord Naranoff does not take up too much time, and you will still have hours before sunrise. Would you like me to wait for you until you are done? Perhaps we could spend the remaining time keeping each other company until sunrise.¡± Tempting, Aiden thought, but he was truly not tempted. Not anymore, at least. Still, he tightened his expression as if he was fighting with his decision before answering. ¡°I cannot say. Perhaps you can wait but not for so long. I fear this might be one of those long conversations since his soldier used me to disrespect him during the ball.¡± Vanisi winced in understanding. ¡°I understand.¡± She knocked once on the door. ¡°However, if you need me once you¡¯re done, you can always send for me.¡± ¡°Enter!¡± Lord Naranoff¡¯s voice came from within. Vanisi pushed the door open slightly. ¡°Lord Aiden Lacheart is here, my Lord.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the man said. ¡°Bring him in.¡± Vanisi opened the door further and stepped aside for Aiden to enter. ¡°Lord Naranoff will see you now.¡± When Aiden stepped in, he wasn¡¯t paying enough attention to his surroundings. He was more focused on how he had to leave the Naranoff manor as soon as possible. Lord Naranoff placed his hand on his table the moment the door closed behind Aiden and Aiden felt the activation of an enchantment. He watched the air shimmer around him as the enchantment enveloped him. ¡°Aiden Lacheart,¡± Lord Naranoff said, thoughtful. ¡°A strange name if I ever did hear one. Although I always assumed it was likely made up on account of your background.¡± Aiden nodded not very focused. A creature¡¯s size is masked by the weight of their wool. It was an old line. A very old one. And while a lot of people knew it, there were those that wouldn¡¯t be caught dead using it. Those in important positions with pieces of information that could topple kingdoms and send people to wars. It was a line Aiden had used a few times. ¡°The king sent a letter for your attention,¡± Lord Naranoff was saying. ¡°One letter is for your attention while the other was addressed to me.¡± That got some of Aiden¡¯s attention. Lord Naranoff tapped on an envelope resting on his table and Aiden walked up to it. ¡°This,¡± Lord Naranoff said, ¡°is for you.¡± Aiden moved to take it only to be interrupted by Lord Naranoff¡¯s raised hand. ¡°Not yet.¡± He pointed at an unfolded piece of paper. ¡°That was addressed to me. However, I would like you to look at it before you pick yours.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve probably considered the possibilities of what might be happening if his mind was not elsewhere. But his mind was elsewhere, on a beautiful maid, as he picked up the other piece of paper. Aiden picked the paper up and froze when he saw the title. Matters Regarding The Young Lord Aiden Lacheart, he read. Then it took his mind a moment to recalibrate. When had Brandis informed his lords about the existence of the summoned? It had been a while into the future, hadn¡¯t it? ¡°The king is a friend,¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°But as a king, he keeps secrets that belong to the crown. But of all the secrets he has ever shared with me, this has been the one I had wished he would never share.¡± Aiden continued to read, his mind bending more and more as he read. He already had Vanisi to deal with, now this. ¡°As a father,¡± Lord Naranoff continued. ¡°You find yourself wishing that certain horrible things do not happen while you are alive. Then you wish that they do not happen during your children¡¯s time. Or your grandchildren¡¯s time.¡± He paused. ¡°Then you realize that it has to happen, so you wish that it happens in some generation so far down the future that you can¡¯t feel any empathy for any kin existing during that time.¡± In the letter, the king had given a detailed account of the truth of who Aiden was and had authorized Lord Naranoff to grant him whatever assistance he needed as well as keep the information a secret. ¡°The rising darkness is here,¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°And I have been a big enough fool as to risk the life of one of our heroes.¡± It was all worrying, and Aiden knew he would¡¯ve been trying to figure a way to handle the current situation if he hadn¡¯t just discovered the Vanisi worked for the Order. She was low level, low enough to be inconsequential and not trained properly. It had been evident in how she had reacted during their conversations. She had been too eager to learn what was bothering him. She also knew where the dead in the listening enchantments were around the house. She had pointed out Lord Naranoff''s wing specifically but it wasn''t a stretch to assume that she had simply added the excuse of learning it from Lady Nella as a cover up. Even if she hadn''t found it herself, it had been a little too obvious that she hadn''t been happy to give up that piece of information. What business did a maid have with such places in the Lord''s wings? Then there was her loss of interest when she found out that the information he gave wasn''t important. But all that hadn''t been enough. Aiden had needed to be certain, so he''d taken a risk using the code. She had done her best to hide it, but he had seen the recognition. He''d seen it in her eyes when she recognized it and started trying to figure out who exactly he''d seen and how they had slipped up. She could''ve assumed that he was making things up, but no one simply made up a code they were not supposed to know. It wasn''t something that just happened. Aiden''s hand tightened around the piece of paper he was holding. Of all the spy organizations. He cursed in his mind. Fuck my life. SIXTY-ONE: Chapter 4 Verse 1 ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Things were not adding up. Aiden put his mind to work, the little that he could salvage from the fact that Vanisi worked for the Order. It had taken a while before Brandis had informed the nobles of him and the others in his past life. Certainly not this early, he thought. But Lord Naranoff had said that the king had a habit of sharing secrets with him because of how close they were¡ªor something like that. Did it mean that the same thing had happened in his past life? You¡¯ve really got to stop being so hung up on what happened in your past life, he scolded himself. Too many things had changed for him to still be worrying about the events from his past life. He¡¯d already done too much. He¡¯d already gained the attention of a [Saint], met the Demon of Nel Quan, and gone into the cave. At this point, he could put no hope in the microcosms of whatever had happened in his past life. And that was how it was meant to be. Worry would only begin when the macrocosms began to change. If wars started earlier than they were supposed to, then that would be a problem. If the king suddenly upped and passed away, that would be a problem. But, ultimately, the biggest problem was the risk he¡¯d taken in finding out that Vanisi was a spy for the Order. For one, he couldn¡¯t tell any of the members of the Naranoff family. What were the chances that Nella would believe him. Now that Naranoff knew exactly what he was, how would he start explaining how he knew what the Order was. Besides, considering how close they are, Nella would rather hang me first than do anything about it. Aiden frowned as a new thought came to mind. What if she already knows? If Nella already knew, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time some low level employee of the Order had grown so close to a target that they had ended up spilling the beans. Whenever the Order found out about such a thing, they usually just cut off the employee. It was as simple as that. Now that Aiden thought about it, it was funny how important spies of the Order never made that mistake. On the very few occasions that he¡¯d done some spy work, he¡¯d never revealed the truth of what he was. Even when he¡¯d fallen for the princess of some Nomadic tribe. You can¡¯t really hold yourself to any high esteem on that one, he thought. You were always worried about what would happen the moment you lost the protection of the Order. It hadn¡¯t been a testament to his dedication or control, just a testament to his fear. Aiden liked to believe the absence of his fear still wouldn¡¯t have a made a difference, though. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± This time, Aiden lifted his head at the sound of his name, realizing that while he¡¯d been lost in his own thoughts, his eyes had been fixed on Lord Naranoff¡¯s letter from the king. ¡°Yes, Lord Naranoff,¡± he answered. Lord Naranoff waved his response aside. ¡°You are a savior here to keep my life, and the lives of this entire world safe, I think you have no reason to be calling me Lord at this point. If anything, I should be the one calling you Lord.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Aiden muttered under his breath as he returned the letter to the Lord¡¯s desk not really paying attention. Lord Naranoff leaned back on his chair and folded his arms. His eyes were on Aiden but something about them seemed half-lost in thought. ¡°How long have you people been around?¡± Aiden picked up the letter meant for him and tapped against it with a finger. ¡°A while.¡± ¡°Three months?¡± The letter from Brandis hadn¡¯t said anything about how long they had been on Nastild, only that they were on Nastild and they were undergoing training. ¡°A while,¡± Aiden answered. Lord Naranoff¡¯s entire attention returned to the conversation. ¡°Secretive,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. You noticed that the king said nothing about how long you¡¯ve been around, and you don¡¯t want to give away too much information.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve agreed with that if it was true, but he was in no hurry to deny it vocally. He was secretive because he was a secretive person by nature. Lord Naranoff rubbed his forehead with thumb and forefinger. He suddenly looked very tired. ¡°And I was almost stupid enough to allow a soldier of mine cleave you in half with an axe.¡± Aiden raised a brow at the man¡¯s words. Was he watching the same duel everyone else was? Lord Naranoff sighed, shaking his head at the expression. ¡°I understand that I had no reason to worry now,¡± he pointed out. ¡°But if I had known this when she¡¯d dropped the challenge I would have¡ª¡± ¡°Done nothing,¡± Aiden said, cutting him off. Naranoff¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°And why would I have done nothing?¡± ¡°Because we are a secret for a good reason,¡± Aiden said. ¡°So how would you explain stopping a duel when the challenger had called upon the gods. From what I noticed, calling upon the gods in the presence of the church is a big deal. I doubt you would¡¯ve been able to do anything about it in a natural way.¡± Lord Naranoff pursed his lips. ¡°That is true. But no matter. You resolved the problem quite aptly, if I do say so myself. If I¡¯m being honest, I was surprised at how easily and brutally you resolved it. That¡¯s no mere feat at your age. I¡¯m more than certain that you were right.¡± ¡°About?¡± ¡°The bards, Lord Lacheart. They will sing songs of this. You might even get yourself a title at this rate.¡± Lord Naranoff paused, stroked his jaw. ¡°Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to have you gain a title. As we say on Nastild, you can never have enough titles.¡± ¡°And how do you intend on making this happen?¡± Aiden asked. Lord Naranoff shrugged. ¡°Well¡ªby the gods, where are my manners. Please have a seat. I cannot believe I¡¯ve kept you standing for so long.¡± Aiden was more than happy to oblige. While he was no longer as stressed over the thought of Belle being dead despite sparing her life as he knew he should be, he was still a little stressed over it. If there was anything he needed right now, a seat was definitely it. ¡°Do you have any titles, Lord Lacheart?¡± Lord Naranoff asked when Aiden was seated. ¡°I believe you mean titles given to me by the system, correct?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°One or two,¡± Aiden answered. Lord Naranoff nodded in understanding. ¡°And would you be willing to show them to me in the event that I may be able to render some useful advice to a savior?¡± Aiden¡¯s expression changed as he gave the illusion of thought. ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± he answered in the end. ¡°I have been advised against sharing that piece of information.¡± ¡°Is that also the reason you did not share your level when you were challenged?¡± Aide nodded. ¡°It is. I¡¯ve been told that the less that is known about me the better.¡± ¡°A reasonable piece of advice. I would not be surprised if you got that specific piece of information from Sir Valdan. Those who bear the title of [Knight of the Crown] are known to be quite secretive by nature. I assume that he has been the one training you since your arrival.¡± ¡°He has been a great teacher.¡± ¡°His loyalty to you always baffled me the few times I saw it, especially in the room.¡± Lord Naranoff sighed in relief. ¡°I will admit that it has been eating at me for a while, even during your duel. Why would a knight like Sir Valdan be so loyal to some random noble bastard? Now it all makes sense.¡± Aiden pressed his lips into a thin line. He was surprised to find out that the statement rubbed him the wrong way. There was a part of him that didn¡¯t want Valdan¡¯s loyalty to be because of who he was as a summoned. A part of him wanted that loyalty to be because they were slowly becoming friends. Don¡¯t be a child, he scolded himself. Valdan had already told him that he would not leave King Brandis. Not that he wanted the Knight to. There were things that Aiden had to do that a Knight should not be party to. Even if Valdan did choose to leave King Brandis, Aiden could not allow him. Not in good faith, at least. ¡°You said something about helping me get a title,¡± Aiden said, redirecting the conversation. ¡°Are the Lords capable of affecting the system in that way?¡± Naranoff bobbed his head from side to side in thought. ¡°Only in the ways allowed them by their king. And even that is quite limited. The titles a monarch can give will be titles that only take effect within the laws and reaches of their kingdom. If I give you a title, it would only be within the laws and reaches of my territory, and it would not be much. I was talking of something different.¡± Aiden sat forward. ¡°Like what?¡± It was a little annoying playing the guest from another world that knew nothing, but everybody had a part to play. Annoying as it was, this was his part to play. ¡°How much do you know about titles and how the system works, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°So little that it will be safe enough to say that I know nothing about it.¡± Lord Naranoff¡¯s brows furrowed in disbelief. ¡°Not even how things like skills work?¡± ¡°I know that. Sir Valdan has been generous enough in teaching me these simple things. It is the delicate intricacies that I know nothing about.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Lord Naranoff mused. ¡°Just out of curiosity, how much were you told about the gods?¡± He paused as if having made a mistake before saying, ¡°Our gods?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t told much on that,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°But I read a lot. I have a basic idea on the subject. Ten or eleven gods, if I¡¯m not mistaken, then the lesser gods continue to abound in number.¡± Truthfully, the gods system on Nastild was like the catholic doctrine on heaven. It wasn¡¯t as extensive and detailed, just relative. The catholic church believed in one God, while Nastild believed in twelve. A very limited handful were aware of the thirteenth, which was quite mysterious when you considered the fact that the gods didn¡¯t exist. Ted definitely believed they existed, Aiden thought. And he¡¯s more agnostic than catholic. If the gods actually did exist, then the idea of a mysterious thirteenth god actually made sense. But that was unimportant. As for the lesser gods, there was a new one every now and again. In truth, it wasn¡¯t that there was a new one, there were just so many of them that anyone that claimed that they knew all the lesser gods was either a liar or a truly deep fanatic. After all, the lesser gods were as bountiful as the saints were in the doctrine of the catholic church. Just trying to remember the catholic litany of saints threatened to give him a headache. It was funny how being a catholic he had learnt it as a child only to find out that the litany didn''t even carry half the number of saints the catholic church had. ¡°It would make sense that the king would not want to teach you about our gods,¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°And I¡¯m definitely not so religious that I would try to convert you¡­ Did you have gods in your world?¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We had religions.¡± Lord Naranoff eyeballed his response for a moment before continuing. ¡°I apologize,¡± he said after a while. ¡°I do not wish to pry into the details of your world. I know the scriptures well enough to understand why you would not be in a hurry to speak of your world. So I¡¯ll bring the conversation back to the title issue I was talking about.¡± Aiden nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°So, titles.¡± Lord Naranoff rested his back against his chair. ¡°The way they work on Nastild is that they are given by¡­ let¡¯s call it mana.¡± Aiden cocked his head to the side. That was not entirely true. It was a simplification, though. An acceptable one. Lord Naranoff waved his expression aside. ¡°It¡¯s obviously more complicated than that. But if we are being honest, there are only two types of titles, people given and system given.¡± ¡°And how does the people given title work?¡± ¡°It is crowd funded, in a manner of speaking. Monarchy is a crowd funded title. If the people accept you as an individual well enough and wish to be ruled by you, the system gives you the title of king or queen.¡± Aiden knew of that one. It was the reason why on Nastild you could have a king without a queen or a queen without a king. A king did not rule the kingdom, a monarch did. It was the reason either a prince or a princess could ascend the throne. For instance, if the king crowned his son to rule next and the people wanted his daughter badly enough, she would become the system sanctioned Queen. While her brother would wear the crown by decree of the king, he would not have the title of monarchy in his interface. He would not possess the system benefits of becoming a monarch. If Aiden was not mistaken, kingdoms had been split by wars over things like this. A decreed monarch over a system monarch. They knew the rightful ruler¡ªwhoever was system sanctioned¡ªbut there were always those who did not pledge their lives to the system. There were also those who were more than happy to be usurpers. The system¡¯s crowd-funded method of titles was part of the reason it was difficult to find a tyrannical monarch. If you did not have the title, there were a lot of system sanctioned benefits you lacked. ¡°Now, the way this form of titles work is a little complicated,¡± Lord Naranoff went on. ¡°The first thing you need to understand is that everything is mana. It isn¡¯t just the gift that allows you to use skills. It¡¯s the air you breathe in and let out. It is the shit you use to destroy the toilet in your room or desecrate that innocent grass in the middle of the forest¡­¡± Aiden didn¡¯t point out the fact that the stronger you grew in your levels the less waste your body produced. The moment a person hit level hundred, sweat was basically their only excrement and that was because it wasn¡¯t necessarily excrement. It was just the body performing a function to assist in achieving an optimum state. ¡°But it is not only the tangible,¡± Lord Naranoff was saying. ¡°Mana is also in your displeasure. Your joy. When you take a woman to bed, mana exists in your actions. Mana is quite literally everything.¡± ¡°And this affects titles how?¡± Aiden asked, caught up in his role in the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s simple. If mana is also in your emotions, then it stands to reason that it is also in your beliefs. In your wants. A crowd funded title is simply the collective belief of enough people. When enough people accept something about you, and I mean truly accept it, their collective belief settles upon you like a mantle. It protects you.¡± ¡°That mantle is the title,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Exactly,¡± Lord Naranoff nodded. ¡°So think of this as the first gift from a Lord of this world. I will use the people to grant you a title.¡± ¡°And what title will that be?¡± Lord Naranoff¡¯s response was a shrug. ¡°People can be as predictable as they can be unpredictable. What I can guarantee you is that when I¡¯m done, it is going to be a useful title. I just have no idea what use it is going to have.¡± ¡°Then, for that, you have my gratitude.¡± ¡°No, Lord Lacheart,¡± Lord Naranoff said. ¡°You have mine. I used to wonder what you could possibly have done to garner my son¡¯s wrath. He has always been a child driven by his own hubris. He gained his arrogance from me, but by the life of me he inherited none of my control. But there was always a starting point to his stupidity. Always a reason. Now I understand why he was against you. At least, I have an idea.¡± Aiden fingered the envelope in his hand, the letter from the king to himself. The topic Lord Naranoff was trying to touch upon¡ªwhatever it was¡ªwas not one he was going to be happy to indulge in. Unfortunately, the Lord did not need him to continue the conversation. ¡°There is a belief in our scriptures,¡± Lord Naranoff said, ¡°that the evil that will emerge from the rising darkness will come from anyone while the hero to save us will not be from this world. There are other criteria that we have been warned to look out for as well. So, before I continue, I will just like to point out that I may be my son¡¯s father, but that does not make me my son.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Good. That said, did you gain a unique skill before gaining your class?¡± ¡°Your son was under that misconception.¡± ¡°And were you told the reason such a misconception would lead him to his actions?¡± ¡°I was.¡± Lord Naranoff stood up and Aiden prepared himself. Lord Naranoff had proven himself to be a calm host so far, but you could never be too sure with these things. Aiden was not classless right now. He had the power to defend himself, and he had no hesitation in doing so. If he was forced to do what he had to do to kill a Lord today, then he would run today. He already knew how to be on the run. Lord Naranoff bowed at the waist. ¡°I know it might mean little but please accept my apologies on behalf of my son. It is my hope that you do not continue to hold this against him when you become stronger than him.¡± ¡°Your son is water under the bridge, Lord Naranoff,¡± Aiden said, dismissing the apology. ¡°And he¡¯s a grown man, fully responsible for his actions. With all due respect, it is not his father¡¯s place to apologize for him.¡± Lord Naranoff stood up straight and adjusted his clothes. ¡°And normally, I would not. But the last thing I would want is for my son¡¯s stupidity to put us in bad terms with a potential [Hero]. Believe me, it is never a good idea.¡± ¡°You do not fear the possibility that I might be the evil that rises from the rising darkness?¡± Aiden asked, curious. ¡°It is very possible that I might be lying about the unique skill and might end up becoming the evil you all fear.¡± Lord Naranoff chuckled as he sat down. ¡°Oh, dear boy. I¡¯m terrified. But you do not kill all the first sons born in a specific year simply because one of them would be a monster. That is what allowing your fear to rule you looks like. If you learn nothing from my world, learn this; you are meant to rule your emotions. All of them. Not the other way around.¡± Good to know that even in a different world King Herod is viewed as stupid and paranoid. ¡°Alright,¡± Lord Naranoff sighed. ¡°The time has come for preparations to be made.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Preparations?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Lacheart. The rising darkness is here. What that means is that I will have to delegate all administrative work in my territory and take up arms once more. I cannot say I am ready for it at my current level. I will have to level up. My children too. My soldiers as well. Oh, yes. That reminds me, I owe you another thanks.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°The child, Belle. What she did tonight was stupid, but she has the greatest promise amongst her peers. Everyone knows that only great things exist in her future. So, I am glad that you chose mercy over justified wrath. The gods know she did not deserve it.¡± Lord Naranoff picked up a parchment from one side of his desk and began perusing it. It signaled the conclusion of the conversation. ¡°Once I speak to her once more and show her the errors of her way with some forms of punishment, I¡¯m sure she will be of great help in my preparations.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t help but grimace at the words. ¡°Lord Naranoff.¡± The man raised his head from the parchment. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,¡± Aiden said slowly. Lord Naranoff¡¯s expression dampened. ¡°Let me guess. In the end, mercy did not prevail.¡± Aiden nodded gently. Lord Naranoff shook his head, solemn. He pinched the bridge of his nose like a tired old man who¡¯d just taken off his glasses. ¡°I cannot say I¡¯m surprised,¡± he muttered. ¡°The moment the church took her, I assumed that would happen. Although I prayed for it not to.¡± ¡°You expected the church to not save her?¡± ¡°I expected the church to do what the church always does: follow their doctrines to the letter.¡± ¡°But your church teaches about mercy and the forgiveness of sins.¡± Lord Naranoff looked up, surprised. ¡°Oh, I see someone has taken the time to learn of our religion.¡± ¡°My world believes that religion is important. At least my parents did,¡± Aiden said. ¡°We were not fanatics, but they believed that you can tell a lot about a person from what they believe or did not believe in. When I found out that this world had a central religion, I figured I might as well learn about it.¡± ¡°And how did that affect you?¡± Lord Naranoff asked. ¡°Coming to another world and learning about a new set of gods. Do you think your gods would be offended if you believed in ours?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°In my world, we take our gods by faith.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°We believe they exist even though there is no proof of their existence.¡± Lord Naranoff grimaced. ¡°That sounds like a difficult thing to do. We at least have the existence of [Saints] in our case. And the church does enough things to let us know that the gods exist. Those who do not believe in them have either never seen a church or a [Saint].¡± ¡°To each our cross." Aiden shrugged. "But why did you expect her to die when your church teaches mercy?¡± ¡°Because I know the scriptures well enough,¡± Lord Naranoff answered. ¡°And I assure you that it is not by choice. Now, it is actually no secret amongst those that are old enough, but I was not the one that was supposed to take over my territory. I actually have an older brother. But he chose a different path earlier on in life and ended up becoming a priest. He dedicated himself to the church.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t tell if that was among the pieces of information he¡¯d had about Bandiv in his past life. And since he couldn¡¯t, it was safe to assume that he hadn¡¯t had it. ¡°Joining the church,¡± Lord Naranoff went on, ¡°is a decision to give up all worldly possessions. So, he gave up his right to rule over the territories. What I¡¯m trying to say is, having an older brother with a deep love for the church subjects you hear a lot about the scriptures and things related to the church. And there is a verse in the scriptures that taught me more about the church than I would¡¯ve liked to learn.¡± ¡°What does it say?¡± Aiden asked. Lord Naranoff gave him a soft smile. ¡°Indulge a Lord a moment of teaching, if you don¡¯t mind. Knowledge is best appreciated when learned by oneself. So, rather than tell you what it says, I¡¯ll tell you the verse and you get to find it yourself if you are interested.¡± Aiden did his best not to let out a sigh. He wasn¡¯t a child that he needed to waste his time learning such things. ¡°All I can say for certain is this,¡± Lord Naranoff continued. ¡°The moment she called upon the gods as witness and called the duel one of honor, she had sealed her fate. Everyone knows that you do not take the name of the gods in vain.¡± ¡°The verse, Lord Naranoff,¡± Aiden said, hoping to push the conversation to its conclusion. ¡°Book of Desertion,¡± he answered. ¡°Chapter 4 verse 1.¡± Aiden nodded, locking the scripture in his memory. If there was one thing he was willing to admit, it was that this had actually piqued his interest. The book of Desertion was a point in Nastild¡¯s scriptures. From what Aiden could remember of it, the book of Desertion focused on a part of some holy war when a select group of people had betrayed the church. It was a brutal part of the scripture that the church rarely spoke on. Aiden rose to his feet then, hoping the conversation was over. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Lord Naranoff, I would like to take my leave now.¡± ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Lord Naranoff waved him off politely. ¡°You¡¯ve got a day ahead of you tomorrow. You¡¯ll need to rise early for your trip. I will do my best to see you off as well as offer a gift.¡± Aiden paused, already free from his chair. ¡°If you truly wish to offer a gift, I made a request from your [Tailor].¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Yes. He introduced me to something called a living material that completely held my attention.¡± ¡°And you would like said material?¡± Lord Naranoff asked. Aiden nodded. ¡°I have already made arrangements for payment. According to him, the order would only be concluded if you permit it.¡± ¡°Permitted,¡± Lord Naranoff said without missing a beat. ¡°And allow me to handle the payment. You will need all the funds you can get for what we believe lies ahead. There is no need to spend it on what can simply be given to you. I believe it will be delivered to the castle.¡± ¡°Ye¡ª¡± Aiden caught himself before he completed the word. ¡°Perhaps not. From what I have learnt. The moment I return, I will be sent off with Sir Valdan and a group to a certain location, and I might be there for a while. It would be nice to have it sent to the town north of Elstrire. It is a small town and the only one without a name from what I have learnt.¡± ¡°Elstrire,¡± Lord Naranoff mused. ¡°That is under Lord Garron¡¯s command.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Aiden muttered. ¡°If it will be a problem, then I don¡¯t mind receiving it at the palace once I return.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Lord Naranoff scoffed. ¡°I will have it delivered to this town near Elstrire as you have requested. It will be no problem.¡± Aiden bowed gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Lord Naranoff.¡± Now, all he had to do was contemplate on the success of this specific endeavor. Based on the way things were going, it was very possible that he wasn¡¯t going to get the order in the end. But it didn¡¯t mean that he was just going to abandon the chance of getting it. Aiden took his leave and was at the door when Lord Naranoff spoke again. ¡°And Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, looking back. ¡°Thank you for dealing with the poachers in my territory,¡± Lord Naranoff said sincerely. ¡°And while it did not turn out the way you wanted it to. Thank you for showing Belle mercy. You are the rightful owner of her axe. Never forget that.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°And thank you for the title you intend on giving me. And the order from your [Tailor].¡± With that, he left the office. True to her words, Vanisi had waited for him outside. She stood patiently, as any trained maid would, and met him with a smile when he came out. ¡°How was your conversation with the Lord?¡± she asked politely. ¡°Not as long as I thought it would be,¡± he answered. Vanisi chuckled knowingly, her seductive nightwear still as tempting as it had been before he¡¯d entered the office. ¡°I told you he does not like to waste time. Where to next?¡± There was a deeper question in her voice, an invitation. Aiden remembered her proposition to him; her invitation to spend the next few hours before daybreak together. A tumble in the sheets certainly didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea. The gods knew he wanted it. ¡°Is there a holy book anywhere nearby?¡± he found himself asking. ¡°Lord Naranoff has given me a task that I am to fulfil by the morning. I would need the holy book to fulfil it.¡± Vanisi pouted in dismay but schooled the expression very quickly. ¡°There is one in the chapel. I will get it for you at once, just after escorting you back to your chambers.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The walk back was done in silence. Vanisi¡¯s disapproval of how the events were proceeding was clear in how she assumed complete professionalism as they walked. Aiden almost wanted to talk to her, to bring back that conversationalist personality she liked to have around him. The very thought worried him. I swear I need friends, he thought with a groan. One month of no real friends except Valdan and you¡¯re already trying to talk up a girl that¡¯s gone silent on you when that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been begging for. True to her words, Vanisi left him at the door to his room. She returned a few minutes later with a holy book. It was covered in black leather with the simple inscription ¡®Holy Book¡¯ on it. The moment he took it from her, she bowed and left him. Aiden watched her go for a moment. His time had started ticking now. If she was smart, she would do a little investigation to confirm his claim that a lord had come to him saying a secret code only a member of the Order should know. She would inevitably come to the conclusion that such a thing did not happen. By the time she did, he would be gone. Then she would report what had happened to whatever chain of command she answered to. Such a situation would certainly go up the chain of command. And just like that, in a matter of time, Aiden would¡¯ve stupidly put himself under the attention of the Order. He had plans of working with the Order at some point in this life, but right now was too soon. He wasn¡¯t powerful enough to work with them. If he ran into the Order at this time, he would end up working for them. And that was a situation that he could not allow. He was going to engage with them on his own terms. Before closing his eyes and going to sleep, Aiden found the scripture Lord Naranoff had spoken of. The man had been right, anyone who remembered this part of the scriptures would not be surprised by the actions of the church that had allowed Belle''s death. The first verse of the chapter literally began with the most ominous of words for a church that preached mercy. It read¡­ Not all who seek forgiveness are deserving of it. SIXTY-TWO: Existential Blow The sun was nowhere in the sky, but the sky was soft with the touch of daybreak. Aiden¡¯s first touch of concern was the fact that Vanisi had not been the one to wake him up. He could¡¯ve chucked it up to what had happened in the early hours of the morning, but he doubted that that was the case. She was either still reeling from the fact that he claimed to have run into someone using a code from the Order or she could¡¯ve just been shy since he¡¯d rejected her advances. It mattered very little. Right now, Aiden¡¯s eyes kept flickering from side to side, checking, watching. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Fjord said. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Aiden nodded, eyes returning to Fjord. The first request he had made today after being woken up was to ask the maid to send for Fjord. He had asked that the boy meet him at the carriage upon their departure. Now that they stood together, the carriage was being prepared behind them. The servants were loading up the things that the princess had brought with her as well as the things that Valdan and Aiden had brought. The sight of extra luggage didn¡¯t evade Aiden¡¯s attention. A few extra boxes. Two swords still comfortable in their scabbards of white with silver glints. There was a strong possibility that those were gifts from Lord Naranoff to him. But that mattered very little. Right now, Aiden needed to finish his conversation with Fjord. ¡°There¡¯s no problem,¡± he told the boy. ¡°Just making sure that someone is not around. Anyway, you remember what you¡¯re supposed to do, right?¡± Fjord nodded. ¡°I am to go to the village North of Elstrire and wait for a package, my lord.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not all you¡¯re doing, Fjord.¡± Fjord¡¯s brows narrowed. ¡°My apologies, my lord. I am also to investigate the forest there everyday when the sun comes down for an hour.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Aiden said. ¡°You are to purchase a pen and paper and record every disturbance you notice everyday during your time in the forest.¡± ¡°And if there¡¯s no disturbance, my lord?¡± Aiden did his best not to frown. The boy was laying it a little too thick on the title. He was like a child who was doing his best to be on his best behavior to avoid being punished for a crime he had committed. ¡°If there¡¯s no disturbance,¡± Aiden said, ¡°then you put it down on the parchment that there was no recorded disturbance.¡± Fjord nodded. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Aiden groaned. ¡°Alright, new rule. If we are to continue working together, you get only one ¡®my lord¡¯ for every four statements. Got it?¡± Fjord lowered his head. ¡°Yes, my¡ª¡± he raised his head to find Aiden frowning at him. ¡°If not ¡®my lord¡¯, then what should I call you?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ve been talking, how many times have I said your name?¡± Aiden asked. Fjord scratched his head. ¡°Once?¡± ¡°Exactly. You don¡¯t always have to call me by my title. But if you absolutely have to, call me ¡®sir.¡¯¡± Fjord¡¯s shoulders relaxed. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± This is going to take some getting used to. Aiden had never had anyone that was not a servant address him as a superior in his past life. Apart from the palace servants, he had always been Lord Lacheart or Lord Lacheart the Younger. Then he had become the equal or the inferior with everyone he¡¯d traveled with. It was odd being called ¡®my lord¡¯ by someone that was not a servant of a House. ¡°Have you been to Elstrire before?¡± Aiden asked. Fjord nodded. ¡°Twice¡­ sir.¡± There was no surprise there. Poachers were known to travel a lot. A poacher who didn¡¯t travel wasn¡¯t good at their job. ¡°So you know how to get there, correct?¡± Aiden said. Fjord nodded. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Reaching into his pocket, Aiden brought out a small pouch and gave it to Fjord. ¡°Have this. Now, the choice is up to you. This could be a one time payment that you can disappear with¡ªI won¡¯t come after you for it. Or you could get the job done and continue working for me.¡± Fjord opened the pouch and visibly schooled his expression when he saw its contents. There was enough gold to last him the entire trip and keep him fed for at least a month more. ¡°Does working for you mean being sent on such errands?¡± he asked. Aiden hadn¡¯t really thought about it, but that didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea. However, if he was being honest, he had thought about how he could actually help the boy. It was not out of generosity or charity but simple curiosity. The boy was a difficult student to handle and the instructor in Aiden was curious about if he could handle it. ¡°That would be one thing,¡± Aiden confirmed. ¡°But more importantly, I¡¯ve been studying your class and seeing if I could find a way around it. I will be the first to admit that it is quite the annoying class, no offense.¡± ¡°None taken, my lord.¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t think it is an impossible class to grow. Just an annoying and deadly one, depending on which direction you intend on growing it.¡± Fjord¡¯s schooled expression slipped slightly. His lips twitched in a barely restrained smile. He had the look of a boy staring at hope yet not wanting to hope. He looked excited and terrified at the same time, unsure of how to respond. In the end, he settled for something extravagant. Fjord bowed deeply at the waist. ¡°Thank you, Lord Lacheart.¡± As if he was not satisfied with his expression of gratitude, he tried to take it a step further. Aiden caught the signs before Fjord could evolve his show of gratitude. It was in the slight movement of his hand, the bending of his knee, the forward tilt. Aiden reached out and grabbed the boy by the shoulders before he could go down on his knees. ¡°You put your head to the ground,¡± he said in a very low voice, ¡°and be sure that this will be the last time you ever see me in your life.¡± Fjord stiffened almost immediately. His knees locked up so that his legs were as straight as a ruler. ¡°My apologies, my lord,¡± he said very quickly. ¡°It will not happen again.¡± ¡°And be sure that it does not.¡± Aiden hadn¡¯t meant to terrify the boy, but he¡¯d always learned that you took the method you knew would kill anything you didn¡¯t want immediately. It was true in combat and human interaction. ¡°I do have a question for you,¡± he continued when Fjord was back to standing normally. ¡°Do you know if the priests stayed at the mansion or left to the church in this region?¡± ¡°The church,¡± Fjord answered. ¡°They left as early as the third hour. I checked the time stone.¡± The time stone was Nastild¡¯s version of a clock. It carried a simple enchantment and was powered by injecting it with the smallest amounts of mana. Every time stone had a max mana capacity before it ran out and stopped working. It had the design of a sundial but was a semi-circle with a single dial hand. The day started from one end of the semi-circle and moved all the way to the other end. Then it repeated the process back to the other end for the next day. ¡°What of the priest with the white hair?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°He went with them.¡± Aiden nodded. It was a good sign that the boy liked to pay attention to what was his business and what was not his business. ¡°And the Mages?¡± he asked. ¡°The lady with the colorful hair and glasses?¡± ¡°They were given a room in one of the wings,¡± Fjord answered. Worry creeped into Aiden immediately. ¡°Thank you. Now, you remember what I have asked you to do, correct?¡± Fjord nodded. ¡°But when do I leave?¡± ¡°Immediately,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°You are not an employee here. You were simply hosted because I was around. The Lord of the manor is very aware of the fact that you are allowed to leave whenever you want. Just report to the head butler and you may take your leave.¡± ¡°So¡­ I should leave the moment you do?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t wait for any more words. He turned and made his way to the carriage. His steps were quick, and he did his best to hide his hurry. The last thing he needed was for Lady Estabel to find out that he had come with the princess and was leaving with the princess. There was nobody in the manor that didn¡¯t know that the princess and her ¡®entourage¡¯ were leaving this morning. What those who didn¡¯t pry would not know was that Aiden was a part of the entourage. Aiden would be very dissatisfied if he managed to avoid the [Saint] but not the [Mage]. Valdan opened the carriage door as Aiden got to him. ¡°You look like you¡¯re running, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said simply. ¡°Does this have anything to do with a certain man you are supposed to have a conversation with today?¡± Aiden hurried into the carriage and found Elaswit already seated inside. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± the princess told him when he took his seat. Valdan stepped into the carriage and closed the door behind him. ¡°Lord Lacheart seems to have presented the boy he invited into the Naranoff household with some form of assistance.¡± ¡°It was nothing grand,¡± Aiden said, eyes glancing out of the window. ¡°Just a task.¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°A task?¡± ¡°Where I come from, people like him are called delinquents,¡± Aiden explained. ¡°They¡¯ve lived a life of doing things in opposition of society that it would be too much to just snap back to following societal norms and rules.¡± ¡°We also have delinquents, Aiden,¡± Valdan said, drawing a surprised look from Elaswit. ¡°In fact, if you weren¡¯t a special case, you would fall under the category of delinquents.¡± Aiden made a face at him before he could stop himself. It was childish and very surprising. More surprising was the laugh that Valdan managed to suppress. ¡°It is always amusing yet terrifying when you act your age,¡± Valdan said. Aiden schooled his expression and opened the window next to him. He would admit to having surprised himself with his behavior. Reaching out of his window with a hand, he beckoned one of the men on a jepat to him. ¡°Princess,¡± Valdan said suddenly. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°No, none at all. It¡¯s just¡­ you called him Aiden.¡± Valdan nodded as the man on the jepat came to Aiden. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You always call him Lord Lacheart,¡± Elaswit pointed out. ¡°And he always calls you Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°He does?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden turned away from the man on the jepat for a moment to look at her. ¡°I do?¡± Elaswit looked between the both of them, befuddled. ¡°Yes. You do.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed and he looked at Valdan. ¡°I call you ¡®sir¡¯?¡± Valdan shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s news to me, too.¡± Elaswit frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on right now?¡± Aiden returned his attention to the man on the jepat. ¡°Do you have a stamina, mana, and health potion on you?¡± he asked. ¡°Partial recoveries only.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The man nodded, hesitantly. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°May I have one of all three,¡± Aiden requested. ¡°No need for that,¡± Valdan said, loud enough for the man to hear. He patted a small pouch on the seat next to him. ¡°I have one of all three.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden waved the man on the jepat off. ¡°It seems I would not be needing them anymore. Thank you for your time.¡± The man bowed slightly before his jepat trudged away. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about this,¡± Elaswit said as their carriage finally started moving. ¡°How you feel about what exactly, princess?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°This.¡± She gestured from him to Valdan with a hand. ¡°And why are you calling me princess and him Valdan?¡± ¡°Because you are princess and he is Valdan,¡± Aiden said with a shrug. Valdan adjusted on his seat so that he could face Elaswit. ¡°Are you sure everything is alright, princess?¡± Elaswit frowned and Valdan laughed. ¡°You¡¯re mean, Valdan.¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°How could you do such a thing?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said. ¡°You are the one doing something.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening right now?¡± the princess pointed an accusing finger at Aiden. ¡°When we were coming, we were the ones messing with Sir Valdan. Why am I the one being messed with now?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Maybe Valdan and I bonded during our stay here.¡± Valdan chuckled easily. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Despite you and I being the ones that ended up getting stuck in a cave and risking our lives together?¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t be sure, but he thought he heard a touch of hurt in the princess¡¯ voice. As if she wasn¡¯t being rewarded for her hard work. Valdan let out an apologetic sigh. ¡°Try not to hold it against him, princess.¡± ¡°And why should I?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Because Lord Lacheart isn¡¯t very good at making friends. Sometimes I believe the concept eludes him.¡± ¡°And how many friends, pray tell, do you have?¡± Aiden said. Valdan smirked at him. ¡°None that you know of.¡± For whatever reason, Elaswit sucked in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°If I keep thinking about this, I¡¯m just going to keep feeling bad.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if she was being serious or if she was still playing some angle. This was the problem with playing an angle and getting caught. It made any other thing you do, genuine or not, seem like another angle. ¡°My apologies, princess,¡± he said to her. ¡°I did not mean to offend.¡± Elaswit made a dismissive gesture with her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But the least you could do is obey my request.¡± ¡°What request is that?¡± ¡°I take it that she¡¯s speaking of the one she made when we were coming here,¡± Valdan said. ¡°That you call her by name when it is just the three of us or the two of you. Am I correct, princess?¡± Elaswit nodded. ¡°He called me by name in the cave a few times. By the life of me, I do not understand why he stopped when we left the cave.¡± ¡°Perhaps he is shy,¡± Valdan supplied. ¡°Valdan,¡± Aiden said with a scowl. ¡°Yes, Aiden.¡± ¡°Remind me to aim my sword at your eye the next time we train.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± Valdan paused. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me saying, I find myself looking forward to the next time we spar.¡± Elaswit looked between the both of them. ¡°I think I would very much like to witness it. Merciful wrath against level and experience.¡± Aiden turned to her taken aback. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Merciful wrath,¡± she repeated easily. ¡°That¡¯s what they were calling you at the soiree after you retired. The way you fought the lady was wrathful even if not chaotic, however, you showed mercy in the end.¡± Merciful wrath was a phrase the [Saint] that had killed off his poaching crew in his past life had used to describe his actions. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about being referred to with it. ¡°That isn¡¯t necessarily why I am looking forward to it, princess,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Really?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Then why are you looking forward to it?¡± Valdan looked at Aiden and Aiden understood what permission he was seeking. He nodded. It didn¡¯t really matter if Elaswit found out what his level currently was. She would report it to her mother who would tell the king who would already know because Aiden would have to tell him when the king asked. He could refuse the king¡¯s request or even lie, but then there was the [Sage] who could check it without permission. So, there was really no point to refusing or lying. ¡°My interest is not in Lord Lacheart¡¯s fighting prowess,¡± Valdan said to Elaswit. ¡°Lord Lacheart has always been very skillful. What you saw at the soiree was just him being mean about it.¡± ¡°Very true,¡± Elaswit agreed. ¡°But from what I heard, the lady was probably close to level forty. Definitely in her thirties, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why she was doomed to lose.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°She was more fanatic than reasonable,¡± Aiden said as the carriage rocked from climbing over something on the road. ¡°She did not do her research. She simply made her challenge, guided by her unjustified rage.¡± ¡°What research?¡± Elaswit looked from Aiden to Valdan. ¡°What am I missing?¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart couldn¡¯t have reasonably lost the fight even if her skills and his were equal, princess.¡± Aiden and Valdan waited patiently after Valdan¡¯s words. Elaswit just sat where she was, staring at nothing, eyes moving gently in their sockets. ¡°I know you guys are trying to tell me something, and I swear I¡¯m not dumb,¡± she said quickly, "I¡¯m just confused because what you might be saying is hard to believe.¡± ¡°Would you like the nice knight to spell it out for us?¡± Aiden teased before he could stop himself. Elaswit pulled herself together. Composed, she leaned forward and looked Aiden in the eye. ¡°Why don¡¯t you spell it out for me, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden shrugged, nonchalant. ¡°Because it will be considered bragging.¡± Elaswit sat back with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re level fifty, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you somehow crossed the threshold during the poachers incident.¡± Aiden¡¯s lips twitched. He hadn¡¯t been expecting that. ¡°But how?¡± Elaswit asked in disbelief. ¡°You were barely level twenty when we entered the cave.¡± Elaswit was definitely not supposed to have that piece of information. And while it could be chucked up to assumptions, her choice of level twenty and not any other random number was a little too specific. Her mother really prepped her. ¡°Not quite, princess,¡± Valdan interjected. ¡°Lord Lacheart is not yet at level fifty.¡± Elaswit paused, then sighed in relief. ¡°He¡¯s not? Well, thank the gods for that.¡± Aiden cocked a quizzical brow. ¡°Thank the gods for that? If I wasn¡¯t mistaken, princess, it sounds as if you do not want me to be at level fifty.¡± Elaswit backtracked almost immediately. ¡°I assure you, Aiden, that that is not what I meant. It was more about my disappointment in myself than you. If I have offended you in any way, I am truly sorry. It was not my intention.¡± Aiden waved her worry aside. ¡°What do you mean it is more about you than me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Elaswit looked down at her hands on her lap. ¡°If you were at level fifty, it would mean that in one month you¡¯ve achieved far more than I have in over two years.¡± Her jaw tightened. ¡°It would make me feel weaker than I know I am. Especially after what happened in the cave.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry to be the bearer of bad news to dampen your good news,¡± Valdan said. ¡°But Lord Lacheart is at level 48.¡± Elaswit nodded. The action was slow, accepting of her state. ¡°I guess once we get back, I¡¯ll have to double down on my training.¡± ¡°I would not advise that,¡± Valdan said. ¡°The lady who challenged Lord Lacheart was weaker than you by level yet she was older than you.¡± ¡°And Lord Naranoff said she was the most promising talent he had,¡± Aiden added. ¡°I understand what you two are trying to say,¡± Elaswit said, finally raising her head to look at them. ¡°I should not be so down because I have it better than someone else. That I should not belittle my growth.¡± ¡°That is a part of it, princess,¡± Valdan confirmed. ¡°But I am a princess, Sir Valdan. How my mother raised me does not allow me look to those beneath me and understand that I am in a good position. She raised me to look beyond me and understand that there is a position higher than mine, a position I should aspire to grow myself to.¡± ¡°If you are so determined to follow this path, then I would just like you to know that you are aspiring to become a monster,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Lord Lacheart¡¯s growth isn¡¯t just irregular, it is abnormal.¡± ¡°Harsh,¡± Aiden said. Outside, the carriage was finally pulling up to the teleport location. Valdan ignored Aiden. ¡°To grow like Lord Lacheart, princess, you will need to place your life in the kind of danger that no sane person ever should.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°He stepped into a cave when he was weaker than you, princess. Whatever was inside the cave was strong enough to make you unconscious, yet he did not pass out until after he had come out. I believe he has a tenacity that is otherworldly because he is otherworldly.¡± Says the guy with the [Inevitable] title, Aiden thought. Elaswit sucked in a calming breath. ¡°It does not matter. I will try and try until I can try no more.¡± Valdan winced at that, probably from the repercussion of having to explain to the king how he traveled with the princess and came back with her wanting to grow at a suicidal rate. ¡°Also,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Since we¡¯re being honest, I¡¯m actually level 49 not 48.¡± Valdan looked at him. ¡°Another level? In a single night? How did that¡­¡± he paused and his expression saddened. ¡°Belle.¡± Aiden nodded. Elaswit looked between the both of them. ¡°I don¡¯t think she put up a fight strong enough to push him to the next level without killing her.¡± ¡°She did not,¡± Valdan agreed. To Aiden, he added: ¡°That was the reason you were suddenly no longer in the mood for the party, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°What am I missing?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°The lady did not make it, princess,¡± Valdan said. ¡°She probably died from her injuries.¡± ¡°But they didn¡¯t seem that bad.¡± ¡°They were. If you ever strike someone in the chest and they cough up blood, it means you have broken something inside of them. Their rib bone could¡¯ve pierced their lungs as easily as it could¡¯ve pierced their heart. With all the damage he inflicted on her, without a potion, she would not have recovered naturally. Not at her level.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The information saddened the princess. ¡°And after he¡¯d gone out of his way to spare her. I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, princess.¡± The carriage pulled to a final stop and the subject changed. ¡°Are you sure you do not wish to simply travel by road, Lord Lacheart?¡± Elaswit asked as the [Mages] and [Enchanters] outside went to work in preparing the teleportation device. ¡°That would be a safer option.¡± ¡°This is fine,¡± Aiden said. ¡°We¡¯re prepared for this so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be. With his increased level and his upgrade from [Resilience] to [Willpower] he was almost a hundred percent certain that he would be fine. Besides, nothing bad happened until I noticed the [Multiverse Agent]. As long as I keep my head down, I should be fine. Choosing to travel by road would have been a perfect idea since it would''ve been a good chance to escape, if not for a few reasons. One was that Aiden had no intentions of escaping without his brother, Ted. Another was because it would take him too long to navigate his way to where Ted currently was in the town of cannibals as confirmed in the letter Brandis had sent to him. And the third reason was that he had to collect the bank card the palace had prepared for him. Once he had the bank card, there was a group he needed to get in touch with. And he had it on good authority that they had an operational branch in the capital city. After all, the good authority was his. Someone knocked on the window on Valdan¡¯s side of the carriage, and the knight opened it. ¡°Prepare for teleportation,¡± A lady said Valdan nodded and closed the window with a worried look in his eyes. He placed his hand on the small bag with the potions next to him. ¡°Prepare for teleportation.¡± The princess nodded and took a deep breath. Valdan¡¯s worried eyes remained on Aiden as if he didn¡¯t want to lose track of him during the teleportation. While Valdan took in a calming breath of his own, Aiden simply bowed his head and kept his eyes on his lap. He would¡¯ve liked to close his eyes as well, but he kept them open, instead. The last thing he wanted was for something to happen that he could¡¯ve avoided if his eyes were open. Then a single word filled the air. ¡°IMPACT!¡± The air grew thin, then somehow it became stale as if it had aged and expired. The world around Aiden froze, and as expected, everything grew dark. The carriage around them was the first thing to start turning to dust. The evolution was slow, black dust scattering about into the wind. In a moment, the roof was gone. Then Elaswit¡¯s eye was swept away as dust. Valdan started next. His left leg exploded into dust. Aiden took a deep breath. Alright, all you¡¯ve got to do is mind your business, Aiden. He stayed stationary as everything around him devolved into dust. When it was all gone, he was left standing alone in the darkness. When the entire carriage was gone, he heard the sound of something falling. It was small and light. When he turned to look at it, it was not too far from him. Isn¡¯t that where the luggage was supposed to be packed? He wondered, staring at the crystalized dimensional mana lying on the ground. It took him a moment before a part of him realized that he shouldn¡¯t really be surprised. That a crystalized dimensional mana did not immediately devolve like everything else during a spatial event wasn¡¯t really surprising. Keep your head down, Aiden told himself as he walked up to the crystal. You¡¯ll survive longer that way¡­ hopefully. If he could just make sure he didn¡¯t stare into the horizon, he would be fine. Hopefully. Standing over the crystal, he bent down to pick it up and froze. Please, God, he groaned. Tell me it¡¯s not what I¡¯m thinking. He¡¯d heard a sound, and another followed in his silence. Aiden¡¯s hand trembled slightly. The sound was small, minute. It was like the tiny yet piercing sound of glass breaking. Aiden turned his head to look behind him but did not stand. There was no way it was coming from the horizon. He refused to believe it. Behind him, he was met with the sight of a different surprise. What the hell is that? He thought, picking up the mana crystal and sliding it into his pocket. As always, he kept his eyes on a single point, refusing to look around. What he set his eyes upon looked like a crack in the dark space around him. It spread from a single point, hairline fractures reaching about. However, it was black. A deep black that was too evident in the darkness around him. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. He opened his mouth to complain only to clamp it back shut. There was a reason he¡¯d been thinking to himself and not talking. Two reasons, in fact. The first and unimportant reason was that he was alone. Obviously. He wasn¡¯t prone to talking out loud when he was alone and talking to himself. The second reason was that his own voice might attract unwanted attention. As he watched, the fractures pulled together, and the point of their origin expanded in size. Nothing about this was looking good and Aiden took a hesitant step back. Why is this shit happening to me? The moment the hole became large enough, the cracks shot out of it once more, but this time they stretched to touch the ground around the hole. Aiden stared as the cracks moved slightly. He stared at a black ball that had grown to the size of a car¡¯s tire while cracks as fat as an octopus¡¯ tentacles kept it upright. Two more cracks spawned around him, and Aiden¡¯s interface came alive. You have got to be kidding me. [Anomaly Detected!] [Prisoner #234502385739 you have encountered your first Spatial Crack] [Contacting System Admin for support resolution.] [Estimated time of successful contact: 00:11:24] ... [Prisoner #234502385739, Survive!] Aiden wasn¡¯t sure of what he was supposed to do. On one hand, he knew how long he had to survive. Eleven minutes was a lot of time, but at least he knew his time line. Eleven, give or take, he thought to himself, taking a combat stance. Not impossible. On the other hand, was [Prisoner #234502385739] ready to meet a system admin or any form of help that would draw the attention of a system admin, whatever or whoever that was. Aiden shook his head. He was in no position to be picking and choosing. Survive first. He raised his hands as another set of cracks appeared. The first one wasn¡¯t attacking yet and Aiden paused before his hands came together. Could skills work in whatever this place was? And was there anyway to survive without drawing the attention of the [Multiverse Agent] he was already trying to avoid?¡± There was only one way to know the answer to both questions. Aiden¡¯s fingers interlocked and he weaved a sign with both hands. [You have used skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Speed] [Effect: 60% increase in movement speed.] [Duration: 00:08:10.] The information he read stunned him. The effect was double its normal amount. Even at level forty-nine, it was still supposed to give him thirty percent increment. It wouldn¡¯t rise until he crossed over to level fifty. Even then, it would only increase by another ten percent at best. Double was ludicrous. The enchantment filled him, and he realized something else. Instead of the power filling him up from within as it always did, it felt as if he was using an enchanted item like in his past life. He¡¯d weaved a sign, however, he was drawing power from somewhere else. Too many questions were coming to life in his head. Am I drawing power from this place? His answer came to him in the form of a notification. [You have used Crystalized Dimensional Mana] Aiden pulled his attention away from the notification just in time. He was gathering his thoughts when the first creature¡ªwhatever it really was¡ªattacked. Aiden¡¯s hands came up at the sudden speed of the creature and he defended himself. A tentacle-crack slapped into his raised arm, sending him staggering back. Pain flared in his mind, not the arm struck, and his interface came alive. [You have been dealt an Existential Blow!] ¡­ [Health: 72%] Aiden stared at the notification as something warm and wet trickled down his nose. Only one thought came to mind. What the hell is an Existential blow? Then another question bubbled up How the hell had it done twenty-eight percent worth of damage to him in one strike? SIXTY-THREE: Spatial Crack Dark walls surrounded the place, stained with bioluminescent plants. Algae and moss of different kinds stained the walls, creeping up from the ground. If not for the orb of light he¡¯d come with, the light within the cave would¡¯ve been annoying to work with. And this was enough for them to see with? Clerent wondered as he got up to his feet. He would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t impressed. In his hand was a small piece of rock. It was different from every other rock he¡¯d come across in the cave so far. He¡¯d found a very miniscule rubble of them, just scattered haphazardly in a particular area. Holding the piece of rock up, Clerent studied it. It was oddly smooth to the touch. It was undoubtedly a piece of rock, just nothing like the other pieces of rock. He frowned at it. There were a lot of things that came with gaining the title of [Saint]. Most people didn¡¯t know about most of them, and those who did, sat at the top of the hierarchy of the church. One of those things was the ability to detect something without mana in it. It was an impossible thing to assume that a title gave the ability to detect things without mana since everything had mana, but the [Saint] title granted such a benefit. And there was only one thing the scriptures taught those it did not consider the masses about things without mana; Gargoyles. Clerent tossed the rock casually to the side. So there had been gargoyles here. But what was more interesting was the fact that the young Lord Lacheart and the princess had defeated them. Clerent licked his bottom lip very gently, an odd habit he displayed whenever he was thinking. Both were less than level fifty, he thought. How did they win? The princess¡¯ level was not common knowledge, per say. But like many powerful organizations, the church had its spies everywhere that mattered. Sometimes even in places that did not matter. Some priests, pompous and arrogant in their title, liked to claim that they knew the things that they knew because the gods revealed it to them or through some grand miracle or the other. They lied to exaggerate their importance. The truth was that if something truly wrathful happened in your area and someone from the clergy shows up not long after, it was a sign that they had a spy. The gods did not pick it out and send a priest the piece of information. It was ludicrous to think that the gods had nothing better to do than to go around snitching on sins as grand as mass murder or the likes. Yes, such a sin was grand on a human scale, but they were gods. It mattered very little or not at all to them. Out of the corner of his eye, Clerent saw a line of ants crawling their way into a crack in a straight line. His current situation was the perfect analogy for how the gods viewed humans. You did not care if an ant or two massacred ten to twenty other ants. In the grander scheme of things, human or not, it was ultimately unimportant. The gods didn¡¯t care, and rightly so. They left humans to handle human problems. Besides, the presence of the gods hadn¡¯t been felt by any bearing the title of [Saint] for the past month. The things they did that increased the benefits of their title no longer worked. They still did them, but there were no effects on their benefits. It was a worrying thing. Not even the glorious act of hunting down those with the [Heretic] title. So why now? Clerent asked himself, remembering the notification he¡¯d gotten when he¡¯d taken the hand of the young Lord Lacheart. Why him? ¡°Find anything?¡± a voice called out, drawing Clerent from his thoughts. He frowned as he turned to the owner of the voice. ¡°Magus Estabel.¡± The [Mage] paused in her steps as she approached him with a rock in hand. Well groomed brows furrowed behind hand round spectacles. ¡°Why¡¯d you say my name like that, priest?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯d think you were angry with me.¡± Clerent wasn¡¯t angry with her, but with all of the Mage Radiant as an organization. There was no one who was a true member of the church that did not know that the organization¡¯s purpose was generally an affront to the holy order of things. They were a necessary evil, looking into and investigating any and every natural thing for the wrong purposes. Clerent casually pushed a strand of white hair behind his ear. ¡°Perhaps I am simply not in a good mood.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Estabel walked up to stand beside him, looking at the cave around them and not him. ¡°Is it because of the events of last night? Must¡¯ve been tough having some nobody calling upon the gods to bear witness.¡± Clerent¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. Now she was just trying to get a rise out of him. It was impossible to think that she wasn¡¯t. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as terrible as you make it sound, [Mage],¡± he muttered, turning away from her. He gave her staff a casual glance, fully aware of how choked with mana the orb at the heart of it was. With all the spells her abomination of an organization had researched and developed, she probably had enough knowledge and mana to level this entire place if she wanted to. No matter how annoyed with her he was, picking a fight with her would have annoying consequences. ¡°I¡¯m glad you all handled it well.¡± She tapped the butt of her staff against the ground and a very slight tremor went through the ground. ¡°This cave continues to amaze me. I keep getting odd feedbacks.¡± Clerent frowned as mana moved from her staff into the ground. It spread all along it, causing the slight tremor before returning to her. It was abominable, expended mana was not supposed to be called back. It was supposed to be allowed to return to nature. Pulling it back was nothing but greed. ¡°But talk about the young lord,¡± Estabel continued, moving away from him as whatever she¡¯d done took effect. Small rubbles and sand lifted off the floor by at least a few inches. As they hovered in place, she walked up to the things that did not. She picked up a single rock as large as her hand and peered at it through her glasses. ¡°Rock with no useful properties,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°It has all the things that make it a rock but none of the things that makes it a useful rock. Even my interface categorizes it as a rock. It¡¯s amusing.¡± Clerent did find it amusing. Not the rock, though. It seemed that for all their abominable researches, the Mage Radiant didn¡¯t know everything. ¡°Anyway,¡± Estabel slipped the rock into a pouch at her waist, ¡°how is the girl in your custody.¡± ¡°Fine enough.¡± Clerent turned and started walking down the path of the cave, deeper in. Estabel hurried to catch up to him. Clerent continued to keep a neutral expression when he heard her footsteps draw closer. He was beginning to think that his dislike for her wasn¡¯t just born from his dislike for her organization. Currently, he was beginning to realize that he had a problem with her colors as she came to a walking pace beside him. She was just too colorful. From her pink hair to her bright yellow cloak and her slightly glowing orb. She was too much for his eyes. And history had taught him that when a person¡¯s presence was that distracting, it was because there was something else about them that they didn¡¯t want you paying attention to. They continued their walk down the cave and Estabel took it upon herself to deliver commentary. She pointed out almost every and anything. She named the algae, explained why some rocks were formed this way or that, why there was a crack here and not there. She filled Clerent¡¯s ears with so many words that he wondered how a person who spoke so much had managed to rise to the rank of Magus within the Mage Radiant. At this rate, he was beginning to question the organization¡¯s choices. If she ever made it to the title of Grand Magus, he would lose it. Why was I late? He groaned. If he had gotten to the cave before her, maybe he would¡¯ve been able to explore alone. Sadly, he had not. And the woman had gone the extra mile to actually speak with the adventure society so that they made sure the cave was vacant for the entire day. When he had arrived, she had been more than happy to share the day with him. If he had been the first one there, he certainly would not have extended the same offer. It wasn¡¯t because he was rude, although he had been called rude a few times over the years, but it was because he liked to do his things alone. ¡°I wonder how they were able to navigate this place so comfortably with so little light,¡± Estabel commented. ¡°It would¡¯ve been very annoying. How do you think they did it?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Clerent turned his attention to a crack in the wall and placed a hand against it. It hadn¡¯t been naturally formed. ¡°I think the young Lord has promise,¡± Estabel said. ¡°I wonder what his class is.¡± ¡°[Weaver],¡± Clerent answered absently. Estabel paused. ¡°How do you know this?¡± Clerent gave her a look. ¡°I see you have never officiated a duel before.¡± It was his right as the person officiating the duel to know the class and level of the duelists. Unfortunately, the young Lord, being the challenged, had taken up his right to accept the duel without declaring his level. Such a thing would normally not be allowed, however, he had the favor of a man of repute vouch for him that his level was within the acceptable threshold. And since the challenger¡ªstupid woman that she was¡ªwas fine with it, there was no stopping it or pressing for more information. ¡°You¡¯re saying a [Weaver] beat a soldier in a duel?¡± Estabel asked, confused. Clerent had been expecting the young lord to be the corpse when he¡¯d heard their classes. The events of the duel had stunned him as much as they currently stunned her. But there had been something more interesting that had happened during the duel. Something he¡¯d missed because he hadn¡¯t been paying attention. The young Lord had done something that Clerent had missed. Even now, it continued to annoy him that he¡¯d missed it. There had been a moment during the fight when the boy had experienced a slight increase in mana that was only possible through the use of a spell or an item of enchantment or an artifact. Being an [Enchanter], however, Clerent had a small sense for enchanted items, and the boy hadn¡¯t had any on him. That was going to be a secondary part of the questions he would ask him once he was done with the cave today and returned to the Lord¡¯s manor. For now, there was more to the cave to explore. A natural enchantment to study. There was also something else to deal with. Casually, just because he could, he pulled up a notification that continued to bother him. [Congratulations! You have met your first ????] Those who held important enough positions in the church to give those with the [Saint] title pieces of advice all gave one simple advice. There was only one kind of person that their interface would not be able to identify now that they were [Saints]. If they ever met someone like that, which was very unlikely, it was always safe to run the other way as fast as possible. Or just bow down and hope they don¡¯t wish to kill you. Given, a lot of [Saints] went their entire lives without running into such a person. But Clerent had run into one once. It had been during his time outside Bandiv. He¡¯d gotten wind of a [Heretic] movement near him and had gone to exterminate their existence. On his trip, he¡¯d run into an elderly man. He had a simple beard and long hair. He wore a green cloak perhaps to mask his presence by blending in with the greenery of the forest. But what stood out the most about him had been his bow that had no string.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He¡¯d seemed unimpressed by Clerent in anyway, treating him like a young child while asking for directions out of the forest. In the end, they¡¯d shook hands before parting, and Clerent had gotten the notification. But much unlike this one he¡¯d gotten after shaking Lord Lacheart¡¯s hand, his notification had called it a warning not a congratulation. Then it had gone the extra mile to tell him to avoid hostility with [????]. That had been a month and a half ago. Clerent couldn¡¯t lie to himself as he took a turn down the path they were walking while Estabel continued to talk about things he was not listening to. If there was anything Clerent could say for certain, it was that the last month had been a very interesting one for him. ¡­ Aiden ducked another swinging black tentacle. Even though he had avoided it, he dived into a roll and came up a good distance away from the group of anomalies around him. The first thing he was thankful for was that there were no other anomalies popping up. The second thing he was thankful for was how fast his movements were. Eight minutes, he thought. That was how long it would take for his interface to contact whatever these system admins were. The creatures all turned to face him, slowly swaying as if being caressed by some nonexistent breeze. Aiden remembered to keep his eyes on them and not on the horizon that was possibly to the side. The last thing he needed was its attention right now. If he added the effect of its attention to fighting these things, he could very certainly die here. [Dimensional Mana detected] Aiden frowned at the notification. What now? You¡¯ve already detected it. [Weave of Lesser Speed is now Weave of Lesser Void Speed] Aiden had no idea what that was. In fact, he was very certain that he¡¯d never heard of it before. Still, he could feel its effect as a different kind of power started flowing through him. Where he had once felt fast and active, there was now a part of him that felt as if whatever task he wanted to achieve wasn¡¯t just possible anymore, it was inevitable. A tentacle snapped at him, covering the distance in a split second and Aiden moved. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in a different location. He hadn¡¯t even felt his feet on the ground when he moved. What the hell? He looked around him, realizing he¡¯d gone a little too far. As for the creatures, they simply turned in his direction. Considering the fact that they had no faces, it was no surprise that they had no facial expressions. No look of surprise. Do you really want to run into whatever comes of this system Admin? Aiden asked himself as he considered his options. This entire space was wide and vast. He could just run. At his current speed, he could run for more than eight minutes. But there was also the problem of the real world. What happened if he strayed too far away from where he¡¯d appeared? Would he appear elsewhere? Would he simply get lost and stuck here? The last time he hadn¡¯t ventured anywhere. Hold up. How lon¡ªAiden¡¯s thoughts were interrupted and he ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding another tentacle. It seemed the reach of the creatures was not limited. If that was the case, then running didn¡¯t seem like the best idea. Can I fight? Aiden had never seen or heard of creatures like this before. Then again, he¡¯d never been in such a situation in his past life, and he doubted he¡¯d ever come across anyone who had been in such a situation either. Test run? He asked himself, eyes still on the undulating creatures. The answer came to him as they slowly shuffled forward. Hit and run tactics, he thought to himself. I¡¯ve got the speed for it, after all. He placed his attention on the space in between the gathered creatures, all five of them, then dashed forward. The skill [Dash] carried him forward and he was gone in the blink of an eye. The movement speed was disorienting, surprising him even as he arrived at his destination. But he did not let it throw him off balance. The moment he came to a stop, his fingers were already moving, weaving a new sign. [You have used class skill Walking Canvas] ¡­ [You have used Crystalized Dimensional Mana] Aiden didn¡¯t feel his mana pool out of him, instead, he felt his body draw mana into him. Somehow he served as a conduit, amplifying the dimensional mana from the crystal in his pocket. The moment the mana burst out of him as [Walking Canvas] took effect, he realized how stupid his action had been. Electricity shot out of him, charging the air around him. The creatures were caught up in his reach. Electricity ran through them, crackles as black as the world around them sparking all over. Aiden moved his feet, and he was gone from their midst as quickly as he had arrived. That was very stupid, he scolded himself. The plan had been to use [Walking Canvas], and while everything had gone as he had intended. He had not calculated the possibility that his mana would not work. What would¡¯ve happened if you didn¡¯t have the crystal? But even as he asked himself, there was another thought crawling up from the back of his mind. What was the possibility that he wasn¡¯t using his mana simply because the crystalized dimensional mana was on his person? What were the chances that his body was simply taking from an external source because it could. Low, he told himself. I had it on me when I was escaping the cave and didn¡¯t use it. Whatever the true answer to his ability to use his own mana was, it would only be answered if he threw the crystalized dimensional mana away. And that was not an answer he was eager enough to risk his life to find. To Aiden¡¯s surprise, as he fixed his eyes on the creatures in front of him, they had each developed an indicator above their heads. Each indicator was simple above them. They had a name and what looked like a health bar beneath said name. And while the bars were of varying lengths, all the names were the same. [Spatial Crack] Aiden had always thought a spatial crack would be an actual crack in space, not some creature. [Warning! You have dealt damage to a Spatial Crack] [You have now been designated as a Hostile] [Hostile] You are an enemy of space. It was so simple a description that it was so worrying. The interface hadn¡¯t bothered to go into detail. He was an enemy of space. It was as simple as that. The question, though, was if he was an enemy of space for now or if it was a title that he would find attached to his personal detail. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that I¡¯ll have to deal with these guys every time I teleport? That was a terrifying thought. Aiden braced himself, keeping [Walking Canvas] active. With the skill still in effect, it meant that everything around him would be in a constant state of electrocution. I¡¯ll just burn the crystal until it¡¯s out of juice. One of the cracks disappeared from where it was and appeared in front of him. Its movement was so abrupt that Aiden had almost missed it. A single tentacle shot out of it when it appeared and Aiden dodged it by the skin of his teeth. Black electricity went through the creature and the bar above its head reduced further. Aiden didn¡¯t have the luxury of paying it much attention as he moved again. He swayed to the side as another [Spatial Crack] appeared beside him, tentacle shooting out as well. It was as if they didn¡¯t care for the electricity currently killing them. Aiden hopped backwards as a third [Spatial Crack] appeared in front of him. Aiden frowned when it did not attack. He was in a terrible situation, facing off against monsters he knew nothing about without a weapon of any kind. The new creature attacked the moment Aiden¡¯s feet touched the ground. Aiden was already moving, evading only for a second tentacle to slam into his side like a vicious kick. It sent him staggering where he felt he should¡¯ve been sent flying. Pain erupted in his head instead of his side and Aiden bit down on it, scared to make a loud sound. [You have been dealt an Existential Blow!] ¡­ [Health 72% --> 33%] Aiden¡¯s eyes widened at the notification. His health had been seventy-two percent after the first blow he¡¯d defended against. Shock and fear pierced through the pain in his head, and he raised his hand instinctively as he came to a stop. He grabbed a tentacle before it stabbed him in the face. Black electricity blasted out of him even as new pain filled his head. It ran through the tentacle to engulf the creature that it belonged to. [You have been dealt an Existential Blow!] ¡­ [Health 33% --> 13%] Fear took Aiden by the heart and squeezed. He heard each beat in his head. It filled his ear as the realization that one more contact with any of the [Spatial Crack] would kill him. His eyes grew wide with panic even as he tried to control himself, releasing the tentacle and jumping away. [You have used skill Leap] He cleared a distance in a single jump. The moment he landed, his hand clutched at his chest. Calm down! He scolded himself. Panic will kill you faster. He doubted he¡¯d even been here for up to five minutes and he was already almost dead. Tears streaked from both eyes, and while they could¡¯ve been tears, he knew that they were not. Just to confirm it, he wiped at the tear on his left cheek. His hand came away bloody. Just my fucking luck. He was crying blood. He was leaking. In the distance where the cracks were slowly catching up to him, one of them suddenly twitched. Aiden was aware of it, it was the one with the tentacle he¡¯d caught, at least he thought it was, since its tentacle was still reaching out from it in his direction. It twitched twice more before the tentacle shot back into its black head. Then its remaining tentacles did the same. Its head increased in size, then suddenly shrunk out of existence. [Congratulations! You have sealed a Spatial Crack] ¡­ [Congratulations! You have gained situational title Spatial Seal] [Spatial Seal] You have proven yourself capable of inflicting damage upon the cracks in space. [Effect: +20% damage increase to Spatial Cracks] [Effect: +30% damage resistance to Spatial Crack] ¡­ [Spatial Seal only takes effect in the presence of Spatial Cracks] Aiden took in a deep breath as he read the notification. The distraction calmed him down a little. It gave him something to focus on apart from the fact that he was just one hit away from dying. In front of him, the [Spatial Cracks] had taken a moment to free him from their attention as they seemed to turn in the direction of where their companion had been only but a moment ago. Run. It was all the thought that came to Aiden¡¯s mind. It didn¡¯t matter that he could get lost in this place and not appear with the others on Nastild because he¡¯d ventured too far away. So, he turned and fled. It didn¡¯t matter that he could end up appearing back on Nastild but in a completely unknown location. All that mattered was that he needed to survive a little longer by whatever means was necessary. He just needed to¡ª Aiden turned at the last moment. He was fast, but not fast enough. He could not avoid the tentacle that was suddenly in front of him at the last minute. He raised his hands and clapped his hands together in front of him and caught the tentacle. Regret filled him as he did so, and his interface flashed in front of him. There were still so many things he still hadn¡¯t done. Will Ted mourn? He wondered. Will I appear dead in the carriage, or will I simply never appear? [You have been dealt an Existential Blow!] ¡­ [Health 13% --> 7%] ¡­ [Threshold exceeded] Aiden had no idea what the last notification meant. And it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that he still had a chance to survive. He just needed to¡ª ¡­ Everything crashed into Aiden in one swift motion. It was like stars colliding. One minute he was staring at the impossible, the next he was back in a world. The air around him trembled and he sucked it in with every breath. He filled his lungs, dying even as he did. He could smell blood. He could taste blood. Pain was in his head, taking his mind and unmaking it. There was sound too. A lot of sound. He felt other things around him, but he couldn¡¯t react. He was terrified of moving. His fist held on to a piece of something that dissolved into black smoke in his hand. The familiar brown floor of a roof stared down at him, clean and pristine. Between him and the carriage roof was a simple notification. [Health 5%] Someone rushed to his side, but Aiden couldn¡¯t be bothered to check who he was or if he had appeared in the right place. All he could think of was the fact that he was still alive. With more health than last time, he thought. Then a smile touched his lips, and he started laughing. He laughed heartily and well. He laughed like a child laughing for the first time. He laughed as if it was the only thing that could save his life. I¡¯m alive! ¡­ Elaswit watched, pale faced as Valdan tried to draw Aiden¡¯s attention. She¡¯d never seen the knight so worried as he tried to coerce Aiden to drink the health potion in his hands. She had never seen a man move so prepared before. They¡¯d appeared with Valdan already on the move, potion snatched from the pouch beside him. But what left her pale was the sight of Lord Lacheart. He wasn¡¯t as bloodied as he¡¯d been the last time they¡¯d teleported, but he was still stained in blood. But what was worse was his hand. When he¡¯d appeared, he¡¯d been lying still on the carriage floor but there had been something in his hand. Elaswit hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to see what it was before it had evaporated into the air. However, what it had left behind was terrifying as it was. Aiden¡¯s left hand was a deep black, as if he¡¯d dipped it in black ink. The color spread up from his hand to stop halfway up his forearm in growing streaks that reached for his elbow. Elaswit had never seen a person go into a teleport and come back with something that they had not gone in with, and she had never seen someone get altered from a teleportation before. ¡°Lord Lacheart, drink,¡± Valdan pleaded, pulling Aiden into him, cradling him like a dying friend. ¡°Drink, Aiden.¡± His fear and panic cracked his voice and made him sound broken. ¡°You can¡¯t die on me, Aiden,¡± he growled. ¡°Drink.¡± Lord Lacheart¡¯s response to him was something that shook Elaswit to her core. He laughed. It was loud and hysterical. It was the laughter of someone who laughed because it was all that they knew how to do. The teleportation had done worse to him now than it had done the last time. It didn¡¯t show in the amount of blood he¡¯d spilled but in the sight of him. In his actions. Whatever the teleportation had done to Aiden, it had affected his mind as well. I shouldn¡¯t have let him teleport back. Aiden¡¯s unblemished hand snapped up suddenly and grabbed Valdan by the hand that held the potion. The knight froze and so did Elaswit. Aiden looked Valdan straight in the eye. ¡°You ain¡¯t getting rid of me that easily, Valdan.¡± When he pulled the potion to his lips and started drinking, Elaswit let out a breath she hadn¡¯t known she was holding. Everyone remained silent as he drank, waiting until he was finished. A jepat trudged up to the side of the carriage and Elaswit waved it away with a gesture before it got close enough. The rider complied and turned away. They would not resume their return until she gave them the go ahead. Silence remained until Aiden was done drinking the potion and he broke it with a satisfied sigh. Valdan was already reaching for his pouch again, clearly reaching for the stamina potion. Aiden waved him down, groaning. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Valdan stopped in his tracks. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Aiden pulled himself up so that he sat on the ground with his back rested against the seat. ¡°I¡¯m sure, Valdan. My stamina and mana are still good.¡± Then he put his hand into his pocket, let out another sigh and took it out. It was now that Valdan paid attention to something other than the fact that Aiden had almost died. Elaswit watched as his attention moved down to Aiden¡¯s hand. It was still black, but it was now developing subtle hints of red. ¡°Aiden,¡± Valdan said in a still worried voice. ¡°Your hand.¡± Aiden raised his good hand, the one he¡¯d slipped into his pocket and looked at it. ¡°What about it?¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°Your other hand,¡± Elaswit said, finding her voice. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed on her as if just realizing that she was also in the carriage. Given her very little attention, he raised his other hand and looked at it. The moment his eyes saw what was happening to him, he paused. ¡°Well,¡± he muttered, with far less worry than the situation demanded and no panic at all, ¡°this definitely can¡¯t be good.¡± SIXTY-FOUR: A Logical Risk ¡°Looks very intriguing.¡± Aiden turned his hand one way, then the other. ¡°Also makes me look deadly.¡± ¡°There is nothing intriguing about it,¡± Valdan said with a frown. ¡°We should be talking to [Mages], [Alchemists]. Anyone with a class that loves researching.¡± Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°[Necromancers]?¡± ¡°If they¡¯ll be able to help, yes,¡± Valdan answered without missing a beat. Elaswit sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°How are you not worried?¡± They¡¯d returned to the palace a few hours ago. Aiden had worn a coat with long sleeves to hide his hand and Elaswit had given him a pair of her hand gloves. They hadn¡¯t received a welcome assembly on their return. Their carriage had simply rolled onto the palace grounds, and they had made their exit while the servants that had returned with them packed their things into the palace. While Elaswit had wanted them to meet with her father immediately, they¡¯d been informed that King Brandis was actually not around at the moment. As for where he had gone, no one they¡¯d met had the knowledge. Elaswit and Valdan weren¡¯t worried, so Aiden figured it was nothing to be bothered by. Besides, he was very much aware of the fact Monarchs were known to leave their castles for the purpose of training, and by training he didn¡¯t mean practicing their skills, he meant hunting monsters fitting for their level. With the absence of King Brandis, and no requirement to see Queen Brandis, Aiden had retired to his room, greeted by different maids along the way with dour expressions and carefully avoiding eyes. Somewhere between having a bath and having a meal, Aiden was feeling a bit normal again. On the ride to the palace, he had played the unbothered nineteen-year-old for Valdan and Elaswit while his mind had run rampant regarding what had happened to him. Alone, he could finally allow his mind and body to go through the motions. Surprisingly, there turned out to be nothing to go through. Either his pretense for Valdan and the princess had lasted so long that he had just simply adopted the behavior by default, or he really wasn¡¯t bothered by the fact that he now had one black hand. He wasn¡¯t sure which one it was. It wasn¡¯t until midday that Valdan came knocking on his door. Valdan had strolled into the room and simply done the surprising thing of plopping himself down on Aiden¡¯s bed. Aiden had opened his mouth to say something, found that he really had nothing to say, then closed it without saying anything. Not long after Valdan¡¯s arrival, there¡¯d been another knock on his door. To his grandest surprise, he¡¯d found Elaswit waiting for him. There had been a silent moment between all three of them where they waited for him to say something. In the end, he¡¯d said something. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t necessarily the right thing. Aiden looked at Elaswit. ¡°How am I not worried?¡± he asked, repeating her question. ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Because what has happened has happened,¡± he answered, hoping Elaswit showing up to his room wasn¡¯t going to be a new thing, not that it really mattered. ¡°You¡¯ve got a black hand, Aiden,¡± Valdan said, sitting down at the edge of Aiden¡¯s bed. ¡°I don¡¯t know of anybody coming out of a teleport with a black hand.¡± ¡°And you were holding something in your hand before it turned black,¡± Elaswit said. Aiden¡¯s mind went to the [Spatial Crack] and the tentacle he had caught before it had stabbed him in the face. He wondered if he¡¯d somehow brought back a piece of it with him. That sounded like a very dangerous situation. There was also the fact that he didn¡¯t gain any levels despite killing¡ªor sealing¡ªone. But that wasn¡¯t really a worry. You stopped gaining levels at level forty-nine no matter what you did. The only way to gain that extra level that put you in level fifty was by attaining your manifesting skill. ¡°Did you see where it went?¡± Aiden asked the princess. Elaswit nodded. ¡°It just evaporated like dust in the wind.¡± Dust in the wind, Aiden thought. There was almost something poetic about that. When they teleported, they turned into dust in the wind the moment they hit the other world. The [Spatial Cracks] also turned into dust in the wind when they hit this world. ¡°But you¡¯re sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Valdan said. ¡°No issues whatsoever.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I did learn something, though.¡± ¡°About the hand?¡± Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed suspiciously. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve had enough time to go to the library, Aiden.¡± There was something in the look he gave Aiden. It said that the library was not a fitting lie for an excuse for how he knew what he was about to tell them. More interestingly was the fact that it sounded as if Valdan was telling him to pick better lies and not complaining about the fact that he was lying. Aiden almost laughed at that. Valdan was becoming more like Zen when it came to dealing with him, only older and more serious. You should tell him about your past life. Aiden almost laughed at the thought as he answered himself. No. There was no reason for him to, and it wasn¡¯t as if it was something that weighed down on him so heavily that he had to tell someone. The only reason he wanted to tell Ted was because he hoped it would convince Ted to listen to him and follow him. Ultimately, however, there was really no need to tell anyone anything. Besides, Aiden wouldn¡¯t really have to worry about Ted gaining the title of [Demon King] for another four years or so. And even if things changed because of his presence, he doubted Ted was suddenly going to gain the title in eight months. He had time. Time to get strong enough to become a force to be reckoned with. ¡°Not the library,¡± Aiden said, answering Valdan¡¯s question. ¡°Just something I noticed after we got back. You¡¯ve got the [Detect] skill, right?¡± Valdan nodded slowly, suspiciously. Elaswit raised a hand like a student in class. ¡°I¡¯ve got it, too.¡± Aiden looked at her. She gave him a very hopeful look. She clearly wanted to be a part of whatever it was that he was about to involve Valdan in. ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Gather round kids, let Uncle Aiden show you all something neat.¡± Valdan and Elaswit shared a look. ¡°He knows we¡¯re both older than him, right?¡± Elaswit said as she got up from her seat and approached Aiden. Valdan got up from the bed. ¡°Ignore it. He calls everyone a child when the moment strikes him. I think it has something to do with his mood and what the person is doing. Sometimes I worry that he would call the King¡¯s advisor a child in the spur of the moment.¡± Elaswit shivered visibly at that and looked at Aiden. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that. That man¡¯s already terrifying as it is.¡± You¡¯ve got no idea, Aiden thought. He also wondered if the [Sage] would have an idea of what was happening to him. When Elaswit and Valdan were standing in front of him, Aiden raised his hand, holding up his right forearm¡ªhis black forearm. ¡°Use [Detect] on it,¡± he said. ¡°You do understand that it might not work, right?¡± Elaswit said. ¡°You¡¯re at a higher level than I am and the same level as Sir Valdan.¡± Aiden shook off her worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It will work.¡± ¡°Did it grant you a skill or something?¡± Valdan asked, knowing that using the [Detect] skill on any part of a person would grant you insight into their personal detail upon success. ¡°You can just tell us what it is. Or is it like an infection?¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°No skill or infection or anything like that¡­¡± he paused, thoughtful. ¡°Well, not entirely, but that¡¯s not the point I¡¯m making here. I¡¯m sure something will turn up eventually, but this whole thing is about focusing on my arm and using [Detect].¡± Valdan sighed and Aiden felt a prickling sensation on the surface of the arm. He¡¯d learnt a trick with the arm earlier on but using it right now was going to go against his current plan. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Elaswit frowned. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Ever the composed one, Valdan simply took his eyes off Aiden¡¯s arm and looked him in the eye. ¡°Can you feel the arm?¡± Aiden nodded. To prove his point, he flexed his grip a few times. ¡°Still my arm. So, what did you guys see?¡± ¡°It says that I cannot use the skill on this thing,¡± Elaswit said. That surprised Aiden. ¡°It called my arm a thing?¡± Elaswit nodded. Valdan was also surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t think any one has ever had their interface call anything a thing. A being, an object, a tool, an item. Never a thing, though.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Your interface is just plain rude.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same interface everyone uses,¡± Elaswit pouted. ¡°What about you?¡± Aiden asked Valdan. The Knight folded his arms. ¡°It¡¯s unknown. Just a bunch of question marks.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the exact same thing I got. I think whatever happened to my arm, your world no longer identifies it as human. I think your world now sees my arm as some kind of tool.¡± Elaswit paled. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your arm?¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯ve still got my arm.¡± Aiden flexed his grip once more. ¡°Still works fine. I can use it for delicate purposes even.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Elaswit sighed. ¡°I think it would¡¯ve been a problem if you couldn¡¯t use it as well as you used to.¡± Aiden was a little puzzled. ¡°Why?¡± Elaswit looked at him as if it was a confusing question. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you but it is very annoying to learn how to start using your weak arm just because you¡¯ve lost function in your dominant arm. Had to do that once as a kid and it wasn¡¯t fun at all.¡± Valdan made a sound that drew her attention. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°That,¡± Valdan said, ¡°is Lord Lacheart¡¯s weak arm.¡± Elaswit turned a surprised look on Aiden. ¡°You¡¯re right-handed?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°But I saw you use your left hand in the cave,¡± she blurted. ¡°I¡¯m sure I did. And you only used your left hand when you dueled with Belle.¡± She looked at Valdan. ¡°You saw it, too, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I used both hands in the cave, princess,¡± Aiden said. Valdan nodded in confirmation. ¡°Lord Lacheartis ambidextrous, princess. However, his right arm is his dominant arm.¡± Elaswit looked between the both of them before shaking her head as if dismissing the topic. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good to know. But it still doesn¡¯t really answer the important question. What are we going to do about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just wing it.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem until it¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Valdan answered. ¡°What about your skills? Does it affect them?¡± Aiden shook his head. He¡¯d tried a few weavings since they¡¯d returned, and they all worked well. [Walking Canvas] worked well, too. But now that Valdan was asking, Aiden felt he needed more attacking enchantments. He was arguably one of the few combat classes without at least one long range skill. There were a few enchantments he knew of, and ways to manipulate enchantments to make them long range, but what happened if he got caught up in the same situation again? What he needed was a single projectile enchantment. For that he would have to sit and think, scour his knowledge of enchantments as hard as he could. He knew there were enchantments that he¡¯d paid so little attention to in his past life that he couldn¡¯t just remember them on the fly. As for the long range enchantments he knew right now, they were only accessible after level hundred. And the only reason he remembered them so easily was because they were a small part of his most used enchantments. He had been in the level two hundreds for at least a year, after all. Aiden paused when he realized that Valdan and Elaswit were giving him an odd look. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°You know what happened to you,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°Which doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± he said honestly. ¡°She¡¯s saying that it doesn¡¯t make sense that you know what happened to you,¡± Valdan explained. Aiden cocked a brow at him. ¡°Yeah, I got that part. I¡¯m asking where this is coming from.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense because teleportation on the scale we use is too disorienting,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°There is no way you¡¯d have to cohesive mind to figure it out. Unless¡­¡± ¡°Unless?¡± ¡°Unless by the virtue of how you arrived here, you have developed an immunity to the disorientation, which has left you with this side effect you experience,¡± Valdan said. ¡°It would make some kind of sense,¡± Elaswit mused. ¡°Perhaps we get disoriented which prevents us from instinctively fighting whatever it is that the teleportation is doing to our body.¡± ¡°And by that logic, having a cohesive mind makes you fight against it,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Which leads to such a side effect. It does not make complete sense but it¡¯s a start for a theory.¡± Aiden looked between the both of them. ¡°What are you? Mages with spatial specialization?¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You have to admit, Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan said. ¡°You know something.¡± Aiden sighed and took a seat on the chair close to the reading desk. ¡°And why do the both of you say so?¡± ¡°Because there are three kinds of people who go through something and come out as unbothered as you are,¡± Valdan said. Aiden tilted his head to the side, urging him to continue. ¡°The first are those that know what has happened to them but not how it happened,¡± Valdan said. ¡°The second have no idea what has happened to them but know how it happened¡­¡± ¡°Let me guess,¡± Aiden interrupted. ¡°And the last know what has happened to them and how it has happened to them.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden stroked his jaw with his normal hand. ¡°That leaves us with the only group that really panics. Those that have no idea what has happened to them or how it happened to them. The known unknown, the unknown known, the known known and the unknown unknown.¡± Elaswit smiled slightly, despite herself. ¡°You can put it like that.¡± Aiden held up his hand and turned it one way and the other. ¡°The problem is this. Everyone fears the unknown. However, they all forget that even while you fear it, you should be curious of it. You need fear and curiosity to evolve from the unknown.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m more curious than terrified, princess.¡± Aiden looked at Valdan. ¡°And you¡¯re right. I fall into the category of one of the three. I fall under those who don¡¯t know what has happened but know how it happened.¡± ¡°So how did it happen?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden shrugged, dropping his hand. ¡°I teleported.¡± Valdan groaned. ¡°Hear me out,¡± Aiden said quickly. ¡°The first time I teleported, I appeared on the other side with abysmal stamina and mana, and my health was at two percent.¡± ¡°By the gods! Aiden!¡± Valdan scolded him. ¡°Two percent! And you still went through it again?¡± ¡°It was a logical risk,¡± Aiden said easily. ¡°Logical how?!¡± Valdan snapped. ¡°Logical that you could die and no one would care?¡± It was rude of Aiden but he cocked a brow at the knight and spoke before he could stop himself. ¡°I have a brother, Sir Valdan. Someone would care. But that is not the point. It was a logical risk because if I survived the first one, I could survive the second one on account of the fact that I was significantly stronger than the first time. And I was right.¡± Elaswit folded her arms. In a reluctant voice, she said, ¡°He kind of turned out right.¡± Valdan gave her an incredulous look. ¡°You are in support of this?¡± ¡°Not in support, he was just right. He didn¡¯t need a stamina or mana potion this time.¡± Aiden¡¯s attention went straight to the crystalized dimensional mana stashed away somewhere in the room at the mention of not needing a mana potion. He would have to do something about that. It had reduced in size but that wasn¡¯t very surprising. ¡°Also,¡± he said, interjecting with a raised finger. ¡°I came back with more health than last time. So, I was right.¡± Valdan groaned. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this.¡± ¡°But yes,¡± Aiden conceded. ¡°It was reckless of me, and I really shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Valdan¡¯s eyes softened but his annoyance wasn¡¯t gone. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have.¡± He stomped all the way back to the bed and flopped down on it with his back. Elaswit chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him this way before.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been this way in the palace before,¡± Valdan grumbled. ¡°I swear the kid¡¯s going to give me a heart attack.¡± It was funny because people didn¡¯t have medical issues when they gained their class on Nastild. Although there were cases of certain kinds of illnesses, even if not very common, on the human side of Nastild. It was very rare, but just as humans had their class evolution, there were microorganisms that had unfortunately evolved as well. But they were so rare that kingdoms could go through one or two Monarchs before recording a case of illness in someone with a class. It was also rare on the non-human side of Nastild but not as rare as it was here. There were also monsters with venoms and the likes that could cause you to die of a heart attack if you weren¡¯t strong enough. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll settle for giving you a headache,¡± Aiden said, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°Ha ha,¡± Valdan said sarcastically. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Aiden turned to Elaswit. ¡°Any idea when your father will be back?¡± ¡°Why? In a hurry to meet him already?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°He sent my colleagues out on a mission. I assume that the sooner I get to meet him, the sooner I get to go on that mission and meet my brother.¡± ¡°Mother said that he¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°I wish my brother missed me as much as you miss yours.¡± ¡°Believe me, Princess. I do not miss my brother. I merely have business with him.¡± Elaswit chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be shy about, Lord Lacheart. It is a nice thing to miss one¡¯s only family.¡± Aiden said nothing in response. He simply shook his head and looked down at his blackened arm. He would have to find out more about it. If the [Sage] saw it and had nothing to offer, Aiden would have to figure it out as he went. For now, he had learned two things about it. Two fun things. ¡°Just out of curiosity,¡± Valdan placed his hands behind his head, using them as a sort of pillow. ¡°Did anyone notice the maids and butlers?¡± Elaswit turned to him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°They all seemed shifty.¡± ¡°Subdued,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Worried,¡± Valdan added. ¡°What are we doing?¡± Elaswit looked from Aiden to Valdan then back. ¡°Completing each other¡¯s sentences?¡± ¡°Pay Lord Lacheart little attention, princess,¡± Valdan said casually. ¡°But I am serious. Am I the only one who noticed it?¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°You are not.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it,¡± Elaswit pointed out, she sounded as if she felt left out of the conversation somehow. ¡°They just bowed whenever I passed, like they always do.¡± ¡°That much is understandable,¡± Valdan said. ¡°The reason I¡¯m pointing it out is because I think something might have happened in the palace while we were gone. I just don¡¯t know what, yet. An evening in the barracks will tell me, though.¡± Aiden¡¯s attention moved straight to his memories of his past life. A lot of things had changed because of him in this life, but if he was absent from the palace and something had happened, what were the chances that it would still have happened even with his presence in his past life. What else happened during our time here? He wondered. He hated to admit it but his memory of the things that had happened during his time in the palace that had nothing to do with him was a little spotty. Back then he hadn¡¯t been able to pay much attention to anything apart from how weak he¡¯d been in comparison to Ted and what he could do to grow. There had been that time a maid had been so nice to him that he¡¯d thought she was hitting on him. He¡¯d done nothing about it because he was a teenager in a strange new world, and he was in no hurry to be jumping to conclusions about how a girl felt about him. He also had his weakness as an [Enchanter] to deal with. There was also that time the first prince, Derenet, slapped the younger prince. King Brandis had proceeded to punish Derenet for it. It had been an issue in the palace that had been talked about for a very long time. But that wasn¡¯t until we came back from the cannibal village, Aiden mused. And just like that, another thought snapped into place. It was a memory of shifty maids, scared out of their minds. They were all worried and cautious. Services in the palace had taken a downturn. It can¡¯t be happening now, though, Aiden thought. Right? That had also happened after they had returned from the village, not before. Back then, no one had known the source of the problem. At least Aiden hadn¡¯t known it, and no one claimed to have known it. But now that he thought about it, knowing what he knew, the culprit was very obvious. ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Valdan said. ¡°They look really¡­¡± ¡°Scared,¡± Aiden finished for him. Valdan nodded. ¡°Terrified is the word I would use.¡± Aiden had only ever seen the palace servants this scared twice in his past life. One was years in the future when Ted had become the [Demon King] and the servants had been scared of Aiden due to his status as Ted¡¯s brother. The other was just after their encounter in the cannibal village¡­ ¡­ When servants were being murdered. ¡­ Their time in Aiden¡¯s room didn¡¯t last very long after the conversation about the maids. Elaswit and Valdan just lounged around, not really saying anything or doing anything. If Aiden didn¡¯t know better, they looked like people who hung out at their friend¡¯s room back in school just because for some reason they liked the place or they liked hanging out around their friend. The sun was making its final descent, plunging the world in an orange glow when someone knocked on Aiden¡¯s door. Elaswit looked at Aiden, surprised. ¡°Expecting a guest?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Aiden walked up to the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ maid, Lord Lacheart,¡± came the response. Elaswit gave him a teasing look. ¡°Do we have another Vanisi in the palace?¡± ¡°The maid that had a crush on him?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°I¡¯d say it was more than a crush,¡± Elaswit laughed. ¡°I¡¯d say she really wanted him to ruffle her sheets.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you can laugh about it now,¡± Aiden said, placing a finger on his enchanted lock and channeling a touch of mana into it. ¡°Back at the manor the idea of it always made you frown.¡± Elaswit looked away. ¡°It was merely unbecoming when it was a possibility. It might sound rude of me but your status is well above frolicking with a maid.¡± But not above frolicking with the daughter of a lord, Aiden almost joked. But something told him that he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to utter the words, so he didn¡¯t. The moment the door opened, Aiden was met with the sight of a maid. She had large blonde curls for the hair on her head and soft blue eyes. She bowed quickly and darted off as if he had some kind of contagious disease. However, the moment she was gone, Aiden realized why she¡¯d been in a hurry to disappear. Left in her place was a young boy in shorts and a shirt. The shorts had two straps attached to it that went over the boy¡¯s shoulders to hold them up. Valdan got up from the bed and walked up to Aiden. ¡°Who is¡­¡± His words died in his mouth at the sight. Aiden folded his arms and waited, staring down at the boy. Hands behind his back, the boy gave Aiden a respectful bow. It was low enough that Aiden noticed that the boy had something in his hands. When the bow was done, the boy held his hands out to Aiden. He had a fish that was still live in his hands. It was twitching. ¡°A gift,¡± the boy said, unsure. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed and Valdan seemed to pale. ¡°Why a fish?¡± Aiden asked. There was an odd part of him that felt like he knew the answer. If that part was right, then he would be worried. The boy looked away, shy. ¡°Lord Lacheart the older said that I should be nice to you the next time I was to meet you.¡± Shit. Ted had already met the boy in this life. That was definitely years earlier than he was supposed to. Unless he¡¯d already met him by this time in his past life and had just never said anything about it. Aiden frowned at himself. For a regressor you know almost nothing. His lack of knowledge was becoming irksome. Elaswit pulled the door wider so that she could look. ¡°Why would your brother want you to have a live fish? Do you people eat your fish alive where you come from?¡± Aiden reached down and took the fish. That the boy¡¯s father was an important demon general that had served Ted as the [Demon King] did not mean that the boy was a terrible person. There was no need to judge the boy for what his father had done or what the boy was. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, taking the fish. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to take good care of it.¡± Elaswit cocked a brow at Aiden, she only looked slightly disturbed while Valdan looked very worried. ¡°Your brother¡¯s friends with the advisor¡¯s page?¡± she asked. ¡°My brother¡¯s friends with anything that breathes and can communicate.¡± Aiden returned his attention to the boy. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± The boy nodded. ¡°I am to bring you to the king¡¯s study. Your presence has been requested.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Aiden gestured down the hallway, if his blackened arm bothered the boy, the boy didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Lead the way.¡± The boy turned and led the way and they followed. The journey was quick, and they walked a step behind the boy. Actually, it was more than a step behind the boy. ¡°Is there a reason you look like that?¡± Aiden asked Valdan as they walked. His expression was so stern that it would be easy to believe that he was walking into a battlefield. ¡°There is only one person that can command a person of my title,¡± Valdan said. Aiden knew that he meant the title of [Knight of the Crown]. ¡°And that¡¯s the king,¡± he said. Valdan nodded. ¡°But there¡¯s also this kid.¡± Elaswit chuckled. ¡°We learnt from the moment the boy arrived in the castle that you do not disobey the instructions he brings.¡± ¡°Well you seem chill about it,¡± Aiden said as they took a turn down another hallway and walked past two maids whose mouths had clamped shut so hard that it was obvious that they¡¯d been gossiping. ¡°I¡¯m a princess,¡± Elaswit said easily. ¡°It takes a lot to terrify me in my father¡¯s palace.¡± ¡°What about you, Valdan?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°A [Knight of the Crown] disobeyed the boy once,¡± he said. ¡°She was a powerful knight.¡± ¡°And?¡± Aiden urged. ¡°And nothing,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Two nights later she was found dead from a mugging in some useless alley.¡± That was definitely ominous. ¡°What level was she?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°A hundred and sixty-one.¡± Valdan shivered visibly and lowered his voice. ¡°Talking to the kid ever since has been like walking on thin ice. Luckily, no one has ever reported that the boy had requested anything outlandish.¡± ¡°He could walk into the kitchen and order a meal fit for ten people and the chefs would rush to it,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t do it. The only instructions he gives are the messages my dad sends. But if my dad is sending him, then you best believe it is of the utmost importance.¡± ¡°People don¡¯t really like coming across him,¡± Valdan whispered. ¡°It usually doesn¡¯t bode well.¡± Aiden almost felt sorry for the boy. There was no way this entire fear people had for him didn¡¯t isolate him. ¡°Well, he¡¯s just a kid, Valdan. You should try treating him like one every now and then.¡± Aiden picked up his pace until he was walking next to the boy. Valdan and Elaswit followed easily. ¡°And princess, are you sure you should be here?¡± ¡°We are going to see my dad,¡± she said. ¡°And no one said anything about him wanting to see only you.¡± The boy looked up at the three of them and Aiden gave him an easy smile. The boy said nothing, returning his attention to the path in front of him. They were at the king¡¯s study before long. When they arrived, the king¡¯s announcer looked at them as if he was looking at the impossible. The boy turned when they got there and left. ¡°What?¡± Aiden asked the man. The man shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just that the people the boy brings are usually three steps behind him, like he¡¯s got some kind of infectious disease.¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± Aiden made an unbothered gesture with his hand. ¡°Sir Valdan was just having a fun conversation with the boy about the mysteries of living fish as a gift.¡± Valdan¡¯s face turned a blank and Aiden remembered that he had a living fish that was probably dead now lying on the ground somewhere in his room. Very unhygienic. ¡°Sir Knight, Princess.¡± The announcer bowed. ¡°A pleasure to see you today.¡± With that, he opened the door to the study, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. A moment later, he opened it again and stepped out. ¡°The King will see all three of you.¡± The King¡¯s study was exactly the same when they walked in. They took a few steps into the room as the announcer closed the door behind them, following Valdan¡¯s lead. When they were at a point that was arguably the center of the room, Valdan took a knee. Aiden and Elaswit followed. ¡°My king,¡± Valdan greeted. Brandis let out a tired sigh. ¡°Sir Valdan, I will be happy if you did not teach my daughter the bad habit of kneeling before me when we are alone.¡± Valdan bristled slightly, like a soldier scolded by his superior officer. ¡°My deepest apologies, my king.¡± Brandis groaned and ran a hand down his face. ¡°Always serious, this one. You may rise.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the one scolding him,¡± Elaswit pointed out as she stood up. ¡°I am always reminding him to be free whenever he is in the study,¡± Brandis complained. ¡°But it¡¯s like pouring water on a rock. Nothing comes of it.¡± His eyes shifted over to Aiden. ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden bowed his head. ¡°Your Grace.¡± ¡°How was your travel?¡± ¡°Fruitful.¡± Aiden watched Brandis¡¯ eyes move towards his blackened hand. ¡°Is that cause for concern?¡± Brandis asked. Aiden moved the hand, acknowledging the fact that he knew what the king was talking about. ¡°For now, no.¡± ¡°And who is going to tell me how it happened?¡± ¡°Teleportation,¡± Elaswit said quickly. ¡°And I would ask that Lord Lacheart be banned from using the teleportation centers going forward. I believe teleportation has a bad effect on him.¡± Brandis¡¯ brows furrowed at that as Aiden did his best to contain his frown. ¡°Is this true, Lord Lacheart?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°It is easier with each teleportation, Your Grace,¡± Aiden said. Brandis sighed. ¡°Can we disperse with the whole ''Your Grace'' and ''My King'' thing. If you have to refer to me in our conversation, I¡¯d rather you use sir or something.¡± Aiden and Valdan shared a look. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they said in unison. Brandis pressed his lips in a thin line. ¡°So terribly in sync. Why am I not surprised? Now, about this effect. Valdan, tell me about it.¡± And Valdan did. He spoke of the bleeding and the drop in life stats. Valdan spoke slowly and simply, choosing his every word carefully. He was very articulate and missed nothing in the way of details. When he was done talking, Brandis was nodding in understanding. ¡°Is it safe to say that the encounter is making you stronger or that it has less of an effect on you the stronger you get, Lord Lacheart?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°Less of an effect, sir,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°And would you say you can teleport again?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Brandis nodded. ¡°While that is good to know, I have come to the conclusion that you will no longer be using the teleportation center until we better understand what is happening to you.¡± Aiden bowed. ¡°Understandable, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Brandis¡¯ gaze went back to his hand. ¡°And what has happened to your hand?¡± ¡°We do not know,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Only that it was like this when I returned from the teleportation back. For now, there is nothing significantly odd about it¡ª¡± ¡°Except that my interface calls it a thing when I use the detect skill on it,¡± Elaswit was quick to add. Aiden understood that she was only doing her duty as the daughter of the king and maybe looking out for him, but right now she felt very much like a snitch. She gave him an apologetic look as if she was doing something he didn¡¯t like for his own good. Aiden swallowed his dissatisfaction with her presence, reminding himself that unlike Valdan, she was not an active part of his life in the palace. Brandis stroked his beard. ¡°I see. Elaswit, love.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡°You are dismissed.¡± Elaswit paused. ¡°I¡¯m dismissed?¡± ¡°Yes, darling. Please see to your maids and your mother. Your mother tells me that in your absence they¡¯ve been quite lax in their duties.¡± Elaswit frowned in dissatisfaction but did not disobey. She gave her father a bow at the waist and took her exit. ¡°Sometimes I wonder which is more difficult,¡± Brandis said when she was gone. ¡°Being a father or being a king.¡± No one gave him an answer. ¡°So,¡± he leaned forward, arms rested on his desk. ¡°I have heard a few things about your time in the manor.¡± His voice took on a deeper baritone than usual. ¡°A trip to a cave, my daughter going missing, the Mage Radiant, a very terrifyingly described duel, and a [Saint]. It seems like you¡¯ve been busy, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Nothing of my choosing, Your Grace,¡± Aiden said, slightly worried. ¡°It matters not.¡± There was something ominous about Brandis¡¯ tone. ¡°Tell me everything. Then we will speak of your hand¡­ and your friends. But before that, now that my daughter is gone, is there anything else you would like to share about your hand, a benefit perhaps that might guide me better in my decision regarding your subjection to teleportation magic?¡± Aiden nodded. This was one of the two fun things he¡¯d found out about the arm. Normally, he would¡¯ve kept it a secret, but with the [Sage] lurking around, there was no point to it since it was also part of his personal detail. But what made it truly interesting was the fact that it had given him something that humans on this side of Nastild did not normally possess. ¡°Yes, Your Grace,¡± Aiden answered, drawing a surprised look from Valdan. ¡°And what is this benefit?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°I cannot say if it is a benefit,¡± Aiden began. ¡°But a new category has been added to my personal detail.¡± Brandis interlocked his fingers in front of his face. ¡°That is worrying. And what category have you been granted?¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t help but stare at the new category, and what he¡¯d been granted. He¡¯d only known of one way of gaining the category as a human, and that was by having the [Enemy of the Order] fuse the [Heart of Nosrath] with you. So his current situation¡ªjust like ending up in a different world during a teleportation¡ªwas entirely out of his expectations. The category and what it brought with it, however, was as worrying as it was intriguing. [Trait] [Spatial Crack (Lvl 49)] An anomalous disruption in reality. You have gone through space and have been corrupted by its touch. You have ventured where none should and survived. [Effect: Spatial affinity] [Effect: Skill pending¡­] ¡°I have gained the category [Trait], Your Grace.¡± SIXTY-FIVE: What In The Blackened Void Brandis listened patiently as Aiden told his story of what had happened to him since leaving the castle. Aiden told him of the effect of the first teleportation, how he had arrived on the other side covered in blood and confusion. A full recovery potion had proved ineffective in supplying him with full health stats so a partial recovery potion had been used. Next, he spoke of meeting Nella at the entrance to the manor¡ªthe front door, to be specific. ¡°And what did you think of my daughter¡¯s best friend?¡± Brandis asked, smiling fondly. ¡°They seemed close enough,¡± Aiden answered carefully. ¡°They have certainly missed each other.¡± Brandis nodded. ¡°And what did you think of my daughter¡¯s best friend?¡± he repeated as if Aiden hadn¡¯t answered at all. Aiden paused, hesitated. Brandis pursed his lips. ¡°Do you know that you are not the only member of your group that I¡¯ve had within this room, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°I cannot say that I¡¯m surprised.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Brandis tapped his fingers on his table in a slow rhythm. ¡°However, of all your companions, I enjoy having you around the most. Do you know why that is?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°It is because you are the most interesting of your group, but that is not all there is to it.¡± Brandis¡¯ fingers stopped tapping their slow rhythm and he looked at the hand as if it had surprisingly disobeyed him. It resumed its tapping again. ¡°What makes it most interesting is that you treat me like a king because I am a king, but mostly, you talk to me like I am simply a man, a more powerful man than you, but a man regardless.¡± ¡°Thank¡­ you,¡± Aiden said, unsure. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Brandis replied. ¡°So, please, continue speaking to me like I am a man and not a king. That said, what did you think of my daughter¡¯s best friend?¡± ¡°Apart from the fact that she doesn¡¯t like me, I believe she would serve as a good influence if you want your daughter to be more outgoing and friendly with others.¡± Brandis stroked his jaw while his fingers continued to tap a slow rhythm. ¡°So, in summary, for a princess, she¡¯s a bad influence.¡± Aiden withheld a smile. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know. You may continue with your story.¡± And Aiden did. He was sure to mention the maid, Vanisi, as he continued. He spoke of how close she seemed to Nella, how she was most likely privy to any and everything the daughter of Lord Naranoff did and experienced. He did not dwell too much on her as he did not want to be asked questions about her. But he mentioned her so that the king would be aware of her in some way, even if for the duration of a few seconds. Aiden spoke of his training with Valdan in the manor, emphasizing on how the Knight refused to allow him rest even for a day. Hopefully, it would be a commendation for the Knight. When he spoke of his experience on the training grounds and how the soldiers had viewed him, Brandis had laughed. ¡°Derendoff¡¯s men,¡± he said, amused. ¡°For the life of me I never understood how he commanded such loyalty despite his levels of illogical brutality.¡± ¡°Perhaps his intelligence is not in commanding loyalty but choosing people he understands how to make loyal to a person like him.¡± Brandis paused. ¡°That makes a lot of sense. It also sounds like something my wife would say,¡± he muttered. In his silence, Aiden continued. He addressed the topic of realizing that people stabbing a dummy with their weapons was actually them challenging him to a duel. Brandis smiled when he spoke of the dinner he had with Lord Naranoff and how the man had explained it to him. To lighten the mood of the conversation, he mentioned Valdan¡¯s subtle advice that he not take up the challenge. Brandis laughed heartily. ¡°Yet, you did.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°It seemed like it would be fun.¡± ¡°You did not fear for your life?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been training with Sir Valdan since I arrived in your world, your grace,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°And they clearly looked upon him with awe. Add that to the fact that Sir Valdan believed that I could take them and that simply led to a bit of arrogance.¡± Brandis smacked his desk once in obvious amusement. ¡°You spin truths with lies so effortlessly, Lord Lacheart. It is a beautiful trait in someone who spends time amongst the powerful. And you seem to be getting better at it.¡± He paused, turning thoughtful. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say getting better. More like you now put in some effort. The library thing was just a poor show of effort. It was good, mind you, just lazy.¡± ¡°My apologies,¡± Aiden said with a bow. Brandis waved the apology with a gesture. ¡°I am not complaining, Lord Lacheart. The gods know I can appreciate a person who shows promise in mind games with their words. I know you lie but I can also appreciate the fact that you are not a dishonest man. Just a man in a dishonest position. But please, continue. How did the duel go.¡± Aiden tried not to dwell too much on what Brandis had said as he continued. When he said he¡¯d taken all the weapons out of the dummy, eight in all, Brandis had laughed again. He was like a father enjoying a daring story of his accomplished son. ¡°So she did not fight you because you refused to fight without using [skills]?¡± Brandis asked when Aiden spoke of the only person he did not fight against during the training duels. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s stupid of her,¡± Brandis said. ¡°If you put forth a challenge, as long as the challenged does not make outlandish requests, it is in good faith to accept them. It shows that you¡¯re not a fool raising your shoulders for foolish reasons. But I must say, you did well by schooling them instead of killing them. How did they take their defeat?¡± ¡°With varying levels of expressions,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Although, after the first man, they seemed more than happy to simply take the duel as a chance to learn. The first spearman was a bit trying but the second was too sloppy.¡± Brandis¡¯ expression turned thoughtful again. ¡°And what would you say about the soldiers you met on the training ground in general. How would you assess them?¡± ¡°I would say that they need more training,¡± Aiden said simply. ¡°They seem poor when it comes to fighting without the support of their skills.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Brandis made a gesture. ¡°Please, continue with your tale.¡± Aiden did. After his experience with the soldiers, he moved on to the cave. He explained his knowledge of the cave before hand as something he¡¯d gained from his short encounter with adventurers when he and the soldier, Ded, had gone hunting for goblins with Otid and Taliner. If Brandis did not believe him, he did not show it. The King said nothing when Aiden spoke of Elaswit joining him. He said nothing when Aiden spoke of the natural enchantments. While his expression tightened, he still said nothing when Aiden told him about their experience with the gargoyles, how they had learnt to kill them. He did smile when Aiden said that Elaswit, despite knowing how best to kill them, had still brute forced her way, choosing unbridled violence over finesse. ¡°Derenet was always the one gifted with the scheming even in combat,¡± Brandis said. ¡°That one is definitely his mother¡¯s child.¡± Brandis¡¯ hand balled into a fist when Aiden spoke of their fight with [Gangnar the Starter]. His expression tightened but he kept his anger, held it tightly ass religion holds its believers with the fear of punishment after death. Through Aiden¡¯s tale of his combined battle against Gangnar, Brandis seemed to battle with himself. He tried to focus, paying attention to the details of the story instead of how it made him feel to know that his daughter had almost died. Aiden laid it a little thick on Elaswit¡¯s contributions to the fight and how she¡¯d risked her life to save his own. Reluctantly, and only because he felt it would be helpful in growing the lady, he spoke of how she¡¯d frozen after coming face to face with death. Brandis looked worried and a little sad for his daughter when he learned of it. When Aiden mentioned Gangnar¡¯s skill and having to fight against Elaswit, Brandis¡¯ mood lightened a little. ¡°I do have a question, though,¡± Brandis interrupted. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How did you get out of the skill if the princess could not? I know you said that you grew stronger but¡­¡± ¡°Going through the teleportation increased my skill [Resilience] greatly,¡± Aiden explained. ¡°That bought me some time to¡­¡± Brandis cocked a brow and Valdan gave Aiden a look. The knight was also curious. Aiden pressed his lips into a worried line. ¡°Before I left the capital city,¡± he said very slowly, a little worried but not as worried as he should be. ¡°I went to an apothecary outside the castle walls.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Brandis asked, genuinely curious. ¡°Because even in my world we all know that the good stuff isn¡¯t sold by those who know that you work under the direct command of the rulers,¡± Aiden answered. Brandis leaned forward. ¡°The good stuff?¡± ¡°I once asked the apothecary within the castle walls if they had something that served a¡ª¡± Aiden paused, realizing that he was going about his explanation the wrong way. ¡°In my world, there is something called a stun grenade.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a kind of technology. In the simplest of words, it is a ball that we throw after triggering it. Once activated, it explodes in a very quick flash of sound and light. What it does is disorient those in the vicinity. It sends a person¡¯s sense of sound and sight out of control, giving you a chance to attack at an advantage.¡± Recognition flashed across Brandis¡¯ eyes and Valdan stiffened slightly. ¡°And what did the apothecary say?¡± Brandis asked slowly. ¡°He said that he did not,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°So I asked him if there was such an enchantment.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And he said that there was none that he knew of.¡± Brandis sighed, his expression relaxing. ¡°Is this an attempt at protecting one of my apothecaries, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°No, your grace,¡± Aiden said. ¡°It is an attempt at letting you know that your apothecaries aren¡¯t the best liars. He shouldn¡¯t have added the part about none that he knew of. Also, it was clear from his expression that he wasn¡¯t being honest.¡± Brandis pinched the bridge of his nose between brow and forefinger. ¡°And I take it that you found the enchantment you were looking for. The enchantment that is very much like this stun grenade from your world.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I did. I asked around at the apothecaries outside the castle walls. And none of them had it. At least none of them admitted to having it.¡± ¡°Then how did you get it?¡± ¡°Some guy walked up to me and asked me if I was looking for exactly what I was looking for,¡± Aiden said. ¡°He¡¯d clearly been sent by one of the apothecaries, but I couldn¡¯t tell which one and I didn¡¯t care. Long story short, I got what I was looking for.¡± ¡°For how much?¡± ¡°A single gold coin.¡± Brandis barked out a humorous laugh. ¡°You¡¯ve been had, Lord Lacheart. You could procure at least four of that specific enchantment for that price.¡± Aiden raised a brow. ¡°Legally, your grace?¡± Brandis laughter dropped into a chuckle. ¡°Alright, not legally, per say. But if you could, then legally, you could procure around eight.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t really matter to me,¡± Aiden said. ¡°The man¡¯s very presence told me that the enchantment I was looking for was not acceptable in the kingdom. Illegal things are often times very expensive, after all.¡± ¡°That goes to say that your world also has things that are illegal.¡± ¡°We do.¡± ¡°And you indulged in their purchase.¡± ¡°My world was a simple world as compared to yours, your grace,¡± Aiden said. ¡°And my life was a simple life as compared to what it now is. I did not indulge in their purchase because I had no need for their uses.¡± ¡°But you bought the enchantment,¡± Brandis said. Aiden nodded. ¡°I did. And for the price of one gold, I studied it.¡± Brandis¡¯ brows furrowed in dismay. ¡°And learnt it.¡± It was not a question. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± Brandis sighed. ¡°Lord Lacheart, nobody beyond this room is to learn that you know that enchantment. And just to prevent misunderstandings, what is the name of the enchantment that you learnt?¡± ¡°The Enchantment of Lesser¡ª¡± Aiden stopped himself before he could say ¡®madness.¡¯ In Bandiv it was known as lesser confusion. ¡°¡ªConfusion, your grace.¡± ¡°Then we speak of the same enchantment.¡± Brandis sat back and looked Aiden in the eye from across the distance. ¡°Now, what you must know is that while the enchantment is not necessarily illegal in Bandiv, I am in the process of banning its use. To do that, all registered Apothecaries as well as those registered with the [Enchanter] class have been told not to sell it for commercial purposes of any kind. Which means that while using it is not a crime, they could have licensing issues if they were found selling it or teaching it to others.¡± ¡°And if one of your apothecaries was found selling it¡­¡± ¡°They would be evicted from castle grounds,¡± Brandis answered. ¡°And fined. Heavily. Anyway, do not use it in public and do not teach it to anyone. I have experienced first hand the effects of that enchantment and¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°It is a terrible thing. That said, I understand necessities. Although, I didn¡¯t know that it could be used to counter the effects of a mind spell. How exactly did you succeed in doing that?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I used it on myself.¡± Brandis blinked. ¡°On yourself.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How do you¡­¡± Brandis¡¯ eyes widened in realization. ¡°You used it to enchant yourself the way you do with your skill.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I did say that I learnt it.¡± ¡°You did. And how did that go?¡± Brandis smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I will not be doing it again.¡± ¡°As expected.¡± Brandis folded his arms in satisfaction. ¡°I can only imagine how terrible it must¡¯ve felt for the enchantment to affect you. The gods know its already terrible being in the area of its activation. Being the area of its activation must be terrible¡­ So, what happened after the fight?¡± ¡°After that¡­¡± Aiden continued, telling of how he carried the princess to safety and was saved by Valdan. He skimmed over the recovery period and the truth of how bad it had been. Valdan¡¯s expression tightened when he said nothing of the crystalized dimensional mana. The story about killing the poachers was another part that Brandis paid significant attention to. ¡°Over eight men,¡± Brandis said, impressed. ¡°And someone above level fifty.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°It was not an easy feat.¡± Brandis¡¯ attention moved to Valdan. ¡°Yes, my king,¡± Valdan confirmed easily. ¡°When I found him, he was a mess. However, he was not close to death¡¯s door.¡± ¡°And now you walk around with the title [Giant Slayer],¡± Brandis said as if he was one decision away from throwing a feast. ¡°I assure you, Lord Lacheart, in this world, that is not a title that so many have in comparison to the wider world.¡± Aiden bowed. ¡°Thank you for the praise.¡± ¡°So how did it feel?¡± ¡°The title?¡± Aiden asked, confused. ¡°Not the title,¡± Brandis said. ¡°How did it feel to take your first life?¡± Aiden paused. He took a moment to think back to the first time he¡¯d taken a human life. It had been back in the cannibal village in his past life. He¡¯d thrown up after looking into the lifeless eyes of the cannibal. Then those eyes had haunted his dreams from time to time for the next month. It hadn¡¯t been so bad that he¡¯d wake up covered in sweat or kicking and screaming. But it had been bad enough to spoil his mood when he woke up on the nights that he¡¯d dreamt of it. In time, killing came easier. ¡°I almost threw up,¡± he answered. ¡°Almost threw up,¡± Brandis gave an understanding nod. ¡°You have a stronger stomach than most.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how killing worked in your world,¡± Brandis continued. ¡°But we frown on it in Nastild. Very heavily. However, in your case, it is forgivable. When it is kill or be killed, the innocent is allowed to be the one doing the killing. The defense of oneself is always smiled upon.¡± ¡°I am glad to hear that,¡± Aiden said. ¡°It is the same in my world.¡± Brandis paused. ¡°And what of murder? How is it handled in your world? How do you handle the killing of the innocent?¡± ¡°In some places they are locked away for either a significant period of time or forever, depending on different variables. In other places, the culprit is put to death.¡± ¡°And how exactly do the different variables work?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°In the event of self-defense, there are circumstances where it can be considered extreme violence. I¡¯m not completely certain of how that works, but I would say in some places the culprit serves punishment.¡± ¡°The same as murder?¡± Brandis asked, surprised. ¡°I do not think so,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°But they will be punished, regardless.¡± ¡°What if the person is of great importance?¡± ¡°Justice demands that they face the same punishment,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°And do they?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how best to answer that. ¡°Justice demands what it demands, but it does not always get what it wants.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Brandis mused. ¡°The unhealthy privilege of the powerful. But not all of them get away with it, correct?¡± ¡°Not all,¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°But when the powerful commit crimes, murder or others, I have always been of the opinion that the hammer of justice doesn¡¯t always come down as hard as it does on those not as equally powerful.¡± ¡°Hammer of Justice,¡± Brandis muttered. ¡°I like that.¡± ¡°I am glad that you do.¡± ¡°But I still have another question concerning this,¡± Brandis continued. ¡°What if the culprit is not powerful but they are important? Potentially very important. Possibly very important.¡± Aiden knew where Brandis was going with his questions. He knows, Aiden thought. He knows who¡¯s responsible for killing the maids. From what he knew about Brandis, the person was already supposed to be behind bars, serving whatever punishment Brandis deemed fit. But nobody was being punished for it. The worry of the servants was proof of that, and so were these questions. Brandis wasn¡¯t punishing the person because he worried for the concept of the greater good, either that or because he wasn¡¯t sure how to justly go about it. In his past life, the deaths had gone on without being solved until they had suddenly just stopped. Their deaths had been saddening. All of them had involved some flesh issue. Some had turned to stone. Some had grown terrible boils with hardened skin. Some had died from having their internal organs turn to stone and stop functioning. Brandis¡¯ questions only served to solidify Aiden¡¯s opinion on who he thought it was. ¡°Your Grace,¡± Aiden said slowly, intentionally. Brandis sighed like a father about to have a conversation that he did not want to have. ¡°Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°In my world,¡± Aiden said. ¡°And I hope in all worlds if more exist, the killing of the innocent should never be condoned.¡± ¡°Regardless of importance, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Regardless of importance.¡± Aiden stood firm on his words. ¡°Nothing justifies killing the innocent.¡± ¡°And you believe that the way murder is handled in your world is the right for it to be handled?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°Even in my world, it is handled in different ways,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°If one of my peers has done such a thing, hypothetically speaking, while it may not be my place, I will advise that they be punished by the laws of the kingdom.¡± Brandis¡¯ brows narrowed at him and his next words rooted Aiden to the ground. ¡°Even if the culprit is your brother?¡± Aiden stood as still as a prey caught in a predator¡¯s gaze. Terrified of moving for fear of something going terribly wrong. Impossible. It was the only thought that came to his mind. Ted wouldn¡¯t. He frowned even at his own thoughts. A lot of atrocities had been done by the demons when Ted was the [Demon King]. But nothing had pointed directly to Ted, only the demons. Ted had been holed up in his castle most of the time. The only times he had shown his face had been whenever Drax and the others had ventured a little too close to his castle. Regardless of what Ted had become, he was not yet the [Demon King]. And the Ted he knew, wasn¡¯t one to kill the innocent. Even on Earth he had been kind in his own way. Fun. And the way the servants died has nothing to do with the [Summoner] class, he thought. All their deaths could be explained if you looked at them as the effects of alchemical concoctions. There was only one alchemist in their group. Sam. And in his past life, Sam, in his desire to achieve a combat status after gaining the [Alchemist] class, had succeeded in creating a potion that turned him into a living stone. The potion did not just turn his skin into stone, it turned his organs and everything into stone. Even his blood. It had been his ultimate defense and attack even though it had come with side effects. Aiden shook his head. ¡°It cannot be Ted.¡± Brandis seemed unbothered. ¡°And how are you so sure, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Because I know my brother. It would take a lot for him to be moved to killing the innocent. With all due respect, your grace, your castle and your world do not yet have what it takes to push him that far.¡± Aiden shook his head again, thinking of just how far they had pushed him in the past. ¡°You will possibly be able to one day. But that day is not today. You do not know him well enough.¡± ¡°Careful, Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis said solemnly. ¡°You can never know someone completely. But like I asked, what if your brother commits murder in my land; what happens if he is found guilty of killing the innocent?¡± Then I will have to change my plans. I will punish my brother, but you will not kill him. Aiden kept the thought in his mind. His words, however, were simpler. ¡°No one should kill the innocent and go unpunished.¡± ¡°I am glad to learn that you can set aside your emotions to make logical decisions,¡± Brandis said. ¡°It is a sign of maturity that many believe they have but only very few truly possess.¡± ¡°Did my brother take an innocent¡¯s life?¡± Aiden asked. He had to know. ¡°Not at all.¡± Brandis made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Your brother is quite attached to himself, and a girl in your group. I can¡¯t remember her name at the moment. Although, I did prepare a bit of a test battle, and he excelled greatly. Personally, I doubt there is anyone in your group apart from you that could stop brother in a fight if he decided to get angry.¡± Aiden released a sigh. That was good. He was glad. He would take his brother¡¯s side because there was still a chance, and even if Ted became the [Demon King], it wouldn¡¯t mean he was automatically evil. It just meant that he would be the enemy of the world. And Aiden was more than willing to stand between his brother and the world to protect Ted. But he didn¡¯t think he could stand beside Ted to oppress the world. It won¡¯t come to that, he told himself. I won¡¯t let it. ¡°It is good to know that the killing of the innocent is frowned upon in all worlds,¡± Brandis said with a tone of conclusion. ¡°Now, as for your duel, the details of that are still fresh in my mind, so I would need no update on it. On to other curiosities. How did you see the [Saint]? Did he interest you?¡± Aiden looked from Valdan to the king. ¡°I knew someone called a [Saint] was coming, but I don¡¯t think I met him.¡± ¡°The man with the white hair,¡± Valdan said. Aiden shot him a surprised look. ¡°He was the [Saint]?¡± ¡°I hear he was also the one that officiated the match between you and the unfortunate soldier,¡± Brandis said. ¡°How did you not notice?¡± ¡°I know that saints are smiled upon,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°But I always thought that they would receive some kind of high veneration in the presence of others. Nella certainly made them sound that way.¡± Brandis smiled. ¡°Not everybody has seen a [Saint] in their lifetime so not everybody knows what they would look like or feel like. Valdan has met one once, and I have met a few. Some of them like to go around without declaring themselves.¡± ¡°And others like to make it known,¡± Valdan added as a side note. ¡°I am still surprised as to how you could not tell,¡± Brandis said. ¡°He would¡¯ve had very white hair and carried himself with an air of authority.¡± ¡°I met a [Mage] with bright pink hair and an extravagant staff, your grace,¡± Aiden answered easily. Brandis cocked a questioning brow. ¡°I have also met an adventurer with blue hair and you, your grace, have golden eyes, something that does not exist in my world.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I am a visitor from another world where most of the things here are nonexistent. Believe me, I just summed it up to the shenanigans of another world.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t miss the slight sadness¡ªor was it guilt¡ªthat passed the king¡¯s face when he¡¯d spoken of the things from Nastild being nonexistent on Earth. He chucked it up to guilt and ignored it. Brandis¡¯ sense of guilt was of no importance to him since it would not help send him home. ¡°I guess you did not get to have a conversation with the [Saint],¡± Brandis said. ¡°A shame.¡± ¡°The [Saint] wanted to speak to him today,¡± Valdan said with a subdued smirk. ¡°He said so during the event last night.¡± Brandis¡¯ gaze settled on Aiden. ¡°And you still left this morning? He¡¯ll definitely not be happy when he finds out.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve apologized for his actions if not for the amused and slightly pleased look on the king¡¯s face. Do all the people in this palace have a dislike for the church? ¡°Anyway,¡± Brandis continued. ¡°I was happy to learn that you chose mercy over wrath despite all the things you swore to do to the lady in your anger. Mercy, sometimes, is acceptable even to those who do not deserve it. My wife would say otherwise, but I think it is a good thing. Mercy can change people you may think are too far gone to be saved.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Brandis¡¯ gaze snapped momentarily to one of the shelves on the wall to the side. It was so quick that Aiden wouldn¡¯t have seen it if he wasn¡¯t already watching the man. In the blink of an eye, Brandis¡¯ attention was already back on them. ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, my king.¡± ¡°What level is our young lord?¡± ¡°Forty-nine, my king.¡± ¡°Congratulations on reaching the threshold,¡± Brandis said to Aiden. Aiden blinked, brows furrowing. ¡°Threshold, your grace?¡± Brandis looked at Valdan. ¡°He does not know about the threshold?¡± ¡°I apologize, my king,¡± Valdan said with a bow. ¡°I did not think he would grow so quickly so I did not think it time to speak to him of the threshold.¡± ¡°That is reasonable,¡± Brandis said before turning his attention on Aiden. He spoke simply but seemed to be in a hurry. ¡°Killing monsters and practice are not all it takes to reach keep growing in level, Lord Lacheart. Every forty-nine levels, you will need something different to advance to your fiftieth level. Something special. That said, I wish you luck on advancing to your fiftieth level. Some people spend their entire lives never gaining that advancement. This will be your first real trial, and I wish you luck.¡± Aiden bowed slightly. ¡°Thank you, your grace.¡± ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± Brandis said, turning his attention back to the Knight. ¡°We will speak on what we can do to help his advancement at a later time. For now, please wait outside.¡± Valdan bowed. Dismissed, he turned and left the room. The moment the door closed behind him, Aiden felt a subtle breeze against him. At least someone else would¡¯ve thought it was a subtle breeze. Aiden knew better. Someone had used the [Detect] skill on him. And it was not the king. ¡°Your growth is intriguing,¡± a voice came from one of the shelves. Aiden didn¡¯t turn his head. His eyes merely moved in their sockets. The hair on his arm bristled and he felt that same overwhelming sensation he got in the moments before his death. The [Sage] walked slowly, coming to stand in front of him, completely disregarding the king. ¡°Do you remember how many levels you gained from killing the man who was over level fifty?¡± he asked Aiden. ¡°Maybe eight?¡± Aiden answered giving the illusion of a thinking man. ¡°Maybe more. But I don¡¯t think it was less than six.¡± ¡°Not as much as I expected,¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°But definitely better than the average person.¡± ¡°The average person gains around three to four levels when they kill something that strong,¡± Brandis explained. ¡°In some cases they can gain up to five. Then they experience an increase in level gains for their next three or so levels.¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve enjoyed more of its perks if it didn¡¯t bring you so close to the threshold,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°That said, I will now take a look at how far you have come.¡± The top of the [Sage¡¯s] staff landed on Aiden¡¯s chest before he could even say anything and his personal display appeared between them. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 49] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 69.65%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 30.64%)], [Unarmed Engrave (Mastery 19.38%)], [Modify Engrave (Mastery 09.41%], [Broken Weave (Mastery 02.51%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.50%)(U)], [Fate Walker (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier], [Protector], [Stone Guard], [Giant Slayer], [Unfettered] [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 99.98%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 70.10%)], [Willpower (Mastery 06.40%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 40.42%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 50.17%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 19.33%)], [Stealth (Mastery 04.01%)], [Detect (Mastery 22.11%)], [Lockpicking (Mastery 02.10%)], [Leap (Mastery 15.94%)], [Pathfinder (Mastery 02.00%)(U)), [Spearmanship (Mastery 03.48%)], [Stats] [Dexterity 26], [Agility 18], [Mana 26], [Speed 23], [Perception 20], [Strength 17] [Trait] [Spatial Crack (Level 49)] [Life] [Health 100%], [Stamina 100%], [Mana 100%]. To Aiden¡¯s surprise, he felt a touch of pain. It wasn¡¯t anything significant, but it was there, at the back of his mind. More interestingly, however, was his hand¡¯s response. His blackened hand twitched slightly, completely out of his control. Then it twitched again. And again. Aiden balled it into a fist and felt its muscles twitching even in his grip. ¡°Those are an interesting array of skills,¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°There are some useless ones, but that is to be expected. Who doesn¡¯t have useless skills.¡± He fell silent after that, expression assessing. The [Sage] leaned closer. ¡°[Unfettered],¡± he muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that one before.¡± A small smile crossed his lips. ¡°[Fate Walker]. That will explain why he doesn¡¯t want to get back to me.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t like the smile one bit. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a ball of surprise, Lord Lacheart,¡± the [Sage] said, a little too invested, his smile growing a little too wide. ¡°And a [Trait]. I cannot remember the last time I came across a human with a [Trait].¡± ¡°Four years ago,¡± Brandis said easily. The [Sage] turned to look at him. ¡°Four years ago?¡± ¡°The diplomat¡¯s kid from that kingdom¡­ I can¡¯t remember their name. He had a trait.¡± The [Sage] snorted. ¡°A [Trait] that grants you three extra fingers on each arm is the system being generous. Sixteen fingers, while good for counting, does not a [Trait] make, King Brandis.¡± He turned his attention back to Aiden and Aiden was glad that his situational title [Spatial Seal] was not on his personal details. The [Sage] narrowed his lids, peered at Aiden¡¯s details as if he was suddenly looking at the impossible. ¡°This is impossible,¡± he muttered. ¡°And you said you got this after the second teleportation?¡± Aiden did his best not to gulp. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°King Brandis,¡± the [Sage] said without taking his eyes off Aiden¡¯s details. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Brandis replied. ¡°It is my advice that you confirm that this case is only limited to Lord Aiden Lacheart here. I will admit that the boy is special, however, if he is the only one afflicted with this sudden [Trait], that is good. If his companions face the same issue, then we have a problem on our hands.¡± He knows what the [Spatial Cracks] are, Aiden realized. He has to. With a sigh the [Sage] removed his staff and Aiden¡¯s information disappeared. ¡°You, dear boy,¡± the [Sage] said, ¡°will be a very powerful force to be reckoned with in the future. If you live long enough.¡± Behind the [Sage] Aiden watched Brandis¡¯ jaw drop. ¡°So I will give you a piece of advice,¡± the [Sage] continued. ¡°All power is power. There is no such thing as good power or bad power. Only good actions or bad actions. Which, if you live long enough, becomes a little different in the wider scale of things. Know this, boy, and know peace.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure what to say. He¡¯d never expected to get advice from a [Sage]. In the end, he settled for something simple. ¡°Thank you.¡± The [Sage] waved his gratitude aside as if it was an unimportant thing. ¡°Now,¡± he said, still very much intrigued, attention turning to Aiden¡¯s arm. ¡°Let us take a look at this oddity.¡± He moved his staff and Aiden bristled. He had a very bad feeling about this. The muscle twitching in his blackened hand twitched harder until the twitching spread from his hand all the way to his forearm. The pinpricks of pain began filling the forearm. Everywhere that was blackened began to struggle until it was almost too taxing to keep his hand balled up. Aiden opened his mouth, about to say something, anything, when the tip of the [Sage¡¯s] staff touched the blackened arm. Then everything happened all at once. Pain erupted inside Aiden¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t as bad as when he¡¯d used the [Weave of Lesser Madness] in the cave, but it was terrible. Darkness encroached on his vision from all sides and the upper half of the [Sage¡¯s] staff shattered in an explosion of what looked like glass. Brandis shot up from his seat in panic. Whether it was in worry for Aiden or the [Sage¡¯s] staff or himself, Aiden was in too much pain to know or care. However, the moment the staff shattered and was no longer in contact with him, the pain dampened. The [Sage] reeled back as his staff shattered and Aiden found him staring at the staff in confusion. Confusion changed to dismay as he watched it, then his expression grew cold. He discarded his staff and it clattered to the ground a little too loudly. His expression sharpened on Aiden and Aiden saw unhidden and unrestrained rage in his eyes. It was almost as great as the rage he¡¯d seen when Ted had tried to save him before he¡¯d regressed. He rushed at Aiden, and Aiden moved back. He turned to make his way for the door but he was too slow. The [Sage] seized him by the blackened arm and held it up in a vice grip. ¡°What,¡± the [Sage] began, expression morphed in rage, ¡°in the blackened void are you?!¡± Pain erupted inside Aiden¡¯s head once more and his interface exploded in his face with a single message. [Anomaly Detected!] Aiden¡¯s blackened hand shot after the [Sage¡¯s] face. SIXTY-SIX: Too Powerful To Be Left Hanging Around Aiden¡¯s blackened hand shot after the [Sage¡¯s] face the moment his interface popped up. Aiden willed his hand to stop but it was as effective as commanding the wind. The [Sage] jerked in surprise and stepped away from him. Actually, Aiden couldn¡¯t categorize what the [Sage] did as stepping away. One moment he was standing within the reach of Aiden¡¯s blackened arm, the next his body was a static blur and he appeared a step away. Aiden couldn¡¯t tell if the [Sage] was too fast or if he had used magic to accomplish the action. In the [Sage¡¯s] place three geometric circles appeared. Each one was filled with runes and sigils and geometric signs. The first glowed a soft green, the second was a soft red, and the third was an amalgamation of colors. All three moved to swallow Aiden¡¯s still outstretched and. He did his best to pull it back but nothing happened. It did not listen. The first circle wrapped itself around his arm and shattered like broken glass almost immediately. [Spell Reset has been detected] ¡­ [Spell Reset does not take effect] The moment the first circle shattered, the second swallowed his still outstretched arm. The fact that Aiden refused to move from his spot was the only thing that kept the arm from shooting forward and attacking the [Sage]. [Spell Time dilation has been detected] ¡­ [Spell Time dilation does not take effect] The circle shattered just as the first had, and the third swallowed his hand. [Hybrid spell Nature¡¯s reverb has been detected] [Hybrid spell Nature¡¯s reverb takes effect] The forearm slackened, then went limp at Aiden¡¯s side. Aiden stared at the hand with a touch of worry. What just happened? As for the [Sage], he stood comfortably in front of Aiden, a few steps between them. However, there was nothing comfortable about his eyes. They watched Aiden¡¯s arm in apprehension and caution. They scowled at his arm even though the man¡¯s expression was calm and placid. ¡°How does your arm feel?¡± he asked. Aiden tried to move it but only got a twitch out of it. ¡°Weak,¡± he answered. The [Sage] narrowed his eyes. ¡°Interesting.¡± Brandis was still a standing mess behind the [Sage]. ¡°How is anything that has just happened interesting?¡± he asked, his voice a little too annoyed. Aiden guessed that Brandis didn¡¯t like how startled he had become. A man as strong as him was likely not used to being so startled. ¡°What makes it interesting,¡± the [Sage] answered without looking back, ¡°is that his arm is supposed to be dead.¡± Aiden¡¯s jaw dropped and the [Sage] gave him what looked like an apologetic look. ¡°When you¡¯ve grown to be as old as I am,¡± the [Sage] said, ¡°you realize that if something is capable of surprising you, then you should never pull your punches. And I was right.¡± Brandis frowned. ¡°You were right in trying to render the arm of our most promising guest useless?¡± The [Sage] sighed as if having to deal with a loud child. ¡°It would not be a permanent death. There was a spell designed to recreate the life of the arm from across nature, a spell to reset the status of the arm and a spell to slow its death.¡± He finally looked behind him, at Brandis. ¡°The intention was to put the arm back to its natural state.¡± ¡°I thought you said the state of his arm was special?¡± Brandis said. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Then why did you try to get rid of it?¡± The [Sage] held up his hand and his fingers were blackened. They were the fingers he¡¯d used to hold up Aiden¡¯s blackened arm. ¡°Anything that can do this to me from just a touch is a weapon too powerful to be left hanging around.¡± Aiden had recognized one or two aspects of the first two spells. And while the [Sage] had told the truth, he had not told the complete truth. While Aiden had been an [Enchanter], he had learnt a thing or two about spells in his past life. Finding out that spells were the older brothers of enchantments, superior in every way, he had convinced himself, like [Enchanters] before him, that studying them could grow his enchantments in some way. If there was anything he had learnt from studying spells, it was the ability to identify a thing or two about the geometric symbols associated with them. And while the [Sage] had used spells to accomplish the things he¡¯d said he¡¯d tried to accomplish, Aiden had definitely seen some geometric combinations that had done more than just the things he¡¯d claimed he¡¯d tried to do. For one, the [Reset] spell had carried a touch of spatial magic. He wasn¡¯t entirely certain but that spell had not been designed to reset the time of the arm but the position of the arm. He tried to send my arm back to wherever it had come from. Aiden would not stake his life on that guess but he was willing to stake his arm on it. The man had tried to actively rid him of the arm itself. There was still the possibility that he had tried to get rid of whatever was affecting his arm and not the arm itself, though. But the spell hadn¡¯t taken effect. Does that mean it¡¯s immune to spatial magic somehow? Aiden wondered. Brandis¡¯ words pulled him out of his thoughts. ¡°Are you alright?¡± the king said. Aiden opened his mouth to respond only to realize that King Brandis had not been talking to him. The [Sage¡¯s] eyes moved away from his blackened finger to settle on the king and he snorted in amusement. ¡°You are too young to be worrying about me, king Brandis,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°However, the answer you are looking for is yes. I am fine. The fingers are merely dead.¡± That didn¡¯t sound fine to Aiden. ¡°They will be fine in due time.¡± The [Sage] dropped his hand and looked at his shattered staff on the ground. ¡°The real loss is in the staff. Replacing it will be nigh impossible.¡± He frowned. ¡°I will have to bargain once more with a fool I should never bargain with.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it was forged from the heart of something called a Tel-arsat?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°And cooled with liquid flowing from the eye of Armoon,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°Yes. When I had forged it, those ingredients weren¡¯t difficult to come by. Now, however, I would have to pay a hefty price to get my hands on them. A waste,¡± he muttered. ¡°A terrible waste.¡± Aiden stood where he was, doing his best to hide his expression of grave shock. The [Sage] and the king spoke of these things only by name because he was not supposed to know what they were. He was nothing but a simple summon, even if slightly complicated. There was no way he would be able to figure out what the names they used were. At best, he would simply know that they were supposed to be powerful. But Aiden knew exactly what they were. Tel-arsat and Armoon were powerful names. He knew the latter because he¡¯d heard of it a few times. The former, however, was something he¡¯d only heard of once. There were no known records of it, at least as far as Aiden knew. He doubted King Brandis even knew what it meant. Armoon was a name that could be found in any records on the other side of Nastild. Many said it was the water from which the world was birthed, a mythical thing capable of feats referred to as miracles even in a world of magic. People called it liquid life, and it was protected by a clan of knights that answered to no one but themselves. Some people said that its location was a secret that was lost to time. Some people said that it was exactly that; a myth. It had existed once but had since gone extinct. As for the clan of knights that protected it. Some people speculated that it was a clan of giants, others speculated that it was a clan of elves. The most famous rumor was that it was a clan of half-men. Aiden had never confirmed the rumors and the [Master of The Order] had never dwelled on it. Tel-arsat, however, was a name Aiden had learnt from only one mouth, and he had been told the name only because of his relationship with the [Demon King] at the time, Ted. It was a name he had learnt from the [Master of The Order] and had been forced to never speak of again. It was the name of the last [Demon King] to plague Nastild before Ted.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. And the [Sage] had forged a staff from the creature¡¯s heart. Just how old is he? Aiden wondered, even though he knew it was more likely that the heart had just lived long enough after the [Demon King¡¯s] death for the [Sage] to get his hands on it. But he doubted that. There was just something about the man and the concept of [Sages] and how those who knew of them handled it that screamed age. They felt like ancient beings to him. But such was the way of things shrouded in so much mystery. They transcended the concept of time. He¡¯d always known that the staff was powerful, but now he understood just how powerful it was. What if the spells were only powerful enough to send me back because of the power running through the staff? He asked himself. What if that was what sent me, not just the combination of spells? It took Aiden only a moment to realize that he was actually focusing on the wrong thing. Yes, the staff was powerful, but there was something else he was ignoring. He raised his blackened arm and looked at it. It shattered when it touched this. It begged the question on what exactly his arm now was. Just how powerful was it, and how could he tap into that power? ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden perked up at the [Sage¡¯s] voice and found the man looking at him. ¡°The names you¡¯ve heard are extremely powerful items,¡± he said. ¡°Arguably the most powerful items in this world. And your arm destroyed them with a single touch.¡± He walked forward until he stood right in front of Aiden, within reach of his arm. The [Sage] bent down to peer at the arm. ¡°I would argue that your arm, either has the most powerful defense of any-thing in this world or could arguably become the most powerful thing in this world.¡± At his table, Brandis was already seated again. ¡°Why do I sense a headache coming.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a child, king,¡± the [Sage] chided. ¡°Power isn¡¯t always a bad thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Brandis muttered. ¡°When you have the most powerful thing in the world, it paints a target on your back. Should anyone find out about this, they¡¯ll all be coming for my kingdom.¡± The [Sage] chuckled as if he hadn¡¯t just lost a very powerful weapon. ¡°I assure you that coming for you because of this will be confidently in the realm of stupidity.¡± Brandis had his head leaning back so that he looked up while he massaged his forehead. At the [Sage¡¯s] words, he brought his head down and looked at the man. ¡°What about your¡­ friends?¡± he asked. A sharp scowl touched the [Sage¡¯s] lips, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He did, however, rise back up to his full height and remove his attention from Aiden¡¯s arm. ¡°My friends have items just as powerful as I do,¡± he said. ¡°Should they turn their eyes to the young Lord Lacheart, understand that there will be negotiations to be had. Your kingdom will not suffer for it.¡± Aiden watched both men talk about the other [Sages] so easily in his presence. Is this how maids feel? He wondered. He was so unimportant and miniscule to them that they spoke of every and any thing in his presence so simply and casually. They didn¡¯t even use codes, not necessarily. Someone who had no idea what was really going on would know nothing. They would be unable to follow the conversation. They would be like an infant present during gossip between adults. The [Sage] looked from Aiden to his arm again. ¡°Truly powerful,¡± he said, stroking his beard. ¡°Do not be alarmed, but the spell I hit you with, was meant to render your arm useless for at least a few days.¡± Aiden raised the hand again and flexed his grip. It was already working fine. He did notice, however, that the small streaks of red that had been appearing had disappeared. The [Sage¡¯s] spells had done something after all. ¡°It feels fine,¡± Aiden said after a while. The [Sage] nodded. ¡°I can see that.¡± On his chair Brandis chuckled a little. ¡°You continue to impress me every day, Lord Lacheart.¡± Aiden bowed slightly. ¡°As long as it pleases you, your grace.¡± A moment of silence followed his response. In the silence Brandis gave him an odd look. ¡°Why does it feel so sarcastic when you do it?¡± Aiden paused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That.¡± Brandis gestured at his slightly bowed position, then looked at the [Sage]. ¡°You see it, too, don¡¯t you? Everyone bows to me everyday and tells me things like ¡®as long as it pleases you¡¯ and it feels genuine or at least it looks like they do it just because they believe they should. On him it just looks like sarcasm.¡± Aiden stood up straight, unsure. The [Sage] shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the title. He¡¯s the only one in the palace that uses it to address you.¡± Brandis paused to give it some thought then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is it. It¡¯s a touch defiant but it¡¯s definitely genuine, and rightly so. It¡¯s why I don¡¯t mind. But the bow and the ¡®as long as it pleases you,¡¯¡± the king had actually mimicked Aiden¡¯s voice childishly. ¡°Something about it just rubs me the wrong way.¡± The [Sage] returned his attention to Aiden, stroking his beard. ¡°I think I can see what you are talking about.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if they were playing with him or not. ¡°How about we have him not do it again?¡± Brandis said as if he was making a suggestion. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m king, and everyone has to do something of that level with me. But that,¡± he gestured again, then shivered visibly. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s not do that again. Agreed, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden nodded slowly, his confusion evident. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°Now, on to more important topics,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°Is there anything else you think might have added to this entire experience or do you genuinely think that it might just be something about you or you and your colleagues?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t need to give it any thought. Honestly, he had been expecting the question, not under such strenuous circumstances, but he had been expecting it regardless. The answer he had to give, however, was not one he was completely certain of. If he said that there was nothing, then they would likely try to pay attention to everybody, that included Ted. If he said he had a feeling that he was the only one, then he would have to back it up. The men in front of him weren¡¯t like Elaswit who was inclined to allow him keep whatever secrets he chose to keep. There were multiple possible answers so he gave the one he knew would fly but was wrong. ¡°I think I know what might¡¯ve caused this,¡± he said. Brandis leaned forward in his chair and the [Sage] simply said, ¡°And what could that be?¡± It would¡¯ve been a secret to keep if it was a secret he shared with no one, but unfortunately, it was a secret he shared with Valdan. And Valdan, no matter what or who he was, was a loyal [Knight of the Crown]. As much as he wanted Valdan to keep his secrets, it would not be fair to expect it of the knight. The man¡¯s duty, after all, was to hide nothing that could be important from his king. ¡°There was something I found in the cave after we defeated the monster,¡± Aiden said. With no staff to hold onto, it seemed as if the [Sage] wasn¡¯t sure of what to do with his hands. The man folded his arms and something about looking at him with folded arms just looked out of place. ¡°Out with it,¡± the [Sage] said. Aiden sighed. Here goes. ¡°I found something called a crystalized demonic mana.¡± Brandis¡¯ eyes sharpened immediately but the [Sage] couldn¡¯t be bothered. Aiden kept a simple expression on his face. ¡°Demonic mana,¡± Brandis said, voice hard. ¡°In its crystalized form.¡± He was like a man holding back anger and fear at the same time. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°Within my territory?¡± Aiden had a feeling that the question was rhetorical but still answered. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± Brandis sat back, face hard yet somehow tired. ¡°I thought we had more time.¡± ¡°Time has been a mess for a while now, Brandis,¡± the [Sage] said simply. ¡°I would not advise putting much fate in it at this point. Besides, it has always been a deceptive thing.¡± ¡°It fills me with joy that this does not bother you,¡± Brandis said, voice dripping with sarcasm. If his tone bothered the [Sage], he did not show it. Instead, he focused his attention on Aiden. ¡°Now, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said. ¡°Tell me why you believe that this object, crystalized as it was, may have played a part in your situation.¡± Aiden was certain that he couldn¡¯t tell the truth on this part. In fact, the truth would only put him in far more trouble than he could handle. The crystal had been among Valdan¡¯s belongings packed among his luggage. But Valdan was aware of the fact that it had been in Aiden¡¯s pocket when they¡¯d appeared on the other side. But Aiden hadn¡¯t acted surprised or commented on how it had happened. Which means I can easily lie that I took it from the luggage before joining the carriage. He will doubt it but won¡¯t have any proof to challenge it. Aiden paused as he actually considered it. There were possibilities of Valdan finding enough proof to doubt it, but he wasn¡¯t sure that Valdan would want to go through such lengths to put him in trouble. Right now, Aiden felt as if he was taking advantage of Valdan¡¯s growing acceptance of him. It¡¯s necessary, he told himself, knowing that he only thought it to assuage his conscience. ¡°I had it in my pocket when we teleported,¡± Aiden finally answered. The [Sage] waited as if there was supposed to be more. When Aiden did not continue, he said, ¡°And?¡± Aiden looked from the [Sage] to the king. He¡¯d been hoping that the explanation would be enough. ¡°And it was smaller when we appeared on the other side.¡± King Brandis sighed. ¡°We will have to look into this some more. Demonic mana is a lot of things, Lord Lacheart. But on this subject, I doubt it played a part in whatever has happened to¡ª¡± The [Sage] raised a hand, silencing the king. ¡°It reduced in size?¡± Aiden nodded slowly, watching the man¡¯s thoughtful eyes. He was like a man staring at nothing while his mind was lost in grand and complex machinations in his head. A man plotting the future with all his knowledge of the past, making sure that whatever he had in mind was logical and possible. The [Sage¡¯s] brows drew together, his forehead wrinkled, his lips pursed as he slowly came to whatever conclusion his mind was coming to. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± he muttered, the words dying into the continuity of his thoughts. His frown deepened. ¡°¡­ Maybe¡­¡± his words grew incoherent, barely a whisper. They were so light that Aiden couldn¡¯t hear them. No one could. Then the man smiled something worrying. ¡°It is a possibility. Perhaps.¡± The [Sage¡¯s] smile turned ecstatic. ¡°From now on,¡± he said very suddenly, ¡°you, Lord Lacheart, will no longer train with the knight.¡± ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± Aiden said. The [Sage] paused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The knight,¡± Aiden repeated, realizing that it was stupid of him and that there was no reason for it. Still, he was unable to stop himself. ¡°His name is Sir Valdan.¡± The [Sage] nodded in understanding. ¡°Yes, names, a thing of relevance. Sometimes I forget. Regardless, your training with the knight ends today.¡± ¡°Any specific reason for this?¡± king Brandis asked. ¡°He will need to be studied, paid attention to.¡± The [Sage] stroked his beard. ¡°He will need a lot of attention. [Mages], [Enchanters]. People specialized mostly in spatial magic.¡± Brandis was thoughtful as well. ¡°We have those. I can reassign a few people.¡± The [Sage] frowned. ¡°But will it be safe?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°You said your fingers died from just touching him. And I saw what it did to your staff. It¡¯s good to know that you¡¯re sturdier than your staff.¡± The [Sage] waved his words aside. ¡°They just have to be careful. They are children but they are not stupid.¡± Aiden had it on good authority that the palace only employed the best. And children were not the best. Then again, everyone was probably a child in terms of skills to a [Sage]. ¡°But you have a point,¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°They will make mistakes, cause problems.¡± He looked at his fingers, greenish black with gangrene, and grunted. ¡°Most of them will likely die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m willing to subject my people to a task that could kill them on an accident as casual as touching,¡± Brandis said. ¡°And I¡¯m not sure I can trust them to not mess it all up,¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°Perhaps I should get some people.¡± Brandis rubbed his head in exasperation. ¡°Please don¡¯t. My wife is still shaken up from the last group you brought in.¡± ¡°She is stronger now. She will be fine.¡± ¡°Still, I¡¯m against it.¡± The [Sage] turned to look at the king. There was something in his eyes, but he said nothing. In the end, he looked away from the king. ¡°Perhaps you are right,¡± he said in the end. Aiden simply stood there, quietly, knowing that their plans did not truly matter. All that mattered was that they didn¡¯t stop him from going to the town of cannibals. ¡°So¡­¡± Brandis muttered. ¡°We¡¯ve come to the conclusion that it¡¯s too dangerous for normal people. Apart from my knight, is there another option?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the [Sage] said, eyes still on Aiden. What if he asks me to train with him? Aiden thought. His mind went immediately to what Jang Su had become so quickly. And he¡¯d just learnt in this life that it had all been thanks to the boy training with a [Sage]. Just how powerful can I become with the guidance of a [Sage]? It would be a tempting offer, a great deal. But it could also be a big problem. ¡°From now on,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°While you train with the knight, I will be present. This is the best way to discover what your new¡­ gift is truly capable of. It is also a way to confirm that it is truly a gift, and not a curse.¡± ¡°Then they¡¯ll have to change their training location,¡± Brandis interjected casually. The [Sage] frowned as if the idea displeased him. ¡°This is not that important.¡± Aiden watched a sly grin touch the king¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Brandis said in a calm tone that belied a slyness Aiden could clearly see in his eyes. ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn that it is.¡± Brandis popped his brows playfully at Aiden twice, like an adult sharing a fun secret with a child. Aiden watched the [Sage] think again at Brandis¡¯ words, emotions flickering across his face. ¡°Yes,¡± the [Sage] said finally, eyes fixed on Aiden. ¡°I have made my decision.¡± Brandis sat back on his chair with a wide, satisfied smile. ¡°From now on,¡± the [Sage] said to Aiden. ¡°You will train only with me.¡± SIXTY-SEVEN: Liquid Life Aiden¡¯s jaw dropped at the [Sage¡¯s] words. A little too proud of himself, Brandis sat back, arms folded over his chest with a self-accomplished smile. From what he knew, the [Sage] had only ever taught him and his father. The man, too enamored by his own self-importance had always claimed that teaching anyone outside the family line was something he had no interest in. He had agreed to train the [Hero] should he come from the castle¡¯s summoned, but nothing more. So when Brandis had seen the [Sage¡¯s] show of different emotions after the destruction of his staff and what had happened to his hand, he was more than certain that the man needed only a strong enough nudge to take the young Aiden Lacheart under his wings. And now he had. However, Aiden showed only confusion. Brandis didn¡¯t blame the boy. He didn¡¯t truly understand the powers of a [Sage]. There was no way he didn¡¯t know that the man who had just offered to train him was powerful, what he didn¡¯t know was just how powerful. Personally, Brandis had no idea what a Tel-arsat was, but he¡¯d heard enough about history to know what an Armoon was. And destroying a staff forged from Liquid Life was not an easy feat. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± the [Sage] said, pulling the boy¡¯s attention. To his credit, Aiden didn¡¯t shake his head or actively pull himself from his stunned state. His eyes simply moved up to the [Sage¡¯s] and he answered. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°I¡¯m of the opinion that you have grown quite attached to the knight,¡± he said. ¡°So, what will happen is this, you will have your last training with the knight this evening, as you always have, then we will begin our training from tomorrow evening.¡± A frown touched Aiden¡¯s lips and Brandis wondered why. Is he so attached that he would not want to train with anyone else? It was a surprising thing, but it took Brandis only a moment to find out that it was not the case. Something else bothered him. Brandis was quick to address it. ¡°It is just for a day, Lord Lacheart,¡± he said. The [Sage] turned to look at him with a slight look of annoyance. The man probably thought that he was overturning his decision, so Brandis was quick to correct that too. ¡°The first evening,¡± he said, ¡°is to get a picture of what you are capable of so far. It is necessary. Once you are done with your training tomorrow, you may leave for the place your brother is.¡± ¡°Immediately?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°If you still possess the strength,¡± Brandis said with a shrug. ¡°I will send an escort with you so that you will have a guide.¡± ¡°A map will suffice.¡± Brandis found that interesting. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°The boy has gained the [Pathfinder] skill,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°An interesting skill for someone of his class, but a skill regardless. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s learnt enough about it to know how it works.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°A map and a jepat will suffice, your grace.¡± If only it would, Brandis thought with a sigh. Sadly, it would not. His wife and the [Sage] had sown doubt in his mind regarding Aiden Lacheart, and by the life of him, he could not shake the doubt. ¡°A man with so much potential, taken from his home,¡± his wife had said, shaking her head. ¡°Such a man would not want to remain under another man¡¯s foot. Not when said man is the one in charge of the kidnapping. It won¡¯t take him long to start believing that he can make it on his own out there in the world¡­ without your help.¡± Brandis could not afford to have Aiden abscond. ¡°A guide would be preferred,¡± Brandis said. ¡°One that is strong enough to protect you from monsters and people that you cannot protect yourself from.¡± He watched Aiden as he spoke, searched the boy¡¯s eyes to know if the child was aware of what he truly intended. He saw nothing, and that was one of the problems he had with the boy. Aiden Lacheart was not a poor liar because he had tells that Brandis could see. He was a poor liar because he never seemed to put much thought into his lies. But when it came to facial expressions, the boy was almost devoid of any. Even the ones that he displayed seemed like lies by themselves, practiced and trained. Once upon a time, Brandis had assumed that it was a result of his world. However, while the boy had been away in the Naranoff territory, he had had the pleasure of speaking to his peers, the ones known to spend any amount of time with him as well as his brother. What he had learnt was that none of the things they¡¯d said about Aiden justified how the boy was. The control, the discipline. It was entirely above his peers. He was like a trained soldier, letting only what he wanted to be seen be seen. As much as he tried to tell himself that the emotions the boy displayed were real, Brandis couldn¡¯t help the feeling that he was constantly being lied to, being given things that he was supposed to receive. Coupled with what the boy had done at the party for the envoys of Nel Quan, he¡¯d sent out people to investigate. Even now, he¡¯d found nothing. After all the levels of investigation, no one knew anything. The boy had left no trails. He worked alone and did everything that he did alone. Brandis didn¡¯t want to admit it but not knowing was slowly beginning to anger him. There is always something to be found. Nothing is not proof of anything. Nothing, as his father had always taught him, was proof that everything was hidden too perfectly. Aiden remained standing before the [Sage], blackened arm to his side. He was like a soldier emulating a casual stance, ever ready for whatever could happen in the blink of an eye. As for the [Sage], he was clearly done with him. His staff remained abandoned on the ground as he walked off to the side, perhaps contemplating his usual disappearance into one of the shelves. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Brandis said. Aiden¡¯s gaze moved to him. ¡°Yes, your grace.¡± ¡°You may go. Please inform the attendant at the door to invite Sir Valdan in after a minute.¡± Aiden bowed slightly, turned, and headed out of the room. The [Sage] stood thoughtful in front of one of the shelves to the side. The moment Aiden was gone, the door closed behind him, the [Sage] turned to Brandis. ¡°If he chooses to run,¡± he said. ¡°Let him.¡± Brandis paused, stunned to silence. It took him a moment to regain himself, and he did so with a frown. ¡°I should let our strongest summoned run?¡± The [Sage] nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve lived long enough to see people of different temperaments.¡± The [Sage] walked up to Brandis¡¯ table. ¡°If you attempt to hold the boy against his wishes, no matter how kindly you try to do so, he will know. He is already aware that the knight you wish to place on him is not his guardian but his jailer.¡± Brandis shook his head. ¡°It was not my intention.¡± ¡°You have taken his favorite knight from him, though.¡± ¡°He was the one that asked if he could go alone,¡± Brandis disagreed. ¡°He discarded Sir Valdan by himself. And he is of the same level as Sir Valdan. My knight has experience but not the strength anymore. He will not truly be able to protect the child from things that are stronger than him.¡± ¡°Then perhaps he is to be punished for his lack of strength,¡± the [Sage] advised. Brandis shook his head. ¡°I will not punish people for being weak after working so hard to be strong.¡± ¡°And yet, you must.¡± Brandis never liked it when the [Sage] got this way, listening to nothing but his own ideas. Sometimes he wondered if this was the side effect of the man¡¯s age, thinking that his ideas were without equal, or if it was simply the outcome of who the man was as a person. ¡°I will not punish my knight.¡± The [Sage] shook his head as if putting up with a petulant child. ¡°You will have no other choice but to send the knight if you wish to have the boy believe that you do not wish to control him.¡± ¡°I do not wish to control him.¡± ¡°Then punish the knight and send him with the boy.¡± The [Sage] folded his arms and Brandis couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d ever seen the man perform such an act apart from today. ¡°Punishments, I¡¯ve learnt, are often good motivators.¡± There was a knock on the door and Brandis knew that they were out of time. The door opened and Sir Valdan walked into the room. He stopped at a point equidistant from the door and Brandis¡¯ desk when the door closed and took a knee. ¡°My king,¡± he greeted. Surprise crossed his face as his eyes settled on the broken staff on the ground. Unable to control himself, his eyes moved to the [Sage]. It took Brandis only a moment to realize that the [Sage] was no longer in front of his desk, instead, he had retired to his place in front of one of the shelves. Even now, he moved too fast for someone of the [Sage] class. For all you know, [Sage] might be nothing more than a title. The [Sage] was a mystery he hadn¡¯t stopped investigating either. Brandis hated not knowing. It made him feel blind and under someone else¡¯s control. It was a terrible feeling. Still, the [Sage] moved too quickly for someone of a magical class. Because if there was one thing that Brandis would stake his life on, it was that the [Sage] was definitely a magical class. ¡°Sir Valdan,¡± Brandis said, voice calm. ¡°Lord Lacheart has informed us of something interesting in your absence.¡± Valdan remained on his knee, saying nothing. ¡°By the gods, man,¡± Brandis said, already tired. ¡°Please rise. It strains my neck just to look down at you.¡± Sir Valdan rose to his feet without objection and stood at attention. ¡°As I was saying,¡± Brandis continued. ¡°He has informed us of something quite interesting. A spoil from his time within the cave. The question I have for you now is this; how true are his words?¡¯ ¡°What words?¡± Valdan¡¯s words were controlled. If he feared something, he did not give any of it away. Valdan had always been one of his hardest knights to read. Brandis attributed it to his upbringing. The man had practically raised himself in one of the worst conditions of the kingdom. It had made him hard, disciplined. It was one of the things that Brandis liked about him. Sometimes, however, like right now, it made Brandis¡¯ work difficult. ¡°He spoke of an experience within the cave,¡± Brandis said. ¡°A kiss shared between him and my daughter.¡± The [Sage¡¯s] eyes moved over to Brandis very slowly. I know, I know, Elaswit will have my head if she ever finds out, Brandis thought, ignoring the man¡¯s attention. Valdan perked up at his words, however. It was the slightest thing, hidden almost immediately. ¡°I was not aware of this, my king.¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprising,¡± Brandis said. ¡°I have been led to believe that the both of you have grown quite close.¡± ¡°Sadly, that piece of information is either not correct or gravely exaggerated, my king.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°So the both of you are not close?¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°I will admit to our relationship moving from student and teacher to something different.¡± ¡°Peers?¡± A small frown touched Valdan¡¯s lips. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, my king. But I will admit that he has grown to listen to me every now and again on matters outside of combat.¡± ¡°How so?¡± the [Sage] asked. ¡°What events have led you to believe this?¡± ¡°His duel, my¡­ Lord,¡± Valdan said, hesitantly. Brandis couldn¡¯t blame him. Each time the knights came in contact with the [Sage] they always had difficulties choosing how to address him. They knew that he was important to the family but also knew that he was not a part of the family. They didn¡¯t know what title he carried and didn¡¯t know that he was a [Sage]. It made it very difficult to find a proper title with which to address him. ¡°Just call me ¡®sir,¡¯¡± the [Sage] said, to Brandis¡¯ surprise. ¡°Now, how has the duel led you to believe that the young lord listens to you?¡± ¡°Before the duel,¡± Valdan said. ¡°He had promised the soldier death. He had basically sworn it in blood.¡± ¡°He is a child,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°Death is not the easiest thing to commit to when it stares you in the face, be it in your favor or against you.¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°I am of the opinion that Lord Lacheart the younger has no such hesitation.¡± Brandis adjusted in his chair, interested. ¡°And why do you say so?¡± ¡°Because I have seen what he is capable of, my king.¡± A sad look crossed Valdan¡¯s face. ¡°I have seen the aftermath of it, and I have seen him while he is in combat.¡± ¡°The duel with the soldiers,¡± Brandis realized. ¡°Yes, my king,¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°He was systematic, precise, calculated. He drew a circle in the sand to limit himself.¡± The [Sage] made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Mind games. He intentionally limited himself while forcing his enemies to limit themselves. Impressive for a child his age, but basic in the wider scale of things.¡± ¡°True,¡± Valdan agreed. ¡°But I watched what he did to his opponents. I watched him shed blood without an expression. I watched him bring a man great pain without batting an eye. I do not believe that he finds hesitation in taking a life.¡± Brandis stroked his jaw. ¡°And the poachers? I believe they are the aftermath that you spoke of.¡± ¡°Yes, my king.¡± ¡°And what did they teach you?¡± Valdan paused, hesitated. Brandis sighed. ¡°These are just questions, Sir Valdan. I am gauging the capabilities of the young lord to know how best to aid his growth.¡± Look at you, Brandis chided himself, playing the games you just told the [Sage] that you would not. Punishment could be a motivation at times, but there was no way he would allow his knight to believe that they were being punished for being weak despite how much they had tried. Thus, he had to have a reason to punish him. It made him feel dirty. Valdan sucked in a preparatory breath. ¡°They taught me that Lord Lacheart the younger is no stranger to death.¡± That caught the [Sage¡¯s] attention. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°They were dispatched with systematic precision,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Lord Lacheart was outnumbered and outleveled. But I do not believe that he was outclassed.¡± ¡°There was a level fifty poacher,¡± Brandis pointed out. ¡°Or was that a lie?¡± ¡°It was not,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°He has the title to prove it.¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart walked away with scratches, my king,¡± Valdan said. ¡°More importantly, the battle was confined to a specific area. What that tells me is that he did not run. He faced them in a specified position and dealt with all of them within that specified area. And every injury I saw was fatal, designed to kill.¡± ¡°No hesitant injuries?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°If there was any, I did not see it,¡± Valdan answered. ¡°I believe that Lord Lacheart does not feel any hesitation when faced with death in his favor.¡± ¡°And how does this translate to the duel that has led you to believe that he listens to you?¡± Valdan¡¯s jaw ticked. ¡°He promised the soldier death but I asked him to spare her.¡± ¡°That was stupid,¡± the [Sage] muttered. ¡°Everyone knows that when you a challenged to a duel to the death in front of the church, you kill your enemy. Anyone who would do that truly wants you dead.¡± Valdan nodded, pain in his eyes as he looked away. ¡°He is just a boy. Death shouldn¡¯t be so easy for him.¡± Brandis agreed, however, it was nothing but hypocrisy. ¡°While I agree with you, sir Valdan, killing is exactly what we are trying to teach him and his colleagues to do.¡± ¡°Monsters, yes.¡± Valdan pressed his lips in a thin line. ¡°But not his fellow humans.¡± A pained expression crossed his face. ¡°Killing your kind eats away at you, my king. He is too young to be losing himself.¡± ¡°And what if he¡¯s already lost himself?¡± the [Sage] asked. Valdan moved his attention to meet his eyes. ¡°Then it is my hope that it is not too late for him to find himself.¡± Something about the way Valdan looked at the [Sage] seemed challenging. Brandis did not like it. Not because the knight seemed to be standing up for himself but because the knight seemed to have developed a loyalty for the young Lacheart that he would challenge the [Sage] for his redemption. Valdan was a knight that treated everyone else as one would treat a colleague, and Brandis had always wanted more for him. He had always wanted the knight to look at others and think of them as friends. Because while loyalty inspired a man to die for his kingdom, love inspired him to do whatever it took to live for it as well. A pity he has chosen the boy. It was bitter-sweet. ¡°I understand, Sir Valdan,¡± Brandis said, sliding back into the conversation. ¡°Unfortunately, while we are raising these children to be people that can live in Bandiv, we are also raising them to be people capable of killing. It might not be the best, but it is what it is.¡± Valdan bowed slightly. ¡°I understand, my king.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Brandis sat back, affected calmness. ¡°Now that that is out of the way, is there anything else you would like to add. Anything at all that the young Lord left out in his update?¡± Valdan paused, hesitated once more. Brandis had never seen the knight hesitate so many times in his life. He must¡¯ve really grown attached. He was beginning to wonder if leaving the knight to train him had been a good idea. In his defense, it had not been his idea. That one was an idea that he could blame on the [Sage]. ¡°No,¡± Valdan said. Brandis sucked in a sad breath. And there it is. This was the loophole he was looking for. The excuse. He leaned forward, placed both arms on his desk, and fixed his attention on Valdan. You will either be punished for negligence of dishonesty. ¡°Are you certain, Sir Valdan?¡± Brandis stared him down. ¡°There was a reason I kept Lord Lacheart here and had you excuse us. I understand that you have developed something of a friendship with him, so with that in mind, I will ask again. Was there anything at all that the young Lord left out in his update?¡± A myriad of emotions flickered across Valdan¡¯s face. He became a cacophony of tiny micro expressions in the blink of an eye. Brandis watched his own knight fight against himself and almost felt bad for him. Doubt was always a terrible thing. Self-doubt had killed more men that he could count. Broken more than it has killed. And for people who swore their lives to violence, he wasn¡¯t sure which was worse, dying in combat or being broken and unable to face combat. I hope this does not break you, Sir Valdan. ¡°There is something, my king,¡± Valdan said finally, and the sadness was clear on his face. Whether it was sadness at betraying the young Lord or sadness at having hesitated in the first place, Brandis did not know. But this line of conversation had to continue. What was about to happen had to happen. ¡°And what is that?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°When he returned from the cave,¡± Valdan said, expression dour, ¡°he passed out. But before that, he asked me to make sure that no one attended to him while he was unconscious.¡± ¡°Except you,¡± Brandis said. ¡°Except me,¡± Valdan confirmed with a nod. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because he had returned with something. I did not know what it was until he¡¯d woken up.¡± ¡°He showed it to you himself?¡± Brandis asked and Valdan nodded. Perhaps this sense of friendship goes both ways. The thought made Brandis feel a little better. ¡°And what was this thing?¡± he asked. Valdan swallowed visibly. ¡°A crystalized demonic mana, my king.¡± The [Sage] turned away in shock and dismay. The level of acting caught Brandis off guard so greatly that his own shock looked genuine because it was. It simply wasn¡¯t shock at Brandis¡¯ news but the [Sage¡¯s] acting skill. I never pegged him for someone dramatic. ¡°Crystalized demonic mana,¡± the [Sage] muttered loud enough to be heard. ¡°The rising darkness grows stronger.¡± Brandis nodded slowly, doing his best not to smile. He was beginning to feel like a shitty person for what he was putting his knight through. This level of scheming was always the purview of his wife. She¡¯d always had the stomach for it. Brandis sighed and leaned back on his chair. ¡°And you kept this to yourself.¡± Valdan took a knee immediately. ¡°I have no excuse, my king.¡± His voice was solemn, saddened in different ways. ¡°I will take whatever punishment you deem befitting of what I have done.¡± Brandis watched the man. He doubted that Valdan was even aware of what he was going through. From what he knew about the man, becoming a [Knight] had always been a dream. Becoming a [Knight of the Crown], however, had become something too great for him to even comprehend. The man had spent his entire life chasing knighthood to the point that he had never given himself the time to find himself. He was like a religious fanatic that had never dared to ask himself the difficult questions, the questions that risked sowing doubt in his own mind. Now, however, he had found himself in a position that pitched him as a man against himself as a [Knight]. It was unraveling him. He was coming undone. Brandis couldn¡¯t help but feel sad for him. And you¡¯re about to do nothing but worsen his case. Brandis sighed. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown, my grandfather always said. Sometimes, as a king, you had to do things you did not agree with. It was what it meant to rule. To be a king was to be more than a man. ¡°Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°Yes, my king.¡± ¡°For your action of dishonesty, you will stand punishment.¡± Brandis¡¯ mouth tasted bitter as he said the words. ¡°Your punishment for what you have done will only be tempered with mercy for your achievements since coming under my service. Initially, the crime of dishonesty to the crown for one in your position is the loss of your title.¡± Valdan stiffened so tightly that Brandis was surprised that he didn¡¯t give himself a cramp. ¡°However, due to the young Lord¡¯s trust in you and your loyalty over the time you¡¯ve spent in your position, I have chosen leniency,¡± Brandis continued, pausing to look at the [Sage]. ¡°When do you intend on training the young Lord?¡± Again, Valdan stiffened. It was as if the realization of having the young Lord¡¯s training taken from his hands was another form of punishment. A heavy one. ¡°Tomorrow evening,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°Then he will have his map and be sent on his way.¡± Brandis kept a subtle eye on Valdan. The knowledge of Aiden Lacheart leaving caught Valdan¡¯s attention. ¡°Tomorrow evening,¡± Brandis mused. ¡°Then it is settled. Sir Valdan. You will be given a chance to defend your title as [Knight of the Crown] tomorrow evening. A venue will be communicated to you before then, and you are to arrive with any weapon of your choice to defend your honor.¡± Valdan remained on his knee. ¡°Yes, my king.¡± His voice was firm, accepting of his punishment. ¡°Then you may leave.¡± Valdan rose to his feet, bowed at the waist, then left the room. Brandis gave the [Sage] an annoyed look when the knight was gone. ¡°I hate it when you make me do these things.¡± ¡°I have made you do nothing, Brandis.¡± The [Sage] leaned casually against a shelf. ¡°You did this entirely on your own.¡± Without his staff, the [Sage] was taking positions Brandis had never seen him take. Well, you¡¯ve only ever seen him with his staff, and he¡¯s always holding it so regally. Now, he was acting like a young man, doing too many things. I got to see him act. Brandis could¡¯ve sworn that such a thing would never happen. The realization brought another thought to his mind. What if the staff has been suppressing his emotions somehow? It would explain why he was only now doing new things. Brandis had heard of weapons that affected a person in such a way, but he¡¯d never assumed that the [Sage] would need one or even use one. He shook his thoughts away. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that I don¡¯t like having to do such things,¡± he said to the [Sage]. ¡°It makes me feel¡­ wrong.¡± The [Sage] smiled. ¡°Once upon a time, you would never have done something like this at all. Perhaps I should prepare a gift for your wife as thanks. She has gotten you to do things since meeting her that I¡¯ve never been able to convince you of.¡± Brandis groaned. ¡°I should find a befitting punishment for her.¡± The [Sage] snorted in amusement. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± He turned to walk into the shelf he was standing at when Brandis interrupted his exit. ¡°What about your staff?¡± he asked. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you intend on taking it with you?¡± The [Sage] looked at him as if he¡¯d asked a stupid question. ¡°Why?¡± Brandis ignored the look. As a king, it was supposed to annoy him, but the [Sage] had been an old man even when he was a child. He would always remain a child to the man. ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Brandis said. ¡°With what you¡¯ve told me that it¡¯s made of, there¡¯s no way there isn¡¯t some residual power left in it, even in its current state.¡± The [Sage] looked at the staff, thoughtful. ¡°How was your last hunt?¡± he asked, changing the subject suddenly. ¡°The one that you just returned from. Did you find success?¡± Brandis frowned, thinking of his failure and how he¡¯d almost died. ¡°No.¡± ¡°That is quite sad,¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°Did you at least gain a level?¡± Brandis shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The [Sage] tilted his head to the side. ¡°Perhaps it is a feat that is too great for you.¡± ¡°Only because I do not have a weapon,¡± Brandis grumbled. ¡°Last time I checked, no one asked you to keep challenging the creature without a weapon.¡± ¡°I know, but my father defeated it without a weapon. And in nine attempts.¡± Brandis gritted his teeth in displeasure. ¡°This is my eighteenth.¡± ¡°Well, that right there is your problem. Your father was a far better unarmed fighter than you are. Just pick up the weapon and face it.¡± ¡°If I do so, they will look down on me.¡± ¡°Who? The Dragonkin?¡± the [Sage] scoffed. ¡°Such pride is a bit useless if you ask me. The Dragonkin are nothing more than just another specie on the otherside of the barrier. They do not deserve this pedestal you¡¯ve suddenly placed them upon.¡± ¡°They are a powerful specie,¡± Brandis pointed out. ¡°They have royal guards who easily stand above me in skill and level.¡± The [Sage] scoffed in disinterest. ¡°They simply have the luck of having the better monsters.¡± The man said it as if monsters were like natural resources and not deadly creatures that could kill you. ¡°Regardless,¡± he continued. ¡°Maybe the staff is of more use to you in its current state than it is to me. Perhaps you should try to absorb whatever mana is left of it. It could prove useful to you. The gods know that it¡¯s useless to me.¡± Brandis reeled back in shock. ¡°Liquid Life? You want me to try and absorb Liquid Life?¡± The [Sage] looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s unheard of.¡± ¡°It is unheard of,¡± Brandis shot back. ¡°Liquid Life isn¡¯t something you can just absorb.¡± Again, the [Sage] tilted his head to the side. ¡°Is it not? Or is that something you¡¯ve simply been told?¡± Brandis hadn¡¯t been told such a thing. But anyone with common sense that knew of Liquid Life knew this. It was as simple as knowing that you did not try to fight the gods. Liquid Life wasn¡¯t some random mana crystal that you could absorb simply because you¡¯d crossed the level 100 threshold. Brandis¡¯ eyes settled on the discarded staff on the ground. Right? ¡°Humans.¡± The [Sage] shook his head. ¡°Always limiting yourselves because you are too afraid. Absorb it, Brandis. At least, try for yourself first and see if it is possible. Even if you fail, you may gain something that helps you defeat the halfling of a leviathan that has kept you so stumped for so long. Just how strong is it, again?¡± ¡°Level two hundred and ninety-eight,¡± Brandis said. It was something he could not forget. ¡°Oh.¡± The [Sage] paused. ¡°That is quite the level gap. Good luck with it, anyway.¡± If he could really absorb Liquid Life, then the [Sage] had just given him a gift that he could not repay. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help make replacing your staff easier and quicker?¡± he asked as the [Sage] turned to leave once more. The [Sage] paused. ¡°That is a good question. Kill the halfling leviathan and ask for its brains and hearts, and we¡¯ll talk.¡± He was halfway through the shelf, the wood shimmering as he passed through it when he paused. Stepping back into the room, he spoke once more. ¡°You know what? On second thought, perhaps you could help me with a few other things.¡± ¡°Say the word,¡± Brandis said. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to find the [Crystal of Existence] and the [Heart of Nosrath] while I handle more important matters?¡± Brandis was confused for a moment. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because they are also ingredients needed for replacing my staff. If I¡¯m going to replace it, I might as well make a better one.¡± ¡°But they currently have owners,¡± Brandis said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of someone who¡¯s already absorbed them being able to give them up, even in death.¡± ¡°Really?¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°I almost forgot about that. I haven¡¯t paid those things much attention in far too many years. No matter, just station men at their locations in secret.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t return in at least another year,¡± Brandis pointed out. ¡°Maybe,¡± the [Sage] agreed. ¡°Position them, regardless. In secret, please. I won¡¯t have nations fighting over them this time, if not I¡¯ll have to step in. In fact, be it now or in the next year, any slight change noticed at their locations should be reported to me. I don¡¯t mind going there if I have to.¡± Brandis stared at the man in surprise but nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that immediately. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, the [Sage] walked into the shelf and was gone. Brandis did not try to stop him. He had other things on his mind. What have I done? The battle over the [Crystal of Existence] and the [Heart of Nosrath] the next time they arrived was going to be a one-sided massacre if anyone chose to go for it. And it was all because he had asked what he could do to help. He almost felt bad for those who would be going after it. I guess I¡¯ll have to cancel my initial plans for it this time around. His eyes moved to settle on the staff now that he was alone in his study. Liquid Life. The greatest of men had gone their entire lives without ever seeing it or getting close to it at all. Now here it was, and the [Sage] had just asked him to try and absorb it. I¡¯ll be stupid not to try¡­ Right? SIXTY-EIGHT: Trump Card The sound of clashing metal seemed muffled in the evening air. Dull. Aiden moved to the side, blade twirling as he moved to strike again. He went for his opponent¡¯s weapon and not the opponent himself. Blades clashed again, the sound rang through the open space. Again, it seemed muffled. Dull again. Aiden frowned. Three strikes and three parries. He wouldn¡¯t call it boring, but it was dull. Something was wrong somewhere. He stepped into his opponent, baited them with a feint to the right only to strike from the left. The feint was a success but he missed the strike on purpose. Valdan staggered away, evading Aiden¡¯s missed strike. The knight had been fast but not fast enough. If Aiden hadn¡¯t missed, he would¡¯ve nicked his shoulder. He¡¯s distracted. Aiden changed his stance, raised a guard arm and settled the flat of his sword upon it, sword arm drawn back in a stabbing stance. The point of his sword was perfectly aimed at Valdan. Valdan watched Aiden¡¯s stance, but there was no competition in his eyes, no challenge. He was trying to be here, Aiden could see it. Unfortunately, he was failing to be here too. Aiden settled onto his legs, tightened his stance, then sprang forward. Valdan didn¡¯t even wait for him to cross the distance before swinging his sword. An arc of bright yellow mana cut through the distance, crackling with the force of lightning. It charged the air as it came at Aiden. It was a powerful strike, and Aiden remembered Valdan attacking him with something similar in their early sparring sessions. Sadly, it would¡¯ve been deadly if it had been timed properly. Avoiding it was one of the easiest things he¡¯d ever done in a battle as he halted his attack and stepped to the side. In a proper fight, if you were truly trying to win, you would always wait for your opponent to commit to their attack. He didn¡¯t even give me the time to be sure I wanted to strike. Valdan¡¯s lack of attention was slowly beginning to annoy Aiden. Perhaps he¡¯ll pay attention if I make him. Aiden¡¯s evasion caught a bit of Valdan¡¯s attention, though. He saw as the knight¡¯s eyes widened a little, then sharpen. Unfortunately, it did not last. They dulled almost immediately as Aiden attacked him once more. Valdan turned two of Aiden¡¯s strikes aside, metal ringing through the air as he did. But Aiden did not let up. Fighting with the basics, he depended on speed. He struck at Valdan¡¯s hip, stabbing forward, and Valdan turned the blow aside with his sword. Right shoulder. Left hip. Aiden grew more annoyed as he picked out Valdan¡¯s openings. He did not strike at them, though. Instead, he swung at Valdan¡¯s head. Valdan leaned back fast enough to avoid the blow, eye widening at the deadliness of it. A second too slow and he would¡¯ve lost his head. Then pay attention, Aiden thought as he stepped forward, attacking once more. A frown touched Valdan¡¯s lips as he attacked first. Aiden turned the blow aside with a flick of his wrist, his blade sending Valdan¡¯s attack astray. He moved in once more, shoulder checked the knight. Valdan staggered back from the attack. His eyes flared, grew slightly frantic. They ran rampant in their socket as he tried to anticipate Aiden¡¯s next attack. Aiden moved for a stab to and Valdan twirled his sword between them to bat it aside. Aiden kicked Valdan¡¯s front foot out from under him instead. Valdan tripped and fell. Standing over him, Aiden looked down at him, unable to mask his confusion. He gritted his teeth with some words ready to be used but held himself back. In an old life he would¡¯ve had words that were very far from nice to say. But that was in an old life¡ªin a life where he had been an instructor. I am not his instructor, Aiden told himself. It was all he could do to hold back his words. And he is not a child. Settling his sword to the side, he offered Valdan a hand. Valdan took it with a look of disappointment in himself on his face. ¡°That was terrible,¡± Valdan grumbled as Aiden helped him to his feet. Aiden shrugged. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s just old age.¡± Valdan shot him a look but said nothing. Turning away from Aiden, he began heading for the rack where they kept the weapons. ¡°I think that should be all for today.¡± Aiden looked up at the evening sky. It wasn¡¯t even dark yet. Normally, they would spar for a time significantly longer than this, well into the darkness of the night, until the sounds of their footsteps and swords whistling through the air was what guided them. ¡°You were looking for my last attack with your eyes,¡± Aiden said, walking up to Valdan so that they strolled side by side. ¡°I didn¡¯t know where it was coming from,¡± Valdan answered. Aiden shook his head. ¡°Yes. But you were looking for it with your eyes.¡± ¡°Would you have liked me to sniff it out?¡± Valdan didn¡¯t even bother looking away from the rack they were heading to. ¡°Valdan.¡± Aiden kept his voice calm. ¡°Anyone who has any kind of real combat experience knows that the moment you start using your eyes actively, you¡¯ve lost. You keep your eyes open and watch for movement in your periphery. You don¡¯t focus unless the attack could come from outside your periphery.¡± Valdan looked like he was going to object but did not. Something¡¯s bothering him, Aiden thought. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t good at the emotional side of motivating someone built for combat. What would Zen do? Zen, his partner in the Order, had always had a way of pulling him out of his head when he was confused. The question was how he did it. Aiden paused as he remembered. He¡¯d distract me so that I can handle what¡¯s important in the moment. And the man had always done it with some kind of joke or goofiness or the other. Aiden pictured himself being goofy and shook his head. Well, that certainly won¡¯t work. They were at the rack now, plagued by their silence as Valdan stewed in his mind and Aiden wondered how he could help. ¡°I won¡¯t know if you don¡¯t tell me,¡± Aiden said in the end as Valdan placed his sword on the rack. Valdan looked at him. ¡°The question is if you¡¯re supposed to know.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s going to affect our sparring sessions like it just did,¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Then yes.¡± Valdan pursed his lips. ¡°Touche.¡± That took Aiden by surprise. ¡°I used it right, right?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden nodded. ¡°But on a more serious note, what¡¯s going on? Is it your lady friend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you remembered that.¡± ¡°Stoic and broody knight like you trying to get gossip? Of course I¡¯ll remember the reason. So is she the one?¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°My lady friend is fine, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Aiden sighed. ¡°Because the gods know I¡¯m not good with women trouble.¡± Valdan chuckled, holding his hand out for Aiden¡¯s sword. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. Besides, I¡¯ll expect you to be able to handle girl troubles not women troubles.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t hand him the sword. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for what the problem is.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Valdan gave the sword a pointed look. ¡°What are you planning? Are you going to try and take my head off again with the sword if I don¡¯t tell you?¡± Aiden looked down at the sword, then back at Valdan. ¡°It is a possibility.¡± ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you have quite the mouth for a boy your age?¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯ll be the first.¡± Valdan smiled. ¡°Nope. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to claim that honor.¡± Aiden watched Valdan as the knight stepped away from him, still smiling. He¡¯s trying to distract me, change the subject. ¡°I¡¯m a living breathing human being summoned from another world,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I was there,¡± Valdan replied. ¡°I was there when it happened.¡± ¡°And I have proven myself to be very surprising since I got here.¡± ¡°So far.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s pretend that I¡¯m not a child right now,¡± Aiden said, still not replacing his sword on the rack. ¡°If I¡¯m not a child, and I actually have experience, how possible is it that this is something I can help you with.¡± ¡°But you are a¡ª¡± ¡°Humor me, Valdan,¡± Aiden said, his voice stern. ¡°Humor me.¡± Valdan went quiet. He took in a deep breath and let it out. He did it twice more. Aiden watched him actually consider. He knew the moment Valdan was about to shake his head and interrupted him. ¡°Is it about the threshold thing that your king was talking about?¡± ¡°My king?¡± ¡°He¡¯s your king, Valdan,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°Your king. Not our king and not the king. I¡¯m not from your world, remember?¡± ¡°Is that why you keep calling him ¡®your grace¡¯?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°In my short time here, I have learnt that that is how you address a king that is not your king here.¡± ¡°And will he ever be our king?¡± ¡°If I never go home, then it isn¡¯t outside the realm of possibilities,¡± Aiden said, though he highly doubted it. In fact, he considered it impossible. Valdan shook his head. ¡°You have the face of a child but the mindset of an adult. It can be disconcerting sometimes.¡± With a smile, Aiden gave a bow with a flourish. ¡°I aim to disconcert.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Valdan groaned. ¡°But no. It¡¯s not the level fifty issue. I¡¯ve been fighting with it long enough to not be brought down by it.¡± ¡°Or distracted by it.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°Then what is it?¡± Aiden pressed. ¡°We¡¯re burning what¡¯s left of the evening.¡± Valdan sighed, gave it some more thought once again. He was hesitant, very much so. However, Aiden could see himself winning. Valdan was considering telling him. Even now, Aiden was wondering what else he could use to nudge the knight. A reward? He wondered. But what can I reward him without being suspicious? Will he even believe that I¡¯m capable of rewarding him?Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Valdan was still silent. At this point, he looked like someone concocting a plan. He¡¯s about to lie to me, Aiden realized. It was sad but funny. It was also understandable. But there was something about lies sprung on the spot that a lot of people didn¡¯t know. If you wanted to make it believable, you needed to mix in some truth. You needed to embellish a little, lie a lot. But the truth had to be there somewhere, if not you would end up with a lie too poor that it would be unbelievable. So what will it be? A blatant lie or a believable one? ¡°I have something I need to do,¡± Valdan said finally. Aiden finally placed his sword on the rack. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Valdan gave him a look. ¡°You¡¯re not going to let this go, are you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Valdan gestured at the sword on the rack. ¡°You¡¯re like a kid ready for some fairytale, dropped your sword and cast away every other distraction.¡± ¡°Stop stalling, Valdan.¡± Valdan sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve got¡­ a promotion exam.¡± ¡°A promotion exam?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call it that,¡± Valdan said. So an embellishment of the truth, Aiden thought. He¡¯s got an important event where he¡¯ll be tested but chances are it¡¯s not in a good way. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± he said. ¡°And what is supposed to happen in this ¡®promotion exam¡¯?¡± ¡°My skills will be tested.¡± On Nastild, there was only one way to test a soldier¡¯s skills. Combat. ¡°How many people will you have to face?¡± Aiden asked, mind already thinking of possible ways he could help. ¡°One? Two? A lot?¡± ¡°No idea,¡± Valdan answered with a shake of his head. ¡°If it¡¯s one person, they¡¯ll definitely be stronger than me.¡± Aiden tugged at his lower lip, thinking. ¡°Are you allowed to kill them?¡± Valdan hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it will be fair to.¡± So yes. ¡°Are they allowed to kill you?¡± ¡°They will be trying to.¡± Sounds like a clusterfuck to me. ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden said finally as a thought came to him. ¡°How often have you fought multiple enemies before?¡± Valdan laughed. ¡°More times than you can count.¡± ¡°And what are the chances that your opponent or opponents will know how you fight?¡± ¡°If they know how I fight, then I¡¯ll know how they fight.¡± Valdan shrugged. ¡°It will put us on even plane.¡± ¡°All I¡¯m hearing is that you¡¯ll need a trump card.¡± Valdan snorted. ¡°Unless I can find myself at level fifty right now, that will be quite the miracle from the gods.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he picked his sword back up from the rack. ¡°No miracle from the gods and no level fifty, but I might have the next best thing.¡± He gave Valdan a challenging look. ¡°That¡¯s if you can learn it.¡± ¡°Learn it?¡± Valdan asked, confused. Aiden was taking a risk, but there was a part of him that claimed that Valdan was worthy of him taking the risk. ¡°When is this test happening?¡± he asked as he swung his sword. ¡°Tomorrow evening,¡± Valdan asked. ¡°Why?¡± Tomorrow evening, Aiden repeated to himself. It works then. It was the time he and the [Sage] were supposed to be training. That meant that the old man would not be present to witness the test. It reduced the risk significantly. ¡°Alright then,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll have time. The problem, however, is that you¡¯ll need to pay full attention since I can only show you what I want to show you a handful of times.¡± ¡°And what are you about to show me?¡± Valdan asked with furrowed brows. His confusion was evident. ¡°Something I learnt where I was before¡ª¡± Aiden gestured at everything around them¡ª ¡°all this.¡± Valdan reached for his sword on the rack and picked it up. ¡°Okay,¡± he said, dragging the word with uncertainty. ¡°All we need now are a few training dummies.¡± Aiden looked around, eyes finally settling on some training dummies in the corner. ¡°One for a single enemy and more for multiple enemies. I¡¯ll show you a trick I learnt for dealing with multiple enemies in an old life.¡± Valdan looked skeptical but did not object. Quietly, he walked away with his sword and headed for the dummies. While he went, Aiden pulled up one of his life stats. [Stamina 82%] ¡°That should be enough for a few techniques,¡± he muttered to himself. It was a little disappointing to know that his sparring session with Valdan hadn¡¯t even taken up to twenty percent of his stamina stat. ¡­ Aiden stretched. To his greatest surprise, he found himself a bit nervous. He¡¯d done this once in a combat situation since coming back to the past and it had taken a lot out of him. You sure your body can handle all of them? He shook his head, focusing on the training dummies scattered around him. Valdan had placed them at seemingly random positions, as Aiden had instructed him, and was now standing off to the side, watching. ¡°What are the marks for?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden had spent some time carving lines on each dummy. The spot between two lines marked locations. ¡°Well,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Those are vital points. They deal the most damage if you strike them.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re about to show me how to kill a group of men?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Is it odd that I find it a bit worrying that a boy your age is about to teach a knight how to kill people?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Aiden stretched some more. ¡°Anyway, just watch. I tried it once when I was in a bit of a bind, and I found out that I don¡¯t have the stamina to do them a lot of times.¡± ¡°And what exactly are they?¡± ¡°Everyone has the way they fight,¡± Aiden explained. ¡°You saw the way I grabbed my opponent during the party for those envoys?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way we fight on my world.¡± ¡°We have similar moves on Nastild too.¡± ¡°This,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Is a more complicated one that I saw and learnt. I¡¯m not even sure I can show you everything I want to. Still, you should watch. It might be useful.¡± Valdan shrugged, then folded his arms. ¡°You¡¯ve got my undivided attention.¡± ¡°Good.¡± With that, a silence fell over the training ground. No need to be nervous. It¡¯s just like old times. Aiden took his stance. He held a hand out in front of him while he kept his sword arm to the back. His sword pointed down and away, carefully behind him. Almost everyone he¡¯d seen do this had a beginning stance. It was how they were taught. There were times in the heat of battle when people did it without using their beginning stance, but it was always advised that they have one. It allowed you pull out a hundred percent of the technique. Aiden knew only a handful of people who he¡¯d never seen use a stance. Ever. He sucked in a deep breath, then let it out. He allowed his attention settle on a single training dummy. It was the one closest to him. ¡°Second Order sword technique,¡± he muttered under his breath and really hoped his body could handle it. ¡°Third Flow¡­¡± ¡­Unarmed Robe. [Dash] moved Aiden, and he shot across the distance. He did not come to a stop in front of the training dummy, instead, he moved a step past it and his sword severed its arm at what was supposed to be the elbow. But he did not stop. He spun around it, slipping behind it. His sword moved with his momentum, drawing a quick line across its back. Aiden was fast, the world seeming to blur around him. His focus on nothing but the training dummy. When his spin came to a stop, he was standing in front of the dummy. The tip of his sword had drawn a dip line in what was meant to be its thigh, and he had the end of his blade buried in its neck. [Stamina 51%] Aiden stared at his interface as the notification popped up in front of him. Less than [Rising Dawn], he thought. He couldn¡¯t remember how much stamina the Order technique [Rising Dawn] had taken from him when he¡¯d used it in the cave but he was sure that this was less. With a frown, he pulled his sword from the training dummy¡¯s neck and swung it in an arc in a simple flourish. In a real combat situation, the action was designed to rid the blade of blood. In certain situations, he¡¯d seen it terrify whoever was alive to witness it. [Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!] [You have used a Flow from the Order Sword Technique.] [You have used the third Flow of the Second Order.] [You have learnt Unarmed Robe] ¡­ [Error! Error! Error!] [Error detected!] [Prisoner #234502385739 does not meet the requirement to learn this Technique] [You have not learnt Unarmed Robe] ¡°Yea, yea,¡± he muttered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep telling me.¡± He would only be able to learn the technique after level fifty. For now, it was too strenuous for his body to pick it as a part of him. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Aiden turned to find Valdan staring wide-eyed. ¡°That,¡± Aiden tapped the head of the dummy with his sword, ¡°was one of the two things I wanted to show you. I really hope you were watching.¡± Valdan took a step forward and stopped. He remained wide-eyed, as if he¡¯d just seen the impossible. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Hard work and the ability to sit in front of something all day,¡± Aiden answered. Valdan shook his head, as if discarding his surprise. ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯ve just done, do you?¡± ¡°I know what I¡¯ve done. I¡¯ve given you a trump card. That is as long as you were paying attention.¡± ¡°I was paying attention,¡± Valdan assured him. ¡°I could barely see you move, but believe me, I was paying attention.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aiden walked forward, making his way to the heart of the arranged training dummies. ¡°Because I was going to show you four of those, but my stamina¡¯s telling me that I can¡¯t.¡± Valdan¡¯s eyes focused. ¡°How much stamina did it take from you?¡± ¡°Around thirty percent,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Maybe forty.¡± ¡°And did you get a notification?¡± Aiden paused for a moment. ¡°Yes. Something about me trying to learn a technique but I can¡¯t.¡± Valdan snapped a finger at him. ¡°Exactly. On Nastild what you just did is called a technique. And you can¡¯t learn them before level fifty.¡± Aiden held up his sword and looked at it. ¡°Sounds like something from a murim story.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Nothing important.¡± Aiden lowered the sword, shaking his head. ¡°Just something from my world.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re telling me is that a string of movements put together creates a technique?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°No.¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s more complex than that. Anybody can string together a few moves and call it whatever they want. A system identified technique is what happens when you string together a few moves in perfect harmony. To do that, there has to be no break in the transition between each technique. The first strike must flow into the second without any exploitable breaks that will hinder the force of the next blow. It is the perfect combination of moves.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re welcome, then,¡± Aiden replied, but Valdan wasn¡¯t paying him much attention anymore. The man seemed lost in his thoughts, muttering to himself. ¡°Maybe this is what I need.¡± His voice was barely audible as he stared at the ground with thoughtful eyes. ¡°If I can perfect a technique, it might force the push to level fifty. In a combat situation it could be dangerous. I might have to¡­¡± Aiden placed the tip of his sword to the ground and rested on the hilt of the weapon. He waited quietly as Valdan tinkered in his own mind. It was interesting to watch the man soliloquize. Valdan perked up suddenly and met his gaze. ¡°What¡¯s the second one?¡± ¡°Nope. Doesn¡¯t work that way.¡± Aiden wagged a finger at him. ¡°First, I have to be sure that you got the first one, if not, it will be a waste.¡± ¡°Aiden.¡± Valdan fixed him with his stare. ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Aiden stopped resting on his sword and gestured extravagantly at another dummy. ¡°Then, by all means, show me.¡± Valdan frowned, but did not refuse. Walking up to the dummy that Aiden had pointed out, he took a stance. It was a perfect copy of Aiden¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I expected you to fumble the stance,¡± Aiden said slowly. ¡°But I¡¯m quite surprised that you took it quite easily.¡± Valdan snorted. ¡°I told you I was paying attention. Besides, in case you haven¡¯t noticed, you take this stance more times than you think when we train. I¡¯ve seen it so much that I¡¯m sure I can do it in my sleep.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden was a bit surprised to hear that. ¡°Anyway, just so you know, the stance is not necessary. You can use something more comfortable for you. The people I copied the moves from used different stances so I¡¯m sure you can use any.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Valdan said, but he did not change his stance. Aiden didn¡¯t press the matter. Playing the role of spectator, he watched Valdan¡¯s entire attention settle on the training dummy in front of him. His eyes narrowed, his forehead wrinkled. He¡¯s thinking too much. But Aiden wasn¡¯t going to correct it. The thing about techniques was that everyone perfected them in their own ways. Zen, for one, always had a smile on his face whenever he used any technique. It tended to creep people out. When Valdan finally moved, he did not use the skill [Dash]. He moved with the speed of his own body. His sword struck the elbow of the dummy, missing the area that was marked vital. When he came to a stop right past the creature, his feet were positioned awkwardly, and the flow of his actions were broken by the fact that the dummy did not lose its arm from his swing. Still, he tried to power through. He spun behind the dummy, slashing at its back, then spun again. When he stabbed it in the thigh, his entire rhythm was off, and he stopped before stabbing the thing in the neck. Valdan turned to look at Aiden and there was a terrible frown on his face. ¡°That felt horrible,¡± he grumbled. Aiden shrugged. ¡°You looked like a jepat trying to mate with a teriatop.¡± Valdan wrinkled his nose. ¡°That¡¯s a terrible image to picture.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Aiden agreed. ¡°Now imagine how it must¡¯ve felt for me to watch a synonym to it in real time.¡± Valdan smiled lightly, then turned to the dummy and tapped on its arm with his sword. It let out the dull sound of metal striking wood. ¡°I¡¯m more confused as to how it still has it¡¯s arm,¡± he said. ¡°You cut through yours quite easily. And you used one arm while I used two.¡± ¡°I always fight with one arm.¡± Aiden twirled his sword with one arm as if to emphasize on it. ¡°Broad sword, long sword, short sword, glaive, claymore, axe, spear.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I do better with one armed fighting¡­ okay, well, maybe not spears. Some weapons aren¡¯t made for one armed fighters like me.¡± ¡°All you¡¯ve done is brag, Lord Lacheart. None of that explains why you severed an arm with a single-handed swing and a knight failed to do it with a double-handed swing.¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°It¡¯s the technique, Sir knight. You started off all wrong and tried to take off its arm with your first swing. Losing the arm isn¡¯t the goal of the technique, striking the vital point is. Which is also something you didn¡¯t do, in case you were wondering.¡± Valdan shook his head at himself. ¡°I¡¯m taking lessons from someone I¡¯m supposed to be teaching.¡± ¡°I could always just not give you any lessons, you know,¡± Aiden offered. ¡°Do that and I¡¯ll strangle you in your bed.¡± Valdan pointed his sword at him. ¡°I know where you sleep.¡± ¡°Yea, Yea.¡± Aiden waved his words aside. ¡°Try again.¡± ¡°If you really understood how powerful a technique is, you¡¯ll be in awe of yourself,¡± Valdan said. ¡°But I cannot say I am surprised. All you do is surprise me these days.¡± Aiden scratched the back of his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not teaching you a technique, Valdan. I¡¯m giving you a trump card. All you have to do is pass your test with it.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°True. May I see it again?¡± Aiden frowned. He still had one more technique to show the knight. Expending his [stamina] wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°But just once more. After that, I¡¯ll show you how to use the one for multiple people.¡± ¡°Anything for monsters?¡± Valdan asked as Aiden took his stance. Aiden froze in place, teeth gritted to keep his mouth clenched shut before he could answer. In the end, he shook his head. Smart man, he thought. ¡°Nothing for monsters,¡± he answered in the end. ¡°But if you¡¯ve got humanoid monsters in anyway, I¡¯d argue that this might be able to work.¡± ¡°A shame,¡± Valdan said. ¡°So no trump card for if I¡¯m facing monsters.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°But I can¡¯t help you there.¡± He returned to his stance, took a deep breath, and used the technique again. This time the he served the new dummy¡¯s arm at the elbow, cut its back, and his sword actually tore a massive hole in its thigh before he pierced it in the neck. He looked back at Valdan, his breath a little heavier. ¡°Got it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Valdan tilted his head to the side in thought. ¡°Looks like that one took a lot out of you.¡± It took the same amount as it had done the first time. ¡°Of course,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I just told you that it¡¯s a trump card. Maybe a one time use thing. Don¡¯t go trying to use it multiple times or at the start of the fight.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a single opponent, I think I can,¡± Valdan mused. ¡°End the fight before it even begins.¡± Aiden frowned. ¡°Personally, I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s my trump card,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I¡¯m showing you in case you absolutely need it. If people see my trump card, then it stops becoming a trump card if they find out how you learnt it.¡± ¡°If anyone asks me, I can just lie,¡± Valdan pointed out. Aiden gave him a look. ¡°Can you? Can you, really? What if your king asks? Can you lie to him?¡± Valdan was quiet for a moment before finally shaking his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then keep my trump card a secret until you can¡¯t, Valdan.¡± Aiden retook his stance. ¡°I¡¯ll only show you this once more. After that, I¡¯ll move on to the second one.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Valdan looked at his right arm, the one that held the sword, then at his left held out in front of him, the blackened one. ¡°How¡¯s the arm? I can¡¯t help but notice that you didn¡¯t use any enchantments this evening.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t have to think about it. He hadn¡¯t used any weaving during their training session because Valdan hadn¡¯t pushed him enough to need to use any. All the question did was remind him of how unfulfilling the sparring session had been. It almost made him sigh. Almost. Aiden didn¡¯t look at his blackened arm or take his attention off the dummy. He only had one thing to say to the knight in response. ¡°Pay attention, Valdan.¡± SIXTY-NINE: A Use For You Morning found Aiden lying quietly on his soft bed. It was comfortable as far as comfort went. It was also larger than the one he¡¯d been given in the Naranoff household which, to him, was interesting that he was paying attention to it. He held a card up to the ceiling, looking at it. It was a wooden brown with a silver sheen. On its surface was the word ¡®Aiden¡¯ written in something black as if it had been burned into wood. Charred. Flipping it, Aiden checked on the back, not that he hadn¡¯t seen it before. He found a small enchantment there. Dropping his hand, he let the card flop down on the bed. A maid had brought it to him last night. He¡¯d met her standing awkwardly in front of his door after his sparring session with Valdan. She¡¯d been timid with the thing held in both hands while a second maid had simply stood next to her. Finally got my bank card, Aiden thought, pushing himself off the bed and getting to his feet. ¡°My day can now begin.¡± Getting prepared took a little longer than normal. Aiden went through the process slowly and systematically. He took his time, pacing himself so that he accomplished all of it at the same speed any normal person without a class would, as he¡¯d always done. It was a trick to handling power that he had learnt. The magic of the boosts that came with [Stats] on Nastild wasn¡¯t necessarily something that you just turned on and turned off like active skills. It was like being human. If your grip strength got too strong, then you would find that your grip was stronger regardless of what you do. Most people rarely notice the increase in strength, but every man knew that if you spent your entire life shaking adults with unnecessarily strong grips, you needed extra care when you shook the hand of a child. He knew too little about women to know if it was the same for them, although he liked to think it had to at least be similar in some way. Aiden shrugged on his trench coat at the end of his preparation, and in moments he was out of his room and walking down the palace hallways. Even now, there was an uncomfortable feeling of walking around in clothes that didn¡¯t have the necessary enchantments he needed to be safe. And Aiden liked to be safe to feel safe. He took a turn down a few paths, then down a corner and paused. How do I get there, again? A frown touched his lips as he tried to remember a path taken too many years ago in a life already concluded. It had been over five years since he¡¯d taken the path. He turned, finger making vague gestures in front of him as he tried to remember. A left then a right, then down a few stairs, and¡­ He caught his finger still moving vaguely and dropped it. You look stupid. Just ask a maid. He started to walk again when he paused once more. How do I find one? Normally, there was always a maid out and about. You couldn¡¯t walk down a hallway without accidentally running into one. Right now, however, there wasn¡¯t any around him. Alright, Aiden. Let¡¯s go find a maid. Without missing a beat, he turned around and made his way for the next hallway. He strolled casually this time, hands in the pockets of his trench coat. It took him two hallways to find his first maid. Actually, it was his first two maids. Both ladies worked alongside each other, cleaning and dusting. Not with magic or enchantments or anything of the kind. They used actual dusters and napkins. One dusted while the other wiped. It was an interesting sight in a world where there were basic housing tools that were enchanted to make things easier. You could touch a duster to a couch and its enchantment would pool all the dust in one location. Then all of it would be attached to the duster and you could just move it. There were also enchantments that gave surfaces an instant wipe. There are also skills that allow a person to do the same thing, Aiden reminded himself. Being an [Enchanter] for so long, he¡¯d forgotten that most household enchantments were replacements for skills that people with the [Maid] or [Cleaner] or [Cook] classes already had. ¡°My Lord,¡± both maids greeted in unison, turning to bow at the waist when they saw him. Aiden gestured at them to rise reflexively. ¡°At ease.¡± Both maids gave him an odd look but rose to their full heights. One of them, the one with an attention seeking set of curly hair that bounced with the slightest movement of her head gave him an inquiring look when he didn¡¯t move on. The size of her hair wasn¡¯t all that drew his attention. It was the color too. It was red. Coupled with her red freckles and green eyes, she reminded him of the child from the cartoon ¡®Brave¡¯, if she was a live-action adaptation. ¡°How may we assist you, my lord?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get to the soldier¡¯s wing,¡± Aiden answered. Both maids shared a look. ¡°The soldiers will not be in their quarters right now,¡± she answered. ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°However, I¡¯m still trying to get there, so I need someone to guide me down the path that leads out of the palace and in its specific direction.¡± Again, both maids shared a look. This time, however, Aiden didn¡¯t miss the worry that was on both of their faces. Whatever it was, Aiden didn¡¯t focus on it. They had their lives to live, and he had his. He tried not to bother with other people¡¯s lives if it had nothing to do with him. ¡°Must it be a single person, my Lord?¡± the same maid asked. Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion, and he hesitated before answering. ¡°Uhm¡­ I don¡¯t see why I would need more than one¡­ but no. It doesn¡¯t have to be a single person.¡± The maid opened her mouth then closed it. A worried frown touched her lips. Aiden realized that whatever she was about to say next, she was worried that it might offend him. And you did not offend the guest of the king with your words. He sighed. ¡°Spit it out. I don¡¯t think you can offend me with what you¡¯re about to say, not so early in the morning.¡± She still looked skeptical. They definitely know where it is, he thought. He had it on good authority that every employee of the palace was required to know how to get to every public location in the palace. He was about to turn away when the maid finally spoke up. ¡°Is it okay if the both of us show you the way?¡± she asked and the second maid shot her a deeply worried looked that seemed to say that that was not what she was supposed to say. Aiden looked between the both of them while they argued with their eyes and facial expressions. Something told him that they were doing their best to be as discreet about it as possible. They were not. I¡¯m missing something, he told himself. I¡¯ve got to be. Still, he waited patiently, his mind trying to work through what exactly was happening since it had nothing to do. With a mind as active as the Order had made his, it was practically a given that it had to do something. He could stop it, but he didn¡¯t see the need to. Not right now. The ability to stop thinking, after all, was also something taught at the Order. In a world where mind magic existed, it would be stupid not to be taught such a skill. It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize what was happening. They are scared of going with me. There was safety in numbers, but if he was being fair, two maids didn¡¯t stand a chance against someone with a combat class. It was why the both of them were currently arguing. The maid with the red hair had chosen safety in numbers while her companion didn¡¯t want to tempt fate in any way. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Aiden asked the one with red hair. Their silent argument stopped when she turned to him. ¡°Weni, my Lord.¡± ¡°And yours?¡± Aiden asked the other. ¡°Eni, my Lord,¡± she answered after a touch of hesitation. Aiden could not help the raised brow he gave her. He had been a child once in a world where people couldn¡¯t call down fireballs to kill you. If there was one thing he¡¯d learnt about things in such a world, it was that priorities worked differently. ¡°Alright, Eni,¡± he said slowly. ¡°While I can pretend to understand your reason, I will ask once more and not again. What is your name?¡± The maid concealed an annoyed look. ¡°Teresi.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Aiden pulled both hands out of his pockets and rubbed them together. The maids flinched at the action. ¡°Weni and Teresi, here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯ll point me in the right direction right now, and I¡¯ll start walking. When you believe I¡¯m far enough, you¡¯ll follow behind me. Your job is call out what direction I¡¯m supposed to take from behind me until we¡¯ve gotten to my destination. Does that work?¡± Both maids shared a look before nodding. ¡°Good.¡± Aiden returned his hands to his pockets. ¡°Now, if I start walking and you take the opportunity to disappear, I have your names and know who to report you to. So, shall we?¡± Weni pointed in the direction he¡¯d come from, and Aiden turned around and started walking. He didn¡¯t go far before he heard their footsteps behind him. True to his agreement, he kept a steady pace and didn¡¯t bother them. He offered them no words and didn¡¯t look back. Each time he got to a turn or a fork in the road, they called out the direction he was supposed to take. He only stopped when they came in contact with another group. These ones, he noticed, also worked as a group. This time there were three of them. Two ladies and a man. Aiden stopped walking and he knew the maids behind him had stopped as well. He settled his attention on the three now in front of him. ¡°Hello,¡± he greeted, not sure of how to draw their attention. All three turned to him and bowed at the waist, their cleaning coming to a halt. ¡°Good morning, my Lord,¡± they greeted in unison. ¡°Morning.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t really one for greetings. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the soldier¡¯s resting area. I need the three of you to guide me there.¡± He watched all their eyes go to the maids behind him and noticed they were still bowing. ¡°Oh,¡± he said quickly. ¡°You can stop doing that. The gods know that there¡¯s nothing interesting on the ground this morning.¡± All three rose to their full heights. They still stared at the maids behind him. ¡°Is your silence a no or a statement of you thinking it over?¡± he asked them. All eyes turned back to him and there was a moment of hesitation. In the end, it was the man that spoke. ¡°I can show you the way, my Lord,¡± he said. ¡°I know how to get there.¡± Aiden saw the relief on the faces of the two ladies with him and shook his head. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°It has to be all three of you or I¡¯ll just continue with the two ladies behind me.¡± The man¡¯s answer was already more than enough to remind Aiden of what was going on in the castle. The servants were working in groups not to complete their tasks but because there was safety in numbers. There had been some unsolved murders before his return, after all. As for the man offering to lead him alone, it was probably just the bravado of being a man talking. It was nice to be reminded that be it on Earth or here, men still felt the need to be the protector. Doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a domestic class against a combat class. Sadly, such bravado didn¡¯t matter to Aiden. The man might not have liked it, but to Aiden, he was as much a threat as the women present. All three looked behind Aiden once more at the two maids. The man shared a look with his companions before nodding. ¡°Good,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Now here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯ll point me in the right direction and when you believe that I have gone far enough, you¡¯ll follow behind me. When I¡¯m supposed to turn, all you¡¯ll have to say is in what direction. Is that understood?¡± All three nodded. With that sorted, Aiden squatted down. Retrieving a gold coin from his pocket, he thought better of it and replaced it with three silver coins and placed them on the ground and got up. They would be enough to buy all five a nice meal if they wanted. ¡°Once I¡¯ve reached my destination, the three of you can return to Wendi and Teresi over there and share the reward for time spent.¡± He watched the expressions on the three servants¡¯ faces when he mentioned the maids¡¯ names and was glad to find recognition on them. It assured him that the names had not been lies. The unfortunate thing about lying so often was that it left him always on the look out for lies. He did not like being lied to, even if it was an understandable lie.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Alright,¡± he said, rising to his feet. ¡°The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get you all back to your tasks.¡± Leaving Teresi and Weni behind, he walked and the others followed behind him. He could¡¯ve explained that two maids or three, it would be no different when facing a murderer with combat abilities, but that would do nothing but increase their fears. Also, the truth was that while the numbers didn¡¯t give them safety, it gave them a chance. He could¡¯ve also explained to them that he hadn¡¯t been around when the murders had happened so he couldn¡¯t possibly be the murderer, but that just felt like an unnecessary hassle, socially speaking. They were scared for their lives not for the money in their purses. There was no reason to argue logic with them on such matters. If anything, he felt that it would¡¯ve said more about him than them. The rest of the journey was interesting to Aiden. The three servants led him until they ran into another two, and he usurped those two, releasing the three to return to their tasks. This way he reduced their worries, noticing how the servants communicated with nothing but facial expressions. When the third group looked to the second group behind him, whatever expression they gave them seemed to alleviate their worries and they followed him easily. They didn¡¯t even wait for him to be too far ahead before following after him. Aiden wondered how many people would be in the next group they would run into as they walked. But they didn¡¯t run into any other. With this group, he was brought to his destination quite quickly. ¡°Here, my Lord,¡± one of the maids said, standing next to the door. Aiden reached for the handle and opened it. The door opened inward to reveal what looked like a hostel, with two rows of beds. At the end was another door. Aiden gestured at it. ¡°Out that door leads to their training area, correct?¡± Both maids nodded. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Aiden reached into his pocket but wasn¡¯t entirely sure of what to do. He had a few silver coins and a few gold coins. Gold was a lot of money on Nastild, capable of gaining you a few nights in a simple inn with feeding. He also knew that the average maid was paid in silver coins upwards, but no more than three gold coins a month. He understood the need to compensate them for their help while fighting against their fears, but he wasn¡¯t going to give them so much. There wasn¡¯t any real reason behind it. He just didn¡¯t want them to overestimate the value of what they¡¯d done for him. He also wasn¡¯t so nice as to call himself generous. A person only deserves what they worked for. It was something the finance master of the Order always liked to say. Aiden shrugged and fished out a silver coin from his pocket and offered it to them. ¡°For your troubles,¡± he said. One of them accepted it graciously and with a bow. ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡± The moment the coin was out of his hands, Aiden walked into the place and closed the door behind him. Looking about as he walked through the room, he noticed that there was really nothing of importance in the room. Each bed had a simple sack next to it but nothing more. I guess it explains why they can leave without locking the doors. He walked out through the other door and was released into the open air. He stood upon an interlocking pathway flanked with well-trimmed fields on both sides. In the distance, at the end of the path was an open field where soldiers stood in proper lines and trained with sword and shield. On the sides of the pathway, other buildings rested upon the fields. Judging by the number of soldiers he saw in the distance, those buildings were designed to house soldiers as well. Aiden took it all in as he walked forward. The morning air, the gentle breeze, one more day at the castle. Yea, he thought as he arrived at the training grounds. I won¡¯t miss it if I leave. The soldiers were silent in their training. There were no sparring sessions going on so the sound of wood clacking as wooden swords met did not feel the air. Instead, there was a steady sound of soldiers grunting as they put their all into each swing of the sword or the spear or whatever weapon whatever row was practicing with at the moment. Aiden stood there, watching. A few of the leaders of their groups looked at him but said nothing, returning to their training session. Once Aiden found who he was looking for, he made his way to their row and approached their leader. The woman leading spared him a brief glance. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± she greeted. Aiden almost asked her how she knew his name before remembering what Valdan had told him once upon a time. Everyone in the palace was aware of the summoned but identifying them by name was what was not common. According to Valdan, their training together and his once constant employment of Ded¡¯s services had made him something of a famous Lord among the palace soldiers. Not knowing the lady¡¯s name, Aiden offered her an acknowledging nod. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± she asked while the group continued their practiced swings. Aiden could pick out a good number of people that weren¡¯t swinging properly enough. All strength and no finesse. ¡°I¡¯d like to borrow¡­¡± he pointed into the group. ¡°That guy. I need his services.¡± The lady sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t you have one of the maids do it?¡± ¡°Sadly, I cannot.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°With what has been happening while I¡¯ve been gone, they have a bit of fear going through them. Besides, I need someone that¡¯s capable of protecting me if something goes wrong.¡± The lady gave him a look that implied that there was no way she could see anything going wrong that he couldn¡¯t handle. He was sure her opinion came with the fact that he trained with Sir Valdan. Shaking her head, she raised a hand, and everyone stopped training. All eyes turned but they did not focus on her. Everyone watched Aiden as if he was the one who had raised his hand to halt them. She gave him an annoyed look this time. ¡°And where will you be leading one of my men today?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Into daring dos.¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked, brows drawn together in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m currently thinking of hunting down a few monsters,¡± he explained. ¡°Seeing as he¡¯ll be following me, it has to at least be something in the sixties and above. Anything less and he won¡¯t find it challenging with his skills and level.¡± The lady¡¯s lips parted in surprised confusion. She turned back to the group, looked at the soldier of Aiden¡¯s choice, then back at him. ¡°You¡¯re joking. Right?¡± she asked. ¡°Alright, maybe sixties might be too much for him. So how about I borrow two soldiers.¡± ¡°For what reason, Lord Lacheart? I will not willingly send my men into troubles that they do not have to deal with.¡± It¡¯s the king¡¯s men, Aiden thought, knowing better than to point it out. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m actually just heading into town and I need an escort, someone I trust.¡± ¡°Trust?¡± the lady was befuddled. ¡°Then why are you asking for Nemare? Why not take Ded? If there¡¯s anyone you trust it¡¯s got to be him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Aiden perked up. ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Well, I¡ª¡± He pointed at Ded, interrupting whatever it was that she was about to say. When he was certain that he had Ded¡¯s attention, he gestured him forward. ¡°Come on,¡± he called to him. ¡°We¡¯ve got mischief afoot.¡± The lady just stared at him as Ded left his position and jogged up to them. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Ded greeted, standing in front of them. Aiden patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Good man. It¡¯s been so long.¡± Ded gave him a confused look. ¡°Yes¡­ my lord.¡± ¡°Thank you for allowing this,¡± Aiden said to the lady. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if you didn¡¯t allow me have him.¡± Both soldiers continued to stare at him. Aiden couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had seen two more confused faces. ¡°I thought the rumors said that he was more stoic,¡± the lady whispered to Ded. ¡°You know, Austere.¡± ¡°He usually is,¡± Ded confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m as confused as you are.¡± Aiden looked between the both of them with a satisfied smile. ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know.¡± The lady nodded. ¡°I noticed.¡± ¡°Anyway, Ded, you¡¯re with me.¡± Ded looked to the lady and she nodded. Once she did, Aiden turned away and started his return, knowing that Ded would follow. ¡°I¡¯ll try and have him back by sundown,¡± he called back over his shoulder. This was fun, he thought as he walked away. It was good to know that he could still act out the jolly persona whenever he wanted to. If there was one thing he¡¯d learnt from watching Zen interact with people in his previous life, it was that it tended to leave people off-kilter. It had been difficult to learn it in the beginning. Being weighed down by all the terrible things that had happened to him and the terrible things he¡¯d had to do, it had been difficult to pretend to see the good in the world and be the fun in the world. But in time, with Zen¡¯s help, he¡¯d learnt how to fake it. Then he¡¯d faked it until he didn¡¯t know when a part of him remembered that life wasn¡¯t all that bad. In some way, he owed his ability to return to some modicum of normalcy when it came to his mindset to Zen. It begged the question of why he wanted to get Zen to join him in this life. Zen had a unique class, the only one of its kind that he had ever seen used for combat purposes, but he was arguably replaceable. And the only thing that would be different from Zen if he prevented him from joining the Order was the fact that it would allow the man remain in good contact with his sister. Not being able to see or speak to his sister even though he could keep her life healthily funded working for the Order had been Zen¡¯s only regret. Face it, Aiden told himself. You want him because he¡¯s your friend. There¡¯s no shame in it. There was also the fact that Zen was the only person with the class [Time Walker] who actually used it for combat purposes. He had a way he helped the group anticipate battles and just how active the battles were going to be. ¡°Where are we headed, my Lord?¡± Ded asked, walking up beside him. ¡°There¡¯s a shop on the bad side of town I want to check out,¡± he said. ¡°I heard from an adventurer that they sell some good stuff there.¡± The time had come for him to start setting things in motion. ¡°What happened to your arm, my Lord?¡± Aiden looked down at his blackened arm. Since he¡¯d gotten it, he¡¯d done something that had left him no longer worrying so much about not disrupting the future, because it had already performed the greatest disruption he could possibly think of. It had destroyed the staff of the [Sage], and the man had carried it until the day he¡¯d died in his past life. Aiden doubted he could even begin to fathom just how much power the staff possessed. The [Sage] would need another one, which meant that things were going to have to shift around amongst the powerful aspects of Nastild. Powers I know nothing about and have no interest in, he reminded himself. Then the giants came to mind. Those, from what he had heard, were great powers too. And those were powers that he had an interest in. ¡­ ¡°My Lord?¡± Ded looked around, worry on his face. Aiden gave no response, instead, he knocked on the door in front of him, putting more effort into it. This was his third knock. ¡°I don¡¯t think that this is safe,¡± Ded said. ¡°Maybe we should turn back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Aiden told him. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t start a fight, we should be fine.¡± Bandiv was a beautiful kingdom, and the kingdom had gone through all the lengths to make certain that the capital city was the most beautiful part of it. Where they stood, however, was ugly and decrepit. The smell of day old fish rotting from time out filled the air. Aiden was certain that the smell was mixed with human excrement and that someone had puked in the corner. This was a small section of the capital city. And as the capital city had grown finer and grander, its slums had grown worse and worse while reducing in size. It was almost as if the detritus of society wasn¡¯t being cleaned out but being compressed in size. The slums grew smaller but grew dirtier¡­ slummier. Aiden waited at the door with a very worried Ded looking about. Off in the corner a beggar sat huddled against the wall. There were people like him on Nastild, despite the power of classes. They were born into destitution as children or somehow found their way into it. It beat them down to the point that when they finally came of age to have their own interface, they still couldn¡¯t raise their levels high enough to gain a class. It was a sad thing but a true thing. You needed a full stomach and a healthy mind to achieve anything. If you had none, you achieved nothing. Starvation could drive you to a lot of things but most times it drove you to achieve the bare minimum. And you needed more than just the bare minimum to raise your levels and grow. The other summoned hadn¡¯t noticed yet, but there were parts of Nastild where people barely reached old age and died of some problem or the other without ever reaching level ten. Such people weren¡¯t much in the wider scale of things, but they existed. And they lived in places like these, huddled up in corners hoping that the piece of fish they¡¯d snagged from the trash wasn¡¯t too spoilt then end up not caring anyway. The sound of a door latch opening drew Aiden¡¯s attention back to the door in front of him. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a trustworthy store?¡± Ded asked, still looking around. Aiden chuckled. ¡°Oh, no. It definitely isn¡¯t, but I heard about some good enchanted items that I could get for cheap over here and I am inclined to try it.¡± He flashed his card. ¡°And I¡¯ve got the secure funds in case they aren¡¯t so cheap, but I can¡¯t find it anywhere.¡± Ded looked at the card with a touch of awe. It was all the proof that Aiden needed to know that he was aware of it but didn¡¯t have it yet. The door opened to the sight of a young boy. ¡°Good day,¡± the boy greeted, stepping aside and Aiden strolled into the shop as if he¡¯d been here countless times before. Walking into the store he was suddenly caught in a small maze of shelves carrying countless varying products. There were vambraces and chest armor. Light armor and heavy armor. Potions and enchantments drawn on paper. There were exotic birds oddly silent in their cages. Small things that looked like rats hovering within jars that didn¡¯t have any liquid in them. Aiden identified too many things. He knew the enchantments and how they were created. He knew the potions and what levels of the [Alchemy] class were needed to brew them. Knowledge is power. And he had a lot of it. ¡°How may we help you, sir?¡± a voice called from deeper into the store as the young child bolted the door behind them, locking the store back up. The voice carried an old but deep baritone and Aiden strolled up to it while Ded continued to worry and turn his head around, alert. When Aiden got to the owner of the voice, it was an old man, hunched over with age standing behind a counter. ¡°We offer everything you are looking for,¡± he said. He gave Aiden an assessing look before adding: ¡°My Lord.¡± Aiden made a vague gesture. ¡°We can dispense with the titles. Call me Bora.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes slid over to Ded. ¡°And your bodyguard?¡± he asked. ¡°Call him nothing,¡± Aiden answered without missing a beat. ¡°He¡¯s just here to keep the kid company and see if there¡¯s anything that interests him.¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrowed on Aiden. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Aiden turned in the general direction of Ded. ¡°Soldier, look around for whatever you might find interesting. I¡¯ve just been told that what I¡¯m looking for is in the back.¡± The old man twitched at Aiden¡¯s words and Aiden moved before he did, quick as a whip. His hand settled on the counter with his bank card on display and he leaned closer to the man. ¡°A penny for every trade,¡± he said in a very low voice. ¡°And the cost of your soul for every risk.¡± Whatever it was that the old man had been planning to do, Aiden saw it die out in his eyes. The shop was far from just a shop in the slums selling illegal items. It was more than that. Ded burst out from one of the sections of the shop in a hurry. ¡°My Lord,¡± he said quickly. ¡°I cannot let you out of my sight.¡± ¡°And yet, I am about to leave your sight,¡± Aiden told him. ¡°And unfortunately, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. Now you see that vambrace over there?¡± he pointed at what he was talking about. It rested on a shelf collecting dust. ¡°Pick it up and look around for the rest of its armor. I should be out by the time you find the complete set.¡± ¡°And if you are not?¡± Ded asked. Aiden gave it some thought. ¡°I should be, but if I¡¯m not,¡± he looked at the old man, ¡°then you can do you best to barge in.¡± Ded nodded obediently. But Aiden knew what kinds of people were current in this establishment. Ded couldn¡¯t barge in even if he wanted to. And if they wanted the soldier dead, they could achieve it very easily. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± The old man walked over to the edge of the counter and turned a lock as Aiden and Ded¡¯s conversation came to an end. He pulled it open and motioned for Aiden to come through. Aiden obeyed. The man led him through a door behind the counter and they walked down a short hallway with walls the color of wood and smelled like a certain plant that was significantly poisonous when added to alcohol. Aiden pretended not to smell it. At the end of the hallway was another door, and while the old man opened it for Aiden, Aiden knew for a fact that he was going in alone. ¡°I cannot lead you further,¡± the man said. ¡°If you have the code and the location, then you must know what happens next.¡± Aiden nodded, adjusted his coat, and walked in. The new room had nothing but a single table at its center and a single candle hanging from the ceiling that illuminated the entire room with more light than the flame was supposed to be capable of. The table was round and three men sat on the side of it that allowed them to see the door. On Aiden¡¯s side of the table had a single chair. Aiden took the chair without question. ¡°Why are you here?¡± one of the three men asked. He was of average build in height and weight and was the only normal-looking person present. One of his companions was built like a bear and the other one had a face so pinched that it reminded Aiden of a rat. ¡°The banks have recently started using a product called a bank card attached to an accounts system,¡± Aiden said simply. ¡°On a scale of one to ten, how much do you know about it?¡± ¡°Eleven.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°And how well are you connected to the banking system?¡± ¡°On a scale of one to ten?¡± the man asked, and Aiden nodded. ¡°Nine.¡± ¡°Good. Perhaps you just might be a functioning fit.¡± ¡°But before we continue, young lord,¡± the man said. ¡°I would like to know how you got the code and how you know of this place.¡± ¡°I will give you a name and nothing more,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°If you ask for anything more, I¡¯ll get up and leave.¡± The large man smiled something menacing. ¡°And what makes you think we will allow you and your little bodyguard outside go anywhere.¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes panned over to the man slowly. ¡°Threats are in poor taste.¡± He looked back at the man that had initially spoken to him. ¡°Do we have a deal or do I have to take my business elsewhere?¡± The man squinted at him. Aiden felt a small touch of attention on himself but couldn¡¯t be bothered. The men and women that occupied the building were more than enough to handle someone like Ded. But a level forty-nine combat class was a completely different case entirely. The man gulped, and Aiden was certain that the man hadn¡¯t seen whatever it was that he was looking for. There existed a fear of the unknown in the underworld, and right now, he was the unknown. If there was one thing Aiden had learnt it was that on Nastild, it was never a good idea to mess with someone whose class and level whatever identification skill you were using couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°A name will suffice, my lord,¡± the man said. ¡°Shewa.¡± Aiden crossed his legs casually. ¡°Now that you have your name, I have a use for you. Is that fine?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aiden leaned forward and dropped his bank card on the table. All three men looked down at it, then up at him. The part of the card that carried Aiden¡¯s name had been smeared with black ink so that his name did not show. ¡°And the request?¡± the man asked. Aiden sat back, displaying casual superiority. ¡°Two cards linked to two accounts that do not have a problem and will not draw any attention. I need them to be fully functional and ready to go right this moment.¡± ¡°So, you want new accounts? That¡¯s all?¡± Aiden laughed heartily. ¡°If I wanted two accounts, I could¡¯ve just walked into the banks. No, I don¡¯t want two accounts.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Aiden leaned forward and tapped the card. ¡°I want the perfect forgery.¡± SEVENTY: Hand of Mercy Aiden hummed a tune as he strolled down the streets of the capital city. It was an old song from a ballad he knew about a lady who¡¯d cheated on her husband with one of the gods only to find out that her husband was a god, too. The outcome of having created such a song in Aiden¡¯s old life had been the death of the ballad at the hands of a bunch of religious fanatics. Still, the tune was catchy, and Aiden liked it. Beside him, Ded paid attention to everything that moved and breathed. They were out of the slums of the capital city now. Walking casually within the civilized part of the city, Aiden couldn¡¯t help but take in the scenery around him. The sun was high in the sky, hot as the season demanded. By his estimated, it was noon, perhaps a little past noon. Evening was likely just around the corner. The streets were flanked by tall buildings, some of stone and others of bricks. A man walked out of one of them with what looked like a fresh haircut, lined properly at the front and cut very low on one side. Around them the street was busy with people bustling about with all intents and purposes. There was a woman who walked happily with her child seating on her shoulder, pointing things out with childish enthusiasm. For everything he pointed out and spoke about, his mother had a kind word and a motherly smile for. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what we went to get?¡± Ded said as they turned a corner. ¡°What¡¯s there to understand?¡± Aiden replied. Ded led them down the new street of buildings. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering why we couldn¡¯t just get it from one of the stores in the castle or even around here.¡± ¡°Because they don¡¯t sell what I wanted in the castle or around here.¡± Ded had come a long way from being the soldier who had guided Aiden and the others to the forest in search of goblins so long ago. It was not that he had grown stronger or anything like that. At least not to Aiden. After all, even if he had grown stronger, Aiden doubted that he would be able to tell without learning of his level. The change was in Ded¡¯s interaction with him. Gone was the man that spoke to him as a soldier would speak to a superior. Ded still spoke to him with respect, but now he was not so stiff with his words. ¡°What don¡¯t they sell in the castle?¡± Ded asked. ¡°This.¡± Aiden pulled out a small orb the size of his thumb from one of his pockets of his soldier¡¯s belt and tossed it up casually. Ded squinted, unable to tell what it was. ¡°And that is?¡± Aiden tossed it at him, and he caught it. Ded held the orb to the light and saw the enchantment on it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know what this is.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t surprised. Ded was a [Scout] operating in a time when the enchantment was in the process of being made illegal. It would¡¯ve been more worrying if the man had known what it was. ¡°That,¡± Aiden said, ¡°is an enchantment that nobody in the castle has or will admit to having. The same thing applies for any civilized business enterprise.¡± Ded was still looking at the orb. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what it is.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± ¡°But if no one would admit to having it,¡± Ded said, lowering the orb, ¡°then how did you learn about it? How do you know where to find it?¡± ¡°I met a few adventurers during my trip,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°And they told me about it.¡± Ded¡¯s expression told Aiden that the [Scout] believed that he wasn¡¯t being told the whole truth. However, the man¡¯s station was too low for him to go around questioning Aiden so he was in no hurry to press the matter. ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± he asked. Aiden chuckled as Ded came to a stop and he stopped beside him. ¡°If I told you that,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Then you will have knowledge of a crime that you shouldn¡¯t have knowledge of.¡± Ded looked uncomfortable as he handed the orb back to Aiden. Taking it, Aiden slipped it back into its designated pocket. ¡°Why are we stopping?¡± he asked. Ded had a frown on his face now that he had returned his attention to the path in front of them. He was the one leading them right now because he was supposed to be the only one that knew their next destination between the both of them. ¡°I believe we are being followed,¡± Ded answered. Aiden couldn¡¯t say that he was surprised. He looked like a man of means and hadn¡¯t corrected the men at the shop when they¡¯d referred to him as a lord. Even though he¡¯d dropped Shewa¡¯s name as a reference to how he¡¯d learnt of them, it was only reasonable that they would want to know which noble family he was from. ¡°Ignore them,¡± he told Ded. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ded looked very skeptical, worried too. ¡°They could become a problem with what we are about to do.¡± Aiden waved a dismissive hand. ¡°They won¡¯t be. Just take me to where we need to go.¡± Ded looked reluctant for a moment but did not object. He resumed his steps and Aiden fell into pace beside him. ¡°Thank you again,¡± Ded said as they approached a new building. ¡°The gods know I don¡¯t make enough to afford these things.¡± He wore a vambrace around each forearm and had drawn his sleeves over them for concealment. ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do,¡± Aiden answered. The vambraces were among the things that they¡¯d gotten from the shop earlier. Each one had a defensive force enchantment. From the results of their test before purchasing them at what Aiden could only describe as an extortionist price, they were designed to project a shield of force that lasted for the space of three seconds and kept almost any attack out. From the explanation the man at the counter had given them, the vambraces dispelled the force of the attack, scattering it about so that the person wearing them would not have to worry about the weight of the blow. ¡°Just be sure to use them well,¡± Aiden said as they came to a stop in front of a building. ¡°I will.¡± Looking up at the building, Aiden couldn¡¯t help but get the feeling that whoever had built it had been going for a house not an office space. It was four floors high and looked more like a mansion that had somehow turned into an office building halfway up. The front had a central door that was red against its brown walls with windows on both sides. But the exteriors of the floors above looked nothing like a mansion. The first floor looked as if it held bedrooms with small windows that gave you hints of the washrooms. The ones above that, however, were just small windows that were customary for such small-scale offices in the kingdom. Aiden thumbed at the building. ¡°This it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ded answered, then knocked on the door. ¡°And how exactly did you find him?¡± Aiden asked while they waited. ¡°By following your instructions, actually,¡± Ded said. ¡°I came to this part of the city and asked around for information. Like you told me, I asked around for anyone who could help me find people with no other leads but their names.¡± Aiden nodded as Ded spoke. ¡°And how many people did you meet before this guy?¡± ¡°Eight.¡± Aiden grunted in appreciation. ¡°You really went through a lot.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Ded replied. ¡°The truth is that the fifth person, a lady, directed me here. She told me about this guy and some other guy but said that this guy was very expensive and didn¡¯t really like taking jobs.¡± ¡°So, you didn¡¯t bother going to him until the eighth person?¡± Aiden answered, knocking on the door once more. If they seemed out of place, the only thing that showed it was in the small half-hidden glances they got from passers-by. Personally, Aiden figured that they only got the looks because of his trench coat. It wasn¡¯t a style of Nastild, after all. Still, every now and again one noble or the other decided to try their hand at starting a fashion trend. Most of the people glancing at them probably categorized him as some young lord trying a fashion trend that probably wouldn¡¯t take. At least not until winter. The sound of door locks drew Aiden¡¯s attention from the conversation. When the door opened, it was to a young boy around Aiden¡¯s age, maybe a year younger. ¡°Good day,¡± the boy greeted. His head of blond hair left in what looked like something untouched since getting up from bed in the morning made him look tired. His green eyes danced in their sockets, bouncing from Aiden to Ded, probably wondering who the customer was supposed to be. Probably new, Aiden thought. Anyone who¡¯d been working for any information agency long enough would assume that he was the customer and Ded was the tag along. ¡°Good day,¡± Ded greeted in return. ¡°We¡¯re here to see, Falafa.¡± ¡°Is Mr. Falava expecting you?¡± the boy asked. Aiden slipped his hands into his coat pockets. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Would you like to make an appointment?¡± the boy asked him. Aiden looked down at the floor where the doorline was. Unsurprisingly, he found a few runes and sigils, enchantments designed for one purpose or the other. He squinted reflexively, making out two enchantments he recognized easily. One was designed for mild mental disorientation and the other was for ambient mana disruption. Each enchantment was engraved in a fluid style that made it difficult to discern what they were for at a glance. Unlike spells, enchantments were more like handwriting, the more powerful an [Enchanter] became. A flurry here or there would not render the enchantment invalid. That way [Enchanter] classes masked their enchantments by making it harder to read yet still viable. If enchantments were like the alphabets written on Microsoft word, strong [Enchanters] created their own as if writing in cursive. It took a lot of skill and confidence to do such a thing without worrying that your enchantment would not work. ¡°Is it possible for us to meet him now?¡± Aiden asked amiably. ¡°Is he with a guest?¡± The boy¡¯s eyes glanced momentarily at the enchantments on the ground. It was a quick glance, a worried glance fast enough to go unnoticed to the untrained eye. He was seeking assurance. His hand settled on something behind the door. ¡°I was here before,¡± Ded explained. ¡°A few times, actually. I met¡­ what¡¯s his name? The other kid. Jatao? Maybe if you ask him, he¡¯ll tell you.¡± The name brought a frown to the boy¡¯s face. ¡°Jatao doesn¡¯t work for Mr. Falava anymore,¡± he said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ded sounded crestfallen. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± ¡°It is,¡± the boy agreed with a touch of spite that had Aiden cocking a brow. ¡°He was caught stealing from Mr. Falava, so he had to be let go.¡± ¡°And now Mr. Falava¡¯s guest have to have a conversation outside his office instead of a waiting room because of it?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Not very business-like.¡± The boy shot Aiden a dark look, for Ded, however, he had a cautious one. I guess that makes me the spoilt, trouble making noble and Ded the older bodyguard. ¡°If you just leave your name and address, I¡¯ll be mor than happy to let Mr. Falava know,¡± the boy said. ¡°Then he will send for you when he is ready.¡±Stolen story; please report. Aiden looked at Ded. ¡°Was it like this the first time you came?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ded shook his head. ¡°The other kid was nicer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m eighteen,¡± the boy said. ¡°Having access to your interface does not make you a grown up,¡± Aiden said reflexively. ¡°That takes a lot more.¡± In his periphery he caught one of the enchantments glow a soft purple. A frown creased his brow. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that,¡± he said as his thoughts slowly grew hazy. There was a staggering sound to his side and he caught Ded place a hand to his head and he caught himself against the wall. If Ded didn¡¯t get put down immediately, then it meant that the enchantment wasn¡¯t of any high level. Aiden gritted his teeth, mentally pushing away the haziness. The boy in front of him was nowhere near apologetic as he said, ¡°You should leave now.¡± ¡°Poor customer service,¡± Aiden muttered under his breath as he reached for his soldier¡¯s belt. His hand slipped into one of the pockets and he hesitated. This was a business area. Combat in areas like this was severely frowned upon, though he was fairly certain that he could get away with it. ¡°I won¡¯t warn you again, kid,¡± he growled. The boy stepped back but kept his hand firmly on the door as he continued to channel mana into the enchantment. Aiden sucked in a deep breath then let it out. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± He pulled out an enchanted item from his pocket and was beginning to channel mana into it when a voice came from within the building. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Croate.¡± There was a hesitant pause from the boy before the enchantment on the floor dimmed until it stopped glowing. Ded still remained against the wall, keeping himself upright. Aiden¡¯s mental haze disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. Aiden did his best not to shoot the boy a dark look. ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone tell you not to leave so much power in the hands of a child,¡± he said, making his voice carry into the building. ¡°Judging by that soldier belt of yours,¡± the voice that had spoken said, ¡°I take it you should also be saying that to someone else, young lord.¡± Aiden took a moment to check on Ded. Placing a steadying hand on the soldier¡¯s shoulder, he asked, ¡°You good?¡± Ded nodded slowly, hand still on his head. ¡°Just got a splitting headache at the back of my head.¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Aiden moved closer, parting his hair at the back of his head. The enchantment symbol that he expected to find was still there. Now, however, it was glowing a very soft blue. It was so soft that you had to part the hair to see it. ¡°You¡¯re fine, just wait it out.¡± Aiden returned his attention to whoever was inside. ¡°Are we still standing out here?¡± he asked. ¡°Or are you going to invite us in?¡± ¡°Will you harm my assistant if I let you in?¡± Aiden¡¯s eyes moved to the boy. The boy remained confident, unapologetic. ¡°Will you stop me?¡± There was a moment of hesitation before a response came. ¡°No.¡± Aiden watched the boy¡¯s heart drop to his stomach. The boy was suddenly pale. With a sigh, Aiden shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to harm your assistant,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t beat a child for eating sand.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t beat a child at all,¡± the voice answered. ¡°Come on in. I wasn¡¯t expecting you, but I can definitely say that it¡¯s good to see you, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡­ Mr. Falava was a tall man with a heavy build. With a rough head of hair and tanned, weathered skin, he had the look of a man who¡¯d spent both his childhood and his adulthood toiling on a battlefield. A scar ran vertically down his right eye, leaving the pupil a dull grey so that only his brown left pupil was normal. Most people would assume he was blind in his right eye, but Aiden knew better. Mr. Falava had as good a vision as anyone in both eyes. Mr. Falava¡¯s office was situated on the highest floor of the building, the farthest from the building¡¯s entry. They¡¯d climbed the stairs while Ded struggled to recover from his headache. The entire journey was done in silence, and they¡¯d left his assistant, Croate, at the door. The office space itself was the farthest thing from spacious. Whatever space it had was littered in parchments of different kinds carrying pieces of information of different kinds. It was difficult to take a step without stepping on something that looked or seemed important. Ded went through the difficult ordeal of stepping around each parchment, but while Aiden had started that way, the moment he noticed Falava casually stepping on everything, he did the same. At the end of the office, right in front of the only window present, Falava took a seat behind the only desk in the room. He sat back like a tired man and gestured at the three chairs on the other side. ¡°Please,¡± he said. ¡°Sit.¡± Aiden helped guide Ded into his seat before taking his own on the other side. Seated, Ded leaned to the side, still cradling his head in one hand. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Aiden asked him. Ded shook his head, wincing from the action. ¡°Terrible. It¡¯s like a ground elemental is practicing in my head.¡± ¡°I do apologize for that,¡± Falava said, then went opening a desk drawer. ¡°I should have an enchantment to help fix that. I know that thing shouldn¡¯t pack enough force to cause such a lasting harm.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know if another mental enchantment was a good idea. For all he could surmise, whatever enchantment his assistant had used was clashing with whatever enchantment had been engraved on Ded¡¯s head. Torn between leaving Ded to power through the pain and risk more pain at the chance of relief, he asked, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± Normally, he would have the answer to that, but mental enchantments hadn¡¯t ever really been his specialty, and enchantments of the level of what Ded was working with had always been beyond his true understanding. He had no idea how it would react to another mind enchantment. ¡°It is,¡± Falava answered him. ¡°Trust me. I¡¯ve seen a few people get affected this way.¡± He placed a sheet of paper on the table then tapped it once. The moment he tapped it, it erupted in flames like a magician¡¯s flaming card, the likes of which they used when they wanted to present a little dazzle. Aiden had caught the enchantment of the piece of paper before it had been activated so the notification that his interface gave him did not come as a surprise. [You have encountered a high density mana environment] [Mana regeneration speed is increased by 30%] [Speed increase lasts until you exit high density mana environment] Aiden looked around the office. He ignored the mess that reminded him of the office space of the master of the Order, looking for what he knew had to be present. He found it a moment later at the edge of the office. A mana purifier, he noted. It was a small device, engineered by [Artificers]. It took at least twelve hours to accumulate mana, then three hours to purify it. Once the device is activated, the result was a steady flow of pure untainted mana. Right now, they were sitting in a room filled with pure mana that helped with mana regen, untainted by the mixture of mana from other sources that existed in the ambient mana. ¡°Know what that is?¡± Falava asked, drawing Aiden¡¯s attention back to him. Aiden gave him an aloof look. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it somewhere, I think. But no.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mana purifier,¡± Falava said. ¡°Purifies the mana in the air. It¡¯s like breathing in good air.¡± Aiden nodded in understanding. ¡°How did you know that we were around?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Falava answered. ¡°Anytime my assistant uses one of my safety features like the one used on you and your friend, I get alerted up here. Believe me, I was coming down to deal with you guys.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Aiden noted. ¡°Alright then, Lord Lacheart,¡± Falava said when Ded looked like he was in a little less pain. ¡°To what do I owe this visit?¡± ¡°Zen,¡± he said. ¡°Shewa, Tanor, Vran, Balt.¡± Falava raised his brows in question. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to use more words.¡± ¡°Thirty gold coins for each name,¡± Aiden said. ¡°My friend over here paid you to gain information on them. There was a name you could not get any update on, so I left it out.¡± Falava¡¯s brows drew together in recognition. ¡°Olstead,¡± he muttered, sounding like a man who¡¯d just remembered his rival. ¡°Shewa, too,¡± Aiden said. ¡°However, I have left out Olstead because I no longer need any information on the person.¡± Falava frowned. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Somehow, he reminded Aiden of a dog who¡¯d spent so long chasing down prey just for its owner to stop it due to a lack of interest. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°I already found the person, so they don¡¯t matter anymore.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Falava¡¯s frown deepened. Aiden held back a sigh. This was the problem with King Brandis¡¯s top secret investigator and capital city snitch. Falava had been planted within the city as the best private investigator. As such, there was scarcely a secret in the capital city that he did not know. He had a relationship with every other investigator and information broker in the city that let him know anything. He knew who was missing and who was looking for who was missing. He knew almost everything that happened among the nobles in the city and the simple citizens. His presence played a part in helping the crown understand what was needed to keep the city happy as well as punish whoever needed to be punished. But he was also like a dog with a bone. If you gave him a task, your duty was to let him see it to the end. ¡°Mr. Fala¡ª¡± ¡°Where,¡± Falava interrupted him, ¡°did you find them. I spent so much time looking for them and I didn¡¯t even get as much as a whisper. I don¡¯t even know if they are male or female.¡± Aiden would¡¯ve liked to say that Olstead was obviously a male name, but Olstead was the only Olstead he knew or had ever heard of before. At this point, he was beginning to wonder if the man had been born in the Order. ¡°I didn¡¯t find him, he found me.¡± Aiden checked on Ded again. He looked like he was doing alright. ¡°Now, about Shewa. Any news?¡± Falava looked like he wanted to press the Olstead matter, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°Not much,¡± he answered. ¡°So far, all I¡¯ve got is that she¡¯s actually property.¡± Aiden frowned. ¡°Property?¡± ¡°Yes. The last update I got spoke of a girl out in Selantri, just recently returned to a slave trader for killing her master. Turns out she was sold back to the slave trader by the man¡¯s son.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t know if that was the Shewa he was looking for, but it was worth checking out. The only real piece of information he¡¯d had about her past was that it had been dark and traumatic. But she¡¯d never given him the details. Being sold into slavery and killing your master just to be sold back sounded dark and traumatic enough. ¡°Isn¡¯t Selantri off the coast of Nel Quan?¡± he asked. Falava nodded. ¡°Just past the enigmatic tribe of Estavan.¡± Aiden only needed a moment of thought before shaking his head. No matter how fast and strong the jepat he was riding was, by the time he got there, she¡¯d be long gone. Which meant that for her, what he needed wasn¡¯t a location. ¡°Do you have the name of the slave trader?¡± ¡°Darl,¡± Falava answered with a touch of spite. ¡°Darl of Stakehead.¡± Culturally speaking, everyone in the kingdom of Bandiv hated slavery. From what Aiden could remember, it had something to do with how the first people to settle on Bandiv had actually been runaway slaves from some kingdom somewhere. ¡°Thank you,¡± Aiden said. Again, he checked on Ded with a glance. The soldier seemed to be asleep, eyes closed and breathing steady. ¡°What of the others?¡± Falava sat back and shrugged. ¡°None of them were really that difficult. Personally, I¡¯d say that you overpaid for the pieces of information.¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°But it was a considered possibility when I was making the payments.¡± ¡°Alright. I was going to offer you a refund, but I don¡¯t think you need it.¡± Falava¡¯s eyes glanced over to Ded but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I¡¯ll start with Zen. That one was easy. Orphan boy living with his younger sister in Dentis. He does odd jobs to make a living. Has a habit of asking for do-overs anything he doesn¡¯t get a job done right.¡± That sounded like Zen. When Aiden had first met him, he¡¯d always demanded a do-over anytime he¡¯d lost a sparring match or gotten a technique wrong. It was funny how ¡®do over¡¯ were the exact words he liked to use. But he didn¡¯t remember Zen having lived in Dentis. Then again, he did say that he¡¯d moved to Mecatau¡­ realization dawned on Aiden as his next thoughts bubbled up. After his hometown was attacked by raiders. ¡°And Tanor?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Young lad,¡± Falava said with a touch of pride. ¡°Just graduated from some theoretical magic school in Dandalat in the south. Turns out he graduated top of his class. Got the [Spellsword] class and has been traveling the world, apparently. He was near Tears of the Draug three days ago.¡± That sounded like Tanor. He was always the intelligent magical fighter in the group. He was almost as talkative as Zen but most of the things he had to say tended to be random knowledge. ¡°Tears of the Draug,¡± Aiden muttered. ¡°That¡¯s a strange place to be.¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Falava said with a shrug. ¡°People who want to study more about necromancy-based magic tend to stop by the place. They say it got its name from its murky green color which they said is the result of a battle against a very powerful necromancy many years ago.¡± Aiden knew the story. The necromancer had grown an army of Draugs. They¡¯d waged a war against him at the sea and he had died along with scores of enemies. The sea had ended up being his grave and his undead mana had polluted it over time. Yea, Aiden concluded. I can definitely see him going there for curiosity purposes. ¡°Vran?¡± ¡°Mercenary in the east cost of Bandiv,¡± Falava answered easily. ¡°I think they called themselves the Outcasts.¡± Aiden had never heard of them. But they also weren¡¯t very important. Now that he¡¯d spent some time on Nastild, he¡¯d come to the realization that while those he¡¯d worked with in his past lives had been competent and reliable, it had only been because of the situation they had been in. The Order had trained them to be capable and it had trained him to be able to lead them. They had come to obey him and have his back as soldiers in an army would towards their superiors. They won¡¯t be useful to me now, he thought. And apart from Zen and Olstead who had a bloodline gift from his ancestors who were claimed to be dragon riders by the master of the Order, the others were replaceable. He held on to Zen because Zen had been his actual friend, and his class had its good uses. He knew the man well enough to get along with him and actually train him to be strong. Shewa was simply the attachment of having dated her for so long, and a little guilt for being part of the reason they¡¯d broken up in the end. Everyone else was not necessary. They were only as useful as the Order had made them. Ultimately, Aiden had to let them go. He would save Shewa, though. He just couldn¡¯t imagine knowing that she was in the clutches of slavery and he would just leave her there. It doesn¡¯t matter how toxic she was. ¡°And Balt?¡± he asked, ready to return to the palace. He couldn¡¯t see the position of the sun from the single window in the room, but he was certain it was getting late. It would not be a good idea to be late for his meeting with the [Sage]. ¡°Balt¡¯s an instructor for a royal house in the nomadic tribe west of Bandiv,¡± Falava answered. ¡°The nomadic tribe?¡± Aiden asked for clarification. Falava nodded. Isn¡¯t the head of the Vilion family fighting against some nomadic tribe outside the kingdom? Aiden wondered if that nomadic tribe had anything to do with it. ¡°Well, thank you for your time.¡± Aiden got up, placing a gentle hand on Ded¡¯s shoulder to wake him up. The soldier jerked suddenly, showing that he¡¯d actually been asleep. For some reason, it made Aiden smile. Ded looked up at Aiden and Aiden gestured to the door with a nod. ¡°Time to go,¡± he told him. ¡°Are you sure you need nothing else, Lord Lacheart?¡± Falava asked. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± Ded got up from his chair and they made their way to the exit. Aiden opened the door and was about to step out after Ded when Falava spoke again. ¡°Where you really going to harm my assistant?¡± he asked. Aiden looked back at him. ¡°Not really. Just train him better, not everyone¡¯s as nice as me.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Falava said. ¡°You¡¯re as merciful as you are wrathful, so I was worried about it. He might be a bit of a spoilt child, but I know his dad so¡­¡± He let the words trail off, leaving Aiden to complete the sentence by himself. Aiden, however, was interested in more interesting things. ¡°I¡¯m as merciful as I am wrathful?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite famous already,¡± Falava explained. ¡°Your actions in the Naranoff territory have reached the ears of anyone who¡¯s anyone.¡± Aiden groaned. He really didn¡¯t want to have to deal with this. And you won¡¯t. ¡°The poachers,¡± Falava was saying. ¡°The duel. It¡¯s amazing how you showed mercy. Going up against the church at your age is definitely something to remember.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Going up against the church?¡± ¡°Not everyone can say no to the church, especially when it concerns a duel under the supervision.¡± Aiden blinked, growing more confused. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth,¡± Falava got up. ¡°Even if the church demanded that you kill her, I think you did the right thing by not killing her.¡± What the hell kind of rumor is Lord Naranoff spreading? ¡°The hand of mercy,¡± Falava said. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°You haven¡¯t heard it?¡± Falava chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re calling you. The Hand of Mercy.¡± I guess he is keeping his word, Aiden thought. At least it¡¯s better than Wrathful Mercy. Aiden shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest,¡± he said not meaning it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel bad to be famous.¡± With that, he stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him. They left the office and the building. Ded spared a chastised looking Croate an angry look but said nothing. When they were finally out into the open and under the slowing growing evening sky, Ded asked, ¡°Where next?¡± With three bank cards in his pockets, one from the palace with his name on it and two forgeries of pure black, he only had one answer. ¡°The palace.¡± He was ready for his journey tomorrow. There was only one part of Bandiv he was going to miss, if he was being honest, and it was a person. He can always come with, he thought but shook his head. As fun as it sounded, what he had to do was not for the unprepared and those who could not place all their trust in him. ¡°Besides,¡± he muttered, unable to leave the words as thoughts, ¡°he will not leave his king.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Ded asked. Aiden shook his head, leading them down the road. ¡°Nothing, Ded. Nothing.¡± SEVENTY-ONE: Defy Me The soft hiss of metal against a whetstone slipped through the gentle evening air. The cadence was precise, each interval flowing easily. The sun was somewhere in the horizon and the clouds were dowsed in the orange blood of the dying day as it slowly dipped into nonexistence. The slow hiss was its gentle dirge. The harbinger of its growing finality. Valdan let out a very slow breath, staring into the clouds. Not for the first time today, he wondered how he¡¯d gotten here. He wasn¡¯t the strongest believer in fate, not as much as Melvet was. But there were just some things that, when viewed in hindsight, simply screamed fate. [Knight of The Crown]. He could still remember the day he¡¯d earned the title. The day he had walked into the castle and applied for the position of [Knight]. There had been over fifty applicants with the [Knight] class, just like himself. Watching each of them had filled him with worry and anxiety. They had been adorned in the finest armors, enchantments stacking upon themselves. Valdan had walked in with the clothes on his back and a sword he¡¯d bought with the funds he¡¯d saved up from selling corpses of monsters that he had killed with his own hands, most times as a member of a team. But not everyone present had the [Knight] class, though. There were other classes, as the title is free for any who is worthy of claiming it. Even now, there was a [Knight] with the [Alchemy] class. A soft hiss of a blade being sharpened filled the evening air as Valdan reminisced. Despite how many noble children or famous adventurers or mercenaries with surprisingly good reputations stood in the cleanest and most expensive or armor that day, Valdan had not been dissuaded. He had not been, because he could not be. Born in some unnamed slum to a father he¡¯d never met and a mother he did not know, he had always been the hardheaded orphan who prowled the dirty streets since he¡¯d had enough sense to think. When you fought by yourself for yourself long enough and learned the taste of victory and defeat, what others had rarely tempted you. You learnt the difference between stealing a fancy necklace because it would look good on you and stealing it because it would fetch a hefty price. A small smile touched Valdan¡¯s lips at the thought. It was wisdom he had been given, not one he had come to understand on his own. He hadn¡¯t been a thief, after all, those had been the path of a few friends. Valdan¡¯s path had been to work whatever jobs he could, from sweeping someone¡¯s front door steps to taste testing a rich man¡¯s meal when he thought he was being poisoned. ¡°That was stupid of me,¡± he muttered to himself, remembering how he¡¯d done the latter knowing the risk. ¡°But I hadn¡¯t eaten in three days, and I was at death¡¯s door.¡± Sometimes he liked to think that the rich man had been fully aware of the fact that the meal wasn¡¯t poisoned. Valdan couldn¡¯t prove it, but he liked to think that the man had used it as an excuse to feed him and give him money without making it seem like charity. It was a twisted idea, but back then it had helped Valdan sleep at night. It had helped Valdan ignore the fact that he had done a stupid thing. So, in the end, he had gone into the examination and had come out at the end of it as one of twenty people to bear the title of [Knight]. A month later, he had taken up the title of [Knight of the Crown] sponsored by the oldest [Knight of the Crown] under the king¡¯s employ. And look at you now. He stared up at the orange skyline. About to lose it all. It was ironic how a single gesture had led him here. Valdan couldn¡¯t help but think things would¡¯ve been different if he had simply pretended to know nothing when the king¡¯s advisor had gestured for a weapon on the day Aiden had been summoned. ¡°If I had just done nothing¡­¡± The words trailed off with the thought that had birthed them. Yes, if he had done nothing, perhaps a different knight would¡¯ve lent the advisor their sword. But he was a [Knight of the Crown]. Even though they answered to nobody but the king, all of them knew the importance of the advisor. So, he had obeyed. And now here he was, about to lose the one title that had kept him fighting for most of his life. The one goal that had kept him motivated and moving through the sweat and the blood and the betrayal. The one goal that had kept him from going astray. ¡°I don¡¯t think the sword can get any sharper than it already is, Sir Valdan.¡± Valdan took his gaze from the sky, recognizing the voice and its owner. It was casual and lazy, easygoing. These days it sounded like that whenever they were alone, not the voice that hid everything and was wary of anything. Watching Aiden stroll into the training ground with such casual ease, Valdan knew that he didn¡¯t really wish he had ignored the king¡¯s advisor that day. Because if he had, who could say if Aiden would¡¯ve gotten along with whoever would''ve. Who could say if he would¡¯ve ever let go of whatever kept him too alert and secretive most of the time. Valdan looked down at his sword and the whetstone he was using to sharpen it. Aiden was right, the blade couldn¡¯t get any sharper because it was just a whetstone being used on an enchanted blade. If ever an enchanted sword grew dull, a whetstone would not suffice to sharpen it. ¡°How was your day?¡± Valdan asked, placing the whetstone on the floor beside him. Aiden watched him, cocking his head to the side. Then he looked out onto the training ground. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think it was more fun than yours.¡± The training ground was littered with training dummies. All of them lay scattered on the ground, some of them dismembered at one arm. One of them had a shattered head and Aiden walked past Valdan, making his way straight to it. He pushed it a little with his foot and looked at him. ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°Frustration.¡± It was all Valdan could say. Aiden cocked a brow. ¡°I don¡¯t remember any of the things I showed you being this destructive.¡± Valdan pushed himself up to his feet. ¡°I know. I got destructive.¡± Aiden nodded, then his expression changed, switching into what Valdan was beginning to see as something of an instructor mode. It was as if he had taught people in his old world. He probably had people who looked up to him. ¡°Not to overstep here,¡± Aiden said, turning away from the training dummy, ¡°but destructive doesn¡¯t really work with these moves. Not the w¡ª¡± Valdan gave him a look. ¡°Not the what?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Is destructive the most efficient way for you?¡± Valdan took a moment to think about it, and he would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t more destruction than finesse. ¡°It¡¯s more comfortable,¡± he answered. ¡°That explains a few things,¡± Aiden muttered. Valdan folded his arms over his chest, sword dangling from one. ¡°Things like what?¡± ¡°How a level forty-nine [Knight] could spar with a level ten [Weaver] without accidentally killing him. You were training me with finesse not with your preferred style.¡± ¡°Would you have preferred my normal style?¡± Aiden looked thoughtful for a while before answering. ¡°Nah. How you did it was preferrable.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you weren¡¯t holding back a lot of things, too. I¡¯m sure there are still things from your home world that you haven¡¯t tried yet.¡± Aiden gave him a half-smile and Valdan did not miss the touch of sorrow in it. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to get you back home,¡± he said before he could stop himself. ¡°King Brandis is not known to make promises he cannot keep.¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°There¡¯s always a first time for everything.¡± His words practically bled with doubt. No, not doubt, Valdan realized. Certainty. Aiden didn¡¯t doubt that King Brandis could or would send them home, he was certain that the king either would not or could not. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Aiden finished with a dismissive tone. ¡°These things happen. Our job is to accept it and make the best of it.¡± Valdan frowned slightly. Aiden was a problem solver. It was who he was. If he had a problem that needed to be solved, he did it himself. At least, that was the impression Valdan had gotten from him since meeting him. Valdan had sparred with enough younger fighters to be able to tell the difference. Aiden was a patiently impatient boy. If nowhere else, it showed in their training sessions. There were times when he desperately wanted to win. It showed in the way he would fight. Despite his desperation, however, he faced each individual hurdle as they came. A normal fighter his age would try to barrel through to the end goal, only looking for how to get to the end. But Aiden worked differently. If it was an overhead slash that kept on breaking his rhythm and preventing him from winning, he dealt with it first, isolated it and conquered it. There was a systematic way about how he did it. It taught Valdan that Aiden was not the kind of person to simply accept his fate. It meant only one thing. If he¡¯s written off the king, then does he intend on doing it himself? Valdan couldn¡¯t really wrap his head around it. How? A new thought came to him and he grew worried. Whatever broker keeps giving him information, have they told him something that they shouldn¡¯t? ¡°Aiden,¡± he said, voice cautious. Aiden was looking around the field and not at him. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°If you cannot trust the king to send you home,¡± he said slowly. ¡°How about you trust in me.¡± Aiden looked at him with a brow raised in amusement. ¡°You intend on trying to send me home yourself?¡± ¡°Oh, gods no.¡± Valdan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the idea of trying it himself. ¡°No. Trust in the fact that I am a good judge of character. Trust in my trust in the king.¡± Aiden smiled. ¡°Never said I don¡¯t trust the king.¡± ¡°You snorted when I said he would send you home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve lived here long enough to know that magic is as confusing as it is useful.¡± Aiden walked in the direction of the weapon rack. ¡°And seeing how the darkness had to rise for us to be brought here, I am under the impression that bringing us here wasn¡¯t even as easy as we¡¯ve all been led to believe.¡± Valdan watched him pick a sword from the rack. ¡°It seemed like it was a very difficult task bringing you here, though.¡± ¡°My point exactly.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Aiden checked the sword he was holding, looked down its length as if it was an actual sword not a wooden one. ¡°When is this¡­ exam you¡¯re having?¡± he asked, replacing the sword and picking up another one. ¡°In a few minutes,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Why?¡± Aiden ignored his question. ¡°Did you learn the moves I showed you?¡± ¡°As best I could.¡± Aiden looked surprised. ¡°You got the system notification?¡± ¡°No. Unfortunately not.¡± The weight of Valdan¡¯s sword was suddenly weighing down on him so he placed its point to the ground, standing casually. ¡°But I learnt it well enough to be dangerous with it.¡± Aiden walked back to the scattered dummies and held out the sword. ¡°Show me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve learnt it well enough to be dangerous against a dummy,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Show me what you can do against a person.¡± Valdan had a feeling that there was a trick in there somewhere. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re about to pay me back for something I¡¯ve done?¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°I promise you that I¡¯m not. I do, however, want to show you something.¡± With a sigh, Valdan stabbed his sword in the ground. He walked up to Aiden and retrieved the wooden weapon. ¡°Will you at least take off the coat?¡± Aiden looked down at his home world styled coat and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m good, thank you.¡± Valdan shook his head with a smile as he stepped back, creating space between the both of them. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Valdan took his stance. If Aiden had anything to say about it, he couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Now remember,¡± Aiden said. ¡°I am not a dummy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more worried by the fact that you aren¡¯t worried about getting hurt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wooden sword and an imperfect move.¡± Aiden clapped his hands together, then set them back to his side. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He still weaves those signs too fast for me to see, Valdan noted. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Here I come.¡± Valdan knew the moment he activated [Dash]. He blitzed through the distance, ignoring the breeze in the air, and swung his sword. He¡¯s of equal level and currently enchanted, he told himself as he swung with as much force as he could muster. He¡¯ll be fine¡­ I hope. But his swing never completed its trajectory. He staggered forward, instead, almost falling to the ground. Pain erupted in his shin, forcing a scowl out of him. ¡°That hurt,¡± he said, looking to his side at Aiden who still stood where he¡¯d been with a leg outstretched. ¡°Why did you kick me?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not a dummy,¡± Aiden said. ¡°The lesson here is that this will only work once, each move-set will only work once. If your examiner is intelligent, they won¡¯t fall for it a second time.¡± Valdan pointedly did not rub his shin. ¡°Noted.¡± Aiden nodded as if he was satisfied with what he had done and started walking over to where Valdan had been sitting. As much as Valdan wanted to join him, he made his way to the weapon¡¯s rack first to return the sword. When he was done, he walked over to Aiden and stood in front of him. Aiden Lacheart had a forlorn look on his face. He was like a child with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Valdan remembered how that felt. It was the thing about being young. At a young age, every problem felt like the weight of the world. He does have to combat the rising darkness, though, Valdan noted. Still, he doubted that was what worried him. ¡°Isn¡¯t all this depleting your stamina?¡± Aiden asked out of nowhere. ¡°Or is this an exam that will allow you have a potion or two before it begins.¡± ¡°It is an exam that is intended to test me to my fullest capacity. I will be at my best when it begins.¡± ¡°And you will pass this exam?¡± ¡°I will try.¡± Aiden looked at him, just looked, nothing else. Valdan couldn¡¯t read his expression. After a while, Aiden looked up and sighed. ¡°What kind of place is Nastild?¡± he asked out of nowhere. ¡°Have you traveled beyond the kingdom?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been to different parts of the kingdom,¡± Valdan answered. ¡°But never beyond it. Why?¡± ¡°In my world, we have countries instead of kingdoms,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Ultimately, it is¡ªjust like your kingdoms¡ªa large geographical area ruled by one governing system. I never left mine¡ªnever got to. But I knew that my world had beautiful places.¡± ¡°Would you like to travel?¡± Valdan asked, still standing. Aiden smiled, something about it looked nostalgic. ¡°With this rising darkness that is coming, I believe that I will not have much of a choice. I guess I can see that as the silver lining in all this.¡± Valdan moved to sit beside him, forcing Aiden to scoot over a little. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that traveling is best with companions,¡± he said suggestively. ¡°It¡¯s best to travel with people.¡± ¡°Traveling alone is also fun.¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Valdan groaned. ¡°Sir Dirtwater,¡± Aiden returned. ¡°What do you have against friends and making them?¡± Aiden was silent for a moment before he answered. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Pretend I¡¯m not stupid and don¡¯t lie to me,¡± Valdan said, slightly irritated. ¡°And I¡¯m not lying to you,¡± Aiden insisted. ¡°You were summoned here with over a handful of people, and apart from your brother, none of them know anything about you.¡± ¡°Because these things just happen.¡± ¡°Two have tried to befriend you,¡± Valdan continued. ¡°And from what I know, they knew you from your world.¡± ¡°''Knew me'' does not make us friends, Valdan.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Valdan turned to face him. ¡°What of the princess?¡± ¡°What of her?¡± ¡°She has been trying to be your friend from the moment we boarded the carriage at the palace entrance.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a princess, Valdan.¡± ¡°And?¡± Despite asking the question, Valdan knew that Aiden''s response was enough of an answer for why he couldn¡¯t befriend her. ¡°And she¡¯s the daughter of the king that summoned me," Aiden said. "Befriending her causes different kinds of problems for different kinds of people.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you won¡¯t befriend her? I call jepat shit.¡± ¡°Befriending her means dancing in the chaos of politics.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I would rather not dance to that tune.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Valdan accused. Aiden shrugged. ¡°A little bit, but not entirely.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the entire truth?¡± ¡°She¡¯s her mother¡¯s daughter and her father¡¯s daughter,¡± Aiden said. ¡°She came with us for a purpose. Seeing it isn¡¯t rocket science. If her father didn¡¯t send her, then her mother did. Her will to be my friend might have been real, but there were ulterior motives beneath it.¡± Valdan had no idea what rocket science meant, but he was sure he understood it in the context. ¡°I am a knight,¡± Valdan said, voice calm. ¡°And I am your friend.¡± Aiden raised a brow. ¡°Your point?¡± ¡°I am a knight, Aiden,¡± Valdan repeated. ¡°Just like the princess, my allegiance is to the crown. And I am your friend.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Aiden chuckled lightly. ¡°The difference is that your ulterior motives are not hidden, hence they are not ulterior. Hers were.¡± Valdan sighed. This was the problem he had with the young. They were always too stuck on complicating things that were simple. Sometimes he wondered if they did it just for the drama. To somehow feel deeper than they truly were. ¡°Make friends, Aiden,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°You might not understand it now, but a friend or two makes a difference the older you get.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Aiden said casually. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then make friends.¡± Aiden smiled once more. ¡°I probably won¡¯t. One just might be enough for me. One friend and one brother.¡± Valdan gritted his teeth, knowing that Aiden would not have one friend once King Brandis was done with him this evening. But children needed friends. He¡¯d spent his life without real friends and where had it gotten him. A man who achieved his dreams but made no friends. It was hypocritical of him, considering he didn¡¯t mind being friendless. ¡°I have one friend¡­ right?¡± Aiden asked. Valdan offered him a smile. He¡¯d intended for it to be reassuring but it came out a little strained. Aiden looked at him, gaze searching. He was looking for something and Valdan knew it. ¡°Do I have to come and watch this exam, Valdan?¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°It is an exam for a [Knight of the Crown]. As important as you are, it is not a place for you.¡± Movement to the side caught their attention and they both turned their heads to look. A slow and familiar grip of fear touched Valdan. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t as strong as he remembered it. It wasn¡¯t as deep. It was simply sorrowful. Valdan pushed himself to his feet, groaning like the elderly who had failed to gain a class in their lifetime. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s me.¡± Aiden rose to his feet as well. All he did was watch the young boy in shorts and a white shirt approach them. When the boy came to a stop in front of them, Valdan greeted him kindly. ¡°How are you?¡± he said. The child blanked, taken genuinely by surprise. His reaction saddened Valdan slightly as he realized that there was likely no one in the palace that was not wary of his presence. After his momentary shock, the boy bowed slightly. ¡°I will be fine, Sir Knight. The king summons you to the amphitheater.¡± Valdan pulled his sword from the ground and sheathed it. ¡°My king calls, and I answer.¡± He began his departure only to be stopped by the boy¡¯s next words. ¡°Lord Lacheart, the king¡¯s advisor summons you.¡± Valdan turned immediately. ¡°The king¡¯s advisor?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m famous.¡± He gestured forward, addressing the boy. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Valdan had a bad feeling about this. Since entering the castle, he had never heard of anyone being summoned directly by the advisor. Never. His jaw tightened as his worry deepened. Why did the advisor want to see Aiden? He opened his mouth to say something when he caught the look on Aiden¡¯s face. While he had been summoned to meet the advisor, he looked more concerned with following Valdan. He¡¯s considering ignoring the summon, Valdan observed. That would be stupid. To prevent the stupidity, Valdan would have to leave first. He knew where the amphitheater was, so he didn¡¯t need the boy¡¯s help to find it. ¡°I¡¯ll be going ahead, then,¡± he said, walking away. He raised his hand in a final wave. ¡°If you ever have the time, stop by the Festal region. It¡¯s my territory. It¡¯s quite humble right now, but it¡¯s a work in progress. Melvet will like you very much.¡± Valdan did not turn back until he was through a door and swallowed by the palace. The door closed behind him, and he just stood there. He didn¡¯t know how long he stayed standing, but he wasn¡¯t certain that it wasn¡¯t too long. He took a deep breath and made his way for the amphitheater. Tonight, he would lose the one thing he had spent a healthy portion of his life trying to get. Goodbye, Lord Lacheart. ¡­ He was a little too sentimental. Those were the only thoughts running through Aiden¡¯s mind as he walked behind the [Sage¡¯s] messenger. Valdan had always enjoyed hounding him about making friends, but something had been different about it this time. Something had been very important about it. It was like the difference between having a friend jokingly inform you that they¡¯ll always be there for you if you need them and having them seriously tell you that they would always be there for you if you need them. The boy led him down the castle hallway and Aiden realized that he was currently unarmed. He did not have his soldier belt on him, and he did not have any weapons. He doubted being unarmed would really matter much. Instead, his mind tried to focus on just how much he could learn from training with a [Sage]. Jang Su had been the strongest of all the summoned before his death, stronger even than Drax the [Hero]. Before Aiden¡¯s death, even Ted had claimed that if Jang Su had lived long enough, he could¡¯ve been a real threat to the demons. Knowing he had trained under the tutelage of a [Sage] to become that powerful made his rise to power make sense. The thought of training with the [Sage] everyday tempted Aiden to put his plans on hold. Even if he regressed through three lives, he doubted he could make himself as powerful as a [Sage]. He doubted he would even know half the things a [Sage] knew. This is an opportunity I can¡¯t waste. Still, no matter how tempting it was, he refused to allow it to derail his plans. Also, he wasn¡¯t excited enough. Not as much as he¡¯d been when he¡¯d been returning to the castle with Ded. Aiden frowned as the boy turned down another path that was now leading to a section of the palace that he had not been to in this lifetime. Why was he so serious? No matter how much Aiden tried to focus on the here and now, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. It plagued his mind obsessively. Aiden gritted his teeth as he watched the back of the boy¡¯s head. Something isn¡¯t right. He knew that Valdan¡¯s ¡®exam¡¯ was going to be difficult, but it couldn¡¯t be that bad, could it? Then there was the talk about visiting his territory and someone named Melvet. Aiden guessed that Melvet was the woman that Valdan held dear to his heart. He would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t slightly curious to meet her. But why did he bring her up after asking me to visit the place? Aiden¡¯s steps were slowing down now. For some reason, he was beginning to think he¡¯d heard the name ¡®Melvet¡¯ before. It had to be in his past life, but where, when, and why? The name slipped from his mind as the unimportant thought that it was as Valdan took up its place there once more. It brought Aiden discomfort. He didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did he? He couldn¡¯t see a world where Valdan had done something unforgivable. His steps grew slower. The [Sage] was growing less important in this moment with every step. It¡¯s just a test. But was it? Aiden¡¯s legs stopped moving beneath him. Brandis wouldn¡¯t¡­ would he? Brandis was a good King, known for his kindness and benevolence. In fact, when both worlds of Nastild had merged during the war against Ted, he had grown famous and trustworthy even in the eyes of the other side because of the fame of his benevolence. But he¡¯s still a king. And Aiden had met enough Kings to know that a King would do what a King had to do. He wouldn¡¯t¡­ right? There was no way that Brandis would kill Valdan. Whatever was about to happen was definitely extremely serious if Valdan had been lying to him about it, but something about their conversation felt very off. It was almost as if Valdan was¡­ Aiden¡¯s eyes widened in realization¡­ Saying goodbye. In a split second, Aiden¡¯s knowledge of the palace blueprint erupted in his head. The boy had told Valdan that he¡¯d been summoned to the amphitheater. From what Aiden knew, the palace only had one, and he knew where it was. Aiden¡¯s legs moved and when the boy in front of him took a left turn, he took a right. The [Sage] would have to wait. Valdan had been ultimately unimportant in his past life. So unimportant that Aiden had never heard of him before. But Aiden was certain about one thing in this life. Valdan does not die tonight. He took another turn, his legs moving faster, and he checked behind him with a quick glance. The boy had not followed him. That was a good sign, Aiden thought as he pushed himself into a jog. There would be no hindrance. He took another turn, a left corner. No one would stop him. No one would¡ª ¡°Where are you going?¡± Aiden¡¯s entire being froze at the sound of the voice. ¡°I do not believe that this is the way you¡¯re supposed to be headed.¡± The voice came from behind him and Aiden hesitated to turn. He was currently in a hallway. The hallway was wide enough to hold eight men if they stood side by side. The walls were a bright beige color. On one side, there was a table with a mirror and flowers that settled properly in a vase. Nothing else adorned the hallway save the small bulbs of light hanging from the walls to illuminate the space. The vases have pebbles in them, Aiden thought as he turned very slowly. The walls will serve a purpose and my next turn is¡ªhe gauged the distance at a glance¡ªfifteen steps away. When he completed his turn, he was met with exactly what he expected. ¡°I believe the child was leading you in a different direction, Lord Lacheart,¡± the [Sage] said simply, standing there in a casual grey robe, hands clasped behind his back. ¡°You should learn not to deviate. Now, come.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t move an inch. ¡°How about we do this tomorrow morning, just before my trip.¡± The [Sage¡¯s] expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I would rather we do it now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little complicated.¡± Aiden rubbed the back of his neck nervously. ¡°You see, there¡¯s somewhere I need to be right now.¡± ¡°Does not matter.¡± ¡°I have to go see a friend about a thing.¡± The [Sage] sighed. ¡°Does not matter.¡± ¡°Yeah, no. It kind of does.¡± The [Sage] made a face. It made him look like a grandfather who was tired of repeating himself. ¡°Do I have to drag you along, Aiden Lacheart?¡± Aiden paled a little. ¡°Can¡¯t we find a compromise?¡± To his greatest surprise, the old man rolled his eyes. ¡°Children,¡± he said, ¡°are always an annoyance to deal with.¡± Then he took a single step forward. Aiden found himself in one of the worst positions he could possibly think of: on the opposing side of a [Sage] armed with nothing but himself. Aiden gulped as his gaze shifted slowly to the mirror, trying to see how far behind him his next turn was. This, he knew for a fact, was not going to end well. ¡°If this is what you wish for, then come, child,¡± the [Sage] said in an unbothered tone, taking another step forward. ¡°Defy me.¡± SEVENTY-TWO: Dispense of Your Fears ¡°If this is what you wish for, then come, child,¡± the [Sage] said in an unbothered tone, taking another step forward. ¡°Defy me.¡± Aiden stared at the [Sage]. Regressor or not, granted the secrets of the universe or not, he was not one to allow his hubris to kill him. When faced with a fight against a [Sage], there was only one answer. His hands came up and he weaved a sign as quickly as he could. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Speed] [Effect: 40% increase in movement speed.] [Duration: 00:08:10.] As energy coursed through him, the only way to win a fight against a [Sage] filled Aiden¡¯s head. Run. Aiden had used his skills enough times since his arm had grown blackened to know that it was best to focus on ignoring the arm whenever he used the skill. What it had taught him was that on default, the maximum effect of all his weavings had increased. However, if he thought of the hand, things changed. For instance, [Weave of Lesser Speed] became [Weave of Lesser Void Speed]. And along with the very nature of the weave changing and the doubled effect, it drew too much mana from him. With all the mana coursing through his veins, Aiden turned, and fled. Before he crossed any significant distance, however, the wall ahead of him shot forward, sealing his path off and terminating his exit. Aiden ran into it intentionally, rolling along its length to the side in case the [Sage] had fired a follow-up attack at him. When he felt the wall shudder, he knew he had just survived an attack. He pushed off the wall as he noticed sparks of electricity crackling through it. Aiden did not turn to look at the [Sage]. Instead, he slammed a hand into the wall on the side of the hallway, carved a quick sign onto it and was gone from it as quickly as he¡¯d been upon it. Turning, he ran straight for the [Sage] as his interface lit up in front of him. [You have used Class skill Unarmed Engrave] ¡­ [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Gas] [Effect: Explosion of combustible gas] [Radius: 0.003048km.] The engraving glowed a soft blue with hints of black, then exploded in a gas of black smoke that engulfed Aiden as it blasted past him to envelope the entire space. Aiden was already working as he charged forward, fingers intertwining, weaving. [You have used skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Perception] [Effect: 50% increase in sensory precision.] [Duration: 00:05:10.] Aiden felt his senses sharpen. He saw outlines in the darkness the smoke had drowned him in. He heard the gas as it moved around him. But he sensed nothing of the [Sage]. He wondered if the [Sage] had used a stealth skill. He couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom just how powerful any of the [Sage¡¯s] skills would be. In Aiden¡¯s strategy, the gas would conceal him from his opponent¡¯s view and limit the number of spells they would be willing to use. But that would only work against an enemy that was not a [Sage]. So, for the sake of safety, he weaved another sign. [You have used skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Resistance] [Effect: 50% increase in fire resistance.] [Duration: 00:03:10.] Focusing on his memory, Aiden picked out where the table in the hallway had been a moment ago. His senses lit up in warning while he realized where it had been and Aiden ducked into a roll. Something blasted through the smoke where he had been only a moment ago and exploded against the wall that still sealed off his exit. It left a perfect trail of untainted air from the wall to the [Sage]. I¡¯ll need to get rid of that wall if I want to escape, Aiden thought as he popped back to his feet, snatching the flower vase from the table. Please be the kind of vase that doesn¡¯t have water in it. Judging from the weight of the vase, he felt like he was in luck. Please be stones. ¡°Tell me that you have a fire resistance enchantment active,¡± the [Sage] said casually. Aiden smiled in self-deprecation at his strategy being called out so easily. ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± He ripped the flower from the vase and smashed the vase into the ground. The sound of the vase shattering filled the air and Aiden almost missed the [Sage¡¯s] next words if not for his heightened perception. ¡°If you do not,¡± the [Sage] said as Aiden¡¯s heart lifted when his hand touched pebbles beneath the shards of the broken vase. ¡°Then this is going to hurt a lot.¡± Fuck, Aiden swore. The pebbles were too small for what he wanted to use them for. I just had to pick this as the one time to not wear my soldier¡¯s belt. He frowned. Wait! What did he say? Down the path in the smoke that the [Sage] had created with whatever attack he¡¯d fired at Aiden, Aiden saw a touch of orange light. With heightened senses, he felt the spark of heat before it even erupted. Shit! His hands abandoned the broken vase and pebbles and weaved an immediate sign. Aiden focused on his blackened arm as he activated the new weaving and hoped it would work. [You have used Class skill Walking Canvas] ¡­ [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Breeze] [Effect: A gust of air.] A sensation went through his blackened arm, as if he was being given an injection through his veins. Another notification lit up. [Trait Spatial Crack in effect] ¡­ [Weave of Lesser Breeze is now Weave of Lesser Void Wind] With [Walking Canvas] active, a violent gust of wind erupted around him as the black smoke that filled the hallway erupted in a rage of fiery explosion. Aiden closed his eyes to the bright light of the explosion and grabbed a handful of the broken vase, ignoring the pebbles scattered across the ground. With the heat affecting him while the gust of wind saved him from the effects of the flame, Aiden rolled away from where he was. His [Weave of Lesser Resistance] had played a part in preserving him. Aiden came to a stop against the other wall on the side of the hallway, panting at the thought of how quickly he¡¯d almost lost his life. He¡¯s a madman, he thought, eyes focused on the undaunted [Sage]. Yes, his strategy was designed to prevent the use of any flammable attack by his opponent in order to avoid burning themselves, but with the [Sage] Aiden had actually been gambling on the man not actually wanting to kill him. It was as if the [Sage] had been willing to risk his death. As if he¡¯s either sure I won¡¯t be the [Hero] or simply doesn¡¯t care. With the entire gas gone up in flames, the hallway was clear once more, except for the blackened walls and floor and ceiling. The table was still burning in the moment and the mirror above it was cracked so badly that Aiden couldn¡¯t make out any useful view with it. The [Sage] tilted his head to the side as if impressed. ¡°Fire resistance, and a gust of wind enchantment. At nineteen? I¡¯m impressed.¡± His eyes narrowed slowly in thought. ¡°And at the last second. You¡¯ve gotten faster with your weaving, [Weaver]. Or is it the arm?¡± Aiden was still panting. ¡°Will you let me go if I say it¡¯s the arm?¡± The [Sage] sighed and raised his arm, hand held out to Aiden. ¡°You play too much.¡± Aiden¡¯s finger drew an engraving on one of the pieces of broken vase, and he tossed it at the [Sage¡¯s] raised hand. [You have used skill Unarmed Engrave] ¡­ [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Madness]. [Effect: 20% disruption of ambient mana.] [Duration: 00:00:08.] [Radius: 0.002km.] The [Sage¡¯s] gaze sharpened on the piece of the vase and he smiled as it slammed into his hand and shattered violently. Aiden watched the enchantment explode in a translucent dome as it took effect. If the [Sage] was affected in any way, he didn¡¯t show it. Instead, he held out his open hand then made a fist. Lesser men would¡¯ve lost their minds. But a [Sage] was not a lesser man. Instead of being affected, the entire translucent dome was sucked into his open hand. And just like that, it was gone. ¡°An [Enchantment of lesser Madness],¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°You fight as if you¡¯ve faced a [Mage] before. Was one of the poachers you killed a [Mage]?¡± Aiden had engraved four shards of the broken vase currently in his hands and had four unengraved pieces. With how carelessly he was holding them, in a world without classes, he would be sporting a good number of cuts on his palm. ¡°Will you let me go if I answer?¡± he asked the [Sage], knowing the answer. ¡°Not even surprised by what I¡¯ve done,¡± the [Sage] mused in response. ¡°You are as intriguing as he probably thinks.¡± The king? Valdan? Aiden had no idea who he was supposed to be. None of it mattered. All that mattered right now was escaping. Please work properly, Aiden pleaded as he channeled mana into three of the engraved shards he had. Then he threw them at the wall behind him. To his surprise, the [Sage] did nothing, simply watched. All three engraved shards slammed into the wall, breaking on impact. With their destruction came three notifications. [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Flames] ¡­ [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Force] ¡­ [You have activated Enchantment of Lesser Gas] Together, all three shards exploded against the wall in a ball of fire. The air shook and Aiden felt the heat against the nape of his neck. The walls shook and trembled. The [Sage] watched, curious. And Aiden activated another skill. [You have used Unique skill Pathfinder] He didn¡¯t have to look back to know that his strategy had failed. The skill told him when he watched a line of what looked like breeze guide him in the direction of the [Sage]. It told Aiden two things. The first was that the wall was not an ordinary wall because an ordinary wall would¡¯ve shattered from the impact of what he¡¯d done. The second was something else entirely. Time for plan B. ¡°You are resourceful,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°Throwing enchantments about like a veteran [Enchanter]. Sadly, it is not enough.¡± A circle with geometric symbols within it as large as Aiden¡¯s torso appeared in front of the [Sage]. The man had done nothing to indicate its arrival. There had been no gesture, no hand movement. If he had been holding a staff, Aiden could¡¯ve said that the spell had been stored in the staff. Formless spellcasting, Aiden thought in terrified awe. The realm of level three hundred [Mages]. And even then, they didn¡¯t do it so casually. The [Sage] had done it while casually talking about something else. ¡°You should pay attention,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°This spell is a time spell. Its job is to reset the time of whatever it is applied on.¡± Aiden recognized nothing of the spell¡¯s construction. The [Sage] could be lying and he would not be able to tell. I just have to be careful, then. Aiden carved an enchantment onto another shard of the broken vase as he began putting his new plan into effect. This plan was trickier than the others. It was also a gamble. ¡°You do not seem bothered,¡± the [Sage] said, curious. Aiden couldn¡¯t say that he was. Spells like the one the [Sage] had just used were stationary. A spell cast in place remained in the position it was cast. Its effects, however, were what crossed boundaries. All the [Sage] had done was cancel out a part of the hallway¡ªa small part at that. As long as Aiden didn¡¯t venture in its direction, he would be fine. ¡°You read a lot,¡± the [Sage] said suddenly. ¡°You lied about the library a few times, but you do actually read quite often.¡± Aiden nodded, clasping his hands behind him. He was done with the enchantment on the shard, now he needed to draw the exact same enchantment on his palm. Normally, lower than level fifty, it wasn¡¯t supposed to work, but the trait [Spatial Crack] was proving that it could help him cheat. And the simple fact that his mind had been able to conjure up the runes and sigils for the enchantment long enough for him to actually engrave it was giving him hope. ¡°I do hope that¡ª¡± Aiden interrupted the [Sage¡¯s] words. He channeled mana into the shard he¡¯d just enchanted, and with all the force that he could muster, he flung it past the [Sage] far into the hallway and straight down the path the line of wind from the skill [Pathfinder] was showing him.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Blink] [Effect: teleportation across short distances] [Radius: 0.0061km] In the distance the engraving on the shard glowed a soft purple and the same glow erupted from the palm of his hand. Even though he knew that he shouldn¡¯t have, Aiden failed to stop the smile that touched his lips as he blinked out of existence. The world vanished around him for the briefest moment, reappearing as quickly as a man blinking. When Aiden¡¯s sight returned it was to the sight of the enchanted shard shattering in front of him in a purple glow and the [Sage] a good distance behind him. The line of wind from [Pathfinder] extended forward, taking a turn down the hallway to the left. Without bothering to look back, Aiden took off in the direction of the path. The air stilled around him as he ran, then a sudden sensation engulfed him. Aiden froze. ¡°It seems like you do possess some level of external mana sensitivity,¡± the [Sage¡¯s] voice echoed from behind him. Aiden didn¡¯t dare move, not yet. ¡°As I was saying,¡± the [Sage] continued. ¡°You seem to have read and learnt a lot about how our world functions since you arrived, and I commend that. So, let me show you something new, something that most books will not be able to. You can feel it, can¡¯t you.¡± Aiden could feel it. The mana crawling up his neck as it permeated the entire space. He could die if he was not careful now. I can¡¯t win. In front of him, his interface told him what he already knew. [You have entered a Manifested World of Lvl ???] [?????? has spared you from effects of Manifested World ???? ?????] ¡°Dispense of your fears, child,¡± the [Sage] told him. ¡°Whatever your interface is telling you, I assure you that no harm will come to you from it. This is simply my way of keeping you here.¡± A [Sage¡¯s] Manifesting World. Aiden had never thought he would ever get to experience one. This was the pinnacle of the level fifty Manifesting Skill: The Manifesting World. This was what everyone fought to achieve. Turning around, he found that nothing had changed in the space around them. They were still in the hallway. The mirror was still broken, and the walls and ceiling and floor were still charred. The table had stopped burning and was nothing but a crumbled mess on the floor. On the other side of the hallway, the wall still stretched out to seal of exit on that side. Aiden had only seen a handful of fully implemented Manifesting Worlds, and they completely warped space, affecting everything around it. But for the [Sage¡¯s] to do nothing while the system still recognized it as a Manifesting World, was a show of control the likes of which Aiden had never seen. The [Sage] had applied the mana but left out the effects. His mana is what terrified me. Aiden could not believe his own realization. I was scared from simply sensing his mana. It annoyed him and appalled him. Still, his anger did not drive him to stupidity. Slowly, he turned around to face the [Sage]. The man stood casually with his hands behind his back like a cocky teacher. He watched Aiden, not worried about the open space left to Aiden. He knew that Aiden would not run. He would not be able to. ¡°I have tested your ability to escape,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°And while there are things that you could improve upon, I must say that you have passed spectacularly. So, now, I will test your survivability. You will not understand the gravity of what I am about to show you, but perhaps that is to your favor, right now.¡± Aiden had no idea what the [Sage] was about to do but he prepared himself. Right now, his life was in far more danger than whatever Valdan was about to go through. You need to be alive to save him. ¡°Good, you¡¯re prepared,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°Now, defend yourself.¡± Then the wildest thing happened. The spell construct he claimed was a time spell, the geometric circle itself, started moving. ¡­ The amphitheater was as large as Valdan remembered it. It could hold two cavalcades fairly easily. He stood at its center, hands clasped behind his back and the sword he¡¯d gained as a [Knight of the Crown] at his hips. He did not wear his armor. Instead, he was clad in casual clothes, a simple black trouser with a brown cotton shirt. The shirt had a slit that ran maybe three inches down the middle from its collar. A lattice work of threads held the slit loosely together. It had been a while since he¡¯d come here. In fact, he¡¯d only been here once. And while this place was nothing but a grand fighting ground for most of those who bore the title of [Knight of the Crown], it held a ceremonial place in his heart. It was the place he was knighted as a [Knight of the Crown]. It was the place where he had earned his title. It was oddly ironic. And it¡¯s the place where I¡¯ll lose it. It was as ironic as it was poetic. Valdan turned his head, looked around. Taking the entire space in, he let out a tired breath. The ground of the amphitheater where he stood was covered in sand as black as night. From what Valdan knew, this was the only place in the kingdom that had black sand. Around him, he was encircled by an array of rising chairs, enough to hold at least two hundred spectators, and five hundred spectators at most. It looked like a place designed for spectators to clamor and rage while they watched people bring violence upon themselves on the very grounds he stood. It was funny because while there had been no crowd, the king and a few of his knights had stood there and watched while Valdan had run a gauntlet on those who bore the title of [Knight of the Crown] before him. Each one had tested his skill only there was no skill they wished to test before the next had walked in to test him again. At the end of his test, he had been exhausted. At the end of this one, I might be dead. There were only two routes that led to the amphitheater from the palace. Each one wound downwards until you were left standing in front of a door at the lowest grounds of the palace, at the very bottom. One of these paths was used only by the [Knights of the Crown] while the other was used only by the royal family. Once inside, there was an entrance into the theater grounds and an exit. Both paths stood before and behind Valdan respectively. Standing silently Valdan¡¯s gaze sharpened as someone walked in through the path in front of him. King Brandis had arrived. Unsurprisingly, he was not alone. Like Valdan, he was not dressed ceremonially. There was no robe to rest from his shoulder and trail the ground beneath him. There was no crown of the finest gold to adorn his head. He wore no armor that glistened under the illumination of the light orbs that floated at the top of the amphitheater to grant light with which to see. No. King Brandis of the Bandiv kingdom, Fourth of his name, wore a simple white cotton shirt and brown leather pants. Valdan watched him approach, knowing very well that his pants were not made from cotton or any regular material. It had most likely been fashioned by some high-level tailor who had already attained their manifesting class and was at least well beyond level fifty. Probably strewn from some the bark of some legendary tree. It was the thing about anyone who had spent enough time around the king. While he owned casual clothes that looked completely normal, they were anything but normal. His simple clothes were as powerful and domineering as the crown of the kingdom. As Valdan watched King Brandis approach, he was reminded of something his seniors had told him once about the king. Even clad in the simplest of clothing, Brandis had a way to him, an air to him. He walked as a king should, with grace and control and decorum. Even when he was tired, he looked like a tired warrior. A ruler of men. Sometimes, they said, he walked even in a place as simple as a garden like a man with an army behind him. Valdan had seen it enough times to believe it. But this evening, his king did not walk in that manner. This evening, King Brandis walked like a man who did not want to do what he was about to do but would do it because it was something that had to be done. It was something that someone had to do. So Valdan stood where he was and waited for his king¡­ waited for what would befall him. He did not wait long. King Brandis¡¯ steps came to a stop in front of him and Valdan studied his face. A realization dawned on him when he did. He¡¯s tired, Valdan noted. King Brandis¡¯ eyes weren¡¯t as bright, and his shoulders weren¡¯t as broad. If the others saw him right now, they would be as worried for him as Valdan was. And yet, here he is. ¡°Sir Valdan Dirtwater,¡± King Brandis said, standing before him. Valdan bent his head into a bow, greeting the king and his companion. ¡°My King. Princess.¡± Elaswit nodded hesitantly, clearly confused as to what was happening. Brandis received the greeting with a nod of his own. ¡°Here we are,¡± he said. ¡°Where it all began.¡± Valdan said nothing. All he did was keep his head low. Yes, here we are. ¡°I¡¯ve never been one for politics,¡± Brandis went on. ¡°No matter how hard I tried, I could never get the hang of manipulating people. It just wasn¡¯t in my¡ªfor the love of¡ª¡± Brandis groaned in frustration. ¡°Can you please raise your head, Sir Valdan. I¡¯m not a fan of talking to people who aren¡¯t looking at me.¡± Valdan obeyed, raising his head. He found Brandis looking at him. Even with tired and weary eyes, the king¡¯s amber gaze had not lost its weight. There had always been something about it. People were born with simple eyes that grew to become piercing over the years. But piercing was an understatement of Brandis¡¯. There was something about the way his eyes settled on a person. He didn¡¯t just look at you, and he didn¡¯t just see into your soul. Valdan watched King Brandis¡¯ gaze focus on him. The king watched him as if he was reading his life. As if he knew it all. As if he read it all. Valdan¡¯s love for Melvet. The knight that had died in his hands when he¡¯d been only fifteen that nobody knew of. The secret that had solidified his determination to become a knight¡ªa secret that currently rested in a chest well hidden in the study in his estate. The man who visited Valdan¡¯s estate every now and again to eat him out of house and home. His loyalty, shaken from his time spent with Aiden Lacheart. Brandis knew none of these, but his eyes gave the illusion of it. His eyes claimed that he knew it all and allowed it all. To Valdan, those were the eyes of a king. Brandis sighed as if tired of whatever he¡¯d seen and cast his gaze to the empty audience around them. He did it like a tired man, like a man with too much on his mind. After a while, he turned bodily to take in the entire Amphitheatre. ¡°I never wanted to be king,¡± he said, speaking once more. ¡°Always hated the crown. I saw the things my father had to do in its name and didn¡¯t want that life for myself. I didn¡¯t want the weight of the crown. The funny part about it is that it wasn¡¯t even my weight to bear.¡± He shook his head solemnly. ¡°A [Knight of the Crown] free to wander the world. Now, that is weight I could¡¯ve borne. By the gods, my brother stiffed me on this one.¡± Valdan knew what the king was talking about. There was no [Knight of the Crown] that did not know of King Brandis¡¯ older brother. Naturally, he had been the one to take the crown, but as the time drew closer, he had shown more distaste in the crown. He didn¡¯t hate the idea of becoming the king, he simply didn¡¯t want it. So, for peace to reign, Brandis had taken the crown from his father when he had been offered it. Both brothers were equally capable, after all. Then, at his brother¡¯s request, Brandis had given him the title of [Knight of the Crown]. With the title adorning his interface, his brother had happily strolled out of the castle gates. At least that¡¯s what the stories said. He had thrown a sack of clothes over his shoulders, and with nothing but the simple clothes on his back and his sword on his hips, he had strolled out of the castle walls. At the end of every year, the brother strolled back into the city, had a simple meal with his brother and his family, then disappeared again. Once upon a time, Valdan had asked why the brother stayed for only one meal, impromptu and abrupt. The answer he¡¯d been given from the oldest [Knight of the Crown] was simple. ¡°He calls it a proof of life,¡± the old knight had said. ¡°He enjoys being out there more than being in here, so he stops by every year just so that our king knows that he is still alive.¡± The king¡¯s brother had not stopped by for the last four years now. And it had everyone worried. King Brandis and his wife, however, never showed it. ¡°Sometimes,¡± King Brandis said, ¡°I want to punch him in the face, just for the fun of it.¡± A chuckle slipped out from his lips and he paused as if surprised by it. Valdan felt bad. The King had his own issues, enough that an accidental chuckle surprised him. And all Valdan had done was cause him more worry. This is a chance to fight for your title, he reminded himself, but his guilt grew heavy. But is it a chance you deserve? Is it a title you are still worthy of? Brandis shook his head slowly, sad eyes leveled on Valdan. ¡°Was I wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°Did I make the wrong decision in allowing you train the young Lord?¡± Elaswit bristled at his question. Valdan, however, had no reaction from it. He¡¯d always had the answer to such a question. It was an answer he¡¯d learnt many years ago when he¡¯d been angry at the king for the childhood he had lived. A time when the king had not even known his name. ¡°What concern is a king with right and wrong?¡± he said easily. ¡°His duty is only to rule, and rule he must.¡± A slight smile touched Brandis¡¯ lips. This time, it did not surprise him. However, the fondness in it slowly aged and withered until it was gone. All that was left was a sad smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t that something grandpa once said?¡± Elaswit said suddenly. ¡°At least I think it was something like that.¡± Brandis nodded slowly. ¡°¡®What concerns a king with right and wrong?¡¯¡± he said, as if reciting a mantra. ¡°¡®A king¡¯s place is to rule. And rule, he must.¡¯¡± Elaswit looked at Valdan as if suddenly seeing him in a new light. Valdan would¡¯ve smiled if not for the circumstances that surrounded their current situation. There was, unfortunately, nothing to smile about. ¡°Witty, love,¡± Brandis said in a fond voice. ¡°Yes, father,¡± Elaswit answered. ¡°Every human must strive to be the perfect version of what a person should be,¡± Brandis told her. ¡°They must know right from wrong and have the will to do right no matter the situation. Only a person who has perfected this to a great degree has the right to lead.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Brandis took his eyes from Valdan to look at his daughter. ¡°Only a person that understands the necessity of right and wrong and knows how to wield them properly can lead. Your grandfather told your brother, Derenet, about the king¡¯s duty to rule when Derenet witnessed him make a decision that he did not like as a child. When Derenet had told him that it was the wrong decision, your grandfather had asked him what concerns a king with right and wrong.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s when he said it?¡± Elaswit asked. Brandis nodded. ¡°But he did not explain it to your brother. But your uncle and I were always taught its entirety. Become a person who understands and masters the concept of right and wrong, then you can become a king. Only then does the concept no longer apply to you.¡± Elaswit nodded in understanding, but it was clear in her eyes that she did not believe she would need this knowledge. Anyone present would understand why she felt that way. There was no one who was a part of any form of political intrigue in the kingdom that did not know that Elaswit was more like her uncle in situations regarding the crown; she didn¡¯t want it. Still, she was her father¡¯s daughter. Like her father, if her siblings did not want it, she would pick up the crown for the sake of peace and keeping the leadership of Bandiv in the Brandis family. Valdan knew that she would not have to, though. Derenet wanted the crown, craved it. He wasn¡¯t a terrible option; his parents had obviously raised him well enough. Unfortunately, people feared that his hunger for the crown might lead him to do things he would not want to. People feared that should Elaswit want the crown, there might be a problem. Brandis sighed and returned his attention to Valdan. However, he had a look in his eyes now, a suspicion. It remained there even as he spoke, a backdrop to everything else. ¡°Let us get this over with, Sir Valdan.¡± Valdan closed his eyes as he took in the king¡¯s voice. It savored the title as best he could, breathed it in, before nodding. This will probably be the last time my king calls me ¡®sir¡¯. ¡°First,¡± Brandis said. ¡°You will not be fighting against monsters.¡± ¡°Sir Valdan is here to fight?¡± Elaswit asked, surprised. So, she did not know. King Brandis hushed his daughter with a raised hand while his attention remained on Valdan and Elaswit held her tongue. ¡°You will be fighting your fellow men,¡± he said, his use of the plural form not escaping Valdan. ¡°You will face them, each of them of equal level as you, and they will do everything in their power to kill you.¡± ¡°Fa¡ª¡± Brandis shot his daughter a dark look. ¡°If you cannot hold your tongue, perhaps I should send you back. This is neither the place nor time to lack control of your own emotions. Neither is it the place or time to challenge my decisions.¡± Elaswit¡¯s pressed into a thin line. It showed her obedience but her disagreement. If it bothered Brandis, he did not show it. He had demanded silence, and he was having it. ¡°If it is the wish of my king,¡± Valdan said. ¡°Then so shall it be.¡± Brandis chuckled darkly. ¡°Oh, Valdan. Ever the knight. It is quite unfortunate that it has come to this. However, I know you.¡± He stepped closer, oddly menacing. ¡°You are loyal to a fault. It is why I cannot understand the disloyalty.¡± Shock plastered itself on Elaswit¡¯s face at the notion of disloyalty. Her mouth opened, but she clamped it back shut. Valdan did not look away from King Brandis¡¯ gaze. He was guilty of his crimes. His duty was to take his punishment. If my king wishes for me to die here, then here I shall die. He could only hope that when the news reached Lord Lacheart, he would handle it well. The boy was most likely going to rebel in some way. Valdan suspected it. Maybe even hoped for it. Why? He wondered. Why would you hope for him to rebel? The answer came to him almost immediately. He didn¡¯t want Aiden to rebel. He didn¡¯t think it would be wise or good for both the boy or the kingdom. But the idea of his death leading Aiden to do something unreasonable meant that his death would affect Aiden enough for him to lose his composure. It would mean that in even the littlest way, your friendship mattered to him. A small smile touched Valdan¡¯s lips at the thought. It was gentle, fond. It was the smile of a man who would miss his younger brother. I¡¯ve always wanted to know what it would feel like to have a brother. King Brandis¡¯ gaze softened a little as his eyes took notice of Valdan¡¯s smile. ¡°Yes,¡± Brandis said. ¡°A man should smile even in the face of death.¡± Valdan moved to attention. ¡°It was an honor to be led by you, my king.¡± ¡°It is good to know that you still hold some loyalty.¡± A dark smile stretched Brandis¡¯ lips. ¡°However, you do not find yourself in a predicament this easy. The men present will seek to kill you, and if they find the chance, they will. But you misunderstand, Valdan. I haven¡¯t brought you here to die. It is not something so simple. I have brought you here to be an executioner.¡± He held his arms out on both sides. ¡°Blood will be shed on these grounds, Valdan. It is my hope that yours is not the only one.¡± Valdan nodded slowly. He had been given his orders and he had received them. Do not die alone. Then King Brandis did the unexpected. He placed a firm hand on Valdan¡¯s shoulder and spoke once more in a soft voice. ¡°Do not die today, Valdan. Do not die, if you can help it.¡± Brandis dropped his hand, turned, and walked away. Elaswit hesitated before turning as well. A sad look clouded her face and Valdan gave her a reassuring smile. Elaswit and her father were almost at the exit when Valdan stopped their departure. ¡°My king,¡± he called. Brandis stopped to look back at him. ¡°Valdan?¡± ¡°May I make two requests?¡± he asked. ¡°In case I do not make it out alive.¡± ¡°You will not lose your estate,¡± King Brandis said, attempting to preempt his request. ¡°And she will be cared for until the day of her passing.¡± Valdan bowed his head gently in gratitude. ¡°Thank you, my king. But that is not my request.¡± Melvet was a resourceful woman, Valdan knew this. Should she be sent packing from the estate, he knew that she would be fine. His death would hurt her, but he hoped that it would not break her. ¡°Then what are your requests?¡± Brandis asked. ¡°May I ask that she be informed of my passing and allowed to do as she pleases with what is left of me?¡± he asked. Brandis considered it for a moment before answering. ¡°Granted. And the second request?¡± ¡°This may be insulting of me, but dare I make the request.¡± He took a knee and bowed his head. ¡°Please be kind enough as to bring the news to her in person.¡± Brandis¡¯ gaze narrowed slowly. Suspicion bled from it. ¡°Is there something you wish to tell me upon your death, Valdan? If so, tell me now.¡± Valdan shook his head, knowing that he lied. ¡°Simply a request from a man who once bore the title of [Knight of the Crown].¡± Brandis frowned. ¡°I will take the second into consideration.¡± With that, he turned and left the space, Elaswit moved with him. In moments, Valdan was left standing alone once more. He dug a foot into the black sand beneath him. This was the only place he¡¯d seen in the entire Bandiv kingdom with black sand. Rumor had it that the only time King Brandis¡¯ brother had stayed for more than just one meal, it was to have a spar with the king. They had done it here. And sand that had once been yellow had grown black at the end of their battle. Valdan had not witnessed it, and even to this day, those who had claimed they did not know what specifically had turned the sand black. It was a while before something changed. A while of Valdan standing with nothing but his thoughts. Most of his thoughts were of Melvet and the secrets of his life. Of a woman. Of a man. Of a corpse. Of a sword. Valdan had wanted for nothing but the title of [Knight]. Apart from that, all he¡¯d ever wanted was a simple life. Sadly, complications had always chased after him. He bore the title of [Giant Slayer], gaining it in a way that he would¡¯ve rather not. A complicated life you have lived, simple man. It was something Melvet had told him once upon a time. Now, here he was, a simple man in a complicated world. Truer words have not been said. ¡°Sir Valdan Dirtwater.¡± The king¡¯s voice echoed through the amphitheater. ¡°Meet your opponents.¡± Valdan drew his sword as he sensed movement from the path the king had left through. One by one, people flooded out of it. He recognized each and every one of them. Men and women. He knew them even by name. Six of the nine of them he had played a part in their defeat and imprisonment once before. A deep scowl filled Valdan¡¯s lips at the sight of them and he realized what the king was doing. King Brandis had ensured that Valdan would claw tooth and nail to defeat them. ¡°I have promised every soul on that ground a chance at freedom,¡± Brandis¡¯ voice echoed. ¡°You are to be their executioner. Or their redemption. If they walk out of here alive, they become free men or women, forgiven for their crimes.¡± Valdan could not believe his eyes. Each of them was armed with a weapon that Valdan knew was their specialty. Swords, clubs, daggers, knives, glaives. Each enemy was armed properly. King Brandis had placed the worst of criminals before him. Men and women who, amongst their other crimes, had taken so many human lives and not even for the purpose of increasing their level. Valdan¡¯s gaze settled on a small man that was a head shorter than him. He had a scar running diagonally across his face. Valdan had given him that scar only three months ago. His name was Taract, and his crime was the slaughter of an entire village. The highest level in the village had been level twelve. And he had killed them all, men, women. And the children, too. None of the people in front of him had any right being let back out into the world. Valdan¡¯s grip tightened on his sword. King Brandis was going too far with this. He wanted to say so, he wanted to let his king know. This was wrong. But what concerns a king with right and wrong? His place is to rule, and rule, he must. ¡°Valdan Dirtwater.¡± Brandis¡¯ voice touched his ear so precisely that when Valdan turned, he picked him from the empty stands without searching. And the king gave him what could most likely be his final order. ¡°Kill them all.¡± It was a good thing that his enemies were human. If things got too bad, he at least had the pseudo techniques that he had learnt from Aiden. He gave his king his answer. Taking his sword in both hands, he took a combat stance and settled his attention on Taract, the man who¡¯d slaughtered an entire village. ¡°Yes, my King.¡± SEVENTY-THREE: More Red Than Black All nine assailants stood before Valdan. The distance between him and them was so large that it would be impossible to cross it without them noticing. The technique? Lord Lacheart had taught him two incomplete techniques. One was designed to put down around eleven opponents within a certain distance of each other while the other was designed to bring down one opponent. Valdan had only mastered the former well enough to take down three men confidently. Even then, he had not mastered it well enough for the system to deem it a technique. The system didn¡¯t even give him any kind of notification upon the techniques¡¯ conclusion. Then there was what Aiden had shown him mere moments ago. A living opponent was very different from a training dummy. Aiden had taken him down in one simple hit while he had been in the process of executing the technique. And while Valdan had been more that certain that an opponent would hit back, he hadn¡¯t known how easily the opponent would be able to put him down. At first, Valdan had thought that Aiden wanted him to learn how to use the move-set against a moving opponent, but Aiden had basically told him otherwise. It is a trump card to be used in a moment of surprise, Valdan thought, discarding the idea of using the technique right now. I¡¯ll only get one shot at it. So with his sword held out in front of him, he gave his opponents his attention. Slowly, they were beginning to spread out. If they were any closer to him, they would attempt to encircle him. But they were not. His eyes settled on two who stuck close to each other. A man and a woman. From the little that he knew of the criminals in front of him, the both of them were not close. They were neither partners or friends. Did they develop an acquaintance in prison or is this a momentary alliance. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter. Teams were not good opponents to fight against. A team in perfect sync was almost impossible to deal with. Along with the two who seemed to have teamed up, standing a little too close to each other, everyone else was itching for a fight. They inched closer so very slowly. Cautious even from the distance between them. Valdan activated a skill, focused it on all of them. [You have used skill Detect] He ignored their names. They were not worthy of remembering. His opponents would either die here and he would have no need for their names, or he would die here and he would still have no need for their names. ¡°Come on, Knight!¡± Taract, the man who¡¯d slaughtered an entire village goaded him. ¡°Do knights always act so scared?¡± Valdan¡¯s gaze did not even move to him. None of his attention more than the simple peripheral view was afforded to him. Valdan rarely understood how goading a man into anger in such a situation worked. ¡°If you do not come to us,¡± another prisoner said. ¡°Then we will come to you!¡± He darted forward, almost crossing the distance in an instant. Valdan was not surprised by the man¡¯s speed. After all, for some reason, King Brandis had decided to give him opponents that were all level forty-nine, just like himself. But I am a knight. The moment the prisoner crossed the distance, Valdan moved as well. [Dash] carried him across the distance, sending him through the air. The black sand rose beneath his feet as his position changed. He made a straight line for the man and woman who seemed to have made some kind of alliance with each other. Knights were honorable people. They stood against the world, fighting with honor and decorum. But that honor and decorum was not something King Brandis had taught them. It was not a policy of a knight to fight with honor and decorum, merely a culture. A culture born from knights being predominantly children of nobility. Valdan was not a child of nobility. His sword short forward and straight at the male prisoner who raised his weapons, dual swords, to defend against the blow. Before their swords connected, Valdan pulled himself to a stop. His sword arm snapped out to the side and the tip of his blade tore a gash in the woman¡¯s neck. [You have dealt Perenit a Fatal Blow!] [You have slain Perenit Level 49] Valdan turned away from the fallen woman without hesitation. His arm came out to his side, hand held out to the prisoner he knew would be coming for him even as he swung at the man he had attacked first. The man parried him, recovering quickly from the shock of his partner¡¯s death. As the sounds of metal steel clashing filled the air, Valdan triggered another skill with his outstretched hand. [You have used Class skill Protected Sword] A massive apparition of a sword came to life where his hand was held out. It was as high as ten feet and as wide as twelve. It shimmered as a transparent yellow that distorted the air where it was and a burst of flame struck it heavily enough for the ripples from the impact to scorch the ground around it. Of all the prisoners in front of him, Taract, the village slaughterer, was the one he was most intimate with. After all, he had hunted the man down himself, learning everything about him up until he¡¯d captured him alive as had been demanded. Now, Valdan was pleased with the chance to kill him. [Protected Sword] deactivated after the impact, which did not surprise Valdan. The skill was not designed to be activated for a long period of time at its level, and it took up mana using it. And the fact that Valdan knew that Taract¡¯s strongest attack skill was that burst of fire gave him an assurance of safety. But that was safety from Taract. Valdan pushed backwards and off his feet as something shot at him through the air. Unsure of what it was, he swung his sword in a violent arc through the sand as he landed. It raised a wave of black sand in front of him, obscuring the view between him and the direction the blast had come from. Knights do not fight this way. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he rejected it. It was not that knights did not fight this way. King Brandis had seen him fight so dirtily once and had not chastised him for it. Nobles do not fight this way. Valdan darted out from behind the wave of sand he had raised to protect his view and something blasted through a portion of the sand missing him completely. When the wave of sand fell, Valdan was already gone from behind it. He did not attack Taract immediately. From what he knew, Taract was the most skilled amongst his opponents. And in a group of enemies of the same level, the most skilled was the strongest. And the strongest was the one he was going to deal with last. Right now, he had every intention of weeding out the weaker opponents. ¡°Cut him off!¡± someone shouted from somewhere. Valdan catalogued the direction of the shout, stored it away somewhere in his mind as he attacked the second woman in the group. She pulled her hands up in front of her, raising them as if pulling something from the ground. Her weapon of choice was a Morningstar with its spiked round head. Valdan couldn¡¯t remember her very well, but her complete disregard for the weapon in her hands as she raised her hand as if trying to raise the ground was proof that she did not use weapons. She probably only had one because weapons had been offered to her. What skill does she have? Valdan found himself wondering. His eyes darted to her hands, then they moved around her. It all happened in a split moment, and he frowned at his inability to notice. You¡¯re getting desperate, he scolded himself. Don¡¯t focus so much. He stopped trying to find out and simply took her in as he charged. When he got to a certain distance from her, the ground trembled beneath his feet. Valdan darted to the side, evading that patch of sand and pushed forward. The sand bubbled slightly like boiling water but nothing happened. What was that supposed to be? The confusion on the lady¡¯s face told Valdan all he needed to know. Whatever her skill was supposed to do, it wasn¡¯t that. She raised her weapon as he got to her and parried his first sword swing. The second swing missed her neck as she leaned away chaotically from the blow. She leaned too far back and found herself falling. But before Valdan could end it, something came from behind him. Valdan turned quickly. His feet carried him to the side in a mastery of footwork gained from learning the sword. When his sword came up to protect him something blue exploded against it, igniting the swords protection enchantment. Valdan was pushed back by the force of the blow. When he came to a stop, one of the men had three blue balls hovering over his head. Mana bullets. They were a basic combat spell most people with the [Mage] class learnt. But he wasn¡¯t worried, a [Mage] wasn¡¯t standing in front of him because he hadn¡¯t put a [Mage] away yet. This is going to get annoying. The remaining eight people hovered around now that he had been pushed back. They were slowly encircling him. It wasn¡¯t a good sign. They were only small fries when it came to the fighting abilities. Being surrounded was a death wish. But he had a disabling skill that worked. I just need to time it properly, he told himself as they slowly encircled him. If he could take them by surprise, he had a chance of killing another one, maybe two opponents. In the stands, he watched Brandis seated casually on one of the chairs, Elaswit looking a little worried beside him. Alright, Valdan. You can do this. When the first skill struck, he weaved out of the way. It was a red blast of mana that looked like a massive red arrowhead. Behind Valdan, the person on the other side dodged it very easily. Valdan¡¯s free hand twitched, his feet shifted beneath him. Not yet. The second skill that came at him was a spike from the ground. He barely avoided it, raising his sword so that the spike grazed along the length of his blade. Not yet. His eyes moved about, cataloging everything, everyone. Taract was the real threat, but so were the others now. Valdan¡¯s gaze snapped to the side, and he activated [Protected Sword]. The shimmer of manner came alive shielding him from a blast of fire from Taract as well as a splash of liquid from another prisoner. The liquid was green and he remembered it for what it could¡¯ve been. Either poisonous or acidic. Valdan turned, switched stances. ¡°Not sure who to face?¡± Taract goaded. Valdan nodded. ¡°I¡¯m well and truly confused right now.¡± Taract paused, clearly confused. Valdan couldn¡¯t help but take pleasure at the man¡¯s confusion. Still, he was in a tight spot. Surrounded, he would need to act fast and act well. I¡¯ll need something to stop all of them at once. The only skills he had that could come anywhere close to that were [Aura Strike] and [Resting Cleave].A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The problem was that none of them attacked in a circle around him. Unless I can make them. He jerked in one of their directions and the man there flinched. Come on, he pleaded. Act as one. His mind was already formulating possible solutions, but the one that would be most useful to him was the one that started from all of them attacking him as one. Do not depend on the chance of one plan, he reminded himself, a lesson he¡¯d learnt as a child on the streets. Depend on all the plans. ¡°Enna, you take him from the right,¡± Taract said suddenly. ¡°Farog will move in from the left.¡± Enna, Farog. Valdan remembered the names and who owned them. The problem was that Enna couldn¡¯t take him from the right, not from where she was, and Farog couldn¡ª Farog moved. Farog was a handsome man who had mostly killed women. And he hadn¡¯t been nice about it. He had played into his beauty to do so. So, when he had been caught a level one hundred and three [Knight] had carved his face terribly with enough power to leave the man horrendous to look at. Below level fifty and with no potions to heal him, Farog had been left scarred when the injuries had healed. Valdan stepped back from an approaching Farog. Farog came from his back. Enna, Valdan thought, picking the lady out. No. It was a chaotic dissonance in his mind. Taract had called the right name but the wrong attack. What if Enna was the wrong name but the right attack. His eyes shifted to the person that could take him from the right even as he parried a thrust from Farog¡¯s glaive. You¡¯re thinking too much. Valdan parried a sweep from Farog¡¯s glaive. He caught the strike with the side of his sword and turned it over him. The sword came down on the other side of him and the man that had been on his right that was now his back charged him. No, no, no. Valdan drove his shoulder into Farog. With all the force into the action, he threw the man back, turning in time to counter whatever his new assailant had for him. His instincts flared a moment after. But they were too late. The new opponent swung a club at Valdan. Valdan was already parrying the blow, his body moving with the motion. There was nothing he could do about it, so he braced himself, tightened his muscles and committed to the blow. His sword clashed with the club, his blow barely throwing back the man¡¯s club, and pain erupted in his side. It was cold and sizzling, somehow burning through his shirt and skin. Valdan fought against the pain, moving to avoid his current opponent¡¯s second blow. He ducked beneath the swing, knowing that his opponent¡¯s strength far outweighed his own. Rolling away from the blow would¡¯ve been better, creating more distance between them, but Valdan had hesitated. The idea of his new fresh injury rubbing against the black sand worried him. ¡°Scared, Knight?¡± Taract goaded from where he was standing, giving orders. Valdan refused to listen to him. He¡¯d just taken what he felt was an acidic skill to the back. And the people around him had just shown that while they were nothing but simple people with a talent for killing, they were also people who could work together. People who could corner him. And if they could corner him so easily. It also meant one thing. They could kill him so easily. So yes, Valdan was terrified. And the last thing he needed was Taract voicing his worries. Especially while he was still in the center of all eight of them. Valdan raised his sword once more, ignoring the growing stinging sensation in his back. Something told him that if he checked his health stat, he would find it counting down ever so slowly. The question was how long would it be reducing? Still, even if his fear didn¡¯t rise, his anger did. None of the people in this place with him deserved to walk out of here alive and free. He would not allow it. He would not let his king do something so wrong simply because he was supposed to be punished for doing something wrong. Lightning crackled through his hand, it singed his sleeves as his anger kindled. Control yourself, Valdan. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to control himself, there were moments in his life when control was not his strongest ability. Most people did not understand why he was so stoic about most things. Aiden had once called him stuck up. But the truth was that he was the way he was because every day was a day he spent controlling himself. And sometimes, just sometimes, his control slipped. Once was when he sparred with Aiden and left a crack in the training field, a crack that was still there, unfixed. Taract had not goaded him to anger, Valdan really wanted to believe that as he raised a foot off the ground, he had just lost control. ¡°BRACE FOR IMPACT!¡± Taract roared. But he was too late. [You have used class skill Knight¡¯s Stomp] Taract braced for impact, his legs switching to a more stable stance as Valdan¡¯s foot hit the ground. Valdan felt his mana flow out of him. It ran downwards, straight to both legs and into the ground. A tremor spilled from him in a ring. The ground shook, then undulated, swaying upwards then downward. One of the opponents around him jumped back but she didn¡¯t get far away, when she landed, the tremor shook her as well. Destabilized, they were easy pickings. Valdan battled with his anger for control. It was not a difficult battle. He had faced greater anger than this growing up as a child. Once upon a time, he¡¯d been so enraged that he hadn¡¯t known what had happened. He¡¯d simply opened his eyes at the end with scarce recollection of what he had done, three broken people with too many broken bones around him, and one corpse. Valdan darted forward, went for the closest group, then pulled to a quick stop. Without any physical ability to protect themselves due to their lack of stability, they all had only one way to stay alive. He had been banking on it and it had worked. Unsure of which one of them he was going to attack, they all protected themselves and the air lit up with the chaos of mana and activated skills. It was colorful and deadly. And there was a tremor from the ground from a skill Valdan did not know. Five of eight people activated their skills with him as the target. But Valdan didn¡¯t care. He had been waiting for this. [You have used Class skill Knight¡¯s Repose] ¡­ [Knight¡¯s Repose] The knight is his own sense of peace. Manifesting their own peace, they envelop the area with a calming mana that quiets the ambient mana disabling all active skills. Valdan felt a dip in his mana as he stretched the reach of the skill, attempting to envelop the entire space. In the distance, he thought he saw King Brandis lean forward on his chair. The colorful array of mana winked out as skill were silenced and disabled. Without hesitation, Valdan held his sword to the side and swung it with as much force as he could muster, hoping to reach as far as he could. With the lightning crackling through his hands, activating the skill that came next came naturally. [You have used Class skill Aura Strike] A blast of mana shot from his sword in an arc that was almost as wide as his swing. It was a deep yellow and crackled with yellow lightning in a violent way. Even as it left him, Valdan could feel the strands of hair on his forearm stand from the effect of the skill. He turned away from them immediately. The skill would not suffice to kill them but killing them was not the necessity in this moment. Giving himself some space to breathe was. Turning in the direction of the men with Taract, he was already channeling another class skill. [Dash] pushed him across the distance in a moment. The men with Taract stepped back in shock or caution, Valdan did not know. But he did not care. If they were behind Taract when he struck, they would be caught up in the skill. Valdan swung his sword as he got to Taract. Taract wielded two daggers and he raised them to take the impact of the blow. Valdan didn¡¯t care. He knew for a fact that he had more raw power than Taract. The moment their weapons clashed, Valdan activated his skill. [You have used Class skill Resting Cleave] ¡­ [Resting Cleave] The Knight strikes with great force, delivering a ripple effect of damage forward. Taract gritted his teeth against the impact of the blow as the air shimmered in a ripple from where his daggers met Valdan¡¯s sword. The ripples went through him, extending beyond him. When they came in contact with the other two, both men gasped in pain, staggering back. But it was not enough. Valdan shoved Taract back with force and struck again. When Taract defended with both blades, sparks were sent flying. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Taract snarled. He defended against a third strike, then a fourth. Weaving beneath the fifth, he came up on Valdan¡¯s side, thrusting forward with a single dagger to stab Valdan in the face. Valdan raised his sword, switched his grip so that he turned the dagger away with his hilt. He was about to twirl his sword back to a righted grip when a flash of orange caught his attention. Valdan¡¯s gaze snapped downwards in a moment and found Taract¡¯s second dagger in the sand. In his hand was a ball of fire. A ball of fire that Taract jammed into Valdan¡¯s face. Valdan brought his second hand up, leaning away just in time to avoid the swing to his face. Taract¡¯s hand swung past him, cutting through the air where Valdan¡¯s head had been. As it swung past, he shoved Taract¡¯s arm with his raised hand, forcing his hand back against himself. A small explosion erupted between them. It sent Valdan staggering back but sent Taract flying, his voice trailing after him as he roared in pain. Valdan turned and was on the other two that had been with Taract in the blink of an eye. He rushed them, sword swinging, his body carrying him through the motions as he struck and parried and weaved and blocked. He parried a blow from one of the men, then swung his sword. The man blocked and movement in Valdan¡¯s periphery caught his attention, forcing him to step back. It had been a faint yellow, crackling with lightning. But even as he leaned away, nothing came at him. He frowned, noting the confusion on the face of the man he had been attacking. Both men fell on him once more and he fought to hold them back. Again, he went for a killing blow, a slash to one of the man¡¯s necks only for him to step back after the man had dodged it. Another whisper of something yellow had appeared between him and the man. Valdan¡¯s frown deepened. What the fuck is going on. The third time it happened again, he had seen the weapon. He parried a blow only for a yellow sword, translucent and crackling with yellow lightning to appear above the man¡¯s head as if stabbing him from above. Then it disappeared. When it happened, Valdan suspected that the weapon was not against him but for him. He went after his opponents without hesitation. The first man to go down went down with his head cut in half from a vicious vertical swing. He dropped to the ground, head opened like a bowl. Valdan had seen worse deaths and didn¡¯t pay it any attention as he returned his attention to the other man. Unfortunately for him, he was forced to back off and reorganize as the others came back to form. Valdan¡¯s breaths were beginning to come at a heavier pace. But there was something on his mind as the others gathered once more, understanding that their favor lay in their numbers. Dwindled down to seven people now, they looked as desperate as they were afraid. Taract looked mad, ravaged by his own rage, a part of his face burnt by his own skill. But that wasn¡¯t important to Valdan, what he found important was the distraction he was beginning to experience. As he stood there watching his opponents, preparing for what would come next, the ghost like swords kept blinking in and out of existence around him. They were faint, barely there, and no one in the group paid them any attention. But Valdan could see them. Valdan could feel them. They were there, blinking in and out of reality. They were his¡­ ¡­ And they were manifesting. ¡­ Aiden stared at the moving spell construct as it approached him so slowly. Even with the [Sage¡¯s] mana engulfing the entire place, he was no longer terrified of it, no longer hindered by it. He believed the [Sage] when the man had said that he wasn¡¯t here to kill him. Just to test me. Aiden kept an eye on the spell construct and an eye on the [Sage]. How do you stop a spell construct? Aiden rummaged around in his brain. He knew the answer, he always had. The first method he knew was brute force. If your mana was stronger than the owner of the spell, you could dispel it with a force of mana. A powerful enough blast. Sadly, he was not at the stage where he could just go throwing his mana around. And even if he could, he wasn¡¯t powerful enough. He could not overshadow the spell construct of a [Sage]. That brings us to the second option. He pulled a piece of the broken vase from his coat pocket, reducing him to only three more shards and scribbled a quick engraving on it. Channeling mana into it, he waited until it started glowing and tossed it at the spell construct. Timed perfectly, the shard exploded at the heart of the construct. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Madness] Aiden watched the shimmer as the enchantment took effect. But nothing became of the construct. It continued to approach him, taking its time. Aiden frowned. Well, there goes that idea. ¡°That was creative,¡± the [Sage] said. ¡°But ultimately stupid. You watched me crush that enchantment in the palm of my hands. What gave you the impression that it would affect my spells?¡± Aiden had no answer to that. There were only two ways he knew of that could crush spell impressions. There had been nothing he could do about it. ¡°Thinking,¡± the [Sage] mused. ¡°Always thinking. For children your age, stopping to think is good. But sometimes¡­ sometimes, you should just act. Isn¡¯t that what youthful exuberance is all about.¡± Yeah, I lost all that exuberance five years ago. Aiden took in his entire environment and knew there was nothing to work with. His mind ran through the enchantments he knew and found nothing of use. If the [Sage] was unwilling to let him out of this place, then there was no avoiding the spell. So Aiden stood in the face of the kind of power that just skill could not conquer. ¡°Your arm, child,¡± the [Sage] said with a sigh. ¡°Your arm won against a time spell once upon a time. You might as well take the gamble.¡± Aiden looked down at his blackened arm. To his surprise some streaks of red had returned. Is it because I used it for an enchantment? It was a surprising discovery. What happens if all of it turns red? The spell construct was getting terribly close now. The [Sage] stood waiting patiently. Aiden could run around, but if he couldn¡¯t get away completely, he could just end up annoying the [Sage], and who knew what that would make the old man do. With no other option, he raised his blackened arm and held it out. The [Sage¡¯s] attention sharpened, his eyes focused on the arm. The spell construct wrapped itself around Aiden¡¯s arm. Then it shattered like broken glass, dissolving into the mana around them. [Spell Reset has been detected] ¡­ [Spell Reset does not take effect] Aiden let out a sigh in relief. ¡°Sometimes,¡± the [Sage] said, ¡°the solution to the fight you find yourself in is past experience. Sometimes, it is the person you are fighting against. And sometimes it is the fight itself. Remember that.¡± Aiden looked at the [Sage] and tried his luck. ¡°Does that mean that I can go now?¡± The [Sage¡¯s] response surprised him. The old man raised a surprised brow. ¡°What gave you that idea?¡± Aiden opened his mouth, then he closed it. His lips parted once more but his mouth did not open. He was hoping to have a reasonable answer, but he had none except for the fact that he had hoped that he would be free to go now. ¡°We are almost done, child.¡± The [Sage] looked past Aiden and the mana seemed to tremble behind him. ¡°But we are not done.¡± Please there really shouldn¡¯t be a spell behind me. The [Sage] gestured at him with a free hand. ¡°Look at your arm, then defend yourself against the spell.¡± Aiden looked down at the arm and found more red. They weren¡¯t streaks this time. It was as if he had dipped his entire hand in red paint. More like someone scraped off the black on my arm. No matter what the reason was, each time he used the arm, it seemed like he lost some of the black color and it was replaced with red. ¡°Defend yourself.¡± Aiden reacted to the [Sage¡¯s] words. Knowing that he would not be coming to any harm now, the fastest way to get to Valdan was to satisfy the [Sage¡¯s] curiosity. The faster he satisfied it, the faster he could get to Valdan. Aiden turned and buried his arm into the spell construct. [Spell Reset has been detected] ¡­ [Spell Reset does not take effect] When the circle shattered, dissolving into nothingness once more, Aiden saw how exactly his hand reacted. Vein-like cracks spread up along the blackened arm, then they widened, revealing red on the inside. Then the black color peeled off, evaporating into the air. Now his arm was more red than black, and growing. The [Sage] stroked his beard. ¡°Interesting.¡± Aiden held his hand up, staring at it. Where the [Sage] saw interesting, all he saw was terrifying. The weight of the [Sage¡¯s] mana in the air dropped abruptly and the [Sage] turned away from him and began strolling. He waved a hand over his shoulder. ¡°You may go about your questionable endeavor, child.¡± Aiden shook his head, dispelling the worry about his arm. It was important, but right now, he needed to hurry and find Valdan. As the [Sage] walked forward in the opposite direction, the wall that had sealed off the exit, preventing Aiden from escaping simply reverted back to its original position, all without so much as a gesture from the [Sage]. ¡°You should ask yourself this,¡± the [Sage] said into his departure. ¡°What happens when the black is gone and all you have left is red?¡± As worrying as the question was, Aiden could not dwell on it. He ran quickly, taking a turn down the hall, following a whisp of the wind as it led him to Valdan. SEVENTY-FOUR: The Threshold Valdan stood with a sword covered in blood. Despite how many times he¡¯d swung it in an arc, he just couldn¡¯t get rid of the blood. Heaving, he took in his surroundings. The black sand was not stained with blood as he had expected. For some reason, the sand seemed to absorb all the blood. Whenever the blood touched the sand, it barely lasted long enough to be noticed, disappearing as if it had never been. However, while the sand absorbed the blood, it did not absorb the corpses. And five littered the ground. His stamina running terribly low, Valdan faced his remaining enemies. Taract stood with a half-burnt face, a sneer on his lips, and bleeding from a sword wound to the shoulder. Farog stood beside him with his glaive in hand. To Valdan¡¯s satisfaction, the man could barely hold it up. Finally was the woman named Enna. Valdan watched them warily. While his mana was running low, he surprisingly had more stamina than mana. His class wasn¡¯t very mana intensive but with all the moving around and ducking and dodging, he¡¯d expected to have less in that category. ¡°Farog dies next,¡± Valdan said simply. Farog¡¯s glaive wavered at Valdan¡¯s words. It¡¯s bladed tipped down, landing on the sand. The man tried to act it off as simply a different method of holding the weapon. But Valdan had been in enough fights to know that fear had weakened him further. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Taract said. ¡°Keep pretending to be alright. It will make your death sweeter.¡± Valdan kept his annoyance from his face. Taract was right. He was weak as well. Taract had found a gap in his defense and had driven one of his daggers into his side. And Farog had given him quite the terrible cut to his back. Valdan was still bleeding from both wounds, and his interface had informed him of his health stat dropping below forty-five percent not too long ago. Luckily for him none of the injuries were fatal. But they were injuries that would kill him if they were not healed early enough. I have to end this fast. ¡°I¡¯m out of mana,¡± Enna said suddenly. Judging from how heavily she was breathing, she was most likely significantly low on stamina as well. ¡°And you thought it was wise to announce that?¡± Taract asked in disgust. Enna shot him a glare. ¡°The knight should be out, too.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a knight,¡± Taract snorted. ¡°Out of mana just means that he doesn¡¯t have access to one of many weapons. Keep your head on straight.¡± Taract wasn¡¯t wrong. The truth was that what made a knight different from a normal soldier or even the citizens of Bandiv was simple. Most people, criminals and innocent alike, only knew how to fight with their skills. Children were not trained to fight before gaining their interface, and the average person was not strict enough or foolish enough to dedicate their time to learning how to fight without using their skills. Why? Because unless your life depended on it at all times, it was foolish. ¡°What if you run out of mana and can¡¯t use your skills?¡± Valdan had asked a soldier once upon a time when he¡¯d been younger. ¡°It only makes sense to learn it.¡± The soldier had sighed. ¡°What¡¯s your weaker arm?¡± Valdan had raised his left hand. ¡°And are you good with it?¡± the soldier had asked. At the time, Valdan had not been, and he had replied with the truth. ¡°No.¡± ¡°But what if you lose your right arm?¡± the soldier had asked. Valdan, knowing the question had been rhetorical, had given no answer. That conversation had summed up the reason people didn¡¯t learn to fight without their skills. Unless you lived a life that had you fighting against people every day, which was rare and mostly common among knights and soldiers, focusing on how to attain full combat capabilities without your skills was as important as learning how to use your weaker limb. And if for some reason you were an adventurer, there was still no reason to learn how to fight unarmed and without your skill. After all, what were you going to do when your skills ran out? Fight a monster with your bare hands? No. The inability to fight fully without skills, while not very smart, was not unreasonable. But right now, it seemed his opponents were suffering the ¡®not very smart¡¯ part of it. ¡°We should call a truce,¡± Farog said. ¡°None of us are in a condition to fight.¡± Taract turned an incredulous look on him. ¡°Did you already forget the reward for victory?¡± ¡°There is no reward if we die.¡± ¡°And you think the king is just going to let us walk free?¡± Taract asked, jabbing a disrespectful finger in Brandis¡¯ direction. Enna looked to the king before returning her attention to them. ¡°I¡¯d rather just go back to my cell,¡± she said, with a touch of fear in her voice. Taract scowled at his companions. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. This is why that fool looked down on us. This is why he only expected us to tire him out.¡± Fool? New worry sprouted to life in Valdan¡¯s heart. There¡¯s someone else. He didn¡¯t know if he had it in him to handle someone else. He was confident that he could kill the remaining three in front of him and escape a new enemy. But with no chance of escape left to him, he doubted escape would be possible. I have Aiden¡¯s technique. But even as the thought bubbled in his head, he knew that he barely had it. The technique took a lot of stamina from him. And right now, he wasn¡¯t even sure that he had enough mana to use the technique designed to face multiple opponents. ¡°All of us will fight here,¡± Taract said. ¡°And the knight will perish. Then we can go back to our lives of freedom.¡± ¡°And you believe the king will just let us be?¡± Farog asked in disbelief. ¡°I know what you did, Taract. Do you believe the king will allow a man like you free?¡± Taract smiled something dangerous. ¡°He swore a system-oath. He does not have a choice.¡± Valdan¡¯s jaw dropped. Just how deeply was the king willing to punish him? Just how deeply did the king want him dead? There was no one alive that did not know that you did not swear a system-oath so casually. It was madness. This is madness. ¡°I still say that we bargain,¡± Farog insisted. ¡°Sir knight, what say you?¡± Valdan had taken the slight reprieve to catch his breath. He had regained a small portion of his stamina, something too insignificant to truly matter. Still, he breathed less like a man about to pass out from a loss of stamina and more like a man who¡¯d just run a race and was preparing for the next one. ¡°What say me?¡± he asked with a voice as calm as he could muster. ¡°A truce,¡± Enna offered, supporting Farog to Taract¡¯s dismay. ¡°We call an end to it here. We go back to our life in prison and you go back to your life doing whatever you want.¡± ¡°This is madness!¡± Taract hissed. ¡°You would deny yourselves a chance at freedom?¡± Farog rounded on him, snatching him up by the fabric of his shirt with one hand. ¡°I will grant myself a chance at living!¡± Valdan took a deep breath and let it out. He still had enough mana for a few more skills. And, surprisingly enough, the whisps of yellow sword apparitions hadn¡¯t stopped blinking in and out of existence. He could still see them. He could still study them. But they held little of his attention now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said finally. Taract smiled in triumph. ¡°You heard the knight,¡± he said, laughing at Farog. ¡°He¡¯s sorry. He has no intentions of letting us live.¡± Valdan watched Farog and Enna¡¯s faces fall. ¡°Must we do this?¡± Enna asked. She gestured sharply at the corpses that littered the grounds. ¡°Must you continue trying to kill us? You know it makes you no better than the very people you put away for killing those weaker than them.¡± Enna had killed her family the moment she¡¯d gotten her class. Father, mother and brothers. Investigations had proven that they had not been a good family to her during her childhood. They had been¡­ terrible. A family not fit for any kind of child. During her capture, there had been debates about whether the massacre of her family had been justified. Perhaps she would not be in this situation if that had been her only crime. Unfortunately, she had gone on to become something of a vigilante, killing families of children she thought were being oppressed. Then she¡¯d gone the extra mile of killing families that did not stand up for their oppressed child, regardless of whether they could or not. So now here she was. ¡°I cannot allow you walk out of here alive,¡± Valdan said simply. ¡°It is not permitted.¡± ¡°Permitted by who?¡± Enna spat. ¡°Your king?¡± Valdan sighed. ¡°He is system sanctioned, child,¡± he said. ¡°He is the king of Bandiv.¡± Enna¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°Child?!¡± ¡°He called you a child,¡± Taract laughed. Enna was at least as old as Valdan. She¡¯d been killing for a very long time before she¡¯d been caught. From what he knew, she had skyrocketed to level forty-nine¡ªan impressive feat if you were not killing people¡ªin two years. Sadly, it took more than just killing to get to level fifty. In summary, she was not a child. I guess Lord Lacheart is rubbing off on me. ¡°You know what?¡± Enna snarled in anger. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy killing you.¡± With negotiations obviously at a failure, Valdan took his stance. ¡°Killing you will bring me no joy.¡± Taract looked at Farog who still had his shirt in his hand. ¡°Can you unhand me so we can achieve something useful here now?¡± With a frown, Farog released him. ¡°This isn¡¯t over,¡± Farog said. ¡°We will have words if we survive this.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Taract said, nonchalant. ¡°We really won¡¯t.¡± Farog frowned. ¡°We¡ª¡± Taract stabbed him in the jaw with one of his daggers. It was a straight path, the weapon¡¯s blade going in from beneath the mouth, under his jaw, to disappear into his head. Farog¡¯s eyes rolled up into the back of his head and the man life was gone. Enna jumped away, putting significant distance between him and her. ¡°What the hell?!¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Taract withdrew his blade and Farog¡¯s lifeless body crumpled to the ground. ¡°And then there were three.¡± Valdan could not say that he was surprised. Trusting Taract was one of the worst things a fellow human being could possibly do in their lifetime. ¡°Control your fear, Enna,¡± Taract said, casually cleaning the blade of his dagger on his pants. ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you.¡± Valdan took the moment to look up at Brandis. His king seemed completely unbothered by what was happening. Instead, King Brandis had a thoughtful finger against his mouth while he stared at Valdan. Something beyond Valdan¡¯s understanding was going on and it worried him that King Brandis was not bothered by whatever was happening here. Elaswit, however, looked visibly appalled. ¡­ ¡°What is the meaning of this, father?¡± Elaswit demanded. ¡°Why are you doing this to Sir Valdan?¡± ¡°Because he was dishonest. Disloyal.¡± Her father didn¡¯t seem in the slightest bit bothered. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± she told him. ¡°You lie to Derenet, but don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°First of all,¡± her father¡¯s finger remained against his lips as he spoke, ¡°I do not lie to your brother. I keep secrets from him. There¡¯s a difference.¡± ¡°And me?¡± Her father spared her a brief glance. ¡°I keep secrets from you, too, Witty.¡± As much as Elaswit loved her father¡¯s nickname for her, she disliked it when he called her by it in public. But that wasn¡¯t what this was about. Her annoyance could wait. ¡°I can see your foot tapping like a dancer, father,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Something is afoot.¡± Her father glanced down, and his foot stopped tapping. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. ¡°Something is afoot? Because my foot was tapping? Good one, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± Elaswit¡¯s displeasure deepened. Despite what her father said, a play on words had not been her intention. ¡°What are you doing to Sir Valdan, father?¡± she demanded. ¡°This is not like you. And Aiden will not be happy to find out. What happens if he barges in here?¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart will not suddenly barge in here,¡± her father said casually, while Valdan and the two men and the woman remaining in the arena continued to face off against each other. ¡°He does not know of this place.¡± ¡°Aiden knows far more than we give him credit for,¡± Elaswit pointed out. Her father took his finger from his lips. ¡°You are right. He has always proven to be quite¡­ resourceful. Too resourceful. Almost as if someone¡­¡± he shook his head as if dispelling the thought. ¡°No. It¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Maybe your ¡®advisor¡¯ has been telling him things,¡± Elaswit suggested, knowing very well that she was being derailed from the initial problem. ¡°You and I both know that he is not my ¡®advisor.¡¯¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t tell me what he is.¡± This time, her father turned his head to look at her. ¡°Maybe if you inherit the crown, you¡¯ll get to know, as I did.¡± Elaswit frowned. She didn¡¯t want the crown. Now more than ever. Looking away from her, her father let out a tired sigh, placing his finger back to his lips. Elaswit knew what he wanted to say and really hoped that he would not. ¡°What the hell?¡± Elaswit gasped as one of the men in the arena stabbed the other in the head. Down in the arena, Valdan turned and looked up at them, unbothered by what had just happened in front of him. ¡°Why is this happening, father?¡± Elaswit asked. Her demanding tone was gone now. In its place was the worry she¡¯d had for Valdan since the beginning. The same worry she¡¯d had when he¡¯d been cut, burnt, and stabbed. The same worry she¡¯d had as he¡¯d taken life after life. ¡°There¡¯s no way Valdan deserves this,¡± she pressed. ¡°Not for something as simple as dishonesty.¡± Her father said nothing. He simply watched the arena with squinted eyes, as if seeing something he was trying to decipher. Terrifyingly enough, the man who had just killed his companion was also the one who had given Valdan the hardest time in the entire fight. ¡°Stop this, father,¡± Elaswit pleaded. ¡°If you do this, you will make an enemy of Aiden Lacheart.¡± ¡°I am doing this because of Aiden Lacheart.¡± ¡°How?¡± In the arena, the remaining man and woman went after Valdan. Unlike what had happened for most of the fight, skills did not fly. The arena did not grow slightly colorful in any way. They used nothing but their weapons, surviving as best they could. Valdan stood his ground. The lady fought like a savage beast who had surrendered herself to the truth of death. The man smiled as he darted in and out of Valdan¡¯s reach, trying and failing to land a blow while escaping Valdan¡¯s sword by the skin of his teeth. ¡°Lord Lacheart is at level forty-nine, Witty,¡± her father said. ¡°Level forty-nine. He has become Valdan¡¯s equal in level, and Valdan believes that his skills are significantly superior to his peers. We¡¯ve even seen it firsthand. What do you think that means?¡± ¡°That we have a powerful ally,¡± Elaswit said, knowing that it was the wrong answer. ¡°That is an honest way to look at it,¡± her father said. ¡°Sadly, all it means is that Aiden Lacheart is powerful, not that we have a powerful ally. And of everybody walking upon the face of Nastild, Sir Valdan is the only one he trusts. The only one that can keep him in check.¡± A part of Elaswit¡¯s heart dropped at her father¡¯s words. Even though she knew it to be true, a part of her had always hoped that she would¡¯ve succeeded in becoming Aiden¡¯s friend. What Aiden did not know was that before she had spoken to him, she had met with the rest of the summoned. He had only been the last to meet her because his situation was special, different from that of his peers, and she did not want to do anything to put her on the bad side of her father and his advisor. And very much unlike Aiden, the other summoned had treated her as any subject would treat a princess. All of them except Lord Lacheart the older. For some reason, he¡¯d treated her as a nuisance. Elaswit gestured at the fight. ¡°What does Sir Valdan keeping him in check have to do with this?¡± ¡°In a few months, Aiden will be significantly more powerful than Sir Valdan,¡± her father said. ¡°When that happens, who will keep Aiden in check?¡± ¡°You will allocate another knight to him.¡± The answer was quite simple. But her father shook his head. ¡°To do that will be to tell him that we wish to keep him in check. Aiden might not be an ally, but he is definitely not an enemy. If he finds out that we are trying to keep him in check, he will become an enemy. We do not want that.¡± ¡°So you kill his friend?¡± Her father turned to her with a very fond smile. ¡°You remind me of myself from when I was younger. Simple, straight to the point. The political machinations your mother has led me to understand, absent in your eyes." He paused. "I miss it.¡± Then he placed a soft hand on her face. ¡°You are my daughter.¡± And mother wishes to make me just like her. ¡°Father,¡± Elaswit pressed. Her father took his hand from her face as Valdan cleaved the right arm of the woman from her body. Her arm went flying and the black sand absorbed the blood that sprayed from the injury as quickly as it dropped. The woman panicked, dragging herself across the ground. There was terror in her eyes as she tried to survive. Valdan¡¯s expression was empty. There was no pity on his face as he turned his attention on his other opponent. Even now, nobody used a skill. Elaswit knew that it was because none of them had the mana for it. ¡°There are three types of people who step upon the threshold of level fifty,¡± her father said suddenly, eyes returning to Valdan¡¯s struggle against one man with two daggers. ¡°There are those who meditate upon it, learn it as one learns to control their emotions, picking and choosing what affects them and what does not. Then there are those who fight and struggle and push and pull. Those who only step upon it, kicking and screaming covered in someone else¡¯s blood¡­ something else¡¯s blood.¡± He fell silent as suddenly as he had started talking. His eyes remained on Valdan, and Elaswit had a feeling her father wasn¡¯t watching the fight. He was watching Valdan. Only Valdan. ¡°He fights differently,¡± her father mused. Impatient, Elaswit pressed for more information. ¡°And the third kind of people that reach level fifty?¡± Her father blinked, as if having forgotten the conversation only to be reminded. ¡°The third are like your uncle,¡± he said. ¡°Those who will themselves into the level. They realize that it is time to reach level fifty and they simple level up. They will the Manifesting Skill into being.¡± ¡°And how did you get to level fifty?¡± ¡°Valdan believes that he has no talent, stuck trying to get into level fifty for the longest time,¡± her father continued, ignoring her question. ¡°But the truth is that his problem lies elsewhere. Since the arrival of the summoned, he has spent most of his time thinking and planning on how best to test Lord Lacheart. How best to grow him. The littlest time left to himself is spent training and trying to push himself into level fifty.¡± He smiled softly. ¡°That is why he hasn¡¯t stepped upon that threshold.¡± It felt sick and twisted to believe what she thought her father was trying to say. ¡°So this is all to get him to level fifty?¡± ¡°It is the path we walk, my child. The path of blood and rage. Valdan is still at level forty-nine because he hasn¡¯t fought so hard that his life depends on it in a long time.¡± He looked at her. ¡°His body has not seen what it can do when pushed beyond its limits.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t pushing his body beyond its limits, father!¡± Elaswit objected even though she knew she was wrong. She just couldn¡¯t stand the barbarism on display in front of her. People being forced to kill each other when they did not have to. A gasp escaped her lips when Valdan¡¯s opponent slipped beneath one of his sword swings and stabbed him in the side, just below the ribs. Valdan let out a pained grunt that echoed through the entire amphitheater as he dropped to his knees. His opponent tried to pull his dagger free, but Valdan grabbed his wrist with one arm and punched him in the face with the other. The blow sent his opponent staggering and falling to the ground, leaving his weapon in Valdan¡¯s side. Valdan rose to his feet. He let out a terrifying roar as he pulled the dagger from his side. Heaving terribly, covered in far too much blood, he tossed the dagger to the side, far away from him and his opponent. ¡°He must want to live,¡± Elaswit¡¯s father said to no one. He could as well be speaking to himself. ¡°He must crave it. And if he has no will to live, then he must have the desire to outlive the enemies in front of him. He must reach from the brink of death to seize his enemy by the throat and pull him down first.¡± Elaswit felt nothing but disappointment and sadness. ¡°That¡¯s dark.¡± ¡°We walk a path covered in blood and death, Witty. As bright as we make things seem, our lives are ultimately dark." Her father let out a sad sigh. "Our duty is to find beauty in the darkness.¡± In the arena, Valdan raised his sword one more time against his opponent. ¡°Why?!¡± his opponent asked in confused rage. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just die!?¡± Valdan¡¯s only response to him was silence. If Valdan had words, he could not say them. Nothing of what was happening felt like her father. Elaswit knew this as surely as she knew her youngest brother had a terrifying mind. ¡°This was not your idea,¡± she blurted out to her father, knowing it to be true. ¡°You would not think of doing such a thing.¡± Her father smiled sadly but said nothing. ¡°This was mother¡¯s idea,¡± Elaswit pressed. ¡°She¡¯s always the one concocting terrifying schemes. Schemes that bank on the heartless. And if not her, then it will be your advisor¡­ but it can¡¯t be him. He doesn¡¯t care about someone as ¡®insignificant as a [Knight of the Crown]¡¯.¡± The day Elaswit had heard the old man say those words had been the day she¡¯d understood that he was far more than just an advisor. No one honestly called a [Knight of the Crown] insignificant and meant it. Not even her mother. And her mother found a lot of things to be insignificant. Her father leaned forward suddenly with a frown on his lips, and Elaswit turned just in time to watch Valdan pierce his sword into the heart of his opponent. He pushed it in slowly, with much strain. It was a sign of how low his stamina or his health was running. Valdan stood over his opponent, as his blade forced the man to his knees. Blood spilled from the man¡¯s lips as he looked up at Valdan with a terrified and bloody smile. Valdan stared into the man¡¯s eyes as he pushed down on his sword with both hands, forcing the blade until it burst from the man¡¯s back and pierce the sand. ¡°You may have won this battle,¡± the man said in his dying moments. ¡°But I have made sure that you will not win this war.¡± When he died, he simply went limp, held up by the friction of Valdan¡¯s blade against his insides. ¡°He didn¡¯t achieve it,¡± Elaswit¡¯s father said, his voice drowning in worry. ¡°He didn¡¯t reach level fifty.¡± He was leaning so far forward that his only options were to either get up or fall off his chair. ¡°Your plan failed?¡± she asked. Her father¡¯s brows were wrinkled with worry, his eyes wide with disbelief. ¡°But it¡¯s right there,¡± he muttered. ¡°How has he not grabbed it. It¡¯s staring right at him.¡± ¡°Tell him.¡± ¡°If I tell him, it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Well, the fight is over,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to find another way to get him there. Preferably, something more humane.¡± Her father shook his head. The motion was so slow that it became gravely ominous. ¡°The fight is not over.¡± Elaswit stared at her father. ¡°What did you do, dad?¡± Her father¡¯s face fell in resignation, and he sat back, defeated. ¡°What I thought I had to.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, you can still¡ª¡± A voice pierced the silence of the death that had enveloped the arena. It was calm yet carried over the entire space even without the sound enchantments that normally conveyed sounds to those who sat higher up the amphitheater. It was gentle as well. Gentle but cocky. ¡°So, this is what has become of you, Valdan of the slums.¡± Elaswit looked at her father in horror. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°What was necessary.¡± Her father sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. He sounded like a man who had made a mistake. Then he spoke again, muttering to himself. ¡°What have I done?¡± Elaswit could not remember a time when her father had ever sounded as unsure of himself as he did in this very moment. The realization was dawning on him as Elaswit watched Derendoff, former [Knight], and attempted murderer of Aiden Lacheart, walk into the arena, great sword in hand. Derendoff held the great sword casually to the side, watching. He stepped forward, his feet carrying him slowly. He studied Valdan. ¡°I can¡¯t believe these halflings brought you down to this state.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I always told the king that you were not worthy of the title he had given you. The title of [Knight], I could understand. A child from the slums elevating to become a knight? It¡¯s a good motivational story for others from the slums. But a [Knight of the Crown], a title even I did not possess?¡± he scoffed. ¡°It was disgusting. And now, here you are, proving my point.¡± Derendoff looked to the stands, to Elaswit and her father. ¡°But he is still king,¡± he continued. ¡°Despite his flaws and weaknesses, he alone is king.¡± Valdan kept his eyes on Derendoff as he pulled his sword from the corpse of the man he¡¯d killed. ¡°Is this why you are here?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°To kill me out of jealousy? Is this why you waited to have me weakened before showing your face?¡± Derendoff sighed. He gestured to himself. ¡°Level fifty-eight.¡± He gestured at Valdan. ¡°Level forty-nine, because I do not believe that you have what it takes to cross the threshold. Believe me, I did not need to weaken you. I simply did not fight with them because they were nothing but lesser things than I am. I will not stoop so low.¡± Valdan nodded slowly as if he understood, then he shook his head. ¡°Ever so blinded by your own hubris.¡± Derendoff scowled, then schooled his expression. ¡°You have allowed your title get to your head. A sad thing. Still, you did hold the title, even if you did not deserve it.¡± ¡°And what does that mean?¡± ¡°It means that,¡± Derendoff stabbed his sword in the ground, ¡°even if you are not deserving of it, I will end your life with the strongest skill I have. I will show you what a Manifesting skill looks like. Go to the gods, knowing what you could not achieve.¡± Elaswit turned and grabbed her father¡¯s arm. ¡°Father, stop this!¡± ¡°I cannot.¡± It was all the answer he could give. ¡°I swore an oath. I thought he could do it. I thought¡­¡± Elaswit turned her attention back on Valdan. In his state, he could not win against a [Knight] above level fifty. I have to stop this. Elaswit stared at the arena. But how? Derendoff, for all his faults, would not kill a child of the king. The problem was about how quickly she could get to them. Derendoff raised his hand to the sky, fingers splayed. ¡°Goodbye, Valdan.¡± To Elaswit¡¯s surprise, Valdan did not look scared. He pulled himself to his full height, took in a deep calming breath and said, ¡°I guess all things come to an end.¡± Then he took his stance. Elaswit¡¯s father sat forward suddenly, confusion and shock on his face. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Valdan stood, his center slightly lowered. He had his legs placed firmly beneath him and held his sword back and away, sword arm extended behind him. It was a stance Elaswit had only ever seen on one person. Aiden Lacheart. What do you plan on doing, Sir Valdan? Derendoff held his hand to the sky and fixed Valdan with a condescending gaze. One word left his lips, and it heralded everything else. ¡°Come.¡± Bleeding and dying, Valdan moved, vanishing from Elaswit''s sight. SEVENTY-FIVE: Knights Judgement Today, he would live or he would die. Valdan knew this. There were no conversations to be had, no philosophical ramblings. Every day was a day a person could live or die, but every day is not a day that a person is so visually aware of it. Valdan lowered his stance, solidified his footing as best he could. His stamina was low but he refused to check on it. He refused to blind his determination with what it truly was. Knowing it was more than he needed would lead him to make a mistake. Knowing it was less than he needed would lead him to despair. And he could not despair, not now. Not when the man who had tried to kill Aiden Lacheart for no more reason than the fact that Aiden was strong and resourceful. Valdan had needed to make sure that all the enemies that had been stacked against him had not been freed from their shackles. It was the reason he had killed them. With his sword held back and away from him, in Aiden¡¯s favored stance, Valdan knew one thing for sure. The others had needed to die because he could not allow them to be free. Derendoff, however, needed to die because Valdan wanted him dead. Derendoff held his hand to the sky and fixed Valdan with a condescending gaze. One word left his lips, and it heralded everything else. ¡°Come.¡± Valdan moved. Bleeding and dying, [Dash] carried him across the distance. But just before the world warped around him, he caught Derendoff¡¯s eyes widen in confusion, then fear. And as Valdan moved, he prayed to the gods that even if he died here, Derendoff would at least lose an arm. So that the person that kills him will not have to struggle too much. But Valdan knew that it wouldn¡¯t happen. He wasn¡¯t that strong. When he came to a stop a single step past Derendoff, he was not rewarded with the sound of a man crying out or grunting in pain. He was rewarded with the sound of steel clashing. Derendoff had stabbed his sword in the ground and wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, so there was no way it was possible. As confusing as it was, Valdan did not dwell on it. He did not allow himself to be distracted as he threw his entire focus into the technique. He spun, swinging his sword in an upward arc. Valdan felt the familiar resistance that came with blade cutting through flesh and was rewarded with Derendoff¡¯s grunt of pain. Faster, Valdan told himself, feet carrying him once more, moving him. His sword stabbed a precise hole in Derendoff¡¯s thigh, but he knew that the wound was too shallow as his sword came back, poised for Valdan¡¯s neck. The final blow, the killing blow, never landed. It never connected. Once more, as he thrust forward, Valdan was greeted with the clashing of steel. The blow sent him swaying to the side and once more, his interface gave him no notification. Not one rewarding his attempt at executing a technique. Not one informing him that he had failed to execute a technique. Then a foot kicked him in the side and sent him flying. Valdan rolled through the sand, his sword still firmly held in his hand. Every knight knew that you did not release your weapon unless it was part of the plan. Not even in death. ¡°You fucking wretch!¡± Derendoff¡¯s voice hissed through the arena. ¡°You disgrace of a [Knight]!¡± Valdan pushed himself up. He stabbed his sword into the ground and leveraged on it to push himself up to his feet. Standing as he was, with enough strength to topple over from the force of a gust of wind, Valdan settled his attention on Derendoff. A reproachful smile touched his lips at what he saw. That explains the sound of steel. Derendoff stood there with his claymore in one hand. At some point between Valdan moving towards him and meeting him, Derendoff had abandoned his bravado and pride to reach for his sword. It was arguably what had saved his life. I would¡¯ve won, Valdan thought with an odd sense of calm. I would¡¯ve won. It was an odd thing, the sense of calm that washed over him. To know that he had given it his all in his final moments, to know that he had gone out fighting. He held his arms out to the side and basked in the soft air in the arena. It smelled of blood and death and iron. It smelled like the life he had always lived. ¡°I will give you no honor!¡± Derendoff spat and pointed his sword at Valdan. ¡°You took my blessing and spat in my face. You will die no better than a useless abandoned creature.¡± A spiral of wind appeared at the point of Derendoff¡¯s blade. It grew violent, spinning at an increasing pace. Then its force increased until the spiral engulfed the entire blade and his outstretched arm. Valdan knew the skill and what it was capable of doing. Forgive me, Melvet, he thought, eyes closing in resignation. There was no more fight left in him. I cannot come home to you. I canno¡ª Derendoff struck. A blast of piercing wind like the point of a lance shot through the distance, primed for Valdan¡¯s head. Valdan¡¯s eyes shot open. NO! He moved. His sword arm shot up from beside him. Bracing for impact, he supported the blade of his sword with his other hand. Derendoff¡¯s skill struck the flat of his blade with a terrible force. Valdan leaned into the skill with all the strength he could muster. Once upon a time he had been more than happy to die at the king¡¯s words. But not anymore. Not now. He wasn¡¯t ready to die. He needed to love Melvet until the day she died, give her the life she had always dreamed of. He needed to guide Aiden so that the pompous boy didn¡¯t let his power get to his head. Valdan pushed against the skill, leaning his sword slowly to the side as he did. Sparks flew from the flat of his blade where the skill met his sword. But no matter how much he pushed, the skill did not budge. I don¡¯t remember it being this strong, he thought, knowing the skill wasn¡¯t any stronger than he remembered. He was simply weaker. Valdan¡¯s muscles tightened as he put his back into sending the skill to the side and a roar spilled from his lips, loud enough to encase the entire arena. In the end, he found success. His sword tilted to the side and the skill diverted, blasting a hole in the ground to the side and sending a bout of sand flying. Valdan staggered back, barely keeping himself on his feet. There was a strong focus in his eyes now, a will to not die. Before him, Derendoff stood with his sword, unimpressed. ¡°All that, just to survive a simple skill.¡± He swung his sword in a simple sword slash. It cut through the air, leaving a wind arc that shot forward. For Valdan, dodging it was easy. He simply allowed his weakness to take him and dropped to a knee. Where the attack would¡¯ve taken his head, it cut through the air just above it. ¡°Sloppy,¡± Derendoff said with an air of boredom. ¡°With the thing you did just a moment ago, I thought you still had some fight left in you.¡± Valdan looked up at him. ¡°Goading me, Derendoff?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not worth goading.¡± Derendoff cocked his head to the side. ¡°If I wanted to goad anyone on this matter, it would be the king. But unlike you, I am loyal.¡± Valdan¡¯s gaze sharpened on him even in his confusion and Derendoff laughed. ¡°What?¡± Derendoff placed the point of his sword to the ground and rested his hands on the pommel. ¡°You assumed that I would not know why you¡¯ve been sent to me, the executioner? Please, Valdan. Your title as [Knight of the Crown] is nothing but that, a title. It does not make you special.¡± Valdan pushed himself to his feet and held his sword out in front of him. ¡°You talk too much.¡± Derendoff shook his head in resigned dismay. ¡°And you are a waste of my time.¡± Then he disappeared in a blur of movement. Valdan turned to his side and raised his sword. The sound of clashing metals rang, sparks were sent flying as his sword met Derendoff¡¯s and he was thrown off the ground. Even weakened as he was, Valdan landed on his feet. He staggered back, once, then twice, before finding his footing. But he was no novice to being oppressed. His sword was already up once more, protecting himself from death. He won¡¯t go for vitals, Valdan thought as he parried another blow, sparks flying, him staggering. Derendoff had gone for his shoulder, trying to impale him. Valdan switched stances as he staggered. He held his sword in both hands, anticipated a missing Derendoff. ¡°Weak!¡± Derendoff¡¯s voice echoed a moment before he reappeared. Valdan ignored the goading, turned with the sound of the voice. He slipped backwards intentionally, careening straight into Derendoff as the [Knight] appeared behind him with a sword raised high for a downward slash. Their bodies collided. Valdan handled it as if he was backing into a wall, knowing very well that he did not have the strength required to send Derendoff flying from simple impact. Still, the action disrupted the [Knight¡¯s] attack, and Valdan spun around Derendoff, sword aimed to take him under the armpit. When Derendoff parried, Valdan was not surprised. What surprised him, however, was in the opening he saw when Derendoff parried. Left thigh. All [Knights] were taught that in a fight, even when you had the upper hand, you do not leave any opening. Attacking or defending, you were meant to be an impenetrable fort. A golden apparition of a sword appeared very briefly at Derendoff¡¯s thigh. Crackling with yellow lightning, it slashed at the thigh, delivering a shallow cut. Derendoff¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as a slow trickle of blood stained his pants. His eyes went down to his thigh, confused. Valdan capitalized on his moment of distraction and struck once more. Sadly, the element of surprise was not on his side. Derendoff turned, caught his strike with a one-handed swing of his own sword, then punched Valdan in the face.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The blow connected properly with Valdan¡¯s jaw and sent him staggering. But Derendoff did not capitalize on the new opportunity. Instead, he stopped to give his thigh his attention. A frown marred his brows. ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± Valdan said nothing in response. His vision was blurry, and he was having a difficult time focusing. He was losing a lot of blood. It spilled terribly from the stab wound Taract had delivered to his side. He was tired. So terribly tired. All he wanted to do was lie down, to rest. Was it too much to ask? Could he really be given no time to just rest his head. His grip on his sword waned ever so slightly. Instincts honed over years of training and surviving made his hand tighten on the weapon. But it was oh so heavy. I will be light if I just put it down, he thought. As if designed against his own thoughts, his hand tightened around the hilt of the sword in rebellion. A [Knight] did not drop their weapon unless it would lead to the death of the enemy or the battle was done. Valdan focused on the shape of Derendoff standing before him. Vision still blurry, this was how he was going to fight. But he was not alone. The swords of gold, apparitions of an unknown skill, exerted their presence around them. They hovered around Derendoff, flickering in and out of reality. One went for his thigh then vanished. Another went for his eye then vanished. One went for his sword then vanished. They teased at possible decisions, possible actions. They teased at the future. Derendoff moved. Valdan raised his sword to defend himself but he was too slow. His body did not respond as it was supposed to. Blood loss and fatigue swore to make him lose as Derendoff¡¯s angry blade came down on him once more. Move! Valdan begged his body. By the gods! Move! His hands came halfway up when a muffled clang erupted at his head. Looking up, he caught the sight of Derendoff¡¯s weapon being blown back. The [Knight¡¯s] sword sent askew in it¡¯s attack. Derendoff scowled as he redirected his blow, bringing it back once more with the strength and speed of the healthy. Valdan pushed all his effort into his swinging hand and parried the new blow. The force of the impact as blades met jarred his hand and he felt the pain all the way up to his shoulder. Blood squirted from the injury in his side and splashed against the floor. Derendoff must¡¯ve seen it because he delivered a swift kick into the injury. Valdan roared in pain as he was sent flying. He crashed into the ground, tumbling and rolling across a distance. But he did not stay down, he would not. As he pushed himself back up, he noticed how he had left no trail of blood. The sand has claimed it all. It was a funny thing to know that even as he was dying, he was leaving no evidence of his own demise. The only proof that I was here will be my corpse, he thought, forcing himself to his feet. How saddening. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just die?¡± Derendoff hissed, venom in his tone. ¡°Death does not walk with you, Derendoff.¡± Valdan staggered into an awkward stance, center low, feet as firm as they could be, and sword held to his back in one hand, pointing away. ¡°You have not earned my life.¡± Derendoff hesitated, seeing his stance. ¡°Do you think that trick will work twice? Is this your last resort?¡± Valdan couldn¡¯t help the bloody smile that stained his lips. ¡°We all need to have tricks.¡± His hold on his sword tightened and he prepared himself. This would probably be his last attack. He knew what he had told Derendoff. Death did not walk with him, and he had not earned his life. But it was all nonsense. People died, and people killed people. That was all there was to it. And sometimes, no matter how hard you worked, and how much will you had, life just wasn¡¯t fair. Sometimes you clawed your way up from the brink of death only to find death waiting for you at the top. Sometimes we simply die. Valdan let out a tired breath. But it doesn¡¯t mean that we can¡¯t leave our mark in death. Lord Lacheart, this one is for you. Valdan tightened his stance once more. He focused, and a golden blade appeared in the air before him. It aimed itself at Derendoff¡¯s thigh. To Valdan¡¯s surprise, Derendoff¡¯s eyes moved from him in shock to settle on the blade. ¡°Impossible,¡± the [Knight] muttered. ¡°You can¡¯t be doing this.¡± Another blade appeared behind him, aimed for his back. Derendoff turned to look at it, turning back to Valdan almost immediately. Both swords were too far away for him to be able to do anything about them, after all. ¡°Do you think that this will save you?¡± Derendoff spat. Valdan ignored him as another sword apparition appeared, aiming for Derendoff¡¯s left thigh. When the last one came to life, Valdan knew that it was the last. It aimed perfectly at Derendoff¡¯s neck. Strike true. Sometimes, even with death staring you in the face, there was nothing else that was left to do but fight until the end. [Congratulations!] [You have earned a Manifesting Skill!] [You have earned Manifesting Skill Knight¡¯s Judgement] [Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!] [Level 49 --> 50] [You are now Level 50] ¡­ [Knight¡¯s Judgement] The knight is his own sense of justice. Manifesting their own rage, they envelop the area with their will to defeat their enemy. A verdict is given and their paths to victory is chosen. Valdan stared at the notification with a gentle smile. If he died, he would at least die knowing that he crossed the threshold. Derendoff staggered back in rage or terror, Valdan did not know, and he did not care. ¡°Impossible!¡± the [Knight] spat once more. ¡°You cannot be doing this.¡± But I am. Sword still in hand, Derendoff raised his second hand to the sky, fingers splayed violently, palm open, demanding. Valdan moved. His interface lit up as [Dash] carried him all the way to Derendoff before the [Knight] could do whatever it was that he wanted to do. [You have used Manifesting Skill Knight¡¯s Judgement] He appeared next to Derendoff and swung his blade. He felt the resistance of flesh as he tore a terrible wound in the [Knight¡¯s] arm. As he did so, the sword aimed at Derendoff¡¯s thigh struck true, stabbing through the thigh. The one behind him slashed his back in the same moment, the blades moving as one. Then the one aimed for his neck fizzled out and Valdan tipped forward uselessly. [You do not have sufficient mana] ¡­ [Manifesting Skill Knight¡¯s Judgement does not take effect] ¡­ [You have fallen into a state of mana fatigue] A self-deprecating smile caressed Valdan¡¯s lips as he fell forward. Touche. He hit the ground in a silent thud. Derendoff turned, blood dripping from his arm where Valdan had cut him. Every other part of him that had been struck by the sword apparitions were left unharmed, and the swords were gone, nowhere to be seen. ¡°Until the end,¡± Derendoff said, panting from terror and not fatigue, ¡°a dog will claw and claw.¡± He dropped his raised hand and held his sword with both hands. He raised it for a final blow. ¡°Die with that compliment, Sir Valdan.¡± Valdan closed his eyes, left with the embracing memory of Melvet. Her soft and gentle face. Her soft pink lips that promised even the greatest sinners of the beauty of the world smiled at him as she always did. Valdan felt nothing but peace and it surprised him. This was one way to go. The only woman he had ever truly loved left him with the peaceful gift of a smile as Derendoff¡¯s sword came down. ¡­ What have I done? Brandis stared down at the arena, helpless as Derendoff insulted Valdan with every swing of his sword. He stared, unable to do anything because of some stupid system oath as Valdan suffered a punishment he did not deserve. Beside him, his only daughter, Elaswit, sat at the edge of her seat, hand gripping the edge of the armrest in rage. He had brought her here to learn something that would grow her in the right direction, to learn discipline and the need to do what had to be done. Instead, she was witnessing the darkness that came with making the wrong decision. If she had ever wanted the crown, there was no way she would want it now. The sound of something breaking erupted from one of the seats as Valdan took the same odd stance he had taken the first time Derendoff had stepped out. It was an odd stance that only made sense if you had a shield. Witty, he thought, knowing that he was in no place to reprimand her. You need to learn control. You cannot go breaking¡ª His thoughts ended when his hand came up with a piece of his armrest. And guilt weighed down on him as he watched a bleeding Valdan, barely able to keep himself on his feet, take his last stand. He, as King, had sent an innocent man to his death. Guilt settled on his heart and it had never been so heavy. Then the strangest thing happened. A sword of gold appeared above Valdan, crackling with the yellow lightning that often came with Valdan¡¯s skills. Then another appeared, all aimed for Derendoff. He¡¯s done it. But even as hope swelled in Brandis¡¯ heart as more swords appeared, one appearing even behind Derendoff, it died just as easily. Derendoff was of a higher level than Valdan. And he was also strong in this moment, unlike Valdan who stood facing death. It will not be enough. Brandis knew it as surely as he knew that his daughter would never forgive him for what happened here. ¡°Impossible!¡± Derendoff spat, raising his hand to the sky to use his own Manifesting Skill. ¡°You cannot be doing this.¡± But Brandis knew that he was wrong. Valdan, in his final moments, had crossed the threshold. He had reached level fifty. Valdan moved and his sword cut a line across Derendoff¡¯s arm. The swords of gold hovering in the air moved in tandem as Valdan¡¯s blow landed. One pierced Derendoff¡¯s thigh and Elaswit ripped off her armrest in anticipation of whatever would come next. When the other sword came down on Derendoff¡¯s back, Brandis heard a voice from beside him. ¡°Would you like to save him?¡± He recognized the [Sage¡¯s] voice the moment he heard it. He also knew that the man was not talking to him. Valdan¡¯s final golden sword fizzled out of existence before it stabbed Derendoff in the neck and Valdan fell forward like a log of wood. Fate was always a cruel companion, taking hope in the last moments. ¡°Mana fatigue,¡± Brandis found himself saying in resignation as Valdan hit the sand, raising a small cloud of black dust. Elaswit turned her head to the [Sage] immediately. ¡°I want to save him!¡± The [Sage] stood beside her, like an unmoving mountain in his simple robe and flowing beard. He held a sword out in his hand to Elaswit, hilt pointed to her. It was a massive cleaver, wider than any cleaver had a right to be and as long as any long great sword. Yet, he held it casually by the blade as if he held a twig. ¡°Then save him,¡± he said. He was giving her hope where there was none, possibly trying to teach her something painful. Elaswit snatched the cleaver and was already moving without thought. But Brandis knew that she wouldn¡¯t make it. She wasn¡¯t fast enough, nowhere near it. And even if she was, she wasn¡¯t strong enough. Nowhere near it. For the umpteenth time since taking his seat, Brandis asked himself as simple question. What have I done? ¡°Save the poor child,¡± the [Sage] said to Elaswit as she moved from her seat, then placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°And hurry.¡± Geometric circles appeared above her as Derendoff raised his sword over Valdan in the arena. Then Elaswit was gone, vanished into thin air. In the blink of an eye, she was standing in the arena, but she was still far away from Derendoff and Valdan, too far away. But it didn¡¯t matter. Brandis knew his daughter. She was often very controlled, but the truth was that she had anger issues. If she didn¡¯t save Valdan, she would clash swords with Derendoff. Brandis left his seat only for a terrifyingly heavy weight to settle on his shoulder. The [Sage] was suddenly beside him, pinning him to his chair with a single hand on his shoulder. ¡°The oath of a king has far more power than the oath of a simple man.¡± The [Sage] looked down at him with a warning in his eyes. ¡°You will not break your oath King Brandis, Fourth of his name. Not even for the gods.¡± ¡­ One moment Elaswit was in the stands and the next she was in the arena surrounded by corpses and death and Valdan about to be executed. She¡¯d never liked her father¡¯s advisor, but she was more than willing to forgive him for everything she hated him for in this moment. He had sent her straight to the arena, but she was still too far away to save Valdan. Then her eyes widened as she realized what the advisor had done. In typical fashion befitting of him, he had once again done something terrible. This time, he had done it to her. He had shown her what it means to have something you want so desperately right in front of you and still fail because she was just a little too far away and her only ranged skill could just as easily kill Valdan if it got to Derendoff in time. The old bastard had shown her what it meant to despair. Her hold on her sword slackened. This was not what she wanted for herself. This was not the kind of life she wanted to willingly leave. As her cleaver fell from her grip in defeat, she promised herself that she would be gone from the castle the moment the morning sun came up. Anywhere was better than here, a home guided by the terrifying heartlessness of an old man. Her cleaver hit the ground at the same time the point of Derendoff¡¯s blade came down on Valdan¡¯s neck. Then the air exploded beside Derendoff, sending the former knight flying through the arena like a tossed doll. He slammed violently into one of the walls that encased the space, raising black dust. As he dropped to the ground Elaswit turned her head and paled in terror. She wasn¡¯t sure why she was afraid, all she knew was that she was afraid. At the second entrance to the arena, the one Derendoff had walked in through, Lord Aiden Lacheart stood. He held a sword scabbard in his hand and nothing else. Clad in his odd long flowing jacket, he carried an empty expression on his face. He stood where he was, saying nothing. Slowly, his eyes took in the entire arena. With a calculated emptiness that was terrifying to see on a face so young, he took in the corpses. His gaze moved over Elaswit last, but he ignored her as if she did not exist. When his attention finally landed on Valdan, he showed his first expression. It was an expression Elaswit had never seen on him before. Rage. It twisted his face until there was something unholy about him, something chilling. His jaw hardened. His eyes grew frighteningly hollow. He raised his only free hand and held its palm open, facing Derendoff in the distance. It was as red as the blood pumping in Elaswit¡¯s veins. The air shimmered slightly around his hand as something glowed a soft purple on his red palm. A soft glow emanated from Valdan¡¯s side of the same color as if in reaction, then the most surprising thing happened. Derendoff flew across the distance from where he had been thrown into the wall and shot straight for Aiden. Aiden halted his trip through the air, as Derendoff slammed into the open palm of Aiden¡¯s outstretched red arm. Holding him by the neck, Aiden brought Derendoff down to his knees. He lowered his head so that he looked down and into Derendoff¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, his entire face grew empty. His next words were as empty as his expression. ¡°I am going to enjoy killing you.¡± SEVENTY-SIX: On Sight Aiden ran with the urgency that he felt was necessary. The [Sage] had gotten in his way, stopped him from going to Valdan as quickly as he¡¯d wanted. While it annoyed him, he knew very well that the [Sage] had not truly tried to stop him from going to Valdan. The old man had merely been interested in testing him. It was the way with the powerful. They had no interest in the weak, only in themselves. Aiden had been stopped simply because the [Sage] wanted answers and had been too self-centered to care about anything else Aiden found important. Aiden burst through a steel door as he ran, his surroundings blurring around him. He shoved the door with his shoulder, following the whisp of air from the skill [Pathfinder] that guided him to the arena, to Valdan. Don¡¯t die on me, Knight, he thought as he ran. He took a turn, then another. He burst through another door and came upon an empty space. He knew what it was. A waiting area. Those who would test their mettle within the arena would sit here and wait until it was their turn to walk in. Weapons, Aiden thought, coming to a stop. I need weapons. All he had to arm himself were the enchantments in his mind and pieces of a broken vase he¡¯d claimed in his fight with the [Sage]. Looking from side to side, he found the space bereft of any weapon. If there had ever been any weapons within the room, they were long gone. They were all long gone. Fuck. Aiden resumed his sprint, making his way towards a walkway that would lead to the heart of the arena. As he ran, something caught his attention. It was a simple flicker in the blurred passing of everything. Aiden pulled to a halt as it whizzed past his periphery and turned to it. A frown touched his lips but there was little else he could do. He moved to what had caught his attention and picked it up. A scabbard. A sword had been unsheathed, and its owner had discarded the scabbard as if it was unimportant. Aiden knew what Valdan¡¯s scabbard looked like and knew that this was not his own. It told him that Valdan was at least fighting against his fellow human beings. It was a good thing. It meant that the techniques Aiden had taught him stood a chance of coming in handy. Picking up the scabbard, Aiden swung it around a few times. It would serve as a makeshift sword. It was not strong enough to withstand a few blows from a sword, but that was something that he could deal with. Studying the scabbard, however, told Aiden something else. The scabbard was expensive, which meant that the sword it had sheathed was most likely as expensive, crafted beautifully. Whoever Valdan was facing fought with a good sword. A large sword. Aiden knew the scabbard of a claymore when he saw one. Turning his head to the entrance into the arena, Aiden resumed his hurried sprint. Valdan was either alive with death around him or death had claimed him. But as much as the idea of a dead Valdan displeased Aiden, what was more terrifying was the fact that Aiden did not know what he would do if Valdan was dead. He shook his head as the entrance came clearly into view, discarding the worrying thought. Eyes focusing on what was happening within the arena, a cold chill ran up Aiden¡¯s spine as he stared at what was happening. He watched Valdan tip forward like a felled tree and hit the ground without any reaction. People raised their hands instinctively or tried to break their fall when they fell. Valdan did not. He hit the ground, and his eyes closed slowly. It was how the unconscious fell. It was also how the dead fell. No, no, no, no. Aiden ran faster, ran harder. A man stood above Valdan. He raised a claymore above him, its tip pointing down, aimed precisely for Valdan¡¯s neck. He was going to make sure his enemy was dead. Aiden could not allow it. He pulled the two pieces of broken vase left in his care, a plan already forming in his mind. Trapping the scabbard between his cheek and shoulder, he scribbled an enchantment on each shard of the broken vase. Then he scribbled an identical enchantment on one of the pieces on his red hand. His interface was a grand companion to his actions. [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave] Aiden did not wait to get to the entrance. From where he currently was, he could throw a piece of broken vase with enough accuracy to hit a man as large as Valdan¡¯s opponent. And he did. He activated only one of the two enchantments as both shards flew through the air, their sharp edges cutting through it to grant them speed. When they struck Valdan¡¯s opponent, Aiden¡¯s interface came alive once more. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Force] One of the shards exploded on impact as Aiden drew an enchantment on the scabbard in his possession. [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave] ¡­ [You have cast Enchantment of Lesser Endurance] ¡­ [Dimensional Mana detected] ¡­ [Enchantment of Lesser Endurance is now Enchantment of Lesser Void Endurance] Aiden ignored the notification as the force of the explosion from the force enchantment sent the man standing over Valdan flying away from Valdan, and a momentary peace settled in Aiden¡¯s heart so that when he got to the arena, he came to a stop with less worry in his heart. What he was met with, however, was not a pleasing sight. As Aiden had expected even if he had hoped against it, the arena was covered in corpses. He glanced about, taking them all in. The owners of the bodies had not died easily. They had not died simply. They had put up a fight, of that Aiden was certain. But their opponent had been stronger. With the way the corpses littered the arena in different places, it was clear that the fight had spanned the entire space. They had had their opponent on the run for a while. Aiden¡¯s eyes moved some more. They definitely gave him a run for his money. But they had all fallen one after the other. Aiden saw no blood, but it did not surprise him. He knew of the black sand of the theater. He also knew what had happened to turn it black. Unlike Brandis, Aiden also knew why exactly it had ended up being black. But that was not important right now. What was important right now was Valdan. Aiden¡¯s eyes moved past Elaswit. For a moment his mind wanted to ask why she was in the arena with him. Was she a friend? Was she a foe? It ended up being unimportant. All he saw was that she was unarmed, and if there was anything he was certain of it was the fact that there was nobody present in the arena that could beat him in unarmed combat. It was not arrogance. It was simply a fact of life. Elaswit was not a threat. When his eyes settled on Valdan, however, the slight sense of peace that had touched him when he¡¯d sent Valdan¡¯s opponent flying disappeared. Valdan was battered and bruised, and even that was an understatement. Lying unconscious, Valdan had two swollen eyes. He had small cuts all over his body. His clothes were a bloody mess, the only things that kept his blood. Aiden felt his lips twist in a scowl. He did his best to hold himself back. His eyes surveyed Valdan¡¯s body, paid attention to it as he would a teammate on any battlefield. With detached precision. His emotions could not cloud his judgement. Aiden could not allow it. Valdan had an injury on his neck that was bleeding. Judging from how slowly the blood was flowing, Valdan was either already dead or his blood was clotting already, stemming its own flow. Sadly, there was not enough information to determine what exactly was happening. Aiden judged with all the medical expertise he had gathered since leaving the palace and joining the Order because the palace had taught him nothing of medicine. They¡¯d had people with the [Healer] class and maybe the king had felt that teaching them anything medical would be a waste of their time since one of the summoned had the [Healer] class and they had two people with the [Alchemy] class who could deal with the brewing of potions. Aiden¡¯s attention studied Valdan in the time it would take a person to blink twice. He was proud of himself. Despite his anger, he had accomplished the task with a detached precision. Valdan would live as long as¡ª His eyes settled on the blood spilling from Valdan¡¯s side like a broken tap. The ground swallowed the blood as quickly as the blood touched it, draining Valdan of his life force. Aiden paled as a terrifying truth settled on him. Sir Valdan Dirtwater would not survive. Everything changed with the simple realization. Rage consumed him and Aiden¡¯s vision turned a deep red. Valdan was now another name on a short list of people Aiden had failed to save on Nastild. But while he was the last on the list, Aiden had gotten a chance at a do-over. Everyone he¡¯d failed to save was now alive. He had a chance to save them once more. He had truly believed that this life would be different, that he would find success, that he would save them all¡­ Until now. Aiden¡¯s eyes left Valdan¡¯s body and focused on the man in the distance, resting against the wall that he¡¯d been thrown into. Aiden had lived a life filled with enough experiences to know that life was simple. There were things that you could do and things that you could not do. Sometimes you couldn¡¯t stop things from happening. They happened and all you could do was whatever it was that you could do about them. When you lost a friend that you couldn¡¯t save, you grieved and moved on with life. Life was that simple. But when you were in the Order, raised on a path Aiden had been raised upon, things happened differently. If you can¡¯t save your friend, the least you can do is avenge them. Aiden raised his hand¡ªnow all red where it had once been black¡ªand activated the enchantment he¡¯d drawn on it. [You have activated Enchantment on Lesser Magnetism] He felt the pull of the person¡¯s weight and steadied his feet beneath him. Even in his rage, Aiden was not blind, his mind was not warped. At least not in the ways that mattered. The force of the pull on Aiden stopped and the person came flying through the air. To his surprise, Aiden caught the man by the neck easily and brought the man down to his knees. Recognition touched Aiden¡¯s eyes as he looked at the man. He knew the man¡¯s face. He also knew another face that looked like the man¡¯s face. Lord Naranoff came to mind. Then Derendoff, the knight that had tried to kill him in Brandis¡¯ chamber came to mind. You couldn¡¯t kill me, so you killed him. Aiden leaned forward, knowing very well what was about to happen. The man¡¯s eyes met his and recognition came alive in them. Aiden looked into Derendoff¡¯s eyes and told him exactly what was about to happen. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy killing you.¡± Derendoff looked up at him in fear. Then his recognition deepened. His fear turned to anger then rage. Aiden¡¯s rage met Derendoff¡¯s rage and did not pale. Derendoff scowled at him. ¡°I cannot be killed by a monster like you.¡± Derendoff¡¯s hand moved with his words and his claymore cut through the air. Its edge was aimed at Aiden¡¯s arm. Aiden released Derendoff immediately, pulling his arm back. Derendoff¡¯s blade missed him, cutting through the air between them, and Aiden kicked him in the chest. The force of the blow sent Derendoff rolling. Then the former knight came back to his feet. ¡°A cur like you,¡± Derendoff said, smirking. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did what you just did, but today I get two for the price of one.¡± He held his sword out in front of him. ¡°This is what you call the world working in your favor.¡± Aiden listened to nothing Derendoff had said. His vision was focused, exceedingly so. All he could see was Derendoff standing in front of him. A man doomed to no other fate than death. Derendoff surged forward, sword swinging. Aiden swung the scabbard in his hand to meet the blow. The scabbard glistened a deep black with a blue hue. When it met Derendoff¡¯s blade, sparks of yellow mana scattered about. Derendoff scowled at the impact but swung again. He struck for Aiden¡¯s shoulder and Aiden met the sword with a raised scabbard. He did not parry, choosing to block instead. The impact of the blow moved him to the side by a single step. His strength stat is higher than mine, Aiden noted. Derendoff struck again and Aiden ducked under the blade, weaving his way around Derendoff. Derendoff didn¡¯t let him. The former knight turned as he moved, swinging down to cleave him in two. Aiden rolled around him and the sword struck the sand. Derendoff swung it through the sand, raising an arc of dust. Aiden ignored the tactic, stepping into the raised dust. He swung his scabbard at Derendoff¡¯s head as he did, going on the offensive, and Derendoff parried easily. ¡°You¡¯re weak!¡± Derendoff spat. Aiden ignored him and swung again, aiming for his chest. Derendoff¡¯s hand shot out and he grabbed the scabbard. A cocky smile stained his lips. Aiden pulled himself forward so that he stepped into Derendoff¡¯s personal space and slapped him. As intended, it wiped the cocky smile clean off the man¡¯s face. Derendoff staggered from the slap, releasing the scabbard. Annoyance crossed Aiden¡¯s face. It mixed with his anger. In the distance he heard his name but ignored it. If it wasn¡¯t Valdan¡¯s voice, it didn¡¯t matter. Aiden approached Derendoff, defending the first sword strike that came from the former knight with the scabbard. Again, sparks of black mana tinged with hues of blue were sent flying. Derendoff was not dissuaded. In his own anger, he switched through a flurry of stances. He moved, feet carrying him, drawing a pattern on the ground as he did. Derendoff moved through sword strikes. A swing from the right, one from beneath. A twirl then a diagonal downward slash. He was true to the royal combat sword stances. There were no unnecessary flourishes, no flair. He was devoted, determined. The instructor in Aiden would¡¯ve commended his determination and devotion if he was present. But the instructor was not present, only the executioner. Aiden deflected each and every sword strike. Endowed with the [Enchantment of Endurance], the scabbard was lasting longer than it had any right to against a claymore. Aiden parried the last strike and stepped forward. The single inward step threw off Derendoff¡¯s rhythm and the former knight was forced to readjust. He switched through steps seamlessly, showing a mastery of the sword stances that¡ªAiden hated to admit¡ªwas better than Valdan¡¯s.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The thought made Aiden frown and he swung his scabbard. Derendoff defended. Parrying the attack, he jumped back, creating a sudden space between him and Aiden. Aiden saw what the man was about to do from a mile away. He pulled his hand back at the same time Derendoff pulled his own hand back. Switching his grip on the scabbard, Aiden mirrored the former knight¡¯s attack. Derendoff stabbed forward and so did Aiden. Aiden went for precision and Derendoff¡¯s approaching blade slid seamlessly into the approaching scabbard. Aiden stepped into the attack, sheathing the claymore for Derendoff. With Derendoff¡¯s claymore sheathed successfully, Aiden stepped in and struck the former knight¡¯s wrist. A pained grunt slipped from Derendoff¡¯s lips when Aiden¡¯ struck his wrist. His hold on the sword weakened but did not fail so Aiden moved his weight to the side, trying to throw the former knight off his weapon. What followed was a flurry of movements. Feet scrambled in the sand. Derendoff pulled closer as he finally lost his grip on the hilt of his claymore. He tried to regain the weapon but Aiden was having none of it. Aiden struck Derendoff¡¯s reaching hand with his free hand as he finally pulled the sheathed weapon behind him. Derendoff moved his second hand in another attempt, and Aiden kicked high, striking the hand away once more with his foot. Aiden spun into the kick so that the momentum carried him away from Derendoff. His coat twirled around him with the action, masking anything else he was going to do. When he came to a stop, there was a significant space between him and Derendoff. Both men stared at each other from across the distance as a clam settled on them. ¡°A life for a life,¡± Aiden said, his voice hard. ¡°You¡¯ve taken Valdan¡¯s. I¡¯ll take yours.¡± Derendoff cocked his head to the side. ¡°Who said that the cur is dead?¡± He hadn¡¯t been when Aiden had walked into the arena, but he was now. Amongst the very many things that enchantments could do, healing a person in Valdan¡¯s state was not one of them. Healing enchantments were rare, and the few that existed worked on a scale far too insignificant that it was better to just have a potion on hand. It was one of the reasons that enchantments always paled in comparison to spells. There were too many healing spells. If Aiden had possessed [Mana Mastery], he would¡¯ve learnt one or two healing spells. But he could not. ¡°I have your blade.¡± Aiden pulled the claymore from the scabbard, eyes never leaving Derendoff, and stabbed it into the ground beside him. ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to save your boyfriend?¡± Derendoff mocked him, pretending to ignore his words. ¡°You¡¯ll let him bleed out and die?¡± Aiden¡¯s lips tightened. He¡¯s trying to distract you. Aiden could not allow it. He had already accepted Valdan¡¯s death and was doing what had to be done. It was simply the way it was. Derendoff would die, then Aiden would be gone from the palace, never to be seen again. It was not the plan but it was what had to happen. Derendoff bent at the waist, leaning forward slightly. ¡°You will let the man who taught you die?¡± Unable to help himself, Aiden¡¯s gaze twitched to the side, to the general direction of where Valdan was. He found Elaswit sitting on the ground next to the knight. He caught movement out of the periphery of his vision at the same time and raised the scabbard in his hand. Derendoff had twitched forward but had not closed the distance. The scabbard was pointed straight at his head. ¡°The princess will not save him,¡± Derendoff said. The man was still clearly trying to distract him. ¡°She does not have what she needs to save him. And the king has granted me a pardon if I succeed in killing him, so he has to die for me to live.¡± What?! Aiden¡¯s blood boiled. It was all he could do not to look in Brandis¡¯ direction. He couldn¡¯t make sense of it. Why would Brandis want Valdan dead so desperately? ¡°I was as surprised as you are.¡± Derendoff took a casual stance, relaxed. ¡°But after thinking about it, I found the answer. Loyalty. Valdan must¡¯ve done something to call his own loyalty into question. If not that, Valdan mustve done something not deserving of death, but death was most likely a necessary option.¡± He held his arms out to his side. ¡°But who are we to understand the workings of a king¡¯s mind.¡± He laughed a little. As calm as he looked, Aiden knew better. Derendoff¡¯s gaze kept going for his sword. His eyes kept twitching in its direction. It told Aiden everything that he needed to know. There were class skills that required weapons to work. An [Archer] would need a bow and an arrow to use some of their class skills. A [Baker] would need some baking equipment to use some of their class skills. An [Enchanter] would need an engraver and something to engrave upon to use some of their class skills. [Sword strike] was [Sword strike] because you needed to use a sword to strike. [Power shot] was [Power shot] because you had to shoot something. Derendoff¡¯s desperation for his sword rather than just using a skill had to mean that his skills were tied to his weapon of choice somehow. Derendoff was weaker without his weapon. That¡¯s enough. As for Elaswit, Derendoff was wrong. The princess had a spatial storage. She had everything she needed inside it. Aiden gestured at Derendoff¡¯s sword still stuck in the ground with the scabbard. ¡°I have your blade,¡± he repeated. He raised the scabbard. ¡°But I don¡¯t need it because I have your scabbard. And I¡¯m going to kill you with it.¡± Aiden was more than confident in his ability to beat the life out of Derendoff with the scabbard. However, he wanted to put all that he had into beating the life out of Derendoff. He wanted to break the man before he killed the man. It is only right. He brought his hands together and weaved an enchantment upon himself. He would need to be at least just as strong as Derendoff to break the man. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave.] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Strength] Aiden waited for the burst of strength only to be graced with a burst of pain. His legs threatened to give out beneath him and he staggered back. The pain grew from his heart where all his woven enchantments emanated from and funneled its way straight into his red arm. Then it was gone. What the hell? Derendoff moved, taking advantage of Aiden¡¯s momentary loss of focus and balance. But Aiden wasn¡¯t knew to losing focus during a fight. He stuck the end of the empty scabbard into the sand and swung upwards. Derendoff ran into a spray of sand. With the former knight¡¯s vision temporarily blinded, Aiden swung the scabbard once more. A horizontal swing struck Derendoff in the jaw and sent him stumbling to the side. Aiden followed up on the attack, thrusting forward and stabbing Derendoff in the neck. As sturdy as the enchantment had made it, the scabbard remained a blunt instrument, so it did not pierce the former knight¡¯s neck. Still, Derendoff staggered back, clutching at his neck as he rushed away from Aiden. ¡°Pathetic,¡± Aiden muttered as he moved his attention to the new flurry of information his interface was showing him. Hopefully it was about to explain what had just happened. Why he had felt pain from his weaving instead of a burst of strength. [Error! Error! Error!] [Anomalous trait detected Spatial Crack] [Anomalous trait effect detected] ¡­ [Spatial Crack (Lvl 49)] An anomalous disruption in reality. You have gone through space and have been corrupted by its touch. You have ventured where none should and survived. [Effect: Spatial affinity] [Effect: Skill pending¡­] ¡­ [Pending effect unlocked] [Effect Skill Pending is now Spatial Touch] ¡­ [Spatial Touch] A spatial crack has the ability to touch the fabric of reality. Should you be able to, the secrets of the universe can be unraveled at a touch. ¡­ [Due to the existence of Trait skill Spatial Touch class skill Enchanted Weave does not take effect] Aiden stared at the notification with a frown. That¡¯s going to be a problem. The annoying part was the fact that the skill¡¯s explanation didn¡¯t even tell him how to do what he was supposed to do. He didn¡¯t even possess a mental understanding like the ones that came with every skill. Still, it didn¡¯t surprise him. The time he¡¯d spent on the other side of Nastild had taught him that, unlike skills, traits did not come with a manual. The inherency of traits dictated that they either just happened to you over time in a passive format or you learnt them. [Spatial affinity] seemed like a trait effect that happened to him over time in its passivity. [Spatial Touch] seemed like it was an effect he was going to have to learn. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this,¡± Derendoff said suddenly, raising his hand to the air. ¡°I don¡¯t need a weapon to kill you.¡± Aiden looked down at the scabbard. ¡°Me neither. But killing you without one will be a waste.¡± The moment the words left Aiden¡¯s mouth, he felt the air tremble slightly around him. His eyes moved to Derendoff¡¯s raised hand and he knew it was the source of what was about to happen. Aiden knew this feeling. He had experienced it enough times. Something pulsed through the air, engulfing him in its wave. The air around him took on a new color as the mana turned a myriad of green and red. Aiden frowned as he watched green light rise from Derendoff¡¯s body. He¡¯s healing, Aiden thought as his interface came alive. [You have entered a Lvl 55 Manifested World] [You are under the effect of Manifested World Triumphant Sanctuary] [Effect: 30% decrease in all healing effects] Aiden looked back at Derendoff. It was safe to assume that if he was suffering a healing status debuff then the man was most likely enjoying a status buff. At least the smirk on his face said so. Keeping his single hand raised, Derendoff pointed his other hand at Aiden. Aiden¡¯s instincts flared and he raised his scabbard just in time to deflect a gust of wind. The force threatened to overwhelm him, but it did not. After sending the blast aside, Aiden noted a crack in the scabbard. It seemed the enchantment he¡¯d cast on the thing had reached its limit. It was time to kill Derendoff. ¡­ Elaswit rested Valdan¡¯s head on her lap, worry on her face. If the gods were listening, then she hoped they would answer her prayers. If there was anyone present that did not deserve to die right now, it was Valdan. He had done nothing wrong. His present predicament was simply the error of a powerful man¡¯s decision. She already fed him a stamina potion and a health potion. However, she didn¡¯t know if it made any difference. She couldn¡¯t tell. Valdan¡¯s breathing was slow, sluggish. The injury in his side had stopped bleeding as much as before. While it was a good sign, it was also easily a bad sign. It could mean he was getting better just as easily as it could mean he was running out of blood to bleed. As terrifying as the thought of Valdan dying was, the sight of Aiden fighting was almost as worrying. He had danced around Derendoff since walking into the arena, throwing the knight off in battle. He belittled the knight with every blow. As equals he simply seemed stronger. But when you looked at it as a nineteen-year-old boy fighting a trained knight, it shed a different kind of light. And yet, she could not shake the feeling that he was holding back. When Derendoff raised his hand and activated a skill, Elaswit knew it was the skill that had led him to level fifty. She¡¯d seen it enough times and knew how it worked. It granted Derendoff an increase in all stats while healing him of every injury. In return, it cut down his opponent¡¯s ability to heal by a certain percentage. The good thing was that when you were caught in it, your interface told you exactly what was happening to you, so Aiden had to know that he was at a disadvantage. Still, he did not look bothered. His anger remained on his face, but there was something empty about it now. It had been empty for a while. Even when she¡¯d tried drawing his attention by calling out to him, he had not answered. Elaswit knew that Aiden was under the misconception that Valdan was dead, but he was not, and she needed him to know it. Why? Because if Aiden accepted Valdan as dead, then once the fight was over, he would most likely cut ties with Bandiv. Elaswit did not want that. As disappointed in her father as she currently was, she knew that he was not a bad guy. She didn¡¯t want Aiden cutting off the kingdom and holding them in his heart as the evil of Nastild. If he did, he could very well go down a path that saw them as the enemy. And while a lot of people would say that he would be in the right, Elaswit knew enough about why Derendoff had tried to kill him. She also knew enough about the prophecy of the [Demon King]. For her, hate could push a person to become anything, and the last thing she wanted was to wake up one morning to find out that Aiden Lacheart had become the [Demon King] because of his hate for their kingdom. I cannot allow it. An odd sound erupted around Elaswit, pulling her from her revery. She turned in its direction, unsurprised to find that it had come from Aiden and Derendoff. What the hell? Aiden swung the scabbard and deflected a blast of wind that came at him from Derendoff¡¯s outstretched hand. The scabbard left a trail of blue-black mana with every swing. It was an eerie thing to watch and Elaswit could not remember ever seeing mana that color. From what she knew about Aiden, it was most likely the effect of an enchantment. However, the mana was not what left her confused. It was how easily Aiden maneuvered his way to Derendoff and struck him in the shoulder with the scabbard, wielding it like a sword. Derendoff groaned in pain and staggered away from Aiden, but Aiden did not let him go. Covering the distance between them with a single step, he struck Derendoff in the thigh, dropping the man to his knee. ¡°You dare¡ª¡± Derendoff¡¯s words were cut short by a painful cry as Aiden stabbed him in the eye. Blood spilled from the eye but Elaswit knew the eye would heal. It was the way with Derendoff¡¯s manifesting skill. He could lose a finger and grow it back as long as he was within the field of the skill. But Aiden didn¡¯t seem to care. Even as Derendoff screamed in pain, Aiden struck him on the head. The action was methodical, systematic. Aiden was a man going through the motion. Derendoff tried to rise and Aiden struck him again, this time it was an upward swing straight into his groin. Derendoff buckled from the blow, gasping in pain as he fell to the ground and rolled away. Aiden walked up to him and stabbed down. The end of the scabbard smashed into Derendoff¡¯s throat with enough force to crush the man¡¯s windpipe. Derendoff grabbed his throat in pain. Air seemed to deny him its life saving presence as he choked. ¡°You will heal,¡± Aiden said, voice bland. ¡°You will heal until you have no more mana. Then you will die. Until then, pain will be your companion.¡± He stepped on Derendoff¡¯s knee with enough force to break it. The sound of the knee breaking filled the theater. ¡°I will break you and you will heal yourself so that I can break you again.¡± Derendoff¡¯s eye had healed and now he looked up at Aiden in fear. ¡°I was right about you,¡± he stuttered. ¡°You are nothing but a monster.¡± Aiden ignored his words and stabbed him in the eye. Derendoff rolled away, avoiding the blow but Aiden stepped on his ankle before he could go far. He struck it with so much force that the crack filled the air. It was preceded by Derendoff¡¯s cry. ¡°At some point,¡± Aiden said, restricting the former knight¡¯s movement with his foot on his broken ankle, ¡°you will begin to ask yourself if the pain is worth the healing.¡± Elaswit looked to the stands where her father and his advisor were. Her father was standing now, but she could not make out his expression. The same could be said of his advisor. Derendoff turned with a hand hidden behind him and blasted a gust of wind at Aiden¡¯s neck. Aiden tilted his head to the side, avoiding the blast and it blew off into the distance. As for his hidden arm, a spiral of wind gathered to it, growing stronger with each passing second. Derendoff pulled the hidden arm out and blasted Aiden with the growing skill. Unfazed, Aiden raised the scabbard to meet the skill. The skill collided into the scabbard in an explosion that obliterated it. Aiden was left standing with the remains of the scabbard in his hand. He tossed it to the side. ¡°It has outlived its usefulness.¡± He looked down at Derendoff. ¡°Just as you have.¡± Elaswit¡¯s gaze was drawn away from the both of them and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw Valdan¡¯s chest rise and fall. Valdan had just taken a deep breath and Elaswit had never been so happy to see a person take a deep breath in her life. He¡¯ll live, she thought in excitement. He¡¯ll live. ¡°ENOUGH!¡± The sound of her father¡¯s voice ripped her attention from Valdan and she turned to find him standing within the arena. His advisor had not followed him and he stood with his eyes fixed on Aiden. ¡°Please,¡± he said, voice calm once more. ¡°Enough, Lord Lacheart.¡± Elaswit moved her attention from her father to Aiden and was surprised by what she saw. Aiden stood behind Derendoff with an arm around his neck. Derendoff looked weak even with all the green mana evaporating from him, healing him. She found the reason for his weakness a moment later. Aiden had his entire red hand buried in the former knight¡¯s side, just below his rib. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him,¡± her father said. ¡°Please.¡± Aiden cocked a quizzical brow at her father. ¡°I promised him that he would die. Some promises should not be broken.¡± ¡°And I promised him that he would live if he won against Valdan,¡± her father replied. To Elaswit, that was the dumbest response her father could have given. He had just admitted to motivating what had happened to Valdan. ¡°Why?¡± Aiden asked, to her surprise. He sounded reasonable unfazed by the anger she knew he carried. ¡°What created the necessity?¡± Elaswit frowned. Had his voice undulated just now? For a moment he had sounded different¡­ off¡­ as if he had carried a second voice. When her father hesitated to answer, Aiden dug his hand deeper into the former knight¡¯s side. Derendoff groaned in pain. His manifesting skill was still active, healing him, but Aiden was still killing him. ¡°It was for him to cross the threshold,¡± her father answered finally, as if he had hoped to keep it a secret. ¡°To cross the threshold into level fifty, Valdan had to risk his life. He had to push himself to the brink of death and back.¡± ¡°Then you should¡¯ve sent him off on a mission capable of doing just that,¡± Aiden said. Elaswit¡¯s father shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. He had to be unable to back out. He had to believe that he was going to die.¡± His eyes pleaded with Aiden. ¡°You have to believe me, Lord Lacheart. It was the only way. So I swore an Oath to Derendoff, believing that it would not matter. I thought Valdan could do it. I thought he could win. He has so much promise. I¡­ I just¡­¡± He ran a tired hand through his hair. ¡°I made a mistake. But please¡­ Let me punish Derendoff.¡± ¡°You promised to free him if he won. How do you intend on punishing him.¡± ¡°There are other ways to punish a free man.¡± Derendoff struggled against Aiden¡¯s hold. Aiden did not tighten his hold on the former knight¡¯s neck. He did not struggle with Derendoff. His red arm simply moved deeper into his side and Derendoff coughed up blood. His struggle ceased immediately. Aiden didn¡¯t even look down at him. ¡°Sight-bound?¡± he asked her father. ¡°Is that it?¡± There was a touch of surprise on Elaswit¡¯s father¡¯s expression. ¡°You know what that is?¡± Aiden nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve lived on your world long enough to know a thing or two about a thing or two. Is sight-bound your solution?¡± The king nodded. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Then do it.¡± Aiden¡¯s red arm tightened and Derendoff groaned. ¡°Do it here and now.¡± ¡°Valdan requires attention.¡± ¡°Here and now, your grace.¡± Aiden¡¯s voice was tight. ¡°In the light of recent events, I cannot say that I trust you enough to do it later. I don¡¯t know what oaths you¡¯ve sworn so I cannot trust you. Sight-bound ensures that anyone is capable of killing him, correct? They are allowed to, free from punishment. It ensures that he will always be hunted as long as he is within the kingdom.¡± Elaswit¡¯s father nodded and Aiden squeezed against the side of Derendoff once more. Elaswit realized that he was doing it to keep the injury from healing completely. Whatever mess his hand was making inside Derendoff, it was painful and recurring. ¡°So Sight-bound him now, your grace,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Do it and I will take my hand out and let him go. Then you can do whatever you want with him.¡± He looked down at Derendoff for the first, at his hand in the man¡¯s side. ¡°Well, what¡¯s left of him.¡± King Brandis looked at Derendoff and sighed. ¡°No,¡± Derendoff scowled. ¡°You promised. You made an Oath.¡± ¡°I made an Oath to free you, and free you are.¡± King Brandis shook his head in dismay. ¡°You were always a fool, Derendoff. Now that I have freed you, my Oath has been satisfied.¡± ¡°You cannot do this!¡± Derendoff spat at him. ¡°You are a KING!¡± ¡°You are free, Derendoff. And now I bind you. By the power vested on me by the title granted upon me, I bind you. May you wander the kingdom knowing that your life is anyone¡¯s to claim. If they can claim it, they are mandated to claim it. All who wish it shall be granted a reward for taking your life.¡± As king Brandis, fourth of his name, spoke, his eyes glowed a bright gold. He raised his hand and pointed it at Derendoff. ¡°A quest I grant to all, subject of the crown or not. For the life of Derendoff Naranoff, they shall be rewarded. For anyone who sees you and wishes it, it shall be on sight. All will be your enemy. All will seek your life. I, King Brandis, Fourth of his name, declare this.¡± A golden beam of light came down from above them to strike Derendoff. It engulfed him and Aiden, lasting for a few seconds before disappearing. When it was gone, Derendoff had the symbol of the royal family glowing a soft golden yellow on his forehead. ¡°Let all who see you know this,¡± her father finished. Then he looked at Aiden. ¡°It is done. I know this might not mean much to you, but I am truly sorry that it happened. This¡­¡± He gestured at Elaswit and Valdan. ¡°This was not my intention.¡± Aiden nodded slowly, pulling his red arm from Derendoff¡¯s side slowly. ¡°Maybe I will come to understand one day.¡± Derendoff had tears in his eyes as he stared at the king. Tears and hate. Elaswit prepared herself. For all his twisted loyalty, she could not put it beyond Derendoff to attack her father. And considering how weak her father looked, she had no idea what the outcome would be. When she looked at Derendoff, there was an icon above his head. It was blood red, and it red: [Sight-Bound] ¡°This was not your intention.¡± Aiden¡¯s red hand was halfway out of Derendoff¡¯s side and the injury was healing. ¡°But this was mine.¡± He removed the red hand and Derendoff moved. Whatever the former knight intended to do, Elaswit did not know, and she did not get to witness it. Aiden moved in a blur of motion and the sound of Derendoff¡¯s neck breaking filled the entire arena. With green light still emanating from him, Derendoff fell to the ground, limp. Lifeless. Aiden¡¯s eyes never left her father¡¯s. ¡°Just as promised,¡± he said. ¡°You can have what is left of him.¡± The green light faded from Derendoff¡¯s body, and so did the title of [Sight-bound] above his head. SEVENTY-SEVEN: An Important Question Did it get darker? The light of the room seemed to glisten off the blackness of Aiden¡¯s arm. He watched, turning it one way then the other. It is darker. Aiden frowned at his arm. Not only had it grown darker but his skin was beginning to seem scaly. There were no scales yet, none that he could see, but there was just something. He didn¡¯t like it. He didn¡¯t like new things, and this was a step above the realm of new. By his calculations, it was morning outside the room. The sun would still be far from illuminating the day. Still, that changed nothing. Morning was morning. Sighing, he dropped his hand and allowed it flop down on the bed. He had a trait with two effects. Two for the price of one. Then again, he hadn¡¯t heard of a few traits that gave a few effects. The Dragonkin on the more magical side of Nastild had the [Dragon breathing]. That had multiple traits. Off the top of his head Aiden could remember it helped them hold their breath for a significantly long time, roar with enough power to burst a normal person¡¯s eardrum. In some cases some develop the ability to breathe fire. But those were special cases. The species liked to brag that they were descended from real live dragons, offsprings stained with the curse of humanity. The Order¡¯s records claimed that they were just a lucky offshoot of lizard men. Apparently, some of their ancestors had worshipped actual dragons and been graced with the liberty of basking in Dragon mana for years on end. The offsprings had grown to be Dragonkin, or as the master of the Order liked to call them, overgrown lizard men. Spatial affinity and Spatial touch, Aiden mused, thinking back on the second trait. He opened his interface once more, looked at the information about his trait. [Spatial Crack (Lvl 49)] An anomalous disruption in reality. You have gone through space and have been corrupted by its touch. You have ventured where none should and survived. [Effect: Spatial affinity] [Effect: Skill pending¡­] Still the same. His red hand had slowly regained its blackness over time. It had taken it roughly four hours to return to its complete black. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure exactly when it had happened, but sometime between the first touches of black and its compete change, the effect [Spatial Touch] had turned back into [Skill Pending]. His theory was that the criteria for unlocking the second effect was turning the entire arm red. As for how to do that, it was simple. Aiden raised both hands above him. He stared up, not really looking at them, and weaved an enchantment. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Perception] [Effect: +20% increase in perception] [Duration: 00:05:00] ¡­ [Dimensional mana detected] ¡­ [Weave of Lesser Perception is now Weave of Lesser Void Perception] [Weave of Lesser Void Perception] [Effect: +40% increase in perception] [Duration: 00:10:00] Aiden held up his black hand as the weaving took effect and watched the black skin crack at his fingertips, the cracks spread all the way down his fingers before stopping. Then the black skin simply blew away likes dust in the wind even though there was no wind in the room. Aiden twisted his hand, turned it to the side as he watched the black leave. In its wake was red skin. I guess that¡¯s that. He let out another sigh. There was a new feeling nestled comfortably within him now. A feeling he hadn¡¯t had in the palace for a long time. Staring up at the ceiling, he did not feel safe. He remembered how it had felt all those years ago, when Ted had become the [Demon King]. When everybody had been giving him odd looks. You¡¯re safe, he told himself. You aren¡¯t the weak boy you were back then. He placed his hands behind his head. Interlacing his fingers, he used his hands as a pillow on top of his pillow. What do I know so far? The first thing he knew was that he could no longer trust King Brandis. The King might be a good man, but Aiden had only trusted him only because he knew the man¡¯s character. In summary, he didn¡¯t trust King Brandis, he had trusted what he knew of the man¡¯s character. With the [Sage], and who knew what, in Brandis¡¯ ear, Aiden couldn¡¯t trust what he thought he knew of the man anymore. He would have to cut ties with Bandiv. It was inevitable. Turning his head, he confirmed that the little enchantment he¡¯d engraved into his door was active. With the confirmation, he closed his eyes. He needed the calm. After what he had done in the amphitheater a few hours ago, his body was still on an adrenaline rush. He was wound up tight. A chuckle spilled from his lips suddenly and he couldn¡¯t hold himself. He chuckled some more, laughed a little. ¡°When last did you defy a king?¡± he asked himself, speaking out loud. He knew the answer. It had been the king of the half-men. The half-man had demanded that he take the life of an enemy king. Aiden could still remember it. The world was going to war against Ted and the king was busy trying to start a war with another kingdom simply because they had thought to imprison his son for committing crimes within their walls. Aiden still remembered those moments clearly. The flash of steel as he¡¯d turned and slit the son¡¯s throat instead. It had been the reason the Order had sent him¡ªnot just to kill the son, but to send a message with the son¡¯s death: The Order was nobody¡¯s to command. That had been the last time he had defied a king. Now, he could add a few hours ago to the equation. ¡°I¡¯m just doing whatever I want at this point, aren¡¯t I?¡± Aiden pushed himself up to a sitting position and threw his legs over the bed. ¡°I guess I better get packing.¡± Truthfully, he didn¡¯t know if he would still be allowed to leave the castle with what he¡¯d done. He could argue loopholes and whatever he wanted, it changed nothing. He had defied King Brandis, and he had done so in front of the man¡¯s daughter. While it happened every now and again, Aiden had learned not to trust a man to rise over his pride and do the right thing. Pushing himself up to his feet, he walked up to his closet. He didn¡¯t have much in there, but two pairs of clothes would not be a bad idea to have once he was over the castle walls. I guess we¡¯re going rogue. Over the fence and out into the world. There was a knock at his door when he opened his closet, and Aiden paused. He watched the door but didn¡¯t move. Soldiers? He wondered. Knights? Had Brandis sent men to bring him? Aiden turned to the window. The thought of going through it crossed his mind but he killed it immediately. He was too high up. Can I take on a group? The knock came again. It was gentle, soft. Aiden had been on the receiving end of people trying to arrest him from his room enough times to know that that was not the knock of the violent. Trying his luck, he called out. ¡°Who is it?¡± Instead of getting an answer in return, he was welcomed to a surprising experience. The lock enchantment he¡¯d placed on the door activated. ¡°I¡¯m naked!¡± Aiden called out in panic. With his heightened senses, he heard someone gasp from the other side of the door. There was a shuffle of feet followed by a shallow reply clearly not intended for him. ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡± Aiden frowned, recognizing the voice. ¡°We mean you no harm,¡± the voice continued, this time loud enough for him to hear. When the door opened, Aiden was standing at the other end of his room, sword in hand. A finger was placed on the blade, ready to enchant it when he saw who had invited themselves in. His lips pressed themselves into a thin line, trying to mask his worry and confusion. Right there, standing at his door, was Rue Brandis, wife to King Brandis, Queen of the Kingdom of Bandiv, and political mastermind and schemer of the Brandis family. Of all the important figures on Nastild Rue Brandis was special for one reason and one reason only. Aiden knew next to nothing about her. A servant girl with blonde hair packed up in a tight bun stepped in beside the queen and bowed slightly. She wore a mud brown gown, and she fixed blue eyes on Aiden even with her bow. ¡°Announcing the Queen, Her Royal Highness.¡± Aiden looked from the woman to the queen. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was supposed to be pleased or terrified. Rue Brandis raised a pristine brow at him, brown as the hair on her head. She looked intrigued. Aiden bowed his head. It was more of a nod than anything. ¡°Your Grace.¡± The maid scowled a little but the queen didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°Leave us,¡± she said with a wave of her hand. The maid hesitated for only a moment before backtracking her way out of the room. Rue Brandis waited patiently as she did. Once they were alone, she reached behind her without looking, took the door by its edge, and pushed it closed. Aiden remained silent as Rue looked around, her gaze taking in the room. Eventually, it settled on a chair in the room. She gestured to it. ¡°May I?¡± Aiden nodded very slowly. A personal meeting with the enigmatic Rue Brandis. It was worrying. The queen moved gracefully to the seat she had indicated and took it. Everything about her was regal. Ash she took her seat, Aiden ran through what he knew about her. Honestly speaking, there wasn¡¯t much to it. Everything he knew about her, he had learnt directly from the mouth of the master of the Order after rummaging through the entire archive he had access to only to find nothing on her. The first was that for some reason, she could not rule. She wasn¡¯t permitted to. By whom? Aiden had not been told. The second thing he knew about her was that there was no major decision that occurred in the castle and kingdom that she was not aware of. And she¡¯s a powerful [Enchanter], Aiden added finally. That¡¯s three. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I am that beautiful, Lord Lacheart,¡± Rue Brandis said after a moment. ¡°And I doubt I can be considered a threat.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°You undid my enchanted lock from outside the door,¡± Aiden said slowly, intentionally. ¡°Since coming here, nobody has ever done that. I believe that makes you a threat.¡± Of course, Aiden, he thought sarcastically. Goad the powerful woman you know nothing about. ¡°That silly thing,¡± Rue snorted in amusement, the corners of her eyes crinkling. ¡°It was no difficulty. Anyone with a good understanding of enchantments and over level hundred can have it done in moments.¡± ¡°And yet no one has.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we keep the really powerful away from you and your companions.¡± Aiden knew he couldn¡¯t argue the subject with her. An [Enchanter] of over level one hundred could not undo the enchantment, not as easily as she had, but he could not say that. Putting it to her would tell her that he knew far more than he reasonably should. In the end, he settled for a nod. Still seated, Rue Brandis cocked her head to the side like a curious mother. ¡°Should I be bothered that you¡¯re still tense, Lord Lacheart?¡± She¡¯s a fun child, the master of the Order had said, and he rarely found anyone outside the Order to be fun. And ¡®fun¡¯ wasn¡¯t necessarily a compliment when it came from him. ¡°I¡¯m tense around everyone, ma¡¯am,¡± Aiden answered, sliding his sword back into its sheathe. She hadn¡¯t even once addressed the weapon. Aiden folded his arms over his chest. ¡°And to what do I owe the honor of your presence?¡± ¡°You call the king ¡®your grace¡¯ and call me ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯,¡± the queen mused. ¡°Does that mean that you do not even identify me as royalty, or does it mean that your relationship with us has grown sour because of what happened with the knight?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had my pound of flesh.¡± Aiden leaned back against the wall, tried to look completely calm. ¡°I have no quarrel with the royal family.¡± ¡°Which implies that you are capable of having a quarrel with the royal family.¡± She smiled fondly. ¡°You are an interesting child, Lord Lacheart.¡± And you are an enigmatic woman. The Order had the connecting family trees of all the monarchs in existence, Kings and Queens alike. On the subject of the Brandis family, however, Rue Brandis was the only member of her family tree, an addition to the Brandis family with no recorded genealogy. ¡°Anyway,¡± Rue Brandis waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, ¡°that is not why I am here. I have been informed of what happened within the amphitheater and have come to make some clarifications. Sir Valdan has already informed us of how you know of the place. A skill called [Pathfinder]¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaking, that¡¯s a skill that tends to come with the [Guide] class.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s better now,¡± Aiden said. ¡°That is good to hear.¡± She gave him an odd look, a curious look. ¡°And what if I said that Derendoff was also alive, would you look so relieved?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I would¡¯ve asked how long you people have been dabbling in the deep end of Necromancy. Then I would¡¯ve killed him again.¡± Rue nodded sagely. ¡°That¡¯s a fair reaction considering the lengths you went to kill him.¡± ¡°No lengths,¡± Aiden said with a shake of his head. ¡°It was on my way.¡± ¡°And the justification.¡± The queen kissed the tip of her fingers with a flourish. ¡°Chef¡¯s kiss. Sight-bound, his life was anyone¡¯s to take, even though I cannot remember the last time a king used it in such a lethal form. It is usually designed to make people suffer, not kill them on account of preventing... You know what, never mind. Still, it left you completely immune to the punishments of murder. You were basically sanctioned to kill him. Was that planned?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve killed him either way,¡± Aiden answered, unbothered. When a person who was sight-bound was killed, nothing regarding the killer and the killed mattered. But he found himself wondering if there had been a stroke of luck that Brandis had used the ability the uncommon way. Had it been the king''s plan all along? Rue Brandis could judge Aiden''s personality based on his answers, but she could do nothing to him based on them. ¡°So his death was ordained?¡± she asked. ¡°By you? That¡¯s quite the arrogant line of thought.¡± Aiden raised a brow at her. ¡°Ordained? I am no priest or holy man. Simply a boy summoned from his world to another without his consent.¡± Rue¡¯s gaze narrowed on him. He could see her mind working, scheming perhaps. ¡°Definitely not like your companions,¡± she said after a while. ¡°And if the situation you had stumbled upon had not been stumbled upon, what would¡¯ve happened to the former knight?¡± ¡°No idea. He wasn¡¯t my problem.¡± ¡°So he made himself your problem by attacking Sir Valdan?¡± Aiden shrugged. It was all the answer he had to give. ¡°Silence at the presence of an obvious answer.¡± Rue nodded. ¡°Has anyone told you that you adapt well, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Lord Lacheart the older did,¡± Aiden said. ¡°But he has always been known to flatter me. He once said that I was too timid and lacking in confidence. I always believed he liked his confidence loud, which is something I¡¯ve always taken to be arrogance.¡± ¡°You killed five poachers, disgraced a handful of soldiers, dueled a beautiful lady, slapping your way to victory, and killed a former knight in front of his king.¡± Rue tsked at him as if he was a child. ¡°I doubt I¡¯ve ever seen a louder confidence on a boy your age. Does that make you arrogant?¡± Aiden raised his hand and began ticking off his fingers. ¡°Five poachers tried to kill me and failed. A handful of soldiers tried to disgrace me and failed. A beautiful lady challenged me to a duel and lost. A former knight was sight-bound and I claimed the quest. No arrogance, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Call me Rue.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I fear that I cannot.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because calling you by your given name feels like calling your husband by his given name. With all due respect, you are royalty.¡± ¡°Would it work if I ordered you to do it?¡± There was a moment of silence after Rue Brandis¡¯ words. Within the silence, Aiden watched her, took her in. her long, brown flowing hair. Brown eyes that were fixed on him with a touch of amusement. She wore ear rings from which dangled small paper clips with enchantments inscribed on them. She had three more enchantments on the lapel of her green robe. No dragon design, he noted. Rumor had it that Brandis hated the dragon designs. Perhaps hate wasn¡¯t the word, but he was not a fan of it, not the way the rest of the kingdom was. There was a slight bump on the robe that fell over her thigh as well. A weapon? He doubted she was here to fight him. Rue Brandis always felt like the carrot that came before the stick. She tried to manipulate you, and if that failed, then someone else came to kill you, not that she couldn¡¯t do it herself. ¡°Ordering me would not work,¡± he answered finally. ¡°Two heartbeats,¡± Rue said casually. ¡°It took you two heartbeats to decide that I would not be able to order you to call me by my name. You must¡¯ve really thought about it.¡± ¡°I like to think about things, ma¡¯am.¡± Rue groaned in exasperation. ¡°Can we find an alternative to the word ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯? You¡¯re making me feel old. I don¡¯t like feeling old.¡± Not a weapon, Aiden concluded as his gaze made out the shape of what was beneath her robe. It was a rectangle. He wasn¡¯t sure what type of weapon fit the description of what he was seeing. ¡°It¡¯s a small wooden plaque.¡± I guess I¡¯m not the only one paying attention, Aiden thought. ¡°If I may ask¡ª¡± ¡°You may.¡± ¡°¡ªwhy are you walking around with a wooden plaque?¡± ¡°So that I can do this.¡± Rue slipped her hand beneath the lower lapel of the robe and brought out an iron block, then placed it on her other lap. I guess it¡¯s not wooden. Once it was on her other lap, Rue placed a finger on it and engraved an enchantment onto the block. With her finger, she carved into it, shaving away metal with each stroke. It was a show of power. Aiden couldn¡¯t think of anything else it could be. With the engraving done, she placed her entire palm on it, activating it. It glowed blue before a small dome appeared around the both of them. The air at its boundaries did not shimmer into distortion as it did with the enchantments Aiden used. Instead, there was an actual blue dome, translucent enough to see through. ¡°Now,¡± Rue Brandis said, ¡°I shall address what brought me here.¡± The dome was interesting. Even though it had emanated from the block of metal, the block was not the center of it. On Rue¡¯s side, the dome stopped just behind her, extending all the way to stop just behind Aiden. He wondered what would happen if he stepped back, but it was a curiosity that he could not satisfy since he was already leaning against the wall. ¡°Neat enchantment,¡± he complimented. ¡°Thank you,¡± Rue replied. ¡°I am a sort of [Enchanter] myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet a ¡®sort of [Enchanter]¡¯.¡± ¡°I hear you are similar in your own way, so it¡¯s nice to meet you, too.¡± Rue crossed her legs. ¡°First, for the matter surrounding the knight, Valdan. I wish to inform you that his predicament was entirely my fault. My husband is not one for scheming, and he is often known to come to me for advice when it comes to such matters.¡± ¡°He needed a scheme around Valdan?¡± ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°He needed a way to help him cross the threshold¡ªamongst other things¡ªin a surefire method that he would not be aware of. Ergo, schemes. Ergo,¡± she pointed at herself, ¡°me.¡± Aiden remained silent. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say,¡± she continued, ¡°is that you should not hold a man responsible for the advice of his wife simply because he listens to her. A king needs a council, a good man who becomes a king needs it even more. The crown is heavier than people think.¡± ¡°I am vaguely aware of the weight of the crown,¡± Aiden said. ¡°And I have no quarrel with the king of this kingdom.¡± ¡°And I can hold you to your word for this?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Good. Then on to other matters.¡± Aiden frowned. ¡°Other matters?¡± ¡°My daughter,¡± Rue Brandis said. ¡°She recently spent some time with you and has grown quite fond of you. So much so that she has begun looking to a life of adventure beyond the castle walls.¡± Well, that was stupid in its own way. What business did a princess have with adventuring outside the control of her kingdom? She was a princess and all royal families had their ways of adventuring. Elaswit probably felt like doing what she was about to do would make her her own person, but ultimately, it would just put her at unnecessary risk. Good thing she¡¯s not my daughter. ¡°Would you like me to dissuade her?¡± he asked. ¡°Because if that is why you are here, I must disappoint you. I do not have that level of authority over your daughter. And I do not want it.¡± Rue snorted in amusement. ¡°Oh, gods, no. I have enough authority over all my children. Dissuading her is not the reason I am here. I am here to get your opinion on the matter. You were stuck in a cave with her once, going through the motions of an adventurer. What would you say of her? Would she survive in the adventuring world?¡± Aiden almost gave his genuine answer before stopping himself. His expression turned thoughtful before he sighed. ¡°I fear I cannot help with that. I have only met a handful of adventurers and none of them was close enough to tell me what the life of adventuring looked like. I do not have the wisdom required to answer that.¡± Rue sighed. ¡°Lord Lacheart, would you trust my daughter to follow you on an adventure?¡± ¡°I would not trust someone I do not know to follow me on an adventure.¡± ¡°But you know my daughter.¡± ¡°Not enough.¡± ¡°If you fear that I will hold you responsible if she dies, you should not. I am not that petty.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but you are a mother. Grief can do a lot of things to mothers. I have seen my fair share on my world.¡± Rue leaned forward on her seat. ¡°I am not that kind of mother.¡± There was an odd assurance in her voice. It almost sounded as if she was telling him that she was not that kind of mother because she knew for a fact that she was incapable of being that kind of mother. ¡°I have been informed of your trip tomorrow to meet your companions,¡± she said. ¡°I would like my daughter to follow you.¡± That was a good sign. Unless this was another scheme, it meant that the king had no intentions of going back on his word regardless of Derendoff¡¯s death. ¡°Would it be possible for her not to?¡± Aiden asked. Rue shook her head. ¡°For the sake of her relationship with her family, I feel that it is necessary. She has experienced a little too much in a very short amount of time. My daughter needs to clear her head.¡± ¡°Send her to the Naranoffs,¡± Aiden replied immediately. ¡°Their daughter is acquainted with a few adventurers. She can do her adventuring and head clearing over there.¡± Rue looked taken aback. Her brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°You hate my daughter,¡± she said suddenly. ¡°And if hate is a strong word then you certainly do not like my daughter¡¯s company.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t hate Elaswit, and he certainly had nothing against her company. But he had a memory of having to apologize for a facial expression he¡¯d made when they were still in a potential combat situation. He would be lying if he said he had enjoyed his time with her in the cave. He would be saying the truth if he said that he had no interest in doing it again. ¡°Your daughter is not an adventuring partner that I believe I would enjoy adventuring with,¡± he answered. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Rue replied. ¡°From what she told me, she very much enjoyed the experience. There were bad moments, but all in all, she enjoyed it.¡± ¡°Differing human beings,¡± was all Aiden had to say. Rue nodded in understanding. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself.¡± She tilted her head to the side as if trying to look past him. ¡°The sun will be up soon. When it is, my husband has given commands to the stable-hands to prepare the fastest jepat for you. Due to certain circumstances,¡± she looked pointedly at his black arm, ¡°you have been banned from using the teleportation centers. I believe I do not have to explain that it is all for your own safety.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°You do not.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The queen leaned back on her seat. ¡°You will be granted a map with marked locations. One of them will be your destination.¡± ¡°And the others?¡± ¡°Stopping points where you will swap out one tired jepat for one healthy jepat. The hope is that you can turn this journey into a day¡¯s ride by pushing all the jepats to their limit.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Rue Brandis picked up the block on her leg and held it up for Aiden to see the enchantment on it. ¡°Perhaps I should leave you with this. It is an enchantment that might prove useful to learn.¡± She placed it gently on the ground but Aiden did not move to take it. He knew the enchantment. It was a slightly modified enchantment of solitude. Once he was past level fifty, he could use it. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°I see you¡¯ve dispensed with the ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯ but have chosen not to replace it.¡± The queen tapped her cheek in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about that.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t care. ¡°My apologies. I have not thought of a sufficient replacement.¡± ¡°And you won¡¯t use ¡®Your Grace¡¯?¡± ¡°That is what I call your husband.¡± ¡°It is also something that a queen can be called.¡± She folded her arms and crossed her legs once more. ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel like you don¡¯t like me, Lord Lacheart. For one, you at no point in time offered for me to call you by your own name.¡± Because I know nothing about you. ¡°Is it because of my daughter?¡± she asked. ¡°Or what happened with my husband? Is it because you feel like I am something of a schemer and the reason your companion that has been killing my maids has not been punished.¡± Aiden summoned all his will into not reacting to her words, and Rue smiled. ¡°You can tell a lot about a person from their reactions, Lord Lacheart,¡± she continued. ¡°And you can tell a lot about a person from their lack of reactions. For example, the fact that you did not flinch right now tells me that you stopped yourself from flinching. It also tells me that you have an idea of who the killer is. It tells me that you are currently playing a game of schemes with me, making plans and eliminating them. You are on the defensive because I am much unlike my husband.¡± Aiden said nothing. ¡°Do you fear me, Lord Lacheart?¡± ¡°Only a fool does not fear a family with the ability to summon them from another world.¡± Aiden hadn¡¯t moved from his place leaning against the wall. His arms remained folded over his chest, his sword sheathed in its scabbard, dangling from his hold. ¡°You could very easily be a fool, Lord Lacheart. Just as I could very easily be a spy.¡± That caught Aiden¡¯s attention. In the Order there were spies that were so highly ranked and important that only the master of the Order was aware of them. At one point, Aiden had learned of a king who had actually been an Order spy. He¡¯d never looked into the king in question, but what if that was the reason there had been no information about Rue Brandis in the archives? What if she was a very important spy, one placed strategically in a kingdom with a [Sage]? It was worrying, terrifying even. It was a late realization, but a realization, nonetheless. Aiden had gotten himself in a sticky situation. She can¡¯t be¡­ right? It was terrifying to think about it. A very important spy right under his nose. It would mean that the master of the Order had known about him all along in his past life. It would mean that the master of the Order was very much aware of him now. ¡°Those are a lot of micro expressions, Lord Lacheart.¡± Rue Brandis sounded amused. ¡°I would be so happy if my children could learn to do that, smother all their expressions to nothing more than micro expressions. Confusion, fear, doubt, worry¡­¡± she leaned forward once more, studied his face from across the distance. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quite the large shadow of terror, Lord Lacheart.¡± She¡¯s goading me, Aiden told himself. Playing me. She can¡¯t be a spy. It¡¯s not feasible. A slow smile spread across Rue Brandis¡¯ face. It was a terrifying thing, like a cat that had just cornered a mouse it was playing with. She can¡¯t be. Aiden didn¡¯t want to believe it. The thought was still rummaging inside his head when he froze. His eyes descended to the metal block on the ground with the modified enchantment of solitude. There was only one known person that was allowed access to the information the monitoring enchantments that riddled the castle provided. The king. And the king delegated often. And he kept no secrets from his wife and vice versa. So why did she use an enchantment of solitude? Aiden paled. What is she trying to hide from him, and why? ¡°I have an important question for you, Lord Lacheart,¡± Rue Brandis said after a while. In Aiden¡¯s heart, he knew he did not want to know what the question was, he did not want to hear it. Somethings existed that a person could not come back from. His very being told him that hearing the question was one of such things. But there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Rue Brandis¡¯ smile widened, and Aiden saw her teeth. She was like a creature baring its fangs. ¡°Tell me,¡± she said. ¡°What do you know about The Order?¡± Fuck. SEVENTY-EIGHT: Not Just A Number The sound of his beating heart was terribly loud in Aiden¡¯s ear, and he blamed it on his enhanced perception. Arms folded over his chest, he flexed his red fingers, closing and opening his fist. He met Rue Brandis¡¯ gaze and didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, he let his eyes narrow very slowly, suspiciously. Then his lips tightened, and his jaw clenched in false annoyance. ¡°The Order?¡± he asked slowly. Rue Brandis nodded. ¡°What do you know of it?¡± Aiden searched her eyes from across the distance. With his perception buff he could see them clearly. Brown eyes staring at him, watching him. Waiting. Rue Brandis was playing a game right now, trying to fish out what he knew. It took him a little longer than he would¡¯ve liked but he learnt what he wanted to learn. She wanted to know if the Order had reached out to him somehow. It was an interesting thing. She didn¡¯t want to know if he had somehow found out about the Order but if the Order had come to him. I guess that¡¯s their explanation for how I know too much, he thought. Personally, he thought that line of thinking was reasonable. It made sense. He grew too fast, went to places he shouldn¡¯t know. He did too much. Clearly, no one would think that he was some kind of time traveler who had come back in time. Why? Because it would be beyond ridiculous. Everyone knew that the ability to time travel was one of the rarest skills. And even then, it wasn¡¯t actual time travel, it was more of projecting. There were rare people in history with the [Time Walker] class who had gained skills that allowed them to project themselves into the future. Only a handful, if Aiden¡¯s memory served him correctly. In this era, Zen was one of them. Even then, these skills did not grant them specificity, only fragments of the future they saw, terribly unusable fragments. Such skills were how seers worked. They saw broken fragments and spun a tale of cryptic confusion that annoyed people. Aiden had known Zen long enough to know how such things worked. So, in summary, there was no one with any kind of sense in their head that would assume that he was a time traveler since even in a world capable of summoning people from another world time travel on the scale he had experienced was impossible. ¡°Lord Lacheart,¡± Rue Brandis said in a soft voice. ¡°The Order.¡± Aiden feigned slight annoyance. ¡°I heard you, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m still sifting through what I know.¡± Rue cocked a brow. ¡°What you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that his grace has informed you of the fact that I tend to use my time in the library to lie a little.¡± Rue smiled. ¡°It has crossed my ears a time or two.¡± ¡°While that is true,¡± Aiden continued. ¡°I actually have been spending time in the library. So I need to be sure before I give an answer.¡± ¡°Sure of what?¡± ¡°Of everything I know about orders.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Rue placed both hands on her knee, one atop the other. ¡°I never thought the idea of an order would be so much to think about.¡± ¡°The order,¡± Aiden corrected her. ¡°You said The order. Emphasis on ¡®the¡¯. Only a child would not understand that you are talking of a specific order. Something generally known.¡± ¡°And why would I be talking about that?¡± Aiden raised a slow brow, allowing all the other expressions slip from his face. ¡°I doubt a queen would come to my room before the sun is up to ask me about some random order given by some random person on some random day. And considering the fact that your husband has given me no order recently, it certainly cannot be about that.¡± Rue¡¯s expression brightened tremendously. She looked like a child who¡¯d just seen a toy she¡¯d been dreaming of for so many years. ¡°You are a child, though. Nineteen, if I am not mistaken.¡± ¡°Nineteen does not necessarily make me a child,¡± Aiden opposed. ¡°Nope.¡± Rue shook her head, still smiling. ¡°Nineteen is definitely still a child. People would argue that you¡¯re a child until you¡¯re twenty-five.¡± ¡°People would argue that you become an adult the moment you get your interface,¡± Aiden returned. Rue waved the statement aside casually, hand returning back to her knee. ¡°Everyone is always in a hurry to grow up, tossing around anything just to be an adult. Age, Lord Lacheart,¡± she leaned forward teasingly but not seductively, ¡°is not just a number.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Aiden said with a half-smile. ¡°In my world, the popular saying is exactly the opposite.¡± Rue kept her eyes on him, still slightly leaning forward on her chair. Aiden¡¯s gaze did not waver. It did not flinch. He met her brown eyes and held her gaze. A moment of silence settled between them. As annoying as it was to admit, Aiden felt like a child being tested by their mother. Mommy had bluffed and the son had just called her bluff for the first time in his life. Rue broke their locked gaze and sat back with a very wide smile. She looked happy, ecstatic. She was like a teenager on some high end drug. ¡°You, dear boy,¡± she said, ¡°are beautiful. If only one of my children had the level of calculated sass that you have, I¡¯d be the happiest mother alive.¡± She paused, turned thoughtful, smiled wider. ¡°Have you ever wanted to be a prince before, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden shrugged, hoping his nonchalance would calm her excitement. ¡°Wanted to be a strong grappler as a child once.¡± ¡°A grappler,¡± Rue mused. ¡°I believe every male child goes through a violent dream every now and again. It¡¯s usually dreams like slaying dragons and winning wars, though. But a good grappler can work. I know a few knights that are good at grappling techniques. I could speak with one of them.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°I had the dream when I was a child. Dream¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Then what do you dream of now?¡± ¡°Mostly random things like most people. Sometimes I dream of¡­¡± Aiden¡¯s voice trailed off as he thought about it, really thought about it. A frown creased his brows as he realized something. He continued his statement, nonetheless. ¡°Girls¡­ sometimes.¡± He cocked his head to the side in thought without meaning to. ¡°Food. The fight I had with the goblins when I first snuck out of the castle. Three nights ago, I dreamt about home.¡± What the hell? He thought in his mind as he listed out dreams to the queen of Bandiv. What¡¯s going on? When was the last time I had a dream? Aiden had just realized that since returning to the past he had not had a single dream. Not one. If he¡¯d woken up to a feeling from a dream he couldn¡¯t remember, that would¡¯ve been good. But not even that. ¡°My husband will send you home,¡± Rue said, a touch of solemnity corrupting her excitement. ¡°But until then, how do you feel about becoming a prince?¡± Aiden¡¯s confusion about dreams disappeared in the blink of an eye. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Being a prince,¡± Rue repeated. ¡°What would you say to being a prince?¡± Aiden blinked once, then twice. ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± ¡°Still a child.¡± Rue let out a slow and gentle breath. ¡°Lord Aiden Lacheart, I would like to adopt you as my son.¡± ¡°By the gods, no,¡± Aiden sputtered before he could stop himself. ¡°Drown me and send me to Lale of the wind.¡± Rue reeled back in surprise. ¡°You know one of our gods? I¡¯m visibly surprised.¡± Lale of the wind was the god of the wind. On Nastild, they said that whenever he blinked in surprise, he raised tempests and hurricanes that threatened to rip mountains from their place. He was a major god, not a lesser god. One of the twelve. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading,¡± Aiden answered, trying to compose himself. ¡°I like to read.¡± Rue¡¯s smile returned. ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you are good at deflecting?¡± ¡°My brother is better at it,¡± Aiden replied without missing a beat. ¡°I learnt it from him.¡± ¡°Is he as smart as you are?¡± Aiden thought back to a time before Nastild and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s one of those people who are so smart that they are annoying.¡± Rue took a moment to think about it before finally shaking her head. ¡°No. The king will not allow it. I think I can do one adoption but not two.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m good with the parents I already have, ma¡¯am,¡± Aiden told her. ¡°But I appreciate the offer.¡± Rue sighed. ¡°Well, then, that ended quickly. A shame, you would¡¯ve made a great king.¡± Her expression returned to seriousness. ¡°So, are you done thinking?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure out what you were talking about.¡± ¡°And would you like to know about the Order, then?¡± Aiden¡¯s brows furrowed. Is she recruiting me? He fought against the smile that threatened to touch his lips. It was funny to be recruited again, especially after what he had gone through with the Order. He had risen through the ranks. From recruit to student. From student to spy. When it turned out that he made a terrible spy, he had moved to executioner. He had been good at being an executioner, too good for a simple [Enchanter], but he had learned the tricks and learnt them from the best. It was as an executioner that he had developed the skills and requirements to become an instructor. You did not recruit an instructor. ¡°Is something funny, Lord Lacheart?¡± Rue asked. ¡°Does my question amuse you?¡± Her words helped Aiden realize that he hadn¡¯t completely succeeded in concealing his smile. And this is why you failed as a spy. You can¡¯t act for shit or keep your mouth closed long enough. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of the order as some kind of actual order or mandate,¡± Aiden replied. ¡°I just realized that it¡¯s probably not.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± The queen gestured at the only other chair in the room. ¡°Would you like to have a sit? You might need it.¡± Sheathed sword still in hand, Aiden walked over to his bed and sat down. This is going to be interesting. He¡¯d always enjoyed hearing what people thought about the Order. Most people got it wrong, though. The only thing everyone got right was that the Order was a shadow organization. Then again, could the Order really be called a shadow organization when a lot of people knew about it? ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± he said when he was ready. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start small and simple.¡± Rue retained her regal position, hands gently placed upon the raised knee of the leg crossed over the other. ¡°The Order is a ragtag organization of weak people who want to feel important.¡± Aiden paused. That was not what he had been expecting. ¡°A ragtag organization of weak people who want to feel important?" he repeated. "I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about one weak man who recruited a bunch of weak men and women to work for him and called them strong.¡± Rue uncrossed her legs and crossed them back. ¡°In their defense, like rats, they¡¯ve become a strong information network, recruiting people with a false lure of power.¡± This is interesting. It seemed he had been wrong. Rue Brandis was not recruiting him. ¡°If I may ask, why am I being told about a group of weak people?¡± ¡°Because they have their rats everywhere,¡± she answered. ¡°They find those who don¡¯t know enough. The weak. Then they prey on them. Take advantage of them. My husband and I worry that they¡¯ve made contact with you in some way.¡± ¡°In some way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rue¡¯s expression grew more serious but with a slight touch of worry. ¡°Have you been approached by anyone?¡± ¡°Anyone?¡± Aiden folded his arms, leaving his sword on the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°You understand. I am very much aware of the fact that you and that soldier of yours went to a very questionable area to purchase some nice vambraces. You have that information, so there has to be someone that told you.¡± Aiden sucked in a deep breath. He had a tell when he lied. It was a tell that not many people knew, so it had rarely mattered. In front of someone like Rue Brandis, it mattered. ¡°The king is aware of a few things regarding that piece of information, and I have been¡­ convinced to keep it to myself.¡± ¡°Your little enchantment of confusion?¡± Rue Brandis bent to pick the metal brick from the ground. She placed it on her knee, the enchantment engraved on it facing down and carved a new enchantment on the untouched surface facing her. She held it up to him. ¡°This one?¡±Stolen story; please report. Aiden nodded slowly, eyes flickering down to the iron shavings on the floor. ¡°The maids will deal with those,¡± Rue said, noticing his gaze. ¡°If this enchantment is the one you¡¯re talking about, believe me, that¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the only time some random person has ever approached me.¡± Rue discarded the brick back to the ground, gracelessly shoving it off her knee as if cleaning a stain. ¡°And this person approached you after you went from store to store asking for an enchantment with properties of something from your world.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Then how did you find this other store?¡± she asked. ¡°Because I know for a fact that they do not sell enchantments.¡± ¡°They do,¡± Aiden said, correcting her. ¡°But only in the back.¡± Rue cocked a brow. ¡°And how did you know of the back?¡± ¡°Because I was told by an adventurer when I first got to the adventure society hall.¡± ¡°After your return?¡± ¡°Before my departure.¡± ¡°And what was the adventurer¡¯s name?¡± ¡°No idea. I think he was helping out a rookie.¡± ¡°Did you speak to them in the morning or evening?¡± ¡°Evening, after waking up from a terrible injury and gaining my class.¡± Rue was playing a game. It was a common game between schemers and liars. A basic thing he¡¯d picked up at some point in his life. Keep the questions fast and precise, offer options and let the other person pick from those options. If they were lying and unaware of the game, they were going to end up picking from the options you gave them. But it only worked if the liar was an amateur and didn''t know the game. Aiden wasn¡¯t the best liar, but he never considered himself an amateur despite the occasional slip ups. ¡°You¡¯ve got a sharp memory,¡± Rue said with a smile. ¡°Maybe too sharp. Was this practiced?¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°Enchantment of Lesser Perception.¡± He tapped a finger to his temple then folded his arms back. ¡°I can make multiple calculations while having this conversation with you. My mind¡¯s quicker than I remember. Useful enchantment if you ask me.¡± ¡°I agree. And you chose to use that when you found out I was the one you would be speaking to?¡± ¡°Not really. I was testing something out and it seemed like the most harmless enchantment to use.¡± The look in her eyes said that she clearly did not believe him. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the topic at hand, shall we?¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Should anyone hover around you, giving you unsolicited pieces of advice, say no.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Rue nodded in appreciation. ¡°Also,¡± she continued. ¡°If you find different people helping you out at different points in time with different pieces of information you did not ask for, that is a sign that you have their attention.¡± ¡°The attention of The Order?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Rue confirmed. ¡°They have enough information to hand out free ones so that you know what they are capable of.¡± ¡°And why exactly should I be worried about them?¡± Aiden leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees. ¡°You said they are weak, and I get to get good information.¡± ¡°They are weak but also like a cult. Bad things come hand in hand with joining a cult.¡± Aiden had the urge to argue the matter. The Order was not like a cult. Its secretive nature gave that impression, but the truth was that the Order was more like a military organization with a nonchalant boss who delegated most of the work to his overworked and underpaid second in command who wasn¡¯t really his second in command. Now that Aiden thought about it, he found himself wondering how Torat was doing right now. Definitely don¡¯t want to be running into him anytime soon. Torat was a little bit too thorough for Aiden¡¯s taste. He was overworked and underpaid because he did everything to the letter. It was why the master of the Order always delegated to him. If you needed a job done thoroughly and properly with no room for error, you sent Torat. Or, as master likes to call him, Tarot. Aiden chuckled lightly. ¡°And what amuses you?¡± Rue asked. ¡°Just something I heard in my world,¡± Aiden said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°Nothing truly interesting. If at all, it might be slightly heretical.¡± ¡°Ooh, I¡¯m intrigued. Please tell.¡± Rue did sound intrigued. ¡°I¡¯ve always found heretical quotes quite fascinating.¡± Aiden gave her an odd look. He definitely didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Alright. Do you know the difference between a cult and a religion?¡± ¡°Ooh.¡± Rue winced, sucking in a sharp breath. ¡°That already starts like something the church will have your head for." She brightened up suddenly. "I like it.¡± Aiden laughed. ¡°So what¡¯s the difference?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, the difference is this: in a cult, there is someone at the top that knows what is really going on.¡± ¡°And in a religion?¡± Rue looked visibly interested. ¡°In a religion, that person is dead.¡± ¡°Oh, I like that one.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then he got up and stretched. ¡°If that is all, I believe I best be getting ready to leave.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still time,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe, but I like to get ready earlier.¡± Aiden walked back up to the closet, not that there was really anything he was looking for there. ¡°I understand.¡± Rue Brandis got up. ¡°So, I hope you understand that my husband is not a bad man.¡± Aiden remembered Valdan¡¯s body lying motionless on the black sand and frowned. He couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Yea¡­ he just has bad people around him.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Rue said, unbothered. ¡°When a good man becomes a good leader, he needs bad counsel as well as good around him. Being good makes him good counsel, so he needs bad. You strike me as the kind of person who might end up being a leader. Perhaps this piece of advice will be of use to you.¡± Aiden stopped pretending to be rummaging through his closet to look at her. ¡°What gives you that impression?¡± ¡°You had a knight training you and he developed a loyalty for you.¡± ¡°Valdan¡¯s just Valdan.¡± ¡°You borrowed one of our soldiers and he obeys you as if you¡¯re his commanding officer.¡± ¡°A little bit of appreciative gold goes a long way.¡± Rue smiled, shaking her head. ¡°One schemer to another, Lord Lacheart. Don¡¯t always try to have the last word. You seem to have a habit of it.¡± Aiden returned his attention to his closet. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve been working on it for years but by the life of me I haven¡¯t been able to get anywhere. The only time the last word doesn¡¯t matter is when I plan on having the last action.¡± Still shaking her head and smiling, Rue Brandis held her hand up with an open palm. The space above it cracked like a broken glass and light reflected from it. A storage space, Aiden noted. When the light show ended, Rue Brandis held a card in her hand. ¡°Have they given you your bank card?¡± she asked. Aiden¡¯s mind first went to the forgeries he¡¯d gotten from the back office of the shop she had carefully pointed out that she was aware of. ¡°Yes, they have,¡± he answered. ¡°That¡¯s good. This,¡± she held up the card, ¡°is not that.¡± The card in her hand was as large as her hand. The light from the room reflected off the card¡¯s golden surface. On it was a word inscribed in an old tongue. Honored guest, Aiden read. It was the only word on the card, then beneath it was a royal inscription. Aiden knew what it was but didn¡¯t say anything. Rue turned the card around to look at the inscription. ¡°Can you read this?¡± ¡°No,¡± Aiden answered, because he wasn¡¯t supposed to. It wasn¡¯t written in a language that they had been taught to read and write in the palace. ¡°This,¡± Rue said, ¡°is a card pass. With this, you can go through every city without having to present a means of identification or pay anything like an entry fee. With this, you have the king¡¯s royal decree to go anywhere.¡± Aiden knew what it was. In his past life, one card was given to each group of summoned. It was designed to account for the entire group. When Drax had gained the title of [Hero] he had automatically become the carrier of their group''s. ¡°I have an adventurer identification,¡± Aiden said. ¡°And that will not suffice to get you into everywhere, Lord Lacheart. In fact, there are places that make it their business to turn away adventurers. This, however, will get you through those doors.¡± Aiden walked up to her and took the card from her hand gently. She let him. He held it up, turned it one way then the other. He¡¯d never thought about having one to his own personal use. ¡°I¡¯m going to join my brother¡¯s group tomorrow. Is it safe to assume that this card is for all of us?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Rue looked up at him. ¡°Just you. That¡¯s your personal royal pass.¡± Aiden slipped the card into his pocket. ¡°I am grateful.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a strong and resourceful kid, Aiden Lacheart. Powerful, too.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But there are assumptions that come with a powerful and resourceful child,¡± Rue said. ¡°You¡¯ve been outside the castle walls and still managed to grow, somehow. With that, you might believe that you can grow without the help of the royal family.¡± I can. ¡°And you probably can,¡± Rue was saying. ¡°But the truth is this. Alone, you probably can, with the royal family, you definitely will grow.¡± She got up from her seat, standing right in front of Aiden. She was perhaps an inch or two shorter. ¡°Forgive my husband for the crime of listening to me. I felt like it would be the only way to ensure that Valdan remained capable of teaching you something new. A way of making sure that he remained useful to you.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t even have to think about his answer to that. ¡°Valdan is useful to me.¡± ¡°Perhaps as a friend, but not as a teacher, and someone like you needs a friend and a teacher. So don¡¯t blame my husband for listening to his wife.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to.¡± ¡°That is all I ask.¡± Rue bent to pick up her metal brick. ¡°As for Valdan, I have confirmed that he should be fine before the day breaks. Along with that, you will not be going on your journey alone. My husband and I have deemed it fit to send Elaswit with you.¡± She raised a silencing finger even though Aiden hadn¡¯t intended on saying anything. ¡°She is not your responsibility, Lord Lacheart. And you are not hers. Her following you is simply to give her a destination, a goal. She lives and dies by her hands.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a very motherly thing to say, if you don¡¯t mind me saying.¡± Rue shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not a very motherly person.¡± She raised a hand and patted his cheek affectionately. ¡°You would¡¯ve made an amazing son, Aiden Lacheart. A shame.¡± Aiden gave her a smile but took a step away from her hand. ¡°I¡¯m already someone¡¯s son.¡± Rue¡¯s smile softened. ¡°A lucky woman.¡± Aiden felt he was more of a lucky son than his mother was a lucky mother. But that was a different conversation entirely. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Rue clapped her hand once. ¡°The card was from my husband, but he wasn¡¯t sure if you¡¯d be willing to see him with what happened yesterday. My daughter¡¯s presence is from my daughter. So, I should give you a gift of my own. Something to help you look forward to when you¡¯re coming back. Would you be willing to have it?¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Rue walked all the way to the door that led out of the room but didn¡¯t open it. ¡°You are a [Weaver], but from what I¡¯ve been told, you¡¯re more like a weaver of enchantments, which means that enchantments are important to you.¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± Aiden said. ¡°My class is [Enchanter], which means it is my business to know enchantments. And living as long as I have, I have learnt a lot of enchantments, so I will show you something from my time before level one hundred. It¡¯s a beautiful enchantment, and a powerful one.¡± Rue placed her hand on his wall and carved an enchantment into it with her finger. Aiden was beginning to think that she really liked carving into things with her finger. When she was done, she turned back to face him. ¡°Now I know you won¡¯t know what it does, but can you recall it in your mind?¡± Aiden simply stared at the enchantment, dumbfounded. It was a customized form with flourishes that came with the person that designed it. But he knew the enchantment. In response to her question, he nodded slowly. ¡°Good,¡± Rue Brandis said. ¡°If you aren¡¯t at level fifty when you return, then I promise to push you beyond the threshold. Once that is done, I¡¯ll teach you how to use the enchantment, when to use it, and how to master it. Believe me, you won¡¯t see this enchantment in any book anywhere, so don¡¯t bother going to the library.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± Aiden asked absently, eyes still fixed on the runes and sigils that made up the enchantment. ¡°It helps in taming really really wild animals.¡± Rue gave him an innocent smile. ¡°Very powerful wild animals. Wouldn¡¯t that be useful?¡± ¡°It works on monsters, too, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Aiden took a step towards the enchantment but stopped himself. The very existence of the enchantment on the wall told him everything he needed to know. It answered the question of why Rue Brandis'' information was not easily accessible in the Order. It also explained why she hated the Order. ¡°Alright then, Lord Lacheart.¡± She opened the door. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when you get back.¡± Then she was gone. And her enchantment that had masked them in solitude left with her. Aiden walked up to the one she¡¯d left on the wall. To his surprise, as the seconds ticked on by, the enchantment seemed to fade away. As it faded away, he watched the wall heal itself until it was a clean smooth wall once more. He looked at his door and touched a hand to it, reactivating his enchanted lock. She definitely knows how to drive a hard bargain. In a world filled with monsters, an enchantment that could tame any monster would be a win. A huge win. In my past life, I would¡¯ve jumped on this offer. Sadly, this was not his past life. He was not a new [Enchanter]. He was an [Enchanter] that knew exactly what the enchantment Rue Brandis had carved into his wall was. It was an enchantment that was supposed to be a lost enchantment, but it really wasn¡¯t. What made it specifically interesting was the fact that it was race specific. He watched the last presence of the enchantment burn away and knew what exactly Rue Brandis was. After all, she had just engraved unto his wall an enchantment used for taming baby dragons. Rue Brandis was most likely from an ancient line of human dragon riders from the other side of Nastild that were supposed to be extinct. And the reason they were supposed to be extinct was because many years ago the Order had wiped them off the face of Nastild. I guess that explains her hate for the Order. Aiden turned around and headed back to his closet. He¡¯d never thought he¡¯d come across a human dragon rider or someone related to them. He understood why Rue Brandis couldn¡¯t rule now, the Order would not let her. She probably thought she was hiding from them but they were very much aware of her. Aiden couldn¡¯t help the smile that touched his lips as he pulled out a Bandiv styled coat from his closet. It would be good against the cold. I wonder if she¡¯s a real life dragon rider, he thought. He¡¯d never seen one. He¡¯d seen someone ride a dragon before but that didn¡¯t make them a dragon rider. A dragon rider had a bond with their dragon, an actual one. Aiden let out a sigh, staring at the now empty wall. Rue Brandis had driven a hard bargain. Too bad I know more than enough dragon styled enchantments. He had the urge to look at the reward he got from the sight-bound quest for killing Derendoff. What he¡¯d seen had been interesting, after all. So he did. ¡­ ¡°He¡¯s an interesting kid. Can we adopt him?¡± Brandis chuckled. ¡°No.¡± ¡°But it would be fun,¡± Rue groaned like a petulant child. ¡°He¡¯s so smart.¡± She turned on the bed so that her head hung over the side of the bed and looked at him upside down. ¡°Do you know I used the lying game on him?¡± Brandis paused, adjusting his shirt in front of the mirror. It was actually his wife¡¯s vanity mirror where she played with her knives and enchantments. He turned to look at her. ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± The sound came out more like a moan, a teasing kind. ¡°He played it quite well. He lies better than most nineteen-year-olds I know. Not very good at it when compared to me, but quite skilled.¡± Brandis¡¯ room wasn¡¯t as wide as many people would expect the room of a king to be. It certainly wasn¡¯t as large as the room his father had used during his reign. He liked it small, simple, with all the protective enchantments it could handle. There was a bed at the center of the room, large enough to hold five people. As for the space, it was homely. At least that was how his wife described it. According to her, it reminded her of the room of a simple man. They had a simple brown cupboard at one end that was filled with their clothes. There was a walk-in closet that had more of her clothes. The room also had a desk and chair where he did some reading, but being king, he rarely had the time to use it. Brandis missed being able to read for as long as he wanted. The yellow walls of the room were often a bit too bright for him, but his wife loved it, and he was fine with that. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± he asked finally. ¡°Is he going to come back?¡± His wife turned again, rested her jaw on her hands. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°As sure as you can be about human beings,¡± she answered. ¡°I know he doesn¡¯t hate you, though. I think there¡¯s a part of him that understands the weight of being a ruler or at least a leader. He is definitely wary of me. But that¡¯s how schemers tend to be with each other.¡± ¡°Did he accept the card?¡± Rue nodded. ¡°He wanted to know if it was for just him or the team. I told him it was just for him.¡± Brandis sighed, running a hand down his face. ¡°Now, I have to get another one ready in the next thirty minutes. The card was meant to be for his entire team.¡± ¡°You worry too much, love,¡± Rue said, unbothered. ¡°His team can use Witty¡¯s card.¡± Brandis walked over to the bed and sat down. Rue placed a hand on his thigh. For as long as he¡¯d known her, she¡¯d always been so obsessed with physical contact with him whenever they were alone. ¡°I really don¡¯t want him to leave,¡± he said, giving his worry life. ¡°He¡¯s too talented. If he wasn¡¯t so¡­ jaded, I would¡¯ve expected him to earn the title of [Hero]. The gods know that that would be the best thing that can happen for us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Rue assured him. ¡°He¡¯s more or less an enchanter that likes to study, so I offered to teach him an enchantment he can¡¯t refuse.¡± Brandis¡¯ brows furrowed in worry. ¡°What enchantment, Rue?¡± ¡°One of mine.¡± Brandis wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that. He didn¡¯t know everything about her history, but he knew enough. What she was. What she was not supposed to do. He also knew that using her enchantments could get her in trouble. She¡¯d said so herself. ¡°Is that safe?¡± he asked her. ¡°It¡¯s safe enough. What matters is that he knows it will be a useful enchantment. I saw the desire in his eyes when I used it. It held his attention far more than when I carved enchantments with my finger, or when I showed him other normal enchantments.¡± ¡°Did you tell him what it does?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I just told him that it tames monsters. Since his brother got the class [Summoner], I¡¯m sure he would also be thinking of how he can use it for his brother as well.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sure it¡¯s fine?¡± She got up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°It is. Now go do what you have to do. Lord Lacheart leaves with your daughter in only a few minutes.¡± Brandis grumbled as he got up. He really didn¡¯t like the idea of Elaswit following Aiden, but he understood the reason for it. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have sent Derenet with him,¡± he complained as he made his way to the door. ¡°The gods know that boy needs some growing up to do.¡± ¡°Nope, Lord Lacheart would probably push Derenet off a cliff at some point rather than train him.¡± Brandis held the door open and looked back at his wife one more time. She gave him a bright smile, a happy smile. She always had one for him even when things were going badly. ¡°You¡¯re taking a risk teaching him that enchantment. You know that, right?¡± Rue nodded. ¡°I do, love. But you¡¯ve got to look on the bright side.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll come back.¡± Brandis couldn¡¯t argue that it was a bright side. The summoned would be much stronger if Aiden worked with them. Stepping out of the room, he closed the door behind him. However, he still heard his wife¡¯s last words, and they followed him as he walked down the hallway. ¡°Maybe we can make a dragon rider out of him,¡± she had said. SEVENTY-NINE: Road to Elstrire The sound of the jepat¡¯s feet against the ground was soothing to Aiden¡¯s ears as he nudged the animal along. He sat equestrian upon the saddle, eyes scanning the castle grounds as he moved. He took it all in. The apothecaries with their vast array of potions sold at exorbitant prices. The enchantment stores with far more enchantments than any [Enchanter] could keep in their minds. Aiden smiled as he watched his surroundings. His jepat pushed forward at a steady trudge and he kept his eyes on everything. He was not the only weight the creature was carrying. Strapped to its back was his clothes wrapped in a single bundle. There were only two shirts and pants and a pair of boots. On one side of the jepat, closest to his thigh for easy access, were three sheathed swords. The average soldier or adventurer carried one, but with his skill, [Unarmed Engrave], he would go through swords quickly, shaving away at their durability with every enchantment. So he had three, taken from the armory. At the back, strapped to the other side of the jepat¡¯s thigh was Belle¡¯s axe. It was a large enough battle axe. He¡¯d thrown a small sack over the axe¡¯s head to protect the jepat from being accidentally cut by the blade. His black gloved hands held the reins of his jepat loosely. Before long, Aiden found himself at the castle gates. Two guards stood in defense of the internal walls. Aiden said nothing to them. He offered them a nod that they returned and simply slipped his hand into his coat. He pulled out the royal pass he had been granted by the queen and held it up. One of the guards squinted at it from where he stood, raised his hand and made a twirling motion. Aiden waited patiently as the portcullis was raised. Both soldiers stepped out of his way. He trudged along through the gate until he was outside. The guards outside offered him a nod in greeting and he returned it. ¡°Ready for the new day?¡± Elaswit asked with a cheery smile. She was seated on her own jepat, dressed like an adventurer. Her long hair was packed up in a ponytail and she wore light armor over her white shirt. Aiden said nothing, simply looking at her. Elaswit¡¯s cheery expression dimmed a little, then it turned awkward. She scratched at her cheek awkwardly and looked away. ¡°I was told that you were aware of me joining you,¡± she muttered. ¡°I was informed,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°By your mother.¡± Elaswit smiled sheepishly. ¡°Sorry about that. She can be a bit much sometimes.¡± Aiden couldn¡¯t disagree. If he had actually been a nineteen-year-old boy, she might¡¯ve been too much for him. But he was not. He nudged his jepat forward. ¡°She was alright.¡± ¡°Wow," Elaswit gasped. "You just might be the first person to say my mum was alright. Unless you are actually just being polite.¡± Aiden looked absently into the distance. ¡°I¡¯m just being polite.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The word came from Elaswit as if it was more of a sound than an actual response. Aiden paid very little attention to it, his mind making its calculations. It had been a while since he¡¯d seen Ted. He wondered what would be new, how strong Ted would be. The group hadn¡¯t been in the cannibal town for very long, so they would still be going through the motions. The chaos came towards the end. Till this day, Aiden still didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened to trigger the [Cannibals]. They had been nothing but nice and amiable for most of their stay. It doesn¡¯t matter what happened. He would get there, deal with the [Cannibals], and have that long awaited talk with Ted. Once that was done, he would move on with the next plan, finding the [Crystal of Existence]. Finding it wasn¡¯t exactly the phrase he wanted to use. He knew exactly where it was, after all. The thought of his plans made him look back at the castle. The soldiers standing guard had their eyes trained on him. He had a royal pass and was with the princess, but that wasn¡¯t enough reason to trust him, it seemed. ¡°Alright.¡± Aiden looked back to the path ahead. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy to have me here,¡± Elaswit said. Aiden fought the urge to sigh. This was what he liked to stay away from, conversations that he felt were not necessary to what he was doing. It didn¡¯t matter whether he was happy to have her or not, what mattered was that there were no issues. And there was none. ¡°Princess,¡± he started only for her to cut him off. ¡°Elaswit,¡± she corrected. ¡°I am currently not traveling under the capacity of my title as princess.¡± It made enough sense. ¡°Elaswit,¡± he corrected. ¡°I¡¯m not very good with girls.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said that before,¡± she pointed out. ¡°And people react a certain way to girls when they aren¡¯t good with them.¡± He ran a hand through his hair, hoping his explanation would suffice. ¡°Some of them are shy around them, and someone of them simply don¡¯t deal with it.¡± ¡°Let me guess,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°You¡¯re the latter.¡± Aiden nodded. ¡°So, it¡¯s not that you have a problem with me,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°It¡¯s that you just don¡¯t want to have to deal with me because you just avoid your problems.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if she was poking at him somehow with the statement of avoiding his problems. Still, she seemed to get the gist of it and that was fine by him. ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°Now that we have that out of the way, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Elaswit¡¯s words stopped him before he could nudge his jepat forward. ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± ¡°Our map.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Our guide¡¯s bringing it.¡± Guide? Aiden had heard nothing about a guide, and he didn¡¯t need one. All he needed was a map and his [Pathfinder] skill. ¡°I was told that there are places we shouldn¡¯t follow,¡± Elaswit went on, seemingly oblivious to his displeasure. ¡°Once we have the map, I¡¯ll point them out and we can be on our way.¡± Aiden had half a mind to push his jepat into a run and be done with it, but he stayed his hand. He could not start his day giving in to his annoyed impulses. Personally, he was sure he could find a map on his own. There were cartographers all around, after all. Those who had it by skill and those who simply dabbled, selling maps on end in their simple shops. ¡°Ah,¡± Elaswit¡¯s voice brightened once more in excitement, ¡°there he is.¡± Aiden turned to look back and the first thing he noticed was the soldiers straightening up, moving very quickly to attention as the portcullis was raised once more. Valdan passed under the raised portcullis on a jepat. Much unlike Aiden¡¯s and Elaswit¡¯s, his jepat was quite large. Bred for war it seemed. Its feet were almost twice the size of theirs and it walked with an aura that seemed to say that it would not back away from any fight. Aiden watched the knight approach in silence. Valdan looked tired with hollow eyes. He looked like someone deprived of too much sleep and lacking of too much blood. Still, he didn¡¯t sway in his saddle. With a straight back and an annoyed scowl on his face, he returned the salute of the soldiers before nodding in Elaswit¡¯s direction. As for Aiden, he didn¡¯t meet his eyes until his jepat came to a stop beside his. Due to the size difference in their steeds, Valdan sat higher than Aiden so that he looked down at him. Aiden cocked an inquisitive brow then eyed Valdan¡¯s jepat from top to bottom. ¡°What¡¯s with the size of that thing?¡± he asked suggestively. ¡°Are you trying to compensate for something?¡± His question took Valdan aback and the knight took a moment to recuperate. ¡°I have no idea what that means, but it is good to see you again, young lord.¡± ¡°Young Lord?¡± Aiden looked to Elaswit and she shrugged. ¡°When was the last time you called me young lord, Sir Valdan?¡± ¡°Too long ago,¡± Valdan answered. He reached into his saddle bag, pulled out a rolled up parchment and handed it over to Aiden. ¡°Map.¡± Aiden gave him an odd look. Something wasn¡¯t right. But he did not dwell on it now, instead, he took the parchment and unrolled it. He held in his hand a map of Bandiv. The moment it was steady in his hands, the drawings elevated slightly from the parchment into a three-dimensional setup. Each point of interest had a single dot above it. Not new to the use of maps created by actual cartographers with the class, Aiden released the map on both ends. The parchment hovered in front of him, levitating just between him and the back of his jepat¡¯s head as Elaswit moved her jepat over to his side. Aiden placed two fingers to the map and pinched, navigating it with a dexterity born from his knowledge of how maps worked and his experience from using too many. Should probably get me some cartography skills, he thought as the map zoomed out, landmarks shrinking as more parts appeared. Elaswit shot him an odd look that he ignored. He pinched again and the map zoomed out some more. He did it thrice more before the map had zoomed out completely. As far as Nel Qwan, he noted. It was a map that covered every land mass that was not demarcated by the ocean and seas. The only bodies of water present were crossable with small canoes and or small boats. A hand came into view and double tapped against the map, zooming on the kingdom of Bandiv. Once the kingdom was the only thing in view, it double tapped on a location to the east of it. It hovered just at the edge of a carved-out area labeled Elstrire. ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re going,¡± Elaswit said, taking her hand away. Aiden already knew where they were going. A single dot hovered over the small patch of land, unlabeled. It remained unnamed. Valdan leaned forward to look down at the map and Aiden¡¯s eyes slid over to him discreetly, making sure the man wasn¡¯t having trouble with his balance. Certain that he was not, he returned his eyes to the map. ¡°That¡¯s a far journey,¡± Valdan muttered. ¡°That explains the stops.¡± ¡°Stops?¡± Aiden asked, confused. ¡°I heard my mother saying something about making it to our destination in one go.¡± Elaswit placed a finger on a town not too far from Elstrire. ¡°This general region is cared for by Lord Garron, and he has a teleportation center right here.¡± ¡°A quick teleportation would cut the travel time by more than a third of the day,¡± Aiden muttered, calculating the distance in his head. ¡°If we push the jepats to their limits, from there,¡± he touched the same spot on the map Elaswit had then traced a path all the way to the town of cannibals, ¡°we can get here in less than an hour.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Yes,¡± Valdan agreed. ¡°But you have been banned from using the teleportation centers,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°On account of your various experiences with it. My parents have sent a royal instruction to those concerned, until we know more about why you keep reacting that way, you are not to be allowed usage. You already lost an arm to it.¡± Aiden held up his black arm. ¡°I still have the arm, and it causes me no problems.¡± That was only partly true. When it became red, he could not use the skill [Enchanted Weave] without some level of pain and zero effect. On the plus side, his fight with Derendoff had taught him that the arm had a certain level of increased strength when it was red. So there was that. Aiden sighed. ¡°With no teleportation, this is going to be a very long journey. What were you saying about stops, Valdan?¡± Leaning down, Valdan tapped four different spots on the map between where they were and the town of cannibals. Each spot lit up, marked by three green markers. Aiden zoomed in on one of the markers. ¡°Stables,¡± he read. They were large ones at that, commercial if he was not mistaken. ¡°Yes, young lord,¡± Valdan answered, soliciting a frown from Aiden. ¡°We are to¡ª¡± ¡°I swear to God, Valdan,¡± Aiden cut him off in annoyance. ¡°Call me young lord one more time and we¡¯re having it out right here and now.¡± Valdan looked at him very slowly and his jaw tightened. ¡°You are a you¡ª¡± Aiden¡¯s hand rested very clearly on the hilt of his sword. He took hold of it and drew an inch of steel. ¡°Try me. Just try me.¡± There was a moment of silence that stretched between them. In it, Elaswit was tense and unsure. The soldiers guarding the entrance to the castle stood a little too alert. In the end, Valdan broke the silence with a tired sigh. ¡°The intention of the king is for us to push our steeds as fast as we can for as long as we can.¡± He tapped the neck of his jepat and a geometric sign came alive, green as forest leaves. ¡°Our jepats have spells on them to increase movement speed by two hundred percent, so that gives us a reduced time period.¡± Aiden was aware of the spell. When he¡¯d taken his jepat from the stable, the stable master had been sure to bring it to his attention. It increased the chances of the jepats not surviving past the day. ¡°Word has already been sent ahead,¡± Valdan continued. ¡°Once we get to the first stable, we¡¯ll switch out the jepats for new ones that also have the same spells on them.¡± As Valdan spoke, Aiden did the math in his head. He knew how fast the average jepat ran. With a two hundred percent boost in movement speed and swapping out three other jepats, if they ran the creatures at full sprint until they got to their destination¡­ ¡°We should be there by nightfall,¡± he muttered. ¡°All in one day,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°Alright, that works.¡± Aiden tapped on the surface of the map thrice, returning it to its original dimensions. ¡°Still don¡¯t know why everyone¡¯s so worried about me and teleportation, but it¡¯s fine. Now we just have to¡ª¡± ¡°I almost forgot.¡± Elaswit placed a hand on the map, stopping Aiden before he could roll it back up. ¡°My mom said we should avoid here, here and here.¡± She tapped three points on the map, marking them with red markers. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She said they are not safe. A little too dangerous for us.¡± Valdan rubbed his jaw as he looked down at them. He leaned down and touched one of the markers. ¡°I think there was a level one hundred and eight monster sighting over here. A shutka, I think it was called. Nasty creatures. Luckily, they are solitary creatures so you only have to deal with one at a time.¡± A shutka was a tree monster that was capable of changing locations. It was susceptible to fire and liked to burrow into the ground and sprout other trees around it. At level one hundred, it could probably raise up its own small forest, a very small one. ¡°Yes,¡± Elaswit confirmed. ¡°Then the others just have barbarians lurking around, I think. All I know for sure is that we are supposed to avoid these places. Then there¡¯s this.¡± She held out her hand and presented Aiden with a small ring. If Zen was present, the man would¡¯ve probably cracked some joke about how he was flattered but wasn¡¯t willing to marry a princess. Aiden on the other hand picked up the ring from her open palm. With the slight inscription on the ring, he knew what it was. ¡°A storage space,¡± Valdan said with the first touch of interest in his voice since joining them. ¡°That deals with a handful of problems that come with traveling.¡± ¡°A gift from you?¡± Aiden asked Elaswit, slipping the ring on. It fit only his smallest finger. He channeled mana into it and found the ring empty. It did have a lot of space, though. Not enough to call it infinite. ¡°I figured I¡¯d rather soften the blow of my presence,¡± she replied uncomfortably. ¡°We¡¯ve been through this, Elaswit. Your presence is not a blow, I¡¯m just not good with being around women.¡± The princess nodded but didn¡¯t look convinced. She was probably still blaming herself for what happened in the cave. One day she would look past the fact that she¡¯d seized up and frozen after a near death experience and left him to fight the rest of the battle against the gargoyle on his own. But that day was not today. Aiden looked at Valdan¡¯s hands holding the reins of his jepat. ¡°Where¡¯s your ring?¡± He knew for a fact that all knights had storage rings. ¡°Hate the things,¡± Valdan replied without missing a beat. ¡°They¡¯ve always rubbed me the wrong way.¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t sure how that worked but left it alone. ¡°Alright then,¡± he announced. ¡°We know where we¡¯re going, where we¡¯re stopping, and where we¡¯re avoiding.¡± He looked at Valdan and Elaswit. ¡°Anything else before we start moving? Because we¡¯re burning daylight over here.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, one last thing.¡± Elaswit pulled out a black bank card. ¡°Part payment for your reward regarding the royal quest.¡± ¡°Part payment?¡± Aiden asked, pulling out his bank card. Elaswit placed hers against it and there was a blue glow between both cards. It was followed by a pop up from Aiden¡¯s interface. [You have just received 800 gold coins] ¡­ [Sight-Bound Quest: Slay The Failed Knight] King Brandis of the Bandiv kingdom, Fourth of his name, has placed a royal decree. For anyone who comes upon this individual, should it be within their power, you are granted the right to claim his life. Upon his demise, you shall be granted rewards as stated. [Objective passed: Slay Derendoff Naranoff 1/1] [Reward: 2000 gold coins] [Reward: One item of level fifty and above befitting of your class] .. [You have received 800 gold coins as part payment of reward for Sight-Bound quest Slay The Failed Knight] ¡°Only eight hundred,¡± Aiden muttered, not really complaining. ¡°Yes,¡± Elaswit replied even though he had not intended the words for her. ¡°Father said that due to quickness of the quest being completed, it would take some time to prepare the rewards. They should all be ready by the time we return.¡± They know, Aiden realized. And if they did not know, then they suspected that he would not return. Rue Brandis had offered to teach him a powerful enchantment as well as push him past the threshold. Now, the king had offered only part payment for the quest and nothing of the item until he returned. But unless it was a high grade ancient artifact¡ªwhich Aiden doubted it would be¡ªthey could not tempt him. He slipped his card back into his pocket and nudged the sides of his jepat with both legs as he activated one of his skills, thinking of the town of cannibals. [You have used skill Pathfinder] The map lit up in front of him and a line trailed a path from where they were. It moved through different paths. Avoiding the places marked red by Elaswit, it cut through the places marked green for the stables before coming to a stop at their destination. Aiden rolled up the parchment. When someone with the [Cartographer] class designed a map, it worked hand in hand with skills related to traveling and mapping. It was good to know that they had a proper map on hand. He handed the map over to Valdan as their jepats trudged forward slowly but the knight shook his head. ¡°You keep it.¡± Aiden shrugged but slipped the map into his saddle bag. Something was wrong with Valdan. It didn¡¯t take any high level of brain function to know that. Aiden fought back a sigh as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Elaswit pulled up a shawl and wrapped it around her neck high enough to conceal her lower face. When he finally nudged his jepat into a run, it burst into a sprint so fast that it took him a moment to orient himself. Just like that, the castle was left in their wake. ¡­ There wasn¡¯t much to the trip by any standard of the word. The jepats were fast, but only slightly faster than the average car, maybe even not. They slowed down every now and again, navigating around passers by and other jepats and drawn carriages. Every now and again, a frown touched Valdan¡¯s lips when they had to slow down. Not adorned in anything that made him stand out as a knight people were not quick to clear the path for them. Elaswit¡¯s shawl worked well enough to hide her face so they didn¡¯t have to deal with the random bows and show of respect for the princess. Once in a while someone noticed the sword on Valdan¡¯s jepat and recognized it as something belonging to the rich. Whenever that happened, the roads cleared faster. But it did not happen very often. At some point Elaswit assured Aiden that the trip would be faster once they were out of a civilized area. Aiden wasn¡¯t really bothered by it. The path his skill [Pathfinder] had given him, went through unpopulated areas most of the time. Still, he¡¯d given Elaswit a nod of appreciation when she¡¯d told him. It wasn¡¯t long before they left the capital city. Once they were out into the open kingdom, they let their jepats run to their limits. The world blurred around Aiden as his jepat ran. Valdan and Elaswit knew of his skill [Pathfinder] so he remained in front, guiding them as he was guided by the sliver of wind like a line of silver thread from the skill. Nothing eventful happened for a full hour of riding. Aiden kept his eyes squinted against the wind, attention flared well enough that he could keep it on their surroundings. It was only slightly over an hour when something of even happened, forcing them to come to a stop. They were running down a dirt path, flanked on both sides by trees with no human being in sight when Valdan spotted it first. He pointed forward, pushing his jepat to ride along side Aiden¡¯s. Wanting to know what was happening, Elaswit pushed hers all the way to Aiden¡¯s other side. Aiden peered ahead, leaning forward to try and see better. It didn¡¯t take him long to see what Valdan was pointing out. A man stumbled out from the trees. He wore a cloak covered in tears and scrapes, tattered from attacks of some kind. ¡°An adventurer?¡± Elaswit asked, their jepats starting to slow. Aiden frowned. He never liked unknown variables whenever he was traveling. It was why flight was a better form of transportation. He missed the wyverns of the Order sometimes. ¡°Could be a merchant,¡± Valdan offered. ¡°Probably escaped an ambush.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t like it one bit. But he saw the look in Elaswit¡¯s eyes. Even when she was not traveling under her title as princess, she was still the princess of the kingdom. She could not see someone in need of help and abandon them. Left to him, they would weave their way around the man and continue on their journey. Sadly, a well-trained knight and a princess would not be happy to do so. ¡°We should help him,¡± Elaswit suggested. Aiden couldn¡¯t help the groan that escaped his lips. They knew he was in a hurry. ¡°We don¡¯t have to take on some random aid mission,¡± Elaswit said in an attempt to appease him. ¡°Just make sure he¡¯s safe and direct him to the nearest outpost.¡± ¡°I am with the princess on this,¡± Valdan said. Reluctantly, Aiden agreed. ¡°Fine.¡± Good things rarely came from such acts of kindness in his experience, but he wasn¡¯t going to be the one to tell them that. For all he knew, it was just his mind jaded from too many bad experiences talking. ¡°Hello,¡± Elaswit called out as they drew closer to the man, their jepats now at a walking pace. Aiden kept his eyes on the trees but couldn¡¯t see any cause for alarm. If there were people hiding in the bushes preparing to ambush them, they concealed themselves very well. Still, his instincts told him that there was a problem somewhere just waiting to happen. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Valdan asked, assuming the person¡¯s gender from their broad shoulders and overall physical stature. The man raised his head, face concealed by his hooded cloak. Despite all the tears to his cloak, Aiden couldn¡¯t smell any blood. At least, he couldn¡¯t smell any human blood. ¡°Stain on his shoes,¡± he muttered in a low voice, low enough for only Valdan to hear. The knight¡¯s gaze moved to the man¡¯s shoe, taking note of the stain of green liquid on the man¡¯s boots. Aiden¡¯s best guess was that it was monster blood. ¡°Have you been set upon by monsters?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°Do you need help?¡± The man placed a hand to his head like a man staving off a headache. He shook his head once, then twice. Aiden was more than ready to take that as a response when the man pulled the hood back from his head, revealing his face. He was a grown man, somewhere in his thirties. He wore a beard that was trimmed short and well groomed. He had the most mundane brown eyes Aiden had ever seen since his regression and a head of hair that was styled as if he was going to a ball, gelled back and glossy. The man had a scowl of annoyance on his lips that he schooled when he looked at them. Clearly, he was displeased with something. But the moment Aiden saw his face, he froze. A primal fear instilled within him so many years ago bubbled all the way up to grab him by the spine, and his hands tightened on his reins. It was all he could do not to push his jepat into a burst of speed. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Elaswit asked again. The man¡¯s face had dirt stains all over it, as if he¡¯d rolled in the dirt for a moment. His eyes settled on Elaswit first, took her in. It moved to Valdan next, took in his jepat before settling on the sword strapped to the creature. When his eyes settled on Aiden, Aiden remained as stiff as a board. Valdan¡¯s hand moved to his sword. ¡°Identify yourself, sir.¡± Aiden paled slightly. Valdan did not want to threaten this man. The last thing any of them wanted to do was threaten this man. The man in front of them bowed slightly at the waist. ¡°Good day, princess Elaswit. Sir Knight.¡± That took Aiden¡¯s companions by surprise. It also sufficed to relax Valdan slightly as his hand moved away from his sword. ¡°What happened?¡± Elaswit asked. The man bowed to Aiden. ¡°Good day, sir.¡± He doesn¡¯t know me, Aiden told himself. He¡¯s never seen me before. He nodded in response. ¡°Good day.¡± ¡°Are you in need of any help?¡± Elaswit asked again. ¡°Not really, princess,¡± the man answered. ¡°I was just on my way to the capital city when I was sidetracked. That is all.¡± His eyes moved over to Aiden, studying him, clearly trying to figure something out. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, how far would you say it is from here?¡± ¡°A day¡¯s walk,¡± Valdan answered. ¡°We could probably offer¡ª¡± Aiden¡¯s hand snapped out to grab Elaswit¡¯s reins, halting her words. If she did something as kindly stupid as offering a the man or a stranger her spelled jepat, he would leave her behind. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind our asking,¡± Valdan said, taking over the conversation seamlessly. ¡°What business do you have in the capital city?¡± It was a simple question. A question the man would be asked at the entrance to the capital city. ¡°I am looking for someone,¡± the man answered. The words sent a shiver up Aiden¡¯s spine. He suddenly wanted the conversation to be over. He wanted them done and on their way. They needed to leave right now. ¡°Someone?¡± Valdan asked while Elaswit gave Aiden a funny look. She mouthed something to him but he wasn¡¯t looking at her. He could not afford to. The man paused in thought. ¡°Maybe you can help me. I¡¯m looking for a man called Aiden Lacheart.¡± Aiden gulped visibly. The only [Dragon Knight] on the human side of Nastild had come looking for him. And if the man was looking for him, then it meant that someone else was looking for him, because the man never moved unless he was commanded to. Torat¡¯s gaze moved from Valdan to slowly settle on Aiden. The Order had sent Torat of the Dragon Hoard to find him, which meant only one thing. The [Master of the Order] was aware of Aiden''s existence. Aiden¡¯s hand moved to one of his swords. He couldn¡¯t let the Order have him. Not now. EIGHTY: Not His Fault Wyverns were the worst things to happen on Nastild. They were the gods¡¯ personal abomination. A failed attempt at dragons. At least there were people who thought that way. Torat hated them for entirely different reasons. For one, he knew that wyverns were not the creation of the gods. Like every other thing that walked the face of the world, they were not created. They simply were. They were, at best, very distant cousins of dragons. Useless in their very existence. They were abysmally small in comparison. They couldn¡¯t fly for shit in comparison. They had no grace. No intelligence. And they were as skittish as broken jepats in front of the powerful. Why the Order even thought it was reasonable to train them was beyond reasoning. In fact, it was the very pathetic reasoning of a child trying to tame a rat. It was stupid. A growl slipped from his lips as the wind blew against his face. The hood of his cloak had since been blown free to reveal his frown. In his opinion, the master of the Order had no reason for sending him off on a wyvern. Worse, his level of insistence was uncalled for. Torat knew that he was supposed to get to his destination as quickly as possible, but he could¡¯ve gotten to it in a week at most if he had chosen a different means of transportation. He¡¯s just trying to get you accustomed to wyverns. Once upon a time he might have believed that. But he¡¯d been in the Order for more than a decade and still didn¡¯t like wyverns. The master of the Order was often jovial to the point of looking stupid, but the one thing he was not was stupid. Torat could bet four of his skills that the man¡ªif he was even a man or even human¡ªonly made him use the wyverns because he got some twisted sense of pleasure from his discomfort. Torat tilted his head to the side, avoiding a stray fly that had been sent astray by the force of the wind from the wyvern¡¯s flight. The wyvern beneath him squirmed slightly, reacting to his discomfort and Torat tapped an angry foot against its back. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s scaring you,¡± he said, arms folded over his chest and standing straight on its back, knowing very well that it did not understand him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m angry.¡± The creature wobbled very slightly and Torat scowled. I swear life will be more comfortable if I kill the damned thing. His fist tightened, concealed beneath his armpit. A single blow was it would take. Nothing more. Nothing extravagant. Torat sucked in a deep breath, calming his displeasure. His discomfort was not entirely the creature¡¯s fault. From what the master of the Order had told him, when you spent as much time with a dragon as he had, you tended to feel like a predator to everything. No matter how powerful any monster or natural predator was, they would always pale in the presence of a dragon. If a wyvern was an apex predator, then a dragon was a god. It was something he¡¯d heard from a dragon once. ¡°And what does that make a [Dragon knight],¡± he muttered to himself. The wyvern¡¯s mouth whipped open suddenly and Torat stamped down on it with his foot. ¡°You make a single sound, and I¡¯ll gut you like the overgrown lizard that you are.¡± It obeyed. But while it did not scream or wail or roar or whatever it was trying to do, it did something else. It turned and flipped over very suddenly. The action threw Torat off its back and sent him plummeting through the air. Torat frowned as he went down. The wind blew against his hair, failing at its attempts to dishevel it. His cloak fluttered around him. Torat let it. Eyes fixed on the wyvern as he went down, he watched it make a turn and knew it would be returning to the Order. ¡°When I get back,¡± he said into the wind. ¡°I¡¯ll break a wing as punishment.¡± Look on the bright side, he thought as the creature flew out of sight. You just beat your personal record for longest time on a wyvern. The first thing Torat hit was not the ground. Instead, it was a massive branch of a massive tree. His cloak snagged on its rough surface as his weight broke the branch and he careened into another branch. A grunt did not spill from his lips. He made no sound. Gave no expression. He struck another tree, then a third. He spun through the air as he fell, his cloak wrapping uncomfortably around him. When he finally hit the ground, it was face first. Now, and only now, did he groan. Torat picked himself off the ground in slow methodical steps. First, he turned so that he faced the sky. Only branches and leaves, the canopy of forest trees, looked back down. The sun in its place and all its light were almost completely banished from here. Through the small spaces between leaves they peeked through, though. Weaving and defiant in their nature, the arrogance of the sunlight refused to be cowed. Next, Torat sat up. He turned his head one side then the next and frowned at the absence of a popping sound. He moved to a squatted position. When he finally stood up, it was with a sigh. A lot of things in the world annoyed Torat and this was definitely top ten on the list. The master of the Order had taught it to him as a method of handling his anger. The process and intentionality gave him something to focus on, something to force him into patience. ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t break its wing,¡± he muttered to himself as he held his arm out to the side, hand open in waiting. Something slammed directly into his waiting hand and he closed his grip. [Threats detected] [Maximum threat level detected Lvl 58] Torat¡¯s grip tightened on the creature as his interface came alive, and he felt its many limbs scratching at him. It tore at his cloak, ripping and rending it. Its attempt to get beneath the clothes he was wearing were futile. [No human detected] [Restriction by Master of the Order does not take effect] Once the final line of his interface was gone, Torat broke the creature with the simple act of closing his fist. Only then did he look at what it was. [Congratulations! You have slain arachnid Lvl 49] He held up the creature like a powerful hunter holding up a slain prey. As the name implied, it was an arachnid, eight legged and ugly. In its death, all eight legs fell limp, hanging loose. Torat dropped the creature and dusted his hands. ¡°That¡¯s quite the welcome.¡± The sounds of scurrying slowly littered the air. From behind and above the trees that surrounded him, arachnids of different levels came into view. Some clung to the trees, many eyes watching for his every move. They varied in sizes, growing as their levels did. Torat was unbothered by them. Creatures that were too weak to know when to run were not a problem he needed to waste his time on. A handful of minutes later, Torat found himself strolling through the forest with an array of notifications from his interface of eliminated arachnids. At their levels, it would take at least a hundred of them to make an impact on increasing his level at best. When he took in the constant reduction in growth that came with killing the same kind of creature over and over again, he would probably need far more than a hundred. Torat was almost at the edge of the forest, soon free onto what he knew was a dirt road when his senses picked something up. His ears pricked a little and he turned his gaze in the direction of the sound. Eyes squinted as he looked into the distance. Three mounted riders. They moved at a fast pace, all three pushing their mounts beyond their natural limits. Do they intend to kill them? Torat hated people who did not understand that even tamed animals were animals. Nothing justified such cruelty against domesticated animals. A frown touched his lips as he caught a glimpse of one of the riders. Her jepat had passed at an angle that gave him a good line of sight between all the trees to catch a glimpse of her face. Masked by a shawl that concealed her lower face, Torat was well versed in identifying people enough to know who she was. Princess Elaswit, he noted with a touch of surprise. From what he knew of the princess, she was not one to punish an animal so. She was also never one to be in so much of a haste as to ride with only two companions. Wondering who the remaining two were, Torat picked up his pace, feet moving from a leisurely stroll to a brisk walk. It wasn¡¯t long before he burst out onto the dirt road. What would have a princess riding so fast, accompanied by¡­ oh. Torat paused. She was riding with only a single knight. That was intriguing. Valdan of the knights of the crown had left his king¡¯s side to accompany the princess on a journey. It sounded like something of very great importance and maybe greater secrecy. This was interesting enough that he would need to speak with one of the Order¡¯s spies in the castle once he got to the capital city. He wasn¡¯t one for information gathering, but that was a part of the Order¡¯s duties so there was nothing he could do about it. If he was not aware of this, then there was a high chance that neither was the master of the Order. And if the mas¡ª Who is that? Torat stared at the man from under his hood. A third rider. He had light brown hair, a young face with a jaw that beginning to square but just couldn¡¯t decide if it was going to or not. As young as the man¡ªboy, because he was actually a boy¡ªlooked, his squared jaw was probably from a habit of clenching his jaw too much. Chances were that he was currently clenching his jaw as he rode. Torat did not recognize him at all. Then there was his dress code. An overflowing coat that just wasn¡¯t worn by anyone. Torat assumed he was some young noble. Young nobles were the ones most popularly known to try new fashion trends or even start one so daringly. The jepats were slowing down as they drew closer to him. That was good, expected too. Perhaps they would be able to help him with directions to the capital, seeing as the stupid wyvern had dropped him in the middle of nowhere as far as he knew. He was close to the capital, though, having seen its walls from high up in the sky before his fall. ¡°We don¡¯t have to take on some random aid mission,¡± he heard Elaswit say from across the distance. ¡°Just make sure he¡¯s safe and direct him to the nearest outpost.¡± That was good for him. ¡°I am with the princess on this,¡± Valdan, the [Knight of the Crown] said. Looking at him made Torat frown. He looked as if he had gotten into a horrid fight and had only survived by the skin of his teeth, just to be sent back out after being pumped with potions and healing spells with no time to regain himself. What exactly was happening in the Bandiv kingdom that they would not have a healthy knight to spare for the trip. The boy with them did not look in anyway pleased when he said, ¡°Fine.¡± Now Torat was growing annoyed. He did not like not knowing. Worse than not knowing, he did not like being confused while not knowing. Who was the child that he would be annoyed at the princess and a knight of the crown and they would still baby him? A thought came to Torat¡¯s mind. Could it be? He shook his head, banishing the thought as it came. He refused to believe it. [Humans detected] [Maximum threat level detected Lvl 50] [Restriction by Master of the Order is now in effect] ¡­ [You are under status debuff: Learning to hold back] ¡­ [Learning to Hold Back] A modified spell by the [Master of the Order] designed to teach Tarot of the Dragon Hoard to limit his strength against opponents. [Effect: level reduction to 25 levels more than the highest level against five or less human opponents of level 50 and lower] [Effect: level reduction to 50 levels more than the highest level against five or less human opponents of level 51 and higher] [Effect: Stat reduction to stats befitting of class level at restricted level] [Effect: cancellation of restriction once health is below 40%] [Current Level: 75] How the master of the Order had gotten even Torat¡¯s interface to call him Tarot in the description of the spell was beyond Torat. Then again, when it came to the use of magic, there were a lot of things the [Master of the Order] was capable of that was beyond him. And the man didn¡¯t even have the [Mage] class. Regardless, the intent of the debuff on him was for him to not go around accidentally killing people. ¡°Hello,¡± the princess called out as they drew closer to him, their jepats now at a walking pace. Torat said nothing as he continued to watch them from under his hood. The knight, Valdan, kept his eyes on him. They were kind but alert, as alert as they could be when they looked so fatigued. As for the princess, her eyes were all smiles. Torat was sure her lips were smiling behind her shawl. The young boy was the most interesting to watch of all three of them. He kept his eyes on the trees. They were calm enough to pass as simple gazes that enjoyed the look of the trees. But Torat could see the attention in them. The child was watching for an ambush. He was either smart, jaded, or talented. The Order would do him much good. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Valdan asked. Torat raised his head at the question, face still concealed by his hooded cloak. He wasn¡¯t hiding. He didn¡¯t need to. There was scarcely anyone in the kingdom that knew what he looked like or who he was. ¡°Stain on his shoes,¡± the young boy muttered in a low voice, and Torat looked down at his boot. Well, that was nice. He¡¯d gotten arachnid blood on his boot. It was a small smidge, though. Certainly nothing to be worried about. Torat was sure it would come off with a few wipes from a clean, wet rag. The knight¡¯s gaze moved to Torat''s shoe, taking note of the stain of green liquid on them. Torat watched the boy and the knight come to a conclusion. The princess, interestingly enough, remained oblivious to their conversation, keeping her disarming kindness on Torat. That told Torat that the boy was combat oriented and more accustomed with interacting either with knights or just Valdan than the princess. So his relationship is not with her. ¡°Have you been set upon by monsters?¡± Valdan asked, a touch of caution staining the edge of his voice. ¡°Do you need help?¡± Torat slipped his hand into his hood and patted down his hair. He shook his head once, then twice, checking if its pristine poise was still intact. It was. The boy reacted to it by tightening his grip on his reins and moving his jepat to the side. He¡¯d probably thought that Torat was refusing their help when he was not. Losing them now would make finding what direction would lead him to the capital an annoying task so Torat took his hood off. The sight of his face caught the attention of the princess and the boy. The knight sat on his jepat unbothered. Torat would not call himself a handsome man by human standards, so he was sure the princess was more enamored by his hair. The problem, however, was the young man. Torat could hear his breath seize from where he was standing. It caught in the man¡¯s throat and by the life of him, Torat could¡¯ve sworn that he saw recognition pass the boy¡¯s eyes. That was not something he could ignore. ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Elaswit asked once more. Torat¡¯s attention settled on her. then moved through the rest. The young lord still looked bothered, stiff as if he¡¯d just found himself in a bad situation. There was a touch of fear in his demeanor, but it wasn¡¯t fear for his life. Torat couldn¡¯t quite place a finger on what it was specifically. The boy was strange. He had emotions all over the place, however, they were undefined. His fear looked like caution without direction. His suspicion looked like directed uncertainty. Torat was yet to see a child who needed the sharpening of the Order more. In Torat¡¯s silence Valdan¡¯s hand moved to his sword. ¡°Identify yourself, sir.¡± The boy seemed to pale at the knight¡¯s action. It seems he is averse to violence, Torat noted. On that, Torat could agree. The Order did not attack a kingdom or family or person of import unless the master of the Order had deemed it necessary. From what Torat knew, the Order was at peace with the kingdom of Bandiv, not that the kingdom knew. It would be a problem if he ended up harming their princess or her cohorts. Torat bowed slightly at the waist in a show of respect. ¡°Good day, princess Elaswit. Sir Knight.¡± Elaswit and Valdan looked surprised for a minute, then the knight relaxed. His hand on his sword returned to his reins. The princess smiled, receiving his greeting with a nod. ¡°What happened?¡± Her question came as he bowed to the boy. ¡°Good day, sir.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The boy returned the nod. ¡°Good day.¡± ¡°Are you in need of any help?¡± Elaswit asked, hell bent on getting an answer out of him. ¡°Not really, princess,¡± Torat said. ¡°I was just on my way to the capital city when I was sidetracked. That is all.¡± His eyes moved over to boy once more, studying him. A child of no import to the Order traveling with the princess and a knight of the crown. What made him important in this situation? ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± he continued, ¡°how far would you say it is from here?¡± ¡°A day¡¯s walk,¡± Valdan answered. ¡°We could probably offer¡ª¡± The boy¡¯s hand snapped out to grab Elaswit¡¯s reins, halting her words. Torat knew for a fact that she¡¯d just been about to offer him some tangible form of kindness that the boy was against. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind our asking,¡± Valdan said, taking over the conversation seamlessly. ¡°What business do you have in the capital city?¡± It was a simple question. A question Torat knew he would be asked at the entrance to the city. That was why he had hoped to fly over the capital city and then fall from the wyvern into a secluded area and not in some woods outside the capital city. ¡°I am looking for someone,¡± he answered. ¡°Someone?¡± Valdan asked while Elaswit gave the boy an odd look. She mouthed something to him, but he wasn¡¯t looking at her. His eyes were trained on Torat. ¡°Maybe you can help me,¡± Torat said to the knight. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a man called Aiden Lacheart.¡± There was recognition on Valdan¡¯s face. As for the boy, his expression slipped into perfect emptiness and his hand moved to one of the swords strapped to his jepat. That was all Torat needed to conclude that some level of rudeness was needed. [You have used skill Detect] The boy¡¯s eyes narrowed only moments before Torat activated the skill and Valdan opened his mouth to say something. The words never left his mouth on time. Torat got the information he needed. [Elaswit Brandis Lvl 39] [Valdan Dirtwater Lvl 50] [Unknown item Lvl ???] Torat frowned as the names hovered over the head of each individual. What the hell? The boy had his hand raised in front of him, forearm held up vertically. It didn¡¯t make sense that the skill [Detect] was flagging the boy as an item. That was impossible. That was unless the kingdom had started dabbling in necromancy, reanimating the dead in a show of terrifying skill. But that wasn¡¯t supposed to make a difference. If the boy was an undead, his skill would detect him as an undead. Is it his hand? That too didn¡¯t make sense. Unless he had focused on the arm itself, the skill was still supposed to identify the person. An artifact? Considering the fact that the boy was the only one in hand gloves, it was a possibility. Artifacts being a continued enigma due to the fact that not all had been discovered, it would serve as a possible explanation. The hissing sound of a sword drawn from its scabbard pulled Torat from his revelry. The knight held his sword out. It was pointed at him. ¡°Using a skill of any kind on the princess without her express permission or in a moment of emergency designed to help is a crime,¡± he said. ¡°You will have to be dealt with.¡± The princess reached behind her and from over her shoulder a massive cleave manifested out of thin air, pulled from a storage space. The young boy looked at his companions in worry, then turned back to Torat. ¡°We have no quarrel with you, sir,¡± he said, choosing diplomacy. He gestured behind them. ¡°If you keep walking that way, you will get to the capital city eventually.¡± It was nice to see a voice of reason, but that was not the reason Torat was looking for. Ignoring the knight and the princess, he gave the boy his attention. ¡°Do you know Aiden Lacheart?¡± The knight frowned at being ignored. ¡°Lord¡ª¡± ¡°Be quiet, Valdan,¡± the boy silenced him, his tone eerily similar to one a man would use on his friend. Torat ignored a child addressing a knight as an equal. ¡°So you are a lord?¡± ¡°Unclaimed by my father,¡± the boy replied. ¡°Estwire is my name.¡± ¡°And your family name?¡± ¡°I have none.¡± ¡°The name of the family that has yet to claim you, young Lord?¡± Torat looked at the boy¡¯s companions. They were confused but willing to allow him lead. They were following his lead. The boy let out a tired sigh, it had a stain of regret in it. ¡°My apologies, Elaswit.¡± Confusion touched the princess¡¯ face. The boy straightened on his jepat, took on a now regal appearance. ¡°I am Estwire,¡± he said confidently. ¡°Bastard son to King Brandis, fourth of his name.¡± Elaswit¡¯s jaw dropped. The knight looked like he¡¯d been slapped with a fish. And Torat knew an advanced lie when he heard one. He moved his hand from his cloak and held it out, palm facing the ground. ¡°Your skill, Valdan,¡± the young lord cried out, pulling a sword from its scabbard. ¡°Your manifesting skill!¡± Torat took in a deep breath and released his unconscious hold on his mana. With a class that was not magical, the force of his aura reached out, blanketing all of them. The boy placed a hand to his head, wincing as the pressure descended on him. The princess slumped in her saddle but did not fall off her steed. As for the knight, he sat tall, sword in hand gleaming a soft yellow with lightning running through its blade. Above him, eight translucent swords of gold hovered in the air. Torat smiled. It was a neat trick, a way to survive the pressure of another¡¯s aura. When you activated your manifesting skill, it was your aura acting on the world in form of a skill. Stronger and more talented people eventually learnt how to use just their aura after level fifty. And since the only way to survive against an aura attack when you were weaker than your opponent was to use your own aura. At his true level, Torat would¡¯ve crushed Valdan, likely killed all three people in front of him regardless of Valdan¡¯s manifesting skill. Relegated to level seventy-five, Valdan¡¯s aura was enough to stop him. The knight kicked his jepat¡¯s sides, spurring the creature forward. ¡°You die now.¡± Torat took a step forward as the knight came, terminating his aura. He blitzed through the distance before the creature could move and kicked its two legs out from under it in a vicious kick. The creature came tumbling down and the knight leaped from its back. Valdan charged Torat, swords flickering in and out of existence above him. Being the only member with a manifesting skill of the three, Torat afforded him his attention. He turned, taking a step forward only to be held back by something. [You have been bound by Enchantment of Lesser Binding] Looking down at himself he found strips of blue mana reaching up from the ground to bind him like vines from a jungle. [Passive class skill Dragon¡¯s Impulse is in effect] Torat¡¯s hand shot up and grabbed the knight¡¯s sword by the blade before it stabbed him in the eye. Another sword flickered into existence just beside him, aiming for his neck. Torat pulled himself forward, shattering the vines of mana binding him. He threw his head into the knight¡¯s as the flickering sword stabbed and missed, but the man stopped his headbutt with a raised hand. Torat¡¯s second hand shot out, seizing the knight by his shirt and tossed him aside. As the knight cascaded through the air, Torat turned and caught a flying orb before it hit him. He sensed the flow of mana in it and crushed it in his grip before the enchantment could activate. His eyes settled on the boy who was no longer seated on his jepat. He found a soldier¡¯s belt around the boy¡¯s waist. ¡°You fight with enchanted tools,¡± he said, taking a step towards him. ¡°I know a man who fights with enchanted tools too. I take it you are an enchanter.¡± The boy ignored him and placed a hand on his sword. ¡°Leave,¡± he said, and the blade of the sword turned icy white. ¡°We have no quarrel with you.¡± ¡°An enchanted sword as well.¡± Torat smiled a little too wide. ¡°The princess must value you.¡± Elaswit was only now recovering from the effects of his aura, trying to pull herself from her jepat. ¡°The king values me as well,¡± the boy said. Torat moved in a blur, closing the distance between the both of them. His hand reached out to snatch the boy by the neck only to be deflected to the side by the edge of the boy¡¯s blade. Most people would¡¯ve expected the attack to take his hand and move in accordance to the expectation. The boy did not. Instead, he stepped into Torat¡¯s reach and thrust his sword in a stab. Torat¡¯s second hand moved out to grab him and the boy terminated his attack, rolling to the side. Torat did not follow him. ¡°You are trained,¡± he said. ¡°We have no quarrel with you,¡± the boy said, ignoring his comment. [Passive class skill Dragon¡¯s Impulse is in effect] Torat took a step to the side and an apparition of a sword stabbed the air where his head should¡¯ve been, disappearing into nonexistence. Curious, Torat asked. ¡°Do you know Aiden Lacheart?¡± The young boy frowned. ¡°We do not.¡± Torat turned abruptly and charged the knight. Valdan met him without hesitation, sword swinging in a variation of the Bandiv fighting technique. Torat moved to the side, avoiding the first strike and opened his mouth. [You have used class skill Breath of the Fire Dragon] Before the skill came to life, Torat caught something flying through the air from the edge of his vision. His hand reached up to grab it absently but it exploded before he caught it. An explosion of force sent him and the knight flying. Valdan hit the ground in a roll, but Torat landed easily on his feet. ¡°Tricks,¡± he muttered. ¡°I do not wish to harm you. Only to get answers.¡± The boy clearly did not believe him. The boy held his sword out in front of him. ¡°I have given you answers and you do not believe me.¡± ¡°You have lied to me and I do not believe you.¡± An arc of red mana shot at him and he batted it to the side. It had come from the princess and Torat had paid her no mind. Turning, instead, he batted aside a second blast, this one from the knight. The arc was heavier, with more intent within it than the emptiness of a simple skill. It was stronger, too. Still, he turned it aside with his bare hand. With his passive skill [Dragon skin] it would take far more than simple skills and sword slashes to wound him. But it was possible, though. There was nothing impossible on Nastild. ¡°Now!¡± the knight bellowed, charging Torat. Torat¡¯s gaze narrowed as his mind went to the deduction of what was supposed to happen now. He scrolled through what he knew of the knight and his skills. From everything he knew, [Resting Cleave] was only useful against multiple enemies so it was safe to eliminate it. [Knight¡¯s stomp]? He thought, discarding it. It was not a skill to be used during a run. The knight pulled to a stop in front of him, sword swinging. Torat defending with his hands, arms moving in a simulation of Order practice moves taught to every new recruit. When used properly, it was a good defense. When Torat defended the third strike, he caught the young lord sprinting towards them. His movement had been in sync with the knight so that Valdan¡¯s body had blocked him from Torat¡¯s sight. Torat wondered if it was intentional. Valdan raised his foot and stomped the ground with all the force he could muster. Behind him, the young lord jumped high, too high. He crossed over ten feet with the single jump. On the ground, the floor shook beneath Torat¡¯s feet, threatening to throw him off. He moved back, increasing the distance between him and the knight, but it was not far enough to prove out of the reach of the knight¡¯s skill. Landing, he changed his position of his feet so that the shaking ground did not throw him off and turned his attention to the young lord. He found the man¡¯s hands meeting, fingers interlocking in different signs as he descended. Torat activated his skill [Dragon Eye]. It allowed him to see the flow of mana better, helping him anticipate attacks he did not understand. He knew nothing of this new young lord and what he saw confused him more. Mana spilled from the young lord, creating a dome around him. It was black to Torat¡¯s eyes with wisps of blue licking at it like fire. With every new movement of the young lord¡¯s finger, the blackness of the dome seemed to shift and change. Then the mana within the dome turned ice cold. Torat took a step towards the young lord as he landed. Unwilling to harm the child, he threw a casual punch. The boy blocked it with a raised hand. Hot air left Torat¡¯s nostrils as the temperature around them fell drastically. He¡¯s freezing the mana around us. Torat found it interesting, not because the boy knew how to fight with enchanted items and skills, but because ice was actually a terrible match up for him. Was the boy¡¯s choice of element intentional? Torat retrieved his hand and threw a slap. Again, the boy defended. This time, however, he guided Torat¡¯s slap with a practiced precision, attempting to throw him off balance. Torat broke the contact between both hands fast enough to slap the flat of Valdan¡¯s incoming sword strike. He saw Valdan¡¯s eyes widen as he stepped within the area of the young lord¡¯s frozen dome and knew that the knight had not expected the cold. Torat stepped into the knight and thrust a hand at his palm. The cold slowed his reflexes and dampened his speed. His muscles felt tight, cramped. He hated the feeling. But what he didn¡¯t like more was how quickly the young lord moved. He was already between him and the knight, squatted low just to take the blow with the flat of his frozen sword. The sound of his fist clashing with the sword filled the space between the three of them. Torat hardened his muscles and pushed against the sword. Before he could complete the move, Valdan¡¯s sword came swinging at his neck, forcing him to step back. ¡°Who are¡ª¡± the knight began, his voice halting as he looked down at the young lord. Once again the boy was weaving his fingers together, making signs. Torat watched as the dome of black mana moved, morphing and twisting. It was like watching an extremely dense web of an arachnid restructure itself. Valdan leapt to the side, away from the young lord, and the dome sparked with electricity. ¡°What sorcery is this?¡± Torat asked, more amused than confused. The boy¡¯s response was to charge him. He moved so fast that Torat could only imagine the movement to have come from a use of the skill [Dash] from almost every basic armed and unarmed skill set. When the boy met him, Torat¡¯s fist clashed with his swinging sword. He felt the electricity go through him and his next attack stuttered as he tried to deflect the second strike. [You have been struck by Enchantment of Lesser Lightning] [You have been electrocuted] Torat frowned as the flat of the boy¡¯s sword smashed into his face. The blow was powerful enough to turn his head but not send him staggering. Head turned to the side, his interface lit up in front of him. [Health 99.8%] For some reason, the boy stopped when his attack landed. When Torat looked back at him, his face was a mix of confusion, pride and¡­ more confusion. It was almost as if the boy could not believe that he¡¯d landed the blow. Then the moment was gone. The young lord tried to dart to the side. Torat did not let him. With lightning coursing through him what whatever skill the boy was using, Torat¡¯s hand shot out and grabbed him by the neck. He raised him from the ground effortlessly. ¡°You are an impressive child.¡± The boy moved his sword again, swinging at him. Torat clenched his fist and batted the sword aside with enough force to crack it. The sword didn¡¯t break, though. It left the boy¡¯s hand and went flying into the distance. Torat didn¡¯t care. In the distance, Valdan was already closing in on them. ¡°Are you a summoned?¡± he asked. He knew that Nastild had already started bringing in summoned from another world with the rising darkness. A strange child with skills and abilities unbefitting of his age running with a princess and a [knight of the Crown] that the Order knew nothing about could only be explained if the child had been summoned from another world. ¡°Are you¡­¡± Torat¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Aiden Lacheart?¡± The child raised one of his hands and covered his face just as Torat activated the [Detect] skill. [Unknown item Lvl ???] How did the boy know when to defend himself from the skill? How many items did he have working for him. Torat threw the boy to the side, turning to face the incoming knight, only to realize that the weight of the boy did not leave his arm. The boy threw his body upwards and wrapped his legs around Torat¡¯s arm and torso, locking them together. The first thought that came to Torat¡¯s mind was to slam the boy into the ground, but he discarded the idea immediately since it would put him in an awkward position to face the knight. So, he turned with the boy weighing him down to face his new opponent. He opened his mouth once again and activated his skill. [You have used class skill Breath of the Fire Dragon] He felt the heat rise inside him, felt the boy¡¯s legs tighten around his throat in an attempt to choke him. Then a new notification popped up a moment before the knight swung at him from the side the boy was not attached to. Torat watched the mana around him shift, taking on a touch of yellow, the same color as the flickering swords that surrounded the knight, two of which were already aiming at him, one at his thigh and the other at his stomach. [You have found yourself within the reach of skill Knight¡¯s Repose] [Class skill Breath of the Fire Dragon does not take effect] The heat died down within his chest and went out. Torat could say with complete certainty that the combined effort of his two opponents had now shocked him. Valdan¡¯s sword struck Torat¡¯s raised arm. The edge of its blade buried itself in his flesh by half an inch. One of the flickering swords stabbed into his thigh and the other slid into his stomach. The pain from the flickering swords came as one when they disappeared. Torat ignored the pain. [Health 98.6%] Even if his class and skills and stats were restricted by [Learning to Hold Back], it did not affect his health, stamina or mana. In this moment, he was a level seventy-five [Dragon Knight] with the life stats of level two hundred and seventeen [Dragon Knight]. Torat feinted to the left, baiting the knight successfully and kicked him from the right. The action was so casual that it would not have had an impact naturally. But a [Dragon knight] was unnaturally strong even in the realm of classes based in strength. The kick sent Valdan flying. Torat felt the weight on his arm lighten. The legs locked around his neck loosened and he acted in the blink of an eye. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away,¡± he muttered under his breath as the boy tried to extricate himself from him. His hand tightened but grabbed nothing of the boy, not his neck and not his shirt. But the boy wasn¡¯t gone yet. So, Torat changed plans. Rather than try to secure him, Torat slammed the boy into the ground. The force of the blow raised a ring of dust around them and cracked the ground. The boy coughed up a mouthful of blood. A critical blow? Torat wondered, but his interface gave him nothing to work with. To his surprise, bleeding from the mouth, the boy grabbed his arm once more and their eyes locked. ¡°Please survive this,¡± the boy said, seeming to mean his words. Survive what¡ª The boy drew on his arm with a single finger. At first, Torat frowned, confused. Then the pain came. [You have been enchanted with Enchantment of Lesser Bind] [You are currently being used as the power source for Enchantment of Lesser Bind] Torat''s jaw dropped just before the pain took him. He bit down on his teeth as the boy released him and rolled out from under him. The pain crawled up Torat¡¯s arm and ate its way to his spine. He could feel the enchantment growing as a red vine burst from his wrist to wrap itself around his neck. Torat¡¯s eyes widened in pain as he felt the enchantment move from his back and cease his lungs. It was going for his heart, making its way to his mana source. Torat¡¯s lips parted but he clamped his mouth back shut, refusing to scream out in pain. Instead, he swallowed the pain, embraced it. He let it fuel him. When the pain reached his heart, spittle spilled from beneath his teeth. It had been a while since he¡¯d felt just pain without any true damage. Another vine sprung from his spine to wrap itself around his neck. The young stood over him, looking down at him. Torat raised his head to meet the boy¡¯s face and saw worry there. It seemed the boy really did hope that he would survive what was happening. A deadly precision but a soft heart. It was an odd combination to find on a boy his age. The pain reached up to Torat¡¯s neck and choked him. He gasped for air only receiving it belatedly. White pain flashed in his head. He was laughable. A level two hundred and seventeen [Dragon Knight] reduced to this state by a boy no more than fifty levels. [Willpower 98.89% --> 98.95%] The young lord took a hesitant step back and Torat heard foot steps approaching from behind him. He looked up at the young lord and found the princess approaching from behind him. The footsteps behind Torat came to a stop and he knew who was there. The knight had come to mete out his punishment. Well, joke¡¯s on you. Torat groaned as the pain trickled into his eyes, like fingers reaching out from his brain. You can¡¯t kill me with a simple knight¡¯s sword. And if they decided to shave at his life when they found out, it would take forever before anyone present would shave his health down to forty percent. ¡°Stand back, Elaswit.¡± The boy had his hand raised to stay the princess¡¯ approach. Then he raised his head and stared at the knight behind Torat. ¡°Valdan don¡¯t.¡± ¡°He has threatened the princess and proven to be a threat to the kingdom.¡± It was all the knight had to say. Torat could understand him. Although, the pain threatening to undo him was making it difficult as another red vine sprung from his chest and wrapped itself around his left thigh, a little too close to his groin. Torat finally looked up at the knight behind him and found the man with a raised sword. The young lord¡¯s hand shot out suddenly, grabbing the knight¡¯s raised blade. He scowled something feral. ¡°You will not harm him!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I said so.¡± Torat looked at the young lord. That was surprising. There was emotion in those words. Did the boy hate killing? If so, then he was a bundle of contra¡ª The pain reached his brain, and his vision blurred. To his surprise, he tried to pull himself back up to his feet and staggered. He fell back to his knee. The pain ate away at his reasoning. Anger bubbled with the pain and he raised his hand over his head. ¡°Step back,¡± the young lord commanded just before Torat punched the ground. The knight stepped away from him but the young lord did not. Torat punched the ground again, channeling his pain into the ground. A small crater formed under his fist as wide as his torso. The ground shifted beneath him, but the young lord still didn¡¯t step back. ¡°Pain is not the enemy¡­¡± Torat¡¯s head snapped up to the boy at the sound of his voice. He wanted to ask what the boy had said but no words came to his lips. When he opened his mouth, a vine of red mana shot out of it and wrapped itself tightly around his head, silencing him effectively. But his eyes remained on the young lord. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Elaswit asked from where she was. The boy kept his hand raised to her. ¡°Don¡¯t come closer. It¡¯s not safe.¡± Then he proceeded to squat down in front of Torat just out of arm¡¯s reach and looked him in the eye. ¡°Pain is not the enemy,¡± he said. ¡°It is just your body telling you that there is a problem. Find the problem and eliminate it.¡± He stood up and stepped away from him. ¡°You¡¯ve got this. I know you do.¡± Torat would¡¯ve frowned if he could. Of course he knew this. Pain was obviously just the body telling you that there was a problem. Who did the kid think he was? Something about young children thinking they knew too much always grated him the wrong way. The boy took another step away from him. Torat looked up at him and tried to use [Detect] once more. [You are in a state of Mana Chaos] [You cannot use any active skill at this moment.] Torat groaned but the sound died in his chest. He struck the ground once more and the crater in the ground expanded so that it engulfed him, and he dropped into it. ¡°Why did you let him live?¡± he heard Valdan ask from the reducing weight of his pain. ¡°Because you don¡¯t go around killing just anybody,¡± the boy shot back. The knight¡¯s face dipped into a scowl. ¡°And that didn¡¯t cross your mind when you killed Derendoff, did it?¡± The boy¡¯s jaw clenched. From the mist of his pain, Torat could see his anger. ¡°So that is what this is about,¡± he said after a while, suddenly empty of concern and guidance for Torat. ¡°Fair. This is neither the place nor the time. We will speak of this when it is. We leave now.¡± With those words said, he turned away. Valdan pointed his sword at Torat and Torat punched the ground once more, deepening the crater, expanding it. ¡°He must be punished, even if not killed,¡± Valdan said. ¡°He tried to kill us. You, me, and the daughter of the king.¡± ¡°Valdan,¡± the boy said, voice soft, gentle, but unshaken. ¡°He has been punished. Leave him. You do not want the punishment that comes with whatever you have in mind.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± the knight asked, confused. ¡°What are you not telling me?¡± With no words to the knight, the boy turned and walked away. ¡°Get on your steed, princess. We are already late.¡± Torat punched another crater in the ground as the sound of jepats riding off into the distance filled his ear. A red vine shot out of his red eye and wrapped itself around his groin. Pain is not the enemy. ¡­ How did this happen? The sound of grass being crushed under his feet filled the air as he ran. It wasn¡¯t meant to be this way. He jumped over a fallen log, still running, fleeing like a coward. She wasn¡¯t meant to die. Blood squirted from the injury in his leg and Sam darted around the corner of a tree. It was a large tree, large enough to hide three men standing side by side. He hunkered down there, sat on the ground and stared at nothing. Things had gone south, and they had gone south fast. His plan had failed horrendously, but he refused to be blamed for it. There had been people who hadn¡¯t done their job. This wasn¡¯t his fault. He pulled a personal potion out of the storage ring the king had given all of them before they had been sent on their quest to this place and drank from it. His [Alchemist] class gave him a passive skill that increased the effects of potions on him. He felt the potion taking effect as the injury in his thigh started healing, his flesh stitching itself back together. Still, his panic did not die. She wasn¡¯t supposed to have died. He had perfected the concoction. He was sure of it. He had fixed all the side effects. So why did that happen? But even as he assured himself of his innocence, there was a small flicker of doubt floating up from the depth of his mind. It asked a simple question. If you were so sure it was perfect, then why didn¡¯t you use it yourself? Sam got up from behind the tree and ran. It was not his fault. If he told himself enough times, then there would be no doubt. Sometimes you just had to convince yourself of the truth no matter how hard it was to believe. Her death was not his fault. EIGHTY-ONE: Useless Drax was looking through a parchment when the door opened and Letto backed into the room. ¡°Have you seen Anita today.¡± Letto bumped into the table just next to the door and frowned down at it with exaggerated annoyance. ¡°Who the hell keeps a table next to their door.¡± He shot Drax an annoyed glare before suddenly deflating. It seemed the day was getting to him. An accumulation of different varieties of annoying happenings could lead to an explosion from something insignificant. For instance, a table doing nothing more than being a table. Drax dropped the parchment he¡¯d been reading on the bed next to him. ¡°Why are we looking for Anita?¡± ¡°She owes me a gold coin.¡± Letto turned and flopped down onto the bed. He had wrinkle lines on his forehead, most likely from frowning too much all day. Drax wanted to reach across and smoothen them the way he often did for his younger brother when they¡¯d still been on earth. He stopped himself when his hand came up. ¡°You¡¯re stressed about Anita because she owes you a gold coin?¡± Drax asked, just to be sure he wasn¡¯t missing something. Letto looked up at him, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s a gold coin.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what you have on your mind. Not the fact that a goblin vanished into thin air right in front of us last night.¡± Letto shrugged, nonchalant. ¡°It was the middle of the night. It was dark. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a healthy explanation for what happened.¡± Drax shook his head in disagreement. ¡°When we got back, I looked through Sir Thomper¡¯s bestiary. There are no goblins of any kind capable of disappearing magic.¡± ¡°Then we were seeing something.¡± ¡°My point exactly.¡± Drax adjusted on his bed so that he leaned over Letto. Their eyes met and Letto grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re too close, D.¡± A small line formed between Drax¡¯s brows. ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now. I¡¯m saying that a goblin should not have the power to disappear.¡± ¡°It was dark.¡± Letto turned and lay on his side. ¡°We were seeing things.¡± ¡°My perception stat is at nine, Letto. I wasn¡¯t seeing things.¡± Letto snorted in amusement. ¡°Just nine.¡± ¡°You have the [Rogue] class, what¡¯s yours?¡± Drax retorted, knowing it would be higher than his. ¡°Twelve,¡± Letto said easily. ¡°And I¡¯ve only added two points to it.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a natural growth.¡± Drax smiled because he was about to use that to prove his point. ¡°So would you say that you were seeing things?¡± Letto opened his mouth to reply and paused. He ran a hand down his face and sat up. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°So you saw it disappear, too.¡± Letto scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I saw, Drax. Yes, I saw it disappear, but I also know that goblins don¡¯t disappear.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s your explanation for it?¡± ¡°We were seeing things?¡± Letto shrugged, noncommittedly. Drax¡¯s raised his brows. ¡°And you¡¯re okay with that?¡± Letto turned contemplative. It was clear that he was not okay with it. Now that he had pointed it out, his friend was getting worried by it. Drax couldn¡¯t blame Letto. He had the [Knight] class and he was annoyed that someone was telling him that he was seeing things. He could only imagine how a [Rogue] with higher perception would feel if their eyesight was being called into question. ¡°I say we go back to the place and check it out,¡± he suggested. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in where the hell Anita¡¯s gone.¡± Letto flopped back on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ve checked all over town.¡± That was a bit surprising because the town wasn¡¯t a big town. It didn¡¯t even have a name. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve checked in her room,¡± he said hesitantly. Letto gave him a side glance. ¡°I did not check the very first place she was supposed to be,¡± he said sarcastically. There was a depth to the sarcasm that made Drax wonder if it was all about a gold coin. The look of slight annoyance on Letto¡¯s face left him not asking. Besides, they had more important things to deal with like the fact that a goblin was disappearing into thin air. Both remained in silence for a while. Drax picked up the parchment he¡¯d left on the bed and continued reading. It was a short excerpt of a [Swordsman] and how he¡¯d grown his class into something powerful. This section talked about how to increase a specific technique called [Cleft]. Letto looked over his head. ¡°What are you reading?¡± ¡°Sword techniques.¡± Drax didn¡¯t look up from the parchment. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be able to cut a boulder in two even if you aren¡¯t strong enough normally.¡± Letto returned his attention to the ceiling above. ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± ¡°[Cleft].¡± Letto laughed a little. ¡°Dude must have been terrible at naming things.¡± Drax shrugged. He could not argue that. The entire parchment was filled with the simplest lexicon of the kingdom¡¯s language. A part of him believed the man wasn¡¯t the most literate of people. Letto let out a heavy sigh. Drax moved his eyes from the parchment to look at him. Whenever Letto sighed like this, Drax knew what was coming next. ¡°Ever wonder what Aiden¡¯s doing right now?¡± Drax shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± It was a lie. Every now and again, he wondered if Aiden was fine. Before their trip, looking out for his friend, he¡¯d asked for an audience with the king. It had been granted, and he¡¯d asked of Aiden. All the king had said was that Aiden was fine. Apparently, there was a situation in a different city that was going to be beneficial for him. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine,¡± he told Letto. ¡°If Ted isn¡¯t worried, I don¡¯t think we should be.¡± That was what Drax told himself, but he¡¯d pleaded with one of the knights to keep him updated on anything on the subject of Aiden. He¡¯d even asked for updates on the other team since they¡¯d fought in the mock battle since they¡¯d been sent to a different destination. From what he¡¯d heard, they¡¯d been sent to some forest to the south of the kingdom. Their task was to subjugate the monsters in the forest with the help of four other knights. Meanwhile they were cleaning out monsters because of reports of missing tourists in the city. Unlike the other team, theirs required more intellect and less muscle brain. So, in the beginning they¡¯d asked questions. With the authority of the king in the existence of the knight with them, the town chief had given them answers. What happened to the tourists? They always went on their way after two to three days. Where did they stay? Different inns, scattered between the only three inns in the town. Was there anything off about them? Nothing really. Tourists that came by were always of varying classes. The last tourist to go missing before they¡¯d been sent had been the cousin of some lord of the land. Drax had done his best to look past the nepotism. A relative of a noble had to be in trouble before they¡¯d given the reports the necessary attention needed. As for the noble¡¯s relative, this was the inn she¡¯d stayed in. So, everyone had scattered. Drax, Letto and Anita stayed in this inn. Sam and Ariadne stayed in another. Ted stayed alone. Drax noticed after a while that Letto had not responded to him. When he looked at his friend, Letto had a frown on his face. ¡°You good?¡± he asked. Letto shook his head. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Ted worried? They¡¯re brothers.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t really that close back on earth if I remember correctly,¡± Drax offered amiably, trying not to sound like he was gossiping. ¡°There was also the thing with his ex, Tasha.¡± Letto¡¯s frown morphed into a scowl at the mention of Aiden¡¯s ex. ¡°I never liked that girl,¡± Letto informed him as if he was talking about snakes. ¡°She was always a little too friendly, always making sure that she was his only friend.¡± Drax sighed. ¡°She wasn¡¯t making sure she was his only friend. She was his only friend. And Aiden always seemed more than happy to have her as his only friend. You know we invited him to hang out with us a few times. He always wanted to go with her.¡± In the beginning Drax hadn¡¯t seen an issue with it. Then he¡¯d started to think Aiden was a little too obsessed with his ex. It all made sense to him when he¡¯d found out how long they¡¯d been friends for. When friends as close as they had been started dating, they tended to be attached at the hip. Aiden and Tasha¡¯s closeness had only been natural. ¡°But they¡¯ve been closer since we got here,¡± Letto argued. ¡°You¡¯d think he¡¯d be worried instead of flirting with Ariadne all the time.¡± ¡°Letto,¡± Drax said, treading carefully. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not the one who¡¯s overly worried about Aiden? I spoke to the king before we came here and he said that he¡¯s fine.¡± Letto got up from the bed and adjusted his wrinkled shirt. It was brown, like mud. It was also ugly to look at. Drax could not understand why Letto was wearing it. ¡°We¡¯re going to find Anita,¡± Letto announced. Drax lowered the parchment, fighting the sigh that bubbled inside him. Letto, as timid as he could be, was often always full of life. Often suddenly bubbly. ¡°And where,¡± he began, setting the parchment aside, ¡°are we going to be looking for her?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll start with the mayor.¡± ¡°Town chief,¡± Drax corrected. The man, who liked a body builder, had been more than insistent that he be called the town chief and not anything else. ¡°We¡¯ll have a quick chat with him,¡± Letto continued. ¡°See if there¡¯s anything amiss, maybe something new. For all we know she could¡¯ve stepped out of town.¡± ¡°If she did, she would¡¯ve told Sir Thompfer.¡± Drax wrapped the parchment up very carefully. He picked up the ribbon that kept it in place and tied the parchment so that it remained rolled up. ¡°And if the town chief knows nothing?¡± ¡°Then we go back to the forest,¡± Letto answered. Drax did not like the idea at all. Yes, it was safer to go into the forest during the day, but in the time they¡¯d been around, every time they went into the forest, the goblins had a habit of hit and run tactics. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go alone,¡± Drax said. ¡°I say we take Sam.¡± Letto shuddered visibly. ¡°I say we get Ted to help.¡± ¡°Ted will say no. You know that.¡± Drax shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s take Sam.¡± ¡°What about the knight?¡± Drax rubbed his forehead in exasperation. ¡°His name is Thompfer, Letto.¡± Letto gave him a look. ¡°Would you rather I call him ¡®the knight¡¯ or risk me making the mistake of accidentally calling him Sir Thumper?¡± Drax took a moment to think about it before giving up. ¡°Alright. The knight it is. But we can¡¯t take him.¡± Letto was already at the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because if we tell him, he will say something about how dangerous it is.¡± Drax walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Believe me. We¡¯ll have him asking questions, gathering the others, and creating a plan. We¡¯ll be going by tonight.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Letto looked crestfallen. ¡°That¡¯s true. And he won¡¯t even join in with all that¡­¡± he straightened up suddenly, mimicking the knight. ¡°¡®The King has asked that I guide you but not interfere in whatever you are doing¡¯.¡± The fa?ade dropped once more and Drax smiled. It was nice to know that despite the dangerous future looming ahead of them, Letto could still keep some of his childish zest. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Drax said, reaching for the handle and opening the door. ¡°We¡¯ll get Sam and see if we can find Anita.¡± Drax led the way out and Letto followed quietly behind him. Very quietly. It was eerie to know that despite his increased stats he could not hear Letto¡¯s footsteps. In fact, sensing his presence required his attention. He¡¯d asked Letto about it once before and Letto had attributed it to one of his skills which granted him something of a reduced presence. Together they took the stairs to the floor below. Drax walked with a swordsman¡¯s grace as the knights that had taught them the use of the sword liked to say. It was in the easy steps, feet always a certain distance apart. According to her, he had taken to the sword like a natural. As if he was born to it, each strike and parry, each swing and draw was like something straight out of history. This was the reason she had given him the parchment to study. She believed that if any of them could learn a technique first, it would be him. Drax believed her. The ground floor of the inn was a mix of a tavern and a reception. When you came in, you went to the bar and met the barkeep. The barkeep was the innkeeper. With him you requested for your meal or your drinks or a room to pass the night or however many nights you wished. Now, in the gentle existence of the afternoon, it was empty. Rather, empty was not the right description. The countless arrangements of chairs and tables were occupied by only a handful of people. There was a drunk who Drax had come to learn always stayed in the tavern, drinking or not. There was a lady he had engaged in a conversation once or twice and learned aspired to be a story teller despite her class of [Baker]. If there was one thing their tutors in the palace had taught Drax, it was that choosing a path that was not in tune with whatever class you¡¯d ended up with was a sure way to live an unfulfilling life. At best, you would be the mediocrity of your peers. A man sat at one end of the bar, buried in a meal of red beans and an already half eaten loaf of bread. Drax thought of it as red beans, but it actually wasn¡¯t. Nastild had a quick equivalent of beans, but they did not call it beans. Trying to remember what it was called failed him and he ignored it. The man was of more interest than what he was eating. Turning to a still descending Letto, he grabbed him by the arm to stop him. ¡°What do you say we modify our intent?¡± he said in a whisper, voice a little too loud for his taste in the silence of the tavern. Letto spared a look at the tavern. He took in the empty chairs and the lack of people. The barkeep stood quietly behind his counter, wiping down anything there was to wipe. The wooden top of his counter gleamed an unblemished brown, polished to a shine. He was not even done wiping it down. Letto returned his attention to Drax. He dropped his voice a few decibels less than Drax¡¯s. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want Sam, right?¡± Letto nodded vehemently. ¡°He rubs me the wrong way. And I think he was the one killing the maids before we left.¡± Drax hushed him with a finger to his own mouth. ¡°I know your opinion on that matter. But it would be more reasonable to keep your opinion in your head until you have proof.¡± Letto frowned but did not object to the statement. ¡°Let¡¯s try Ted.¡± Drax shook his head, objecting to it. There was just something off about Ted. For one, the creatures he continued to summon kept on looking more terrifying by the day. The other day he¡¯d summoned a two headed horned snake with each head as large as a man and red eyes. Looking into it at some point in the past, Drax had learnt that [Summoners] tended to pick what they summoned. A summoned creature was a reflection of the [Summoner]. Therefore, it said a lot about Ted that his summons were always grotesque or terrifying in some way. There was also the fact that Ted was something of a loner, preferring to be with himself and his summoned creatures whenever he summoned them. ¡°Ariadne?¡± Letto asked. ¡°How about someone different.¡± Drax nodded in the direction of the man with the half-eaten loaf of bread. A wrinkle creased Letto¡¯s brows as he looked over Drax. ¡°Jaderd?¡± ¡°Jaderd?¡± By the life of Drax he had not known the man¡¯s name. All he¡¯d known was that the man was one of the only two adventurers in the small town. He was a loner that kept to himself and spoke very little. There was speculation that he was not a friend to soldiers or knights and possibly saw their presence as a usurpation of his jurisdiction. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± Letto asked. ¡°Last I heard, he might not be our biggest fan.¡± ¡°But he loves the town or so I¡¯ve been told,¡± Drax offered, hoping to convince Letto. ¡°He does,¡± Letto agreed. ¡°He¡¯d just rather we deal with our issues quickly and be out of his hair.¡± Drax opened his mouth to ask how Letto knew all this but stopped himself. It bothered him a lot. It wasn¡¯t like they were suddenly well-trained men with investigative skills and charisma through the roof that made people tell them things. They were just boys, young adults, who had been trained to fight monsters. Letto gathered information, and he gathered it well. ¡°Let¡¯s just try talking to him and see what happens,¡± Drax said, turning to the man. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll know the forest better than us. If Anita¡¯s out there, and that¡¯s a big if, we have a better chance of finding her with his help.¡± Letto mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath but nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Drax patted him on the arm. ¡°We just have to convince him that it¡¯s for the greater good.¡± ¡°Well, we better be careful about how we do it,¡± Letto warned, coming down the last few steps. ¡°He¡¯s strong, really strong.¡± Drax lowered his voice. ¡°How strong?¡± ¡°Level forty-two.¡± Drax sucked in a sharp breath. That was definitely on the high side. The only person close enough to that level among them was Ted, and Ted liked to do things in his own way. It meant they had to do their best not to rile the man up. At his level twenty-nine and Letto¡¯s twenty-five, a fight would favor none of them. Adjusting his clothes, Drax gave Letto his most reassuring smile. It was the one he reserved for whenever he wanted to assure his younger brother that everything would be alright. ¡°We¡¯ve got this,¡± he told Letto. ¡°All we need is a little bit of diplomacy.¡± ¡°And if that fails?¡± Letto asked, always the voice of worry. Drax shrugged. ¡°Then a little bit of offered coin never hurt anybody.¡± Together they weaved through the tables and chairs, approaching the man. The barkeep caught their movement, eyes narrowing in confusion. It was no secret that the adventurer did not like them. Drax gave the man his most charming smile, greeting him with a nod as he continued on his way. Letto was a quiet companion behind him. He made no sound as they moved. Literally. Getting to the table, Drax politely took the seat opposite the adventurer. The adventurer, Jaderd, paused in one of his bites. He looked at Drax, then at Letto who stood as still as a mountain next to Drax. Slowly, purposefully, he looked behind him to the entrance of the inn. He turned his head once more, looked to the stairs that led up. Then he returned to his meal, taking slow bites, like the elderly, unrushed and unbothered. ¡°Pardon my intrusion,¡± Drax said carefully. ¡°But would you be willing to grant us a moment of your time?¡± Jaderd said nothing. His meal seemed more important. He took another spoonful of the beans that was not beans, then a bite of his bread. He chewed ever so slowly as if the world waited on every bite, then swallowed. This is going to be tough. Drax had a feeling the man was going to make them work for his attention. When he felt they had finally earned it, he was then going to make them work to keep it. Drax did not mind doing that if it ensured that they would secure his help. He was strong, and with him, they had a higher chance of finding Anita if she was out in the forest somewhere. However, he would not grovel for long. The entire point of not going to Sir Thompfer was because they could not afford to dally. Only after a third bite did the adventurer speak. ¡°Where¡¯s your knight?¡± he asked in a deep baritone garnered from years of shouting too loudly. ¡°Not here,¡± Drax answered. ¡°And that is all I¡¯m willing to say on the matter.¡± Jaderd looked between the both of them. ¡°Is that so.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Jaderd sat up, looked at the both of them. ¡°If that is the case, then you kids can both fuck off.¡± ¡­ Useless. There was no other word that best described how Elaswit was feeling. The worst part of it was that she didn¡¯t even know which was worse; being useless because she froze or being useless because she was actually useless. She sat on a simple bench provided by one of the stable hands. Just outside the stable fence, she watched the evening sky slowly begin to darken. At this rate they would reach their destination late into the night. What time they would reach their destination, however, was the farthest thing from her mind. What consumed her currently was the heavy sense of uselessness that weighed on her. When she had been stuck in the cave with Aiden and had frozen up after almost dying she had kicked herself mentally time and time again. She had been useless because she had been weak, unable to move past her fear. The feeling that had come with that, she was beginning to realize, was a better one than the one she currently habored. When the man they¡¯d met in the morning had attacked, she¡¯d lost consciousness for a moment. It had been in the blink of an eye. Her mind had fought to stay awake but had failed. When she¡¯d regained consciousness, basically dangling from her jepat, her sword was on the floor and Aiden and Valdan were locked in combat with the man. Then she¡¯d tried to help, used her most powerful skill. And what good did it do? The man had batted it aside as if it mattered very little. He hadn¡¯t even paid her any attention. Thinking about it made her feel like shit. But the worst part of it all was that when Aiden and Valdan had begun fighting in earnest, she¡¯d come to the realization that she could not match them. Their movements had been difficult to follow with her eyes. She had wanted to help, she really had. But she¡¯d thought about it and realized that the only help she could have offered them at that time was to stay out of the fight. There was a crushing weight that came with accepting your weakness. There was a uselessness that came with knowing that you were more likely to cause a problem than help. ¡°Knife. Do you have one?¡± Elaswit raised her head at the sound of Aiden¡¯s voice. The air smelled of manure and wet jepat but Aiden stood in front of her with nothing but a frown on his face. He had been carrying the frown since they¡¯d left the man from the morning behind. Not even a smile had crossed it. Not even when they¡¯d stopped at the first stable to make the first change of jepats. Something about their encounter with the man had set him off. ¡°You knew him,¡± she found herself saying before she could stop herself. ¡°At least you knew about him.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Do you have a knife, Elaswit? I¡¯ve checked the storage ring and I do not.¡± ¡°How do you know him?¡± she asked, ignoring his request. ¡°Of him,¡± Aiden corrected. ¡°How do I know of him. Knife.¡± Elaswit wanted to push the issue but something warned her from it. It was in the eerie patience in his voice. Her mother had told her this morning before they¡¯d left the palace that Aiden was a schemer. It did not make him evil, it simply made him a liar. With that knowledge, Elaswit currently applied what she knew of liars¡ªknowledge her mother had given her years ago. You do not worry when a liar lies because a liar will lie. You worried when a liar stopped lying. Because when they did, it meant that things beyond your understanding were in place, terrible things. And Aiden had just admitted to knowing the man that had come after them. She had no proof that he knew him and Aiden had to know that. Still, he admitted to knowing of him. Aiden let out a sigh and turned away. Before he left, Elaswit¡¯s hand snapped forward and grabbed him by the wrist. ¡°I have a knife.¡± Aiden held his hand out, expression left in the same uncomfortable frown. He¡¯s worried about the man, Elaswit realized as she summoned a knife from her storage space. But she did not understand. Was he worried about running into the man once more or was he worried about the man surviving? If it was the latter, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to allow Valdan kill him? Yet, he had stopped Valdan. Then there was the issue of him and Valdan. They had scarcely exchanged a word since the disagreement over the fight of their assailant. I thought men were better at resolving issues than women. The moment the knife materialized in her hand, Aiden picked it up. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, then turn to go. ¡°I want to ask you a question?¡± she said, stopping him. Aiden looked at her, contemplated his answer. ¡°Does it have anything to do with this trip?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. Aiden looked to the south where Valdan was having a conversation with the stable master while the stable hands prepared their jepats inside the stable. ¡°Ask,¡± he said. ¡°What did I do wrong in the cave?¡± Aiden ran a hand through his hair, then scratched awkwardly, or maybe it was nervously. ¡°This again? I thought I already told you that you were not the problem.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Elaswit shot back a little harsher than she¡¯d intended. She took a calming breath and tried again. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we went through a lot inside the cave, but when we came out, you continued to treat me like I did not matter.¡± Aiden looked to the sky, suddenly taking interest in it. He was thinking. Elaswit could see it. At least he was not giving her empty answers. After a moment, he squatted down in front of her so that she had to tilt her head downwards to meet his eyes. ¡°As harsh as this may sound, Elaswit,¡± he began. ¡°The reason I¡¯ve been treating you as if you are not important to me is because you are not important to me.¡± His words hurt more than she¡¯d thought they would. ¡°Do not misunderstand,¡± Aiden continued. ¡°You are important. In fact, no one alive knows it more than I do. You are greatly important. To you father. To your mother. To your kingdom. You are important to your world.¡± Sometimes, it seemed, Aiden Lacheart knew how to be nice. ¡°But not to you,¡± Elaswit finished for him, and Aiden nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± he confirmed. ¡°Not to me. The only thing you did wrong in the cave was following me into it. And that was not your fault, it was mine.¡± Elaswit was willing to agree to a lot of things, but she would not agree to someone blaming themselves for her actions. Her actions were hers, and so were the consequences that came with them. ¡°That was my fault,¡± she objected. Aiden shook his head solemnly. ¡°I could¡¯ve said no. I could¡¯ve turned you away.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have succeeded.¡± A small smile touched Aiden¡¯s lips but it didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°Elaswit Brandis, I could have knocked you out and placed you somewhere to sleep.¡± There was something about the way he said it. The look in his eyes as he¡¯d said. In this moment, Elaswit believed him. Even when he''d had less than twenty levels at the time she believed he would¡¯ve knocked her out if he had wanted to. The question was where the confidence and certainty were coming from. There was also the question of why he was being so forthright with her now. ¡°You did nothing wrong when you were in the cave with me,¡± Aiden conttinued, voice softening. He looked into her eyes, searched them. Probably seeing what he was looking for, he added: ¡°And you did nothing wrong this morning. Staying away from the fight was the right decision. Joining it would¡¯ve been the wrong decision.¡± Elaswit wanted to say something. She wanted to object but found herself unable to. So, a long silence stretched between them. In it, Aiden looked at her with soft eyes. He might not care about her or see her as a friend, he might also be rude, but she could count on him to be honest. Believable, she corrected herself, remembering he was a liar and a schemer as her mom had been kind to point out. Believable. Eventually, Aiden broke the silence. ¡°Elaswit.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± They were yet to break eye contact. Aiden raised his hand. ¡°Can you please let go of me now?¡± She was still holding onto his wrist. Elaswit snatched her hand back as if she had been burned and held it to her chest. ¡°Sorry.¡± Aiden chuckled lightheartedly as he got up. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He turned and walked away. But before he was gone, Elaswit saw the worried frown slip back into place. She wondered which one was the mask. The frown or the softness he had shown her just moments ago. ¡°Hey, Valdan!¡± Aiden called out to the knight, approaching him. ¡°I¡¯ve got a job for you.¡± Valdan turned from the stable master to afford him his attention. Curious, Elaswit got up and hurried towards them. She was curious as to why he would need a knife and have a job for Valdan. When she got to them, Aiden was asking the stable master if he had anything he could mark something with as well as a simple change of clothes. The stable master had the former but was not willing to part with the latter. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Valdan asked when the stable master walked off to get a marking tool. ¡°Hold this, you¡¯re going to use it.¡± Aiden held the knife out to him. Valdan¡¯s brows furrowed in worry, but he took the knife. ¡°What¡¯s happening, Aiden?¡± ¡°I need you to cut something and I need a steady and precise hand.¡± Aiden looked from side to side, frowned some more. His eyes settled on a small pile of ash, evidence that someone had burnt something not too long ago. ¡°Wait here,¡± he told them. He walked up to the ash and stuck two fingers into it, uncaring of if it was hot or the fact that a significant lower portion of his coat was sweeping the dirt. When he got up, he flicked his fingers, reducing the amount of ash on them. After that, he hurried back to them. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Valdan asked once more, still confused. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to show you were to cut,¡± Aiden said, ignoring the question. ¡°I¡¯ll show you. Once I do, don¡¯t ask questions, just cut.¡± Valdan nodded very slowly. When Aiden showed him, it was with the fingers dipped in ash. Elaswit¡¯s jaw dropped at the sight of it and Valdan¡¯s confusion morphed to incredulity. With the ash to mark his path, Aiden Lacheart drew a large circle over the front of his throat. ¡°Just the flesh, Valdan,¡± he said with a worried grin. ¡°Try not to kill me, alright.¡± EIGHTY-TWO: Watchers Intent Valdan stared at Aiden as if he was mad. ¡°What is going on?¡± he asked. The confusion that colored his face seemed unsure, as if it doubted itself as the correct emotion. ¡°You¡¯re good with a knife, right?¡± Aiden asked, knowing very well that Valdan was. The dagger was not his choice of weapon, but he had seen Valdan with a knife enough times to know that the knight knew how to use it. Valdan nodded very slowly, like someone suspecting they had just been caught in a scam. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Aiden gestured at the circle he¡¯d drawn on his neck. ¡°Then cut.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because.¡± Valdan¡¯s confusion shifted into a scowl of displeasure. That was good. Any emotion was better than the sulky one he had been carrying in the morning. Aiden still couldn¡¯t believe the reason Valdan had been sulky was because he¡¯d killed Derendoff. It was ludicrous, considering the fact that Derendoff had almost killed him. Valdan¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. He had something to say, questions to ask, but he was limiting himself, holding back. He probably thought Aiden would just lie to him. Aiden could see it in his eyes. Valdan wanted to ask about Torat. And his fear was right. Aiden would answer the question, and it would be a lie. ¡°Valdan.¡± They were running out of time. The stable boys were already on their way with the jepats and Aiden could not avoid to leave here without having the task done. ¡°I¡¯d do it myself,¡± he said, hoping to motivate Valdan. ¡°But¡­¡± He held up his hand and showed them how much it trembled. It was a slight tremor, easily ignorable. But when you performed a task such as this, you needed still hands. Aiden still could not believe he¡¯d landed a blow on Torat. He¡¯d done it, yet it remained impossible to imagine. The thought felt difficult to hold in his mind. He¡¯d sparred with Torat a thousand times, as a recruit, then as a direct student. Even as a fellow instructor. He had never, in his life, landed a blow on the man. Almost five years in the Order and over level fifty and you land a blow now? Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if it was the excitement of it or the fear that made his hand shake so much. Torat had always taken it easy on him whenever they sparred¡ªon anyone fifty levels below him actually¡ªbut he still had never landed a blow, so he knew Torat had also been taking it easy on them earlier. Surely, the last thing Torat would want to do was kill the princess and her cohorts. But something had been terribly off about the fight. Torat had seemed weaker, somehow. Distracted, too. Aiden could understand the distraction, but the sense of Torat being weaker continued to worry him. ¡°Alright,¡± Valdan consented in the end, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Aiden tilted his head backwards, exposing his neck. ¡°Just the skin will suffice.¡± Elaswit gave him a worried look and the stable boys stopped just in front of the stable¡¯s wooden gates. They looked very confused. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you sit down for this?¡± Elaswit asked with a shaky voice. ¡°Maybe lie down? I can¡¯t imagine that it won¡¯t be painful.¡± ¡°It will be.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°But these things happen. Besides, I¡¯ve got a potion right here, so I should be good in a few hours.¡± Valdan shook his head. ¡°These things do not happen, Lord Lacheart.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The tone of Aiden¡¯s voice came out sarcastic. ¡°Go for it, Valdan.¡± Valdan stepped forward and placed the point of the knife to his neck. His hand was steady, the touch delicate. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± he asked. ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want to do this, but I have to.¡± Aiden swallowed, then held his tongue, flattening it against the roof of his mouth. The last thing he wanted was to have to swallow during the process. ¡°Just stick to the line.¡± He really hoped the circle he¡¯d drawn was large enough. He¡¯d added a little extra diameter to the thing just to be sure. When Valdan pressed the blade to his neck and drew blood, Aiden shut his eyes tight. The pain started out slight. A slow trickle like a prick from a needle. Then Valdan moved it down the line, going left. It stopped becoming a prickle then. The pain tried to crush Aiden. With no adrenaline flowing through his veins, his body did not dull the pain in the slightest. A small grunt threatened to bubble up from him and he bit back against it. He stiffened his neck, tightening his muscles. Locked as he was, he held firm as Valdan continued. Aiden kept his eyes closed through the entire ordeal. Waiting for the end seemed to last forever, going for minutes on end. At some point Valdan¡¯s steady hand shook. Aiden felt the knife cut slightly into the circle and his breath caught in his chest. ¡°If you¡¯re going to stray, stray outside the circle,¡± Aiden muttered when Valdan paused and nothing happened. ¡°Whatever you do, do not go inside the circle.¡± He could feel Valdan¡¯s eyes look up from his neck at him. There was a moment of silence accompanied by the short relief of no constant, pressing pain. Then Valdan continued and the pain returned. A few minutes later Aiden was sitting on the floor with sweat soaked hair. He had his head up, eyes to the sky and blood trickling down his neck. His coat sat carefully on the wooden fence of the stable, his shirt taken off at some point to save it from the trickle of blood. His chest rose and fell with every breath he took and a weak grin touched his lips. He¡¯d survived it. With everything he¡¯d been through since returning to the past put into perspective, this was not supposed to be the ordeal that it was. But when you considered the fact that the slightest mistake could¡¯ve left him paralyzed for at least twenty four hours, it put the tension and worry into perspective. Elaswit walked up to him and offered him a canteen filled with water. Aiden kept his head fixed in place as the health potion he¡¯d taken continued to slowly work its way through his system. The injury was already healing even if very slowly. It was the thing with health potions. It boosted your health stat back to whatever it was supposed to be. The injury was a different case. The healing process sped up, but it did not simply disappear in the blink of an eye. Some injuries left behind the discomfort of their existence. Although there were potions that pushed the healing process a step further, mending broken bones a little too quickly. If you wanted the complete healing process, mending skin and bones and the entire works, you needed someone with the [Healer] class or some variation of healing skill. ¡°What was that about?¡± Elaswit asked after Aiden took the canteen from her. Aiden raised the canteen to eyesight, knowing his body didn¡¯t really need water. It was just his human reflexes asking for it. It was like waking up in the morning and having the urge to eat breakfast even if you weren¡¯t hungry. It was habit. Aiden placed the canteen down on the floor next to him. In the world he now lived in, habit got you in trouble. It didn¡¯t matter what the habit was. The action caught Elaswit¡¯s attention, but she didn¡¯t address it. ¡°So, are you going to tell me what that was about?¡± she asked, folding her arms over her chest. Aiden touched his neck, just at the bottom where his chest began. The blood there had dried. What he needed now was water to wash it clean and a new set of clothes. It pained him to leave the trench coat behind, but any good tailor could make a new one for him. Besides, if everything went as planned, he would be having a new one soon. ¡°During our little spat with our friend in the morning, I got a notification,¡± he said simply. ¡°A notification that what?¡± ¡°That I had been marked with something called [Watcher¡¯s intent].¡± Aiden met her gaze. ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°Never heard of it.¡± ¡°Me neither. Ergo,¡± he gestured at his neck, ¡°this.¡± ¡°What does being marked have to do with cutting off the skin of your neck?¡± Elaswit asked, appalled. ¡°Because I got the notification when he grabbed my neck.¡± ¡°And you remembered it?¡± she asked with some suspicion. Aiden let a small smile touch his lips. ¡°The word ¡®marked¡¯ isn¡¯t a very favorable word. So, yes, I remembered it.¡± He picked himself up from the ground so that he stood a little too close to her. He had almost a head on her in height. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you mark me even if you asked nicely. It stands to reason that I wouldn¡¯t let some random stranger do the same.¡± ¡°But he wasn¡¯t some random stranger, was he?¡± Aiden turned his head to find Valdan walking up to them. In one hand were the reins to three jepats. All three steeds followed quietly behind him. The stable boys had transported all their belongings from their previous jepats to these new ones. They had given them new saddles, but their belongings remained intact. Aiden¡¯s three swords hung from the side of one of the jepats. The axe that had been a reward from his victory over Belle in the Naranoff estate was secured efficiently to the creature¡¯s thigh. The axe head was covered with the same cloth. Aiden reached for his coat on the fence but stopped himself. For the sake of caution, he could not take it. A sigh slipped from his lips as he walked up to his jepat. Valdan watched him with a suspicious gaze. ¡°Not a random stranger,¡± he repeated. Aiden paused next to him. ¡°Yes, he was not.¡± Then he completed his journey to his new jepat. He unfurled his sack of clothes and picked out a pair of black pants, a white cotton shirt and the only other pair of boots he had. With a frown, he waved in the direction of the stable boys. One of them hurried to meet him, crossing the distance at the speed of a child who hadn¡¯t gotten his interface yet. A boy without magic. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the boy greeted with a slight bow. ¡°¡®Sir¡¯ will do,¡± Aiden corrected him, holding up the clothes in his hand. ¡°Where can I get changed?¡± The boy froze like a deer in headlights and Aiden raised a brow at that. Seeing his expression some life came to the boy. He raised a finger and scratched his cheek awkwardly. When he turned his head, Aiden followed his gaze. They both looked at a small shed right next to the stable. It was attached to the wall with the door ajar. The boy was probably worried that Aiden would feel too important to use such a small shed right next to the jepats. ¡°Keep the car warm,¡± Aiden told Valdan, walking off in the direction of the shed. Leaving Valdan confused by his statement, Aiden headed off, wondering how much he would tell Valdan. Inside the shed, he found it funny that he didn¡¯t care what he was going to tell Elaswit. You really treat her terribly, he thought as he changed his pants. He slipped on the shirt next. It was a taxing ordeal trying to ignore the pain in his neck. The new boots came on last. Finally changed into his new clothes, Aiden dallied a little, simply standing in the shed. His mind was active, thinking and calculating. The Order had sent Torat after him specifically. Why? Only one thought came to mind. Vanisi. She had probably reported him to her handler. Said handler must have sent the report up the proper chain of command. But it hadn¡¯t been that long since he''d left the Naranoff estate. With that in mind, Aiden doubted the situation warranted sending Torat. As for cutting off the skin of his neck and changing his clothes, he¡¯d lied to Elaswit. He had not gotten any notification. What was happening was strictly a matter of precaution. For all he knew, it was just unnecessary pain he had put himself through. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. But he couldn¡¯t risk it. Back in his time as an executioner for the Order, there was an enchantment of the Order that he¡¯d been taught. How it worked was that you placed it on a specific part of your body. When it came in contact with anything or person of your choice, you activated it and it marked the person. You, as the wielder of the enchantment, didn¡¯t get a notification, and the person marked did not get a notification unless the two of you were above a certain level. That level being level two hundred. Aiden remembered using the enchantment very often even, though not many members of the Order used it. So why did he worry that Torat had used it? The answer was simple. It was because Torat had been the one to teach it to him. Now he just had to convince Valdan to change his clothes. Aiden paused as the thought came to his mind. Did he touch Valdan¡¯s skin? For all he knew, Torat might be capable of having more than one of the enchantments even though carrying more than one was not advisable. Aiden scratched his head violently. He hated all this. As if his current dilemma was not enough, another problem came to mind as he stepped out. Dressed in completely new clothes besides his underwear, Aiden felt slightly refreshed. ¡°Stable boy,¡± he called as he walked up to Valdan and Elaswit. The same boy who had shown him to the shed hurried to attend to him. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°What do you know about our destination?¡± he asked. The boy shrugged. ¡°Nothing, sir.¡± That wasn¡¯t very surprising. ¡°Take this.¡± He held the clothes and pair of boots he¡¯d changed out of to the boy. ¡°Please call the stable master. And burn this while you¡¯re at it, along with that coat on the fence.¡± The boy took the clothes with a slight gleam in his eyes and Aiden grabbed him by the collar before he darted off. He turned the boy by the head so that their eyes met. ¡°Burn them.¡± He emphasized on the words. ¡°Don¡¯t pawn them. Don¡¯t wear them. Don¡¯t sell them. Don¡¯t give them to anybody. Burn them. Got it?¡± The boy ran off with the clothes. Aiden watched him take the coat from the fence before running off into the stable. He sighed when the boy was out of sight. He¡¯s not going to burn them. Aiden couldn¡¯t say that he blamed the boy. The clothes of a young lord had to sell for a lot of money even if you pawned it for a cheap price. Closing his eyes, he reached into the storage space of the ring on his finger. An inventory came up in front of him. There were only four things inside and they stared right back at him. Three bank cards and the royal pass. Those were three things that he could not misplace on this trip. Elaswit and Valdan walked up to him. ¡°Why do you need the stable master?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°I thought we were in a hurry.¡± ¡°I need to know how much the stable master knows of our journey,¡± he said. ¡°They know how far we need to travel,¡± Valdan said. Aiden kept his eyes on the stable. ¡°Do they know our destination? Do they know if we¡¯re going east or south?¡± ¡°They should not,¡± Valdan replied, voice showing signs of impatience. Aiden could not blame the man. There were probably a thousand questions playing charades in his head. ¡°Will we speak of our assailant from this morning?¡± Valdan practically bit out the words. Aiden turned so that he faced the knight, but reached for his new jepat and drew a sword free. Thinking better of it when the steel was halfway drawn, he slid it back into its sheath. ¡°When we are away from the stable,¡± he answered Valdan. Valdan held his tongue after that. The stable master returned with the stable boy not long after. He was a large man, portly in the way that said his wife fed him well not a sign of gluttony and excessive eating. He had a thinning head of hair and a black moustache. He slowed to a stop when he got to them. ¡°My lord,¡± he greeted once more with a bow, eyes darting between Elaswit and Aiden. He bowed to Valdan. Valdan gestured politely to Aiden. ¡°My companion has questions for you.¡± The man turned to Aiden. Elaswit still had her shawl about her face, concealing the lower half of it, so she was not recognized as the princess that she was. ¡°What do you know of our destination?¡± Aiden asked. ¡°Nothing¡­ sir.¡± The man hesitated with what title to call him. ¡°I was simply informed that I was to prepare three of my finest jepats and higher a [Mage] to cast a speed spell on them. I simply assume that you have to get to a destination in a hurry.¡± ¡°Spelled as they are, how far do you think they will go before reaching their limits?¡± ¡°In my opinion as a stable master?¡± the man asked. Aiden nodded. Folding his arms over his chest, the stable master gave it some thought before answering. ¡°Six towns. Seven if you wish to ride them to death.¡± The man winced at the second sentence. He liked his jepats safe. It was clear that he didn¡¯t like what the jepats were about to be used for. Regardless, Aiden was happy with the information that he had. The cannibal town was four towns away so that was good. Those were gambling odds Aiden was more than happy to work with. Aiden gave the man a respectful bow. ¡°Thanks for the conversation.¡± Elaswit still looked confused, but Valdan¡¯s expression was now neutral. Certain that he would be getting an explanation, his patience was restored. Aiden claimed the reins to his jepat from Valdan and mounted the creature. He waited patiently as the others took their turns mounting theirs and it wasn¡¯t long before they were gone from the stable. Less than an hour later, they navigated their way through a busy town, doing their best not to trample on any innocent passersby. Their current location was the city of Fairbin. It wasn¡¯t a major city or an important one, but it was a busy one. Buildings of bricks and stones lined the streets and their roads of packed dirt so firmly beaten down that it raised no dust when trampled upon was wide enough to hold four lanes. Aiden and the others moved slowly along it, occupying two of the four lanes. They kept the pace of the carriages and jepats around them, slowing down every now and then for one random citizen or the other to pass by. ¡°The man,¡± Valdan said in a gruff voice after a woman carrying her child passed their front. Elaswit leaned a little to the side. She wasn¡¯t going to press the issue like Valdan, but she was more than curious to know what was happening. ¡°I don¡¯t know his name,¡± Aiden started. ¡°You were a little specific about keeping him alive for someone that doesn¡¯t know his name,¡± Valdan pointed out. Their jepats continued to trudge forward. From what Aiden remembered from checking the map not too long ago, the exit out of the city wasn¡¯t very far now. He kept his eyes on the whisper of breeze from the skill [Pathfinder] as he answered. ¡°All I know is that he is most likely from some shadow organization. Assassins maybe. Information brokers, possibly.¡± Valdan glared at him. ¡°You killed a former knight despite the king¡¯s pleas but stopped me from killing an assassin?¡± There was a temper in his voice. It wasn¡¯t necessarily rage, but it was something. ¡°Assassins maybe,¡± Aiden said, ignoring the harshness of Valdan¡¯s voice. ¡°Information brokers, possibly. I was not sure. But I didn¡¯t think he deserved to die. And by your gods if you bring up Derendoff one more time, we just might have a problem.¡± Valdan was in a hurry to open his mouth and Aiden finally met his glare. ¡°Derendoff was what he was,¡± he said, allowing his tone to be harsh. ¡°And among the reasons he met such a fate was his attempt to kill me when I was weaker. You can hold his death as close to your heart as possible. You can judge me for it as much as you¡¯d like. But do that in your mind. Do not disorganize my thoughts with your judgement.¡± Elaswit looked completely awkward on her jepat. Aiden followed the flowing wind as it turned to the road on the right. Before he made the turn, he pulled the sword he¡¯d used to fight Torat, blade and scabbard and let it fall to the side of the road. People hopped out of the way, fearful of a sword randomly dropped. As filled with classes and skills as Nastild was, not everybody had a combat class. There were people who lived their entire lives never being qualified, determined, or talented enough to reach level ten and gain a class. Amongst those that gained classes, only a small number of the simple masses with their domestic classes ever made it to level fifty. ¡°What was that about?¡± Elaswit asked as they made the turn. ¡°I¡¯m just very worried that if our friend could place a tracker on my neck, he could have placed it on any of the weapons that he touched.¡± Aiden gave Valdan a pointed look. ¡°Or any clothes that he touched.¡± Valdan ignored Aiden¡¯s look. ¡°Then why did we let him live? It would¡¯ve been safer to kill him.¡± Aiden laughed a little. ¡°I can understand me killing people. This isn¡¯t my world. But you killing people at the slightest drop of the word ¡®safety,¡¯ that certainly does not sound like you, Valdan.¡± Valdan did not share in Aiden¡¯s amusement. Not that Aiden had expected him to. Aiden shook his head, wincing slightly from the slight sting of his neck. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you wrap that?¡± Elaswit said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a piece of cloth you can use. Even better, I have a potion that would do it in one go.¡± Aiden waved her suggestion away. ¡°It¡¯s not that deep. It should heal by the time we get to our destination. As for not killing our friend, it was because he did not deserve to die. You clashed with him, Valdan.¡± Valdan frowned. Aiden continued, pushing past Valdan¡¯s frown. ¡°You should know just as well as I do that he was trying to kill us. The attack wasn¡¯t even premeditated. Something about us took him by surprise.¡± ¡°Must¡¯ve been quite the surprise, seeing as he knocked me out with his aura,¡± Elaswit said, frowning uncomfortable. Clearly, she didn¡¯t like how easily she had been disposed of. ¡°There was something he was trying to do,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Something he was looking for.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Valdan agreed. ¡°You. He was looking for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Aiden said. ¡°We already know he was looking for me. I meant what made him attack us.¡± Elaswit raised her hand as if to draw attention to herself. ¡°He used [Detect] on me.¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°Me, too.¡± Two of them looked at Aiden. ¡°He tried with me but I¡¯m fairly certain he failed.¡± ¡°Why are you so sure?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°Use it on me,¡± Aiden said instead of answering. Elaswit¡¯s eye twitched slightly and he brough up his blackened arm. Elaswit looked surprised by the action. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Valdan asked, looking from one of them to the other. ¡°My skill,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°It worked but not the way it was supposed to.¡± People had a habit of squinting a little whenever they used visual skills. Most people argued that it was a habit developed from childhood. Anytime a person tried to see more than they were already seeing, they tended to squint. Valdan squinted and Aiden placed the arm in front of his face. The knight scowled. Using the skill out of nowhere had probably been intended to make a point. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way,¡± he grumbled. Aiden smirked. ¡°And yet it does.¡± ¡°How did you even know it would work?¡± Valdan asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was definitely impressed but didn¡¯t want to show it. As for how Aiden had known, when he¡¯d found out that even the [Sage] couldn¡¯t get any information from the hand if he flexed it, he had tried a few tricks with Ded. The outcome was that if his blackened arm stood between a person and their target, [Detect] would focus only on the arm. Curious about how exactly it worked, he had intentions of seeing if the arm somehow attracted activated skills somehow. Especially since in its red state it didn¡¯t allow him weave enchantments and in its blackened state it was immune to some of the [Sage]''s spells. ¡°So how did you know that he was questionable?¡± Valdan asked, refusing to leave the topic. ¡°I had a quick chat with Elaswit¡¯s mother before we left the palace this morning,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°And she warned me about a group called the Order.¡± Elaswit paled suddenly, and Valdan¡¯s jaw tightened. ¡°From what she told me,¡± Aiden continued, ¡°I just assumed that if someone I¡¯ve never seen or heard of suddenly turns up looking for me, it just might be them.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve let Valdan kill him,¡± Elaswit said. ¡°And make an enemy of the Order?¡± Aiden snorted. ¡°No thanks. You¡¯re a princess and he¡¯s a knight. You have the certified backing of a kingdom, I¡¯m just some kid. The moment I¡¯m useless, I¡¯ll have the backing of no one.¡± ¡°The kingdom will always protect you,¡± Elaswit said. Aiden nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure you believe that, Elaswit. But from where I¡¯m sitting, it¡¯s kind of hard to believe it.¡± They lulled into an uncomfortable silence after that. Aiden kept his head straight, wondering if he shouldn¡¯t have mentioned the Order at all. It had just happened, an easy enough lie that he hadn¡¯t had to think about. Besides, truths and lies didn''t matter anymore at this point. It would not be long before there would be no one to hold him to the lies he would tell. In such situations, there was really no point to lying. ¡°So the Order is aware of you,¡± Valdan muttered. Aiden looked at him. In the distance the city gates could be seen rising tall. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Elaswit gave him a curious look. ¡°You just said it.¡± ¡°What I said was that your mother told me about the Order, so I jumped to conclusions out of caution. I never said they were the ones after me.¡± ¡°Then what other possible explanations would you have?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°I went to a certain store a few days ago with Ded and got him some nice Vambraces.¡± ¡°What store?¡± Valdan asked, suspicious. ¡°Not entirely important.¡± Aiden waved the question aside. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that it¡¯s not very reputable. I was ushered into the backroom while Ded looked around.¡± ¡°What were you there for?¡± Valdan asked, changing the question. ¡°An [Enchantment of Lesser Confusion].¡± Elaswit shook her head. ¡°My father will not be happy.¡± ¡°And that is why I¡¯m trusting you not to tell him. Or your mother.¡± Aiden shot her a pointed look. He sighed after a moment. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, they refused to sell it to me because I¡¯ve become a little famous in your underground world.¡± ¡°How?¡± Valdan and Elaswit barked in unison, completely baffled. ¡°Apparently, someone important has offered something of a bounty on my head. A certain someone who will no longer be able to pay said bounty, offered to pay for any useful information pertaining to me.¡± Valdan scowled. ¡°Derendoff,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°But that¡¯s not possible.¡± Elaswit argued. ¡°My father had him locked up.¡± ¡°But he still got word to his soldiers at his father¡¯s manor,¡± Valdan opposed. ¡°I assure you that it is very possible.¡± He looked at Aiden. ¡°Did he mention Derendoff by name?¡± ¡°The Naranoff knight was what he called him.¡± The road was clearing up now so Aiden increased the speed of his jepat. ¡°I figured there was nothing to be worried about.¡± Valdan¡¯s frown softened slightly. Guilt crossed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s what you meant when you said ¡®amongst other things¡¯ wasn¡¯t it?¡± Aiden opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself. What exactly did Valdan mean by¡ª Oh. Valdan was referring to Aiden¡¯s claimed reason for killing Derendoff. Well, it wasn¡¯t a set up, but it worked well enough for the story. In response, Aiden frowned and looked away. Sometimes, you had to use your actions instead of your words to lie. Aiden held up his hand and summoned the king¡¯s royal pass from his storage space as they drew closer to the gate. It dropped quietly into his waiting hands. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± he muttered as they approached the gate. He had left Valdan and Elaswit with two lies, leaving them to the confusion of which to accept. They were more likely to accept that Derendoff was the source of the problem. As real as the Order was, most people saw it as a mythical thing. Real yet mythical. The chances of the Order taking an interest in you was as high as the president taken an interest in some random citizen. There was a popular saying on Nastild; only paranoid kings and kings doing the wrong thing thought the Order was after them. ¡­ It was dark. The night was aging gracefully as the moon took its turn to stare down at the world from its crescent form above. Tarot stood in front of a store, staring at the sign board. Hanging from one end of it was a rolled up piece of skin. He¡¯s mocking me. It was almost hilarious to think that a child was mocking him. But he wasn¡¯t angry. If anything, he was intrigued. The boy showed a lot of promise. The skin in his hand was an indication that he would have to start all over again in tracking the boy. It would be better to just return to the capital city and resume his search for Aiden Lacheart. But not all things were as it seemed. He would be the one to teach the boy that simple truth. More importantly, however, was the fact that he just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the boy had recognized him. It annoyed him that he could not place the child¡¯s face in any way. Had he run into the boy when he¡¯d still been living in the forest amidst his dragon¡¯s hoard? There had been a few villages surrounding the forest that had worshipped the dragon. It wasn¡¯t farfetched to think the boy had stumbled on him at some point. Torat reached up and snatched the piece of skin from the signpost. He could only imagine how much pain the boy had gone through just to get the skin off. So he knew I marked him. Things were only getting more interesting. Torat reached into his cloak and pulled out a small map. He held it up and the details of it elevated from the map. A red dot bleeped not too far away from him, moving around in a specific area and he ignored it. It was a man wearing the boy¡¯s coat. Another red dot bleeped exactly where he was standing. The piece of skin in his hands. He ignored it too. Another red dot was stationary somewhere close to the city gates. Checking the dot was important but Torat doubted he would have any luck there. The final dot, however, put a smile on his face. It moved at a quick pace, heading north. It seemed the knight had not found the mark he¡¯d placed on him. Torat rolled up the map and turned away from the store, slipping it back into his cloak. Aiden Lacheart could wait a few more days for him. He had the time, after all. That¡¯s if the boy was not the Aiden Lacheart he was looking for. EIGHTY THREE: Unsure Odds Fjord had half a mind to curse the young lord Lacheart. Sadly, the man was his only legal source of income at the moment, and Fjord found that he liked having a legal source of income. Even if it was an errand runner. With the young lord, the role paid well. ¡°If I don¡¯t get killed first,¡± Fjord muttered, scratching his head. He was seated on a stool at the counter of a very busy tavern. The air was rend with the sweet smell of alcohol and the sour taste of vomit not yet thrown up. The entire room was illuminated by lights, yellow and bright, that it was as if somehow had placed a mini sun amongst them. Then there was the heat, Fjord could write an entire parchment on the heat. It was everywhere, crawling down his neck in the form of sweat as his body tried and failed to cool him down. How the patrons were not complaining was beyond him. To his back, the patrons sat at desks and tables, almost eight people at each table, filling the entire space of the tavern. They varied vastly in dress codes as well as looks. When he walked in, he had spotted at least eight people from south of the kingdom. Naina to be precise. Pale and built like six-foot-tall bricks, their accents were as unmistakable as their looks. They were popular for their mercenary work and their inability to keep their mouths shut. It was known that they always wanted to be the loudest in the room, and they did not disappoint. Right now, there was a Naina woman with hair the color of blood that was bellowing her tale of how she¡¯d wrestled some serpentine monster as large as a house with her bare hands. Was it true? Fjord had no idea. The Nainites were known for being loud. As for whether they were truthful or not, no clear rumors or reputations existed. Fjord guessed they were as truthful as the next man. So, it was better to take the woman¡¯s story with a touch of doubt. Not that he was listening to her story. Groaning, he returned his attention to the parchment in front of him. Beside the parchment was a cup of alcohol. His frown returned in full force and a tremor ran up the hand that held his pen. He had no idea how to pen down what he had seen in the forest today or how. ¡°Barkeep!¡± someone bellowed like an abusive employee. ¡°A barrel of your finest, ale.¡± Fjord couldn¡¯t help but raise his head at the request. A barrel? He wanted to ask in disgust but held his tongue. For all he knew, the people in this tavern could kill him without batting an eye. The [Gambler] class was not known for its combat prowess. Ignoring the call for a barrel of alcohol, Fjord returned his attention to the parchment in front of him. The barkeep. A slender and oddly tall man, reached behind him and arranged a thing or two. A moment later he placed a large jug on the counter and made a vague gesture at someone with his hand. The barkeep¡¯s name was Feltin, from what Fjord knew, but everyone called him barkeep. Even out in the town of Elstrire, he was called barkeep. Tall and lanky, he looked somewhere between the age of forty-five and fifty. He had long and thin fingers that made you want to put something down a tight space and ask to reach in for you just to see if he would make it. With hollow eyes that often seemed lifeless when he was in the bar, eye contact with the barkeep was often disturbing. ¡°Why do you even work here, boy?¡± the barkeep asked, moving over to stand a little too close to Fjord. ¡°How do you handle the noise?¡± Fjord shrugged as if it didn¡¯t bother him, but it actually did. The noise made it hard for him to think and articulate his written opinion properly. The truth was simple, though. He liked coming here to work because taverns like these were a treasure trove of information. Just yesterday he¡¯d learned that the town over, unnamed as it was, had an issue of missing people and the king had dispatched a handful of unknown adventurers accompanied by a knight to sort it. A little listening informed him that the issue of missing people wasn¡¯t new and everyone had learned to stay away from the town. However, just recently, a relative of a noble had gone missing too. Everyone said it was why the king had personally intervened even though people had petitioned to the adventure society multiple times to look into it. A lot of people said monsters were responsible, but Fjord thought differently. He¡¯d been a poacher long enough to know his monsters. Monsters did not kidnap or abduct people. They worked quite differently. The few that did weren¡¯t so meticulous that so many people would go missing and there would be no signs of a struggle or some blood or something. Monsters did not hide their tracks that meticulously. If anyone asked him, he would say that they should look to the people of the small town. Then again, that was just his bias. Ever since gaining his class and becoming a poacher, he¡¯d come to view people as questionable and untrustworthy. ¡°I very much like the life,¡± Fjord muttered after a while. The barkeep hadn¡¯t moved away from him. ¡°Life?¡± the man¡¯s small voice sounded amused. ¡°What life? This is what a bar sounds when it¡¯s full of people just waiting to die.¡± His words prompted Fjord to look to his left. At the end of the bar, just against the wall, a waifish woman sipped at a cup of liquid. Fjord had no idea what the contents were. She wore the customary cloak most people with sneaky classes tended to wear. She could as easily have the [Assassin] class as she could the [Thief] class. Whatever her class was, Fjord had a feeling that business was bad. She looked like a strong enough breeze could blow her away, or a child could beat her in a fight. Truthfully, if he had not seen her face when he¡¯d walked in, he would have thought she was a child. ¡°So what has you so bothered tonight?¡± the barkeep asked. Fjord took his attention from the waifish woman to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m not bothered,¡± he said, his first instinct to lie coming to the forefront. The barkeep gave him a smile that somehow looked feral yet friendly and tapped the parchment on the counter. ¡°You¡¯ve been here for almost an hour, and you haven¡¯t written a single word. Normally, it should be half full by now.¡± The empty parchment looked up at Fjord, mocking him. Without intending it, the scene he¡¯d witnessed in the very early hours of the morning before the sun was up came to mind. The grotesque tree. The corpse hanging halfway out of it, the rest of the body merged into the tree as if they were somehow trying to become one. The tears in the girl¡¯s unseeing eyes. Fjord¡¯s stomach threatened to upend his lunch. It was all he could do to keep it down. Clenching his jaw in determination, he banished the thought. The barkeep shook his head solemnly. ¡°I would ask what you write every day, but I believe today is not the day for that.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Fjord did not know when the words left his mouth. He wasn¡¯t feeling in the mood to explain anything to anyone. ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± The barkeep flipped a small cloth, hanging it over his thin shoulder. ¡°I am a barkeep. Part of my occupational hazard is recognizing when someone has experienced something traumatic. My advice, call it a night. You can go back to writing tomorrow.¡± I¡¯m not traumatized, Fjord told himself. He¡¯d seen far worse as a poacher. He¡¯d seen men killed in the most horrible way. He¡¯d seen monsters tear a man limb from limb. He¡¯d seen a noble pluck a living man¡¯s eye out simply because he could. He¡¯d seen¡­ His lips quivered slightly as a realization dawned on him. In his lifetime as a poacher, he¡¯d seen a lot of terrible things happen, but not to people. He¡¯d seen a lot of terrible things happen to men. This was the first time he was seeing something terrible happen to a woman. Worse, she had looked young, more like a girl than a woman. She was definitely his age. Two years older at best. Something flopped down on the counter in front of him. It was a tissue. Fjord looked from it to the barkeep who had dropped it. The man motioned silently at his eyes before moving on to get another pitcher of wine from somewhere. Fjord picked the tissue up. He sniffled, realizing he was crying. Quietly, with a slight touch of embarrassment, he wiped his tears. This task Lord Lacheart had set him on paid a lot, but it seemed like it was coming at a price. Just the other day he¡¯d been forced to run from a goblin that had the power to teleport. His mind was still feeling fried about the idea. How did a goblin teleport? Teleportation was high level magic. Monsters did not have magic. Not goblins at least. What do you have me doing, Lord Lacheart? Now that he thought about it, there were rumors of the king finally intervening because of a lord¡¯s relative. Was the lord in question Lord Lacheart or at least his family? It would make sense that he had sent him to look into matters. Fjord¡¯s eyes widened in realization. He wasn¡¯t just here to take random records of things that were happening. He was here to investigate. Fjord ran a hand through his hair. He¡¯d been going about this the wrong way. Lord Lacheart had not told him explicitly, but he was supposed to show some initiative. Figure things out. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He drank from his cup, downing the alcohol in one gulp as an idea came to him. It wasn¡¯t the kind of idea you executed sober. That was for sure. Drawing the barkeep¡¯s attention with a tap of his knuckle against the table, he gestured at the cup. It implied his request for another. At the other end of the counter, the barkeep poured another drink for the waifish woman before returning to him. Standing before him, the barkeep gave him an odd look. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked. Fjord almost laughed. The man was asking if he was sure he wanted to keep spending money. His thoughts must have shown through his expression because the man sighed and said, ¡°You have the look of a person about to do something you aren¡¯t supposed to do.¡± ¡°More like something I have to do.¡± Fjord rubbed an absent finger along the lip of his empty cup. ¡°As a man, in life you have to take some risks, push beyond your limits.¡± The barkeep gave him a kind smile. ¡°If you have to be inebriated to do it, you probably shouldn¡¯t be doing it or aren¡¯t qualified to do it.¡± Fjord had no idea what the word inebriated meant, but judging from the context it probably meant being drunk. He pushed the cup a little in the man¡¯s direction. ¡°Sometimes you¡¯ve got to do what you¡¯ve got to do.¡± The barkeep looked at him for a while. Eventually, he nodded, his smile vanishing to something sad but in agreement. ¡°Well said.¡± He reached under the counter, pulled out a bottle, and refilled Fjord¡¯s cup. Then he stepped away, moving on to another customer at the counter. Fjord wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand, cleaning off any tears left. He still couldn¡¯t believe he had cried because of a dead girl. He¡¯d thought he was harder than that, capable of looking at the evil in the world with a cold heart. He downed his refilled cup. The liquid went down, trailing a path of fire to his stomach. It was just the kick he needed. Rolling up his parchment, he took a deep breath and pulled up his interface. He zeroed in on his class skills. Only two stared back at him. [Gambler¡¯s Heart] You have the heart of a gambler, a risk taker. Your level of adrenaline increases upon activation. [Effect: 10% increase to all stats and senses for survival] [Duration: 00:03:00] ¡­ [Unsure Odds] The world is one big betting table. There is always a chance that something will or will not happen. Make a bet and receive your reward. [Effect: the lower the chances of success, the higher the reward for success] [Duration: until outcome is determined] Fjord hated his skills. Even their descriptions sounded like a gamble. But he¡¯d used them enough to know how they worked. [Unsure odds] was definitely a gambling skill. It worked in a simple way. Whenever he found himself in a situation, he made a bet on the outcome of the situation. Whenever he did, he got a prompt of how unlikely it was to happen. The more unlikely it was, the higher the reward. Fjord had once used the skill with the criteria being that he would be able to land a blow on the leader of his former poaching crew. The reward on success had been a ten-point increase in his strength stat for three hours. Obviously, he had not landed the blow. Alternatively, if he bet on something as simple and risk free as being able to finish another drink in one gulp, he could find himself with a reward of nothing. The higher the possibility, the lower the reward. If he used to the skill to gamble that he would wake up tomorrow, he¡¯d get the most miniscule reward for the most miniscule period of time. [Gambler¡¯s Heart] was a bit different. It claimed that he got an increase in survivability stats but all he ever felt increase was his perception. He saw better and heard better. But it came with the heavy thumping of his heart that came whenever he was afraid, adrenaline willing him to flee, to survive. Fjord got up from his stool. ¡°Are you sure?¡± the barkeep was suddenly on his side of the counter once more, staring at him with gentle eyes, fatherly eyes. ¡°Having an interface does not mean that you suddenly have to be a man.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± Fjord agreed. The memory of the girl popped up inside his head. Her dark hair and highlights that were a bright green even in the darkness. He sighed. ¡°Sometimes we don¡¯t get to choose.¡± As much as he hated his skills, there were some benefits to them. Sometimes, they helped him know things. For example, as he walked out the tavern doors, leaving the chaotic noise behind, and into the evening breeze, he activated one of his class skills. [You have used Class skill Unsure Odds] She¡¯s alive, he thought, feeling like a man betting against the world. His interface lit up as he crossed the street and made his way down the road that would lead him to the forest the fastest. [Survival of girl in green highlights] [Odds calculated] [Alive 10.28 vs Dead 1.42] Fjord¡¯s jaw tightened. It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t know. However, the odds were better than zero. Even if there was a very miniscule chance, there was a chance. And if there was a chance, then he had to know. Alive, he thought. [You have chosen Alive with odds of 10.28] Terrible odds. But odds, nonetheless. At least, regardless of the odds, he¡¯ll gain something. He could live with that. Barely past three buildings, his interface popped up again. [Survival of girl in green highlights] [Recalculating odds] [Alive 11.99 vs Dead 0.29 vs Body not found 2.19] Fjord stopped in his tracks, hands trembling. This was a problem. Now there was a chance of losing. He¡¯d learnt long ago that anytime the odds fell below one, he received a consequence upon its conclusion. Once upon a time, he¡¯d ended up with odds that were less than zero and had lost stat points for a short period of time. Is this really worth it? He asked himself. If he ended up with negative stats and found himself in a dilemma, that would be really bad for him. But she could be alive. The odds of that were less than zero, but they were not zero. Gritting his teeth, Fjord flexed his hands, freeing his stiffened muscles. The girl could be alive. And if she could be alive, then he had to try. He owed it to humanity. ¡­ Standing here hammering against the door for over a minute was slowly beginning to take its toll on Drax¡¯s patience. Patience he had honed over years of having to deal with annoying siblings. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s not around,¡± Letto offered. Drax shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s got to be around. I refuse to believe that Sam, Anita, Ariadne and Ted are missing. That only makes sense if they decided to abandon us.¡± To his side Sir Thompfer, the knight that had come with them, coughed lightly. ¡°Is it possible that they have?¡± ¡°No,¡± Letto answered before Drax could. ¡°Ted and Ariadne, yes. But not with Sam and or Anita.¡± He waved the idea aside. ¡°They all don¡¯t get along like that.¡± Sir Thompfer didn¡¯t seem convinced but said nothing. They currently stood in the hallway of a small inn called the ¡®Bone marrow.¡¯ It was a strange name, but if Drax was being honest with himself, so was ¡®Fairy tail,¡¯ and that was the name of a bar in the capital city. From the walls, glowing orbs illuminated the hallway in blue lights that reminded him of LED lights. There was a door down the hallway closer to the stairs, but that was not the door they wanted. Drax banged against the door once more, a little too loudly. At this point, he was worried he would wake the occupant of the room closer to the door. Behind him Sir Thompfer was silent. He was a tall man with an athletic build. His hair was cut short, brown as brown could be. For some reason, it always looked as if he had come out bed without giving it any attention. With his squared jaw, he would¡¯ve made a for a good face model. He was currently dressed in casual clothes with nothing but his spear held casually in his hand. ¡°Perhaps we should all go to bed and try again in the morning,¡± he offered, baritone as calm as it always was. For a man who could not find the people he had been put in charge of, he was a little too unbothered for Drax¡¯s liking. Drax banged on the door once more, reminding himself that his anger was not in the fact that he was being made to wait but in the accumulated annoyance of how Jaderd, the adventurer he¡¯d spoken to earlier in the day, had treated him. He raised his fist to knock again when the sound of a drawn bolt came from behind the door. There was another short length of delay after that. The doorknob glowed an almost imperceptible blue-black before it finally turned. Door held slightly ajar, Ted¡¯s face came into view. ¡°You knock like you own the place,¡± he said, taking in all three of them. He¡¯s not the reason you¡¯re angry, Drax reminded himself as he put on a simple smile. ¡°Can we come in?¡± ¡°Smiling like that?¡± Ted snorted. ¡°Not a chance in hell.¡± Drax¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my smile?¡± ¡°It makes me feel as if you¡¯re running for student council president and you¡¯re trying to get my vote. And you¡¯re good at it. More reason to distrust it.¡± Drax turned to Letto with a question on his lips only for Letto to offer him an apologetic shrug. ¡°Stop smiling.¡± It was all Letto said. With a sigh, Drax dropped the smile. ¡°Can we come in, now?¡± Ted did not look ready to let them in. ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡± ¡°Strategy, Lord Lacheart,¡± Sir Thompfer said. ¡°A few of your companions are missing and we intend to look for them in the forest.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to look for them during the day?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t wait till tomorrow,¡± Drax argued. ¡°Something terrible could¡¯ve happened to them by then.¡± Ted¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. After a while, he said, ¡°Fair point.¡± But he didn¡¯t open the door. ¡°Lord Lacheart?¡± Sir Thompfer said. Ted kept the door the way it was a moment later before letting out a defeated sigh. ¡°How do you guys feel about spiders and snakes?¡± Drax and Letto shared a look. ¡°Not a fan of snakes,¡± Letto said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing no one is. But I don¡¯t mind spiders.¡± Ted nodded as if it made perfect sense, then opened the door completely for them to enter. ¡°Careful now,¡± he said as they walked into the room. ¡°I¡¯m currently running a durability experiment so don¡¯t interrupt it.¡± Drax didn¡¯t get the chance to take in the entire room when Sir Thompfer took a combat stance, spear at the ready. The knight was suddenly on full alert, his weapon pointed at the opposite end of the room. Ted groaned as if he was in mild pain before scowling. ¡°What did I say about interruptions?¡± Drax was about to apologize on the knight¡¯s behalf when Letto grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt. His friend was not looking at him. He was looking in the direction Sir Thompfer¡¯s spear was aimed. Standing in the corner, if it could really be called standing, was an abominable amalgamation of a freaking basilisk as wide as four men and tall enough that it had to bend its head not to break the roof. Drax¡¯s gaze settled on the eight spider legs that protruded from its sides to keep it ¡®standing¡¯ and realized why Ted had asked how they felt about spiders and snakes. Their team [Summoner] had just summoned a half basilisk half spider abomination. And it was currently hissing at them. ¡°What the hell, Ted!?¡± ¡­ Their jepats came to a slow stop. In the distance was a small town with a small sign that said nothing. Even if it had said anything, from how far away they were, reading it would¡¯ve been difficult. It was nighttime, dark as dark could be, and there was not a flicker of light in sight. ¡°Just so you know,¡± Valdan said from beside Aiden. ¡°I¡¯m still angry that you made me change my clothes.¡± Aiden kept his eyes on the town. ¡°Better safe than sorry,¡± he said absently. ¡°Why does it look so creepy?¡± Elaswit asked. Because it is. Aiden left the words unsaid. He¡¯d scarcely wondered what it would feel like to come back to this place. Now that he was here, he would be lying if he didn¡¯t say that he felt some sense of nostalgia. It was in an odd way, like looking back on a terrible part of your life that you had survived and being able to smile about it. Once upon a time, while they had been trained in their earlier days on Nastild, they had all thought of knights as powerful beings that could not be defeated. Being in their early twenties and being taught by knights with levels as high as fifty, even higher, it wasn¡¯t very surprising. But this place had changed their ideas of knights. Whatever grand epic fantasies they had dreamed of when they¡¯d arrived had been washed away with their experiences. This town had reminded them that there were also low fantasies and horrors lurked in every world. Be it Earth or Nastild. ¡°Shall we?¡± Valdan asked. Aiden nodded, nudging his jepat in the side and swaying as the creature walked forward. ¡°We shall.¡± Together they approached the unnamed town, the town of little to no popularity. Together, they marched their way into the town of cannibals. The first place they had seen a knight sworn to guide them eaten alive. EIGHTY-FOUR: A Cryptic Question The roads of the town of cannibals were nothing but dirt. There were no tarred roads or interlocking tiles. No bricks or cobblestones. Just dirt. Years of having people and jepats and passing caravans move across them had packed the grounds so tight that it had hardened. It took a lot to raise any dust from them. The town itself reminded Aiden of towns from those old western movies his mother had loved and his father had simply tolerated due to his love for her. The buildings were tall but mostly fashioned from planks. There were a few buildings of stone and bricks here and there, but they seemed more like attempts at developing the town. As Aiden and his companions rode in, jepats slow, the lights from different buildings slowly came into view. Elaswit looked around with the enamored eyes of an uneducated tourist. Aiden couldn¡¯t blame her for it. Towns like this were a rarity in the kingdom of Bandiv. Out in the wild were nomads and tribal style of living reigned supreme, there was a town like this every few mountains. ¡°Not an orb in sight,¡± Valdan muttered, looking about. The night sky above was littered with countless stars, but they were not enough to grant proper illumination. The move was in its crescent form, ever so stingy with the light it had gathered from the sun. So while they saw the ground beneath them and figments of their imagination lurking in the darkness. What banished the darkness and granted them sight hung from lanterns placed outside houses and homes. Foreign to a kingdom of magic like Bandiv, each lamp held a tongue of fire within them. It was the streets¡¯ source of light. ¡°Do they live like this?¡± Elaswit sounded impressed and saddened at the same time, as if she was watching the helpless somehow survive against all odds. The town did not survive like this. Aiden knew that there were buildings that used enchanted orbs as their light sources just like all other normal towns and cities in the kingdom. But he didn¡¯t see the need to break it to the princess. No matter how briefly they ended up staying, they would eventually come to see it. The houses at the beginning of the town were mostly taverns and bars. With three major inns you would think the town had a personal grudge against having visitors. As for their source of revenue, they made it from farming and animal husbandry. There was a large body of water somewhere to the east of the town. A lake if Aiden was being generous. Or perhaps some kind of stream flowing from some major river somewhere. Aiden had never bothered to find the specifics. All he knew was that their source of fish, enough to feed the entire town apparently came from there. The forest was where they got their meat. It was also where they hid the bodies. A frown ruined Aiden¡¯s lips as memories from a life lived yet unlived slithered into his mind. You¡¯re not here to find proof or bring justice, he reminded himself. You¡¯re here for Ted. Revenge is just a little extra if you have the time. ¡°You look displeased,¡± Elaswit said as they passed a tall building. It looked like a small monolith, square and ugly. The builders had given it no personal attention. It had no creativity and seemed like a rushed job. It stood as tall as three buildings placed upon each other and had signs of aging all over it. It was easily the oldest looking building in the town. Anyone who knew anything about the place knew that it was the newest building in the town. It was also abandoned. ¡°Am I the only one worried about how easily we entered?¡± Elaswit asked as Aiden raised a hand to halt their motion. All three jepats pulled to a stop in front of the ugly building. ¡°The town boasts no soldiers or guards,¡± Valdan pointed out. He looked behind them, to the small signboard they¡¯d walked under as they¡¯d come in. ¡°No gates or walls either.¡± The town did not have them because it could not afford them. It boasted itself as a self sufficient town. Most people in the kingdom were unaware of it. Those that were aware of them treated them as one would treat the outskirts of anywhere. To those who knew them, they were simply the outskirts of Elstrire. Elstrire treated them like phantom limbs. They were more than happy to ignore them since they weren¡¯t causing any real trouble. Aiden was studying the structure of the ugly monolith when Elaswit asked him a question. ¡°Why did we stop here?¡± ¡°Because this is where we will be spending the night,¡± he answered. Elaswit studied the building just as Aiden was. There was a single door in front, flanked by two windows on each side. The windows were covered in dust ages old and the door looked like it was left ajar. There was a small lantern hanging from a stick that looked stabbed into the brown wall, but it didn¡¯t look capable of holding any type of light. A shudder ran through Elaswit¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Can¡¯t we just find an inn and check in?¡± ¡°You can. I would rather not.¡± Aiden threw one leg over his jepat and dismounted. He hit the ground with a silent thud. ¡°In fact, I would not advise it.¡± Valdan gave him a questioning look. After a while, he dismounted as well. He looked back at the path they¡¯d come from then to the path ahead of them. Then he looked at the town around. ¡°What about this place has you on edge, Lord Lacheart?¡± Aiden unbuckled his two swords from his steed and threw them over his shoulder. ¡°The fact that you now call me Lord Lacheart instead of Aiden is one.¡± Valdan¡¯s face hardened and he looked away. But Aiden had caught a few emotions there. There was shame, a touch of sadness. Anger. Oddly, the anger was not directed at him. It was internalized. The knight was angry with himself. With his free hand, Aiden reached for the axe and pulled it free. ¡°I am ninety percent sure that this has a lot to do with Derendoff, but this is neither the time nor the place to deal with it.¡± ¡°Sounds like the perfect time and place,¡± Elaswit interrupted, her tone sarcastic. She dismounted from her jepat finally. With no personal item attached to her jepat, there was nothing to take. She gestured at the building, the action somehow carrying greater sarcasm than the tone of her voice. ¡°We have found ourselves very comfortable lodging, and I¡¯m sure the beddings will be of the greatest quality.¡± Her passive aggressive tantrum was funny to experience. ¡°Are you laughing?¡± She rounded on him, her expression fierce. ¡°This is not funny in the slightest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little funny,¡± Valdan said from where he was, his sword held in one hand. Aiden ignored the weapon pointedly. It was the weapon Valdan had fought Torat with. While the knight had agreed to change his clothes and discard them, he had refused to surrender the sword. Taking pity on her, Aiden gestured vaguely to the north with the axe in his hand. Thinking better of it, he made a broad sweeping motion with the weapon, encompassing the entire town. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s an inn around here somewhere. If you go around some more, I¡¯m sure something will turn up.¡± Elaswit drew a blank. ¡°Alone?¡± Standing closer to the building than Aiden remembered, Valdan waited expectantly for his answer. ¡°I¡¯m sleeping here tonight.¡± Aiden pointed the axe at the building. ¡°It feels¡­ within my power.¡± Elaswit pouted. She looked as if she couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like people, but it can¡¯t be that bad.¡± Valdan made a sound that could¡¯ve been a laugh. ¡°Trust me,¡± he said. ¡°It is.¡± Then he turned and walked into the building. Aiden noted how he did not hesitate, pushing the door open and allowing the darkness inside swallow him like a gaping maw. ¡°But why?¡± Elaswit asked. Arms full, Aiden shrugged. ¡°I just told you.¡± ¡°No.¡± Elaswit shook her head emphatically. ¡°I mean why here? You practically walked us here as if you knew of its existence.¡± Aiden had known of its existence. It had been one of the places he¡¯d hidden away from the enemies in his past life. Why here? Because it felt safe. Because it was safe. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°When you¡¯ve seen the things I¡¯ve seen and know the things I know, you tend to keep an eye out for everything.¡± He started walking to the building. ¡°You start to question everything and seek out what is safe. I saw the building the moment we went under the sign board.¡± He was at the door when Elaswit started following. ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to put the jepats somewhere safe?¡± Aiden raised both hands to show her that he was occupied. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± she asked. There was no way she did not know what it meant. ¡°Would you,¡± Aiden gave her a flourish of a bow, as best he could with two full hands, ¡°please be kind enough as to do it.¡± Elaswit¡¯s jaw dropped. She looked from him to the jepat as if he wasn¡¯t making any sense. She did it twice, then thrice. ¡°This is unfair,¡± she huffed. She turned back and stomped her way over to the jepat. She needs to learn to stop saving her weapons inside her storage space, Aiden thought as he turned and headed into the building. It delayed the speed of readying your weapon when you kept it in your storage space. It could get her killed. Handling the jepats would likely take the princess a few minutes. Knowing that, Aiden figured it was time to have that long awaited conversation with Valdan. ¡­ Inside the building was as abandoned as it looked from the outside. The doors opened up to a vast but empty hall. Straight down the path was a dusty bench. Anyone who knew anything about business buildings would assume it was designed to be something of a receptionist¡¯s desk. There was a waiting area to the side. At least that was what the array of seats placed strategically on that end looked like. The ceiling was not so high and two staircases, each on both sides of the desk, led up. Aiden could see enough to not bump into things but couldn¡¯t see enough to track anything. He placed his axe down momentarily and unbuckled one of the pockets of his soldier¡¯s belt. A small cube fell into his hand and he channeled mana into it. Tossing the cube forward, he waited for it to activate. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Sensitivity] [Effect: 50% increase in signs of life.] [Duration: 00:02:10.] Aiden¡¯s eyes settled on Valdan¡¯s footprints. The knight had taken the stairs to the left. Aiden picked up his axe and went up the stairs to the left. Rising to the second floor, Aiden called out to the knight. ¡°Valdan Dirtwater.¡± He did nothing to calm his voice but kept caution on how high he¡¯d raised it. This floor was just as dirty as the one below. Covered in as much dust as it was, it had most likely not seen any human life in almost forever. Aiden found himself walking down a long hallway. His sheathed swords tapped against his back with each step he took, and he kept his attention on everything around him. Steps slow, he took in the familiar sight. From the little he could remember, nothing had changed about the place. ¡°Valdan,¡± he tried again, voice neutral not raised to a holla or lowered to a whisper. ¡°You have questions and I have answers for now.¡± The sound of rusted hinges groaning in the quiet night pulled his attention to the left. Two doors ahead he found Valdan standing in front of an open door. ¡°I have a lot of questions,¡± Valdan said, tone casual. ¡°Can you answer all?¡± Aiden made his way to Valdan but did not stop at the knight. ¡°Elaswit is taking care of the jepats,¡± he said as he passed the knight. ¡°I can answer the questions I have answers to until she finds us, so you¡¯ll have to be fast.¡± His destination was two rooms ahead and he made a straight path to it. It was one of the few doors in the building that had a handle instead of a knob. Standing in front of it, he raised his leg high and bent the handle with his booted foot. He pushed it open and turned to Valdan. ¡°You coming?¡± The knight looked inside his chosen room, hesitated for a moment, then answered. ¡°Yes.¡± Aiden placed the axe against the nearest wall. It was his least important weapon. At some point he was going to get the skill that came with wielding the axe. But he was in no hurry. Even in his past life, the axe was not a favored weapon for him. It had an aggressive style of fighting and he was more finesse than aggression. Walking through the room, he made sure he didn¡¯t drag his legs. The last thing he wanted was to raise dust as he moved. His two sheathed swords, still held together by a single belt strap, he discarded onto a desk. He stopped there, paused before he could walk away from the desk. A soft sad smile touched his lips as more memories came to him. He walked around the desk, fingers trailing chaotic lines in the dust that had settled on it. When he stood behind it, he watched the door from there. He had hidden here for hours on end when the cannibals had come for him. They¡¯d ransacked the entire place but hadn¡¯t come here. He looked at the window to his side. When he¡¯d gotten tired of hiding, he¡¯d gone out through the window. He was still smiling. He couldn¡¯t help it. This room had an eerie place in his heart. After a moment, he turned his attention from the window and tapped the desk with his finger. The action dispelled his sense of nostalgia. To think I had survived against all odds. He¡¯d returned to the present just in time to find Valdan walking into the room. ¡°What happened on your home world to make you this way?¡± Those were the first questions that came from Valdan¡¯s lips. ¡°What happened that has made you so quick to take lives. You do not hesitate. You see the chance, plan it out, and execute it.¡± Aiden raised a brow. ¡°You do the same.¡± ¡°I am older and I am burdened with an occupation that demands it of me.¡± Valdan folded his arms over his chest. His sword was strapped to his hip. ¡°What¡¯s your excuse?¡± Aiden imitated his stance. ¡°I was kidnapped from my world with no will of my own and told I would have to learn to kill and destroy if I wanted to survive and have a chance at going home.¡± Valdan frowned. It deepened into a scowl. Then it fell off his face. ¡°Touche.¡± Aiden blinked in surprise. He had anticipated a slew of responses, but that had not been one of them. ¡°What?¡± Valdan stepped into the room completely and rested against the wall next to Aiden¡¯s axe. ¡°Did I use it wrong?¡± Aiden chuckled. ¡°Not at all. I just didn¡¯t expect all your¡­ sulking¡­ to disappear so quickly.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sulking.¡± It was impressive had stoic and expressionless Valdan sounded saying those words when he had, in fact, been sulking. ¡°What¡¯s your next question?¡± Aiden asked. Valdan raised his hand and gestured, somehow encompassing the entire building with a twirl of a single finger. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°An abandoned adventure society hall.¡± Aiden knew exactly what Valdan was trying to do. The knight was far more attentive than the princess. Valdan nodded sagely. ¡°And how do you know this?¡± he asked as if he¡¯d caught Aiden in a trap. ¡°Why do you think the queen would come and visit me just before our departure this morning?¡± he asked with a touch of faux annoyance. ¡°To play pin the tail on the jepat?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a reference from your home,¡± Valdan said, crossing his legs. ¡°Then what did she come to talk to you about?¡± ¡°Elaswit following us. You not dying. The Order. Teaching me a powerful enchantment when I come back. And asking me to forgive her husband because what he did to you was mostly her idea and that of his advisor. Apparently, he was against the idea.¡± The tension returned to the room with Aiden¡¯s words. An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Valdan broke it. ¡°He had intentions for me. Intentions that came true.¡± He looked to the side, refusing to meet Aiden¡¯s gaze. ¡°It was harsh, but it was understandable.¡± A line creased Aiden¡¯s brows and he sighed. ¡°You knights. Loyal to a fault. Any other questions?¡± ¡°Was finding out about the bounty Derendoff placed on you the reason you killed him?¡± ¡°I killed him because I decided it was time for him to die.¡± ¡°Not because of the bounty?¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead, Valdan.¡± Aiden walked around the table, back to the other side. He moved to the window and stared at the town beyond. ¡°That is all there is to it. Why no longer matters. He died under the laws of the kingdom. There was no foul play.¡± ¡°The king asked you not to kill him.¡± There was some kind of accusation in Valdan¡¯s voice. But what exactly was he accusing Aiden of? Disobeying a king that was in no position to order him about? Aiden sighed. This seemed childish. ¡°You do know that he is your king, not mine. Right?¡± ¡°It changes very little.¡± Aiden cocked a brow in surprise and part amusement. ¡°Would you like me to break it down a little more for you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sass me, Aiden,¡± Valdan said with a frown. ¡°No sass. Would you like me to?¡± ¡°Alright. Go for it.¡± Go for it? Aiden wondered if the knight was aware that he was adopting some of his phrases. ¡°Alright,¡± Aiden began, going for it. ¡°To put it into better perspective, here is how it goes. He is your king. He is the ruler of another sovereign power I find myself in. Correct?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Valdan confirmed. ¡°But here¡¯s the thing,¡± Aiden said, turning away from the window. ¡°To me, he is my captor. My kidnapper. Some would say my undeserved jailer.¡± Valdan¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. Aiden saw the knight realize that he could not refute the argument. ¡°Listening to him,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Is something I do out of fear and courtesy. Not respect or subservience. He asked me not to kill a man that I chose to kill for crimes against me. There was no reason for me to listen.¡± ¡°You listened when I asked you not to kill Belle during your duel,¡± Valdan pointed out. ¡°And you and I both know you really wanted her dead.¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s the difference between you and your king, Valdan. You have earned privileges with me that he has not. There¡¯s nothing complicated about that.¡± Valdan opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and closed it. Aiden raised a brow at that. ¡°Something to say?¡± he asked, pressing the issue. Valdan shook his head. ¡°Not really. I was just wondering about one of the things you said about the queen.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Outside the room, Aiden could hear the sound of footsteps. ¡°Valdan!¡± Elaswit called out a little too loudly. ¡°Aiden!¡± Valdan looked at the still open door. The look on his face said he wanted to answer but he did not. Someone had to teach Elaswit how not to walk so loudly. Valdan returned his attention to Aiden. ¡°You said the queen wished to teach you an enchantment when we return. Do you intend to learn from her?¡± That was a heavy question. ¡°I have heard,¡± Valdan continued, ¡°that she is actually a very powerful [Enchanter].¡± Aiden did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked a question of his own. ¡°I¡¯ve been behaving differently since we left the castle. It is as clear and obvious as the dust in this room. Why aren¡¯t you asking me about that?¡± They heard one of the doors to the other rooms open. ¡°Valdan?¡± Elaswit called out in a lower voice, most likely only addressing the words to the room she had just opened. ¡°I¡¯m not asking because I¡¯m sure you will tell me what exactly has changed for you when you¡¯re ready,¡± Valdan answered Aiden¡¯s question. Am I? Aiden wondered. He doubted he would if he was not asked. It was a habit you picked when you lived a dangerous life. You only gave information that was necessary. And if someone was close to you, you only told them things when they asked. You did not necessarily keep information from them, you just didn¡¯t address it until it was addressed. ¡°Are you going to learn from the queen?¡± Valdan asked. Another door opened outside the room. This one was closer than the last, and Elaswit called into it once more. She called out to Valdan not Aiden. As simple as the question was, Aiden knew it was more than just a question. Valdan was asking him if he planned on returning. Aiden left his answer as cryptic as Valdan¡¯s question. ¡°I find that I enjoy learning from you, sir knight.¡± Then Elaswit walked into the room and joined them. ¡°Here you are,¡± she declared with a touch of annoyance. ¡°I¡¯ve been calling you two for a while now.¡± Her brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Wait. Am I interrupting something?¡± Aiden smiled, walking up to them. ¡°Not at all. But now that you¡¯re here, it¡¯s time for us to get things moving.¡± ¡°Things like what?¡± She looked between them. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re heading out,¡± Aiden answered. Valdan gave him an odd look. ¡°We are?¡± ¡°We are,¡± he confirmed. ¡°But first, we need a plan.¡± EIGHTY-FIVE: Kill The Right Person The night air was a very sharp contrast to the dusty murk that was the air inside the building. Stepping out into it, Aiden inhaled deeply, like a man just leaving prison. ¡°That¡¯s good air,¡± he muttered under his breath. Behind him, Valdan and Elaswit stepped out, appreciating the air in their own ways. Valdan was more reserved about it. He inhaled quietly but Aiden heard it. Elaswit was a bit more vocal about hers. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯ve chosen to sleep in that dust ridden place? Are we at least going to clean out a room?¡± Aiden didn¡¯t see any reason to clean out any of the rooms. As far as he could remember, there were no rooms with actual beds. The place was not designed to be slept in, only to be worked in. Also, they only needed it for a day. Two, at the most, if his plans did not work out well. A lock of hair fell over his forehead, resting on his eyebrow, and he ran a hand through his hair to get rid of it. He was almost due for a haircut. ¡°So, who came with my brother and his frie¡ª¡± Aiden cut his question short and turned to Elaswit, remembering she¡¯d actually asked a question that he had not answered. ¡°We¡¯re not cleaning the place because we won¡¯t be here long. In fact, I don¡¯t even think we are allowed to be here.¡± ¡°Then why are we here?¡± ¡°I told you. Because I have some level of power over it.¡± Aiden¡¯s attention then swiveled to Valdan. ¡°So, which of the knights came with my brother and his group?¡± ¡°Sir Thompfer,¡± Valdan answered. Aiden wasn¡¯t sure if he was supposed to be surprised or not. With all the changes his very presence had caused, he¡¯d expected a different knight from his past life to be here. It was odd to find the same knight had been selected by the king. He wondered if it was some kind of inevitability in the timeline. Did such things even exist? Where there things that regardless of what he did would not change? He remembered watching an anime once upon a time that seemed to imply such a concept. Don¡¯t go taking inspiration for real life from anime, he scolded himself. ¡°Do you have a way of contacting him?¡± he asked Valdan, his attention going to the east. ¡°There is an inn he would¡¯ve checked into. We can check it first.¡± Aiden shook his head. ¡°No. We stick to the plan. If we can, I¡¯d prefer we be on our way back by sunrise, latest dusk.¡± ¡°And how do you know this plan will work?¡± Elaswit asked. ¡°You seemed quite certain of it.¡± ¡°You have doubts,¡± Aiden said with a tone of indifference. ¡°Understandable. Truthfully, the plan only requires one person to carry out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a three-person plan,¡± Elaswit pointed out, disagreeing with some heat to her voice. ¡°It cannot require one person.¡± ¡°One person makes it longer to execute but not impossible.¡± Aiden turned to face her and Valdan. ¡°I cannot be in three places at once, but I can be in three places over a period of time.¡± Elaswit looked to Valdan in hopes of some kind of assistance, but the knight said nothing. He seemed more than content to follow Aiden¡¯s plan. Such a level of dedication was something Aiden could use in this timeline. He¡¯d had it once, when he¡¯d been with the Order. Teammates that did not question his plans unless they were absurd and downright ludicrous. Apart from Zen, Aiden knew the rest of his teammates had not possessed blind obedience, though. He was their delegated leader and that was why they listened to him. As for Shewa¡­ well, he always paid her handsomely. As a mercenary, her duty was to take his money and do her job. Regardless of what history they¡¯d had together, she understood that. He never stiffed her on her pay or tried to pay less due to their history, and she never did less than what her job was. Having a companion that was willing to obey him the way Valdan displayed sounded like a good way to start his life. Sadly, with everything that had happened, Aiden knew better. Valdan would not be following him. If king Brandis had done what he¡¯d done and the knight was still more than willing to defend him, then that said all Aiden needed to know. It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know he wouldn¡¯t leave. Elaswit looked at Aiden then Valdan. Her eyes moved between them twice more before Aiden realized that he¡¯d been looking at the knight. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he said, ¡°Run the plan by me once more.¡± ¡°In details?¡± Elaswit asked, surprised. ¡°That¡¯s going to steal more of our time.¡± ¡°Not in details. Just the main thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the forest,¡± Valdan said, summarizing his tasks to a few words. There was more to it than that. Much more. Elaswit folded her arms as if she was tired of just having them hang at her sides. ¡°I¡¯m going to the inn where Sir Thompfer is supposed to be to meet up with him and get updated.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Aiden said, infecting the word with some tone of appreciation. ¡°Valdan, the three of us will head to the forest together. Elaswit and I will leave you there and go about our own tasks.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t said what you are going to be doing,¡± Elaswit pointed out, unhappy to have secrets kept from her. For someone older than him in both timelines, she seemed so young standing in front of him. Her justified reactions of annoyance and anger seemed to Aiden like childish tantrums. He had half the mind to tell her she wasn¡¯t old enough to know what he was going to do. ¡°I¡¯m going to find my brother,¡± he said after a while. ¡°Like I told you once upon a time, I have urgent business with him. Then I¡¯ll go see the man in charge.¡± ¡°And you think that¡¯s a good idea?¡± she asked, skeptical. ¡°Seeing the head of the town in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually the early hours of the morning,¡± Aiden corrected, not that it mattered. ¡°And yes, it¡¯s going to more accurately convey the importance of what we are here to do. Especially when he sees the royal pass.¡± Valdan looked at him as if he knew that there was more to it than he was saying but did not speak on the matter. This was the problem with spending too much time with a person. They ended up learning how to read you. ¡°So which way¡¯s the forest?¡± Valdan asked, pushing the conversation along. Aiden pointed east. ¡°That way.¡± Elaswit looked in the direction he was pointing, then back at him. ¡°You know far too much about the mission. And I don¡¯t know what bothers me more, that you know so much or that Valdan doesn¡¯t seem bothered by how much you know.¡± Aiden shrugged. It was all the response he had to give her. Since leaving the castle, he¡¯d seen no reason to hide his capabilities any longer. All it would do was unnecessarily slow him down. He might not have addressed it for a while, but he still had so many things to do. He needed to know more about the people that had existed on Nastild with the [Demon King] title. Apart from the Order archives, in places that had been beyond his reach in his past life, the library of Living Truth was the only place he could think of looking for answers in on this side of Nastild. There was also the [Crystal of Existence] and the [Heart of Nosrath] to deal with. With every day he spent dallying, their respawn dates drew nearer. The last thing he wanted was to show up late and find out that some royal or noble lord had claimed them. He walked up to Elaswit and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at his hand, then at him. An odd expression crossed her face, as if he was acting out of place. Which he was. ¡°Everything,¡± he said slowly, as if speaking to someone who barely understood the language being spoken, ¡°will be clear when we get back. Until then, we need to sort this out.¡± He watched all the arguments leave her in a single breath. She deflated a little. ¡°Why am I the one meeting the knight?¡± she muttered in a muted complain. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for Valdan to meet the knight?¡± Her problem wasn¡¯t with meeting the knight. It was with the fact that to her, it didn¡¯t seem important. There was also the part where there would most likely be no combat involved. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Aiden took his hand from her shoulder. ¡°Because Valdan has the skills and level requirement for me to not be worried about him when he¡¯s in the forest. Also, Thompfer will be more than happy to answer to you.¡± With those words, he turned around and started heading east. They walked for a few minutes before he remembered another key detail of their trip. ¡°Also,¡± he announced, ¡°we will be doing a lot of sneaking around. Elaswit, keep your cleaver on your back until you get to Thompfer.¡± ¡°If we are sneaking around, shouldn¡¯t I keep it hidden?¡± ¡°Life out here isn¡¯t as free and kind as people have been led to believe. Remember, tourists have been going missing. The last thing we want is for the princess to go missing without at least putting up a fight.¡± Elaswit reached over her shoulder with one hand and summoned her weapon. It appeared in a dazzle of muffled light, latching on to her back automatically. Aiden suspected some enchantment was in charge of the automatic latch but paid it no mind. True to his words, they had done more of sneaking about than walking. Buildings with lights behind their windows were avoided as best as possible. When they could not be avoided, Aiden led them in a crouched rush, raising as little dust as possible and moving as quietly as possible. A town like this one had no dead ends. And while they had alleyways, they didn¡¯t feel like alleyways. Just spaces between two buildings. Aiden kept an eye out with each move they made. If memory served him well, the town only had two adventurers. As for their names, his memory didn¡¯t serve him well enough to remember them. He remembered that they were not friendlies, though. The real threat, however, did not lie in the adventurers. It lay in the town chief. As for the town folks most of them had domestic classes. Lacking combat classes did not make them ignorable problems, though, the title of [Cannibal] giving them all the advantages they needed. Increased strength against opponents of the same species. Predatory perception levels when hunting their species. Increased speed. This was a small town of people designed to hunt and kill people by the very basis of their title. Luckily for Aiden and his team, not all of them had the title. But enough of them had it. And enough of them was far too many to be safe. After a little more than half an hour of moving Aiden pulled them to a stop. Hand raised beside his head in a fist, he signaled them to a halt. Valdan came to a stop first, tapping him on the shoulder as a sign of his arrival. Elaswit stopped next. They were crouched next to a residential building. Made of planks and other simple materials, it was sure to crumble under the weight of any real natural disaster from Earth. Aiden hugged the wall, flattening his back against it, and listened. He¡¯d heard footsteps, then voices. It was what had stopped him. The voices came flowing through the air after a moment of silence, carried in the night¡¯s gentle breeze. ¡°I always said the knight was going to be a problem,¡± one of the voices said. It sounded angry, rumbling with a deep baritone. ¡°Keep your voice down,¡± the second voice said. ¡°The knight isn¡¯t a real problem. Remember what the chief said. They¡¯ll check, see nothing, and move on. We just gotta touch none of them.¡± ¡°One of the kids came looking for me this afternoon, though,¡± the first voice offered. ¡°Wanted me to help out of the goodness of my heart.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing. Told him to fuck off.¡± The voice chuckled. ¡°Then he offered money. Could¡¯ve been the king¡¯s bastard for all the money he seemed to have. Too bad he had one of them new age bank cards they be using outside.¡± It seemed like one of the others had tried to hire someone to help. Aiden didn¡¯t know if someone had done something like that in his past life. If someone had, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised that he had never been aware of it. There had been a lot of things he had never been aware of in his old life. ¡°Why would they go so far?¡± the second voice mused. ¡°No one¡¯s been missing in weeks. Why would they come to you?¡± ¡°I think they were looking for one of their own. The boy said the person went missing in the forest.¡± Aiden¡¯s brows creased in confusion. There it was, the events changing. They had not lost someone here. Then again, he¡¯d never killed a knight or fought a [Sage] in his past life, so he couldn¡¯t really say he was surprised. And Sam hadn¡¯t started killing until we got back from this place. ¡°That makes sense,¡± the second voice was saying. ¡°I remember seeing a group of them with the knight headed towards bone marrow.¡± ¡°Bone marrow?¡± Elaswit¡¯s voice was a whisper, lilting through the air to caress Aiden¡¯s ears. ¡°An inn,¡± Aiden said in explanation. ¡°Valdan?¡± Valdan inched closer to him. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a very high chance you¡¯re going to run into these two in the forest.¡± Aiden turned and looked him in the eye. ¡°Kill them here or kill them there. It¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°Do they have to die?¡± Valdan asked. ¡°No,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°But it would be best if they did.¡± Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. They held their tongues, unwilling to draw attention to themselves. Aiden inched backwards with every step they took as both men slowly walked into view. The moment Aiden saw the face of the men, he stopped moving. He knew their faces, recognized them as a child would their mother. ¡°Change of plans, Valdan,¡± Aiden said through gritted teeth. ¡°Their death is necessary.¡± With a sigh Valdan pulled an inch of his blade free. Aiden¡¯s hand snapped out to stop him from drawing it completely free. ¡°Not yet.¡± His heart beat heavily in his chest. With the weight that he always carried around in his heart since killing the man that had helped him gain the title of [Giant Slayer], it weighed a little too heavily on him. Adrenaline pumped through Aiden, begging him to take the lives of both men. He held himself tight, bound himself to the spot he stood with nothing but his will. ¡°Chances are they¡¯ll head to the forest. Following them might help make your task easier.¡± The two men continued walking until they were too far to make any clear details out of. They were heading east, straight for the forest. ¡°Are you sure the entire town is in on what¡¯s going on?¡± Elaswit asked now that the two men were out of earshot. ¡°Not the entire town,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°But enough of them. Those who aren¡¯t a part of it are aware of it.¡± ¡°Then where are the bodies? What do they use them for?¡± Aiden wasn¡¯t going to be the one to tell her. As for Valdan, if luck smiled on him tonight, he would get the answer to that question before the sun was up. ¡°Change of plans,¡± Aiden announced. Elaswit moved from where she was and grabbed his arm. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea. There¡¯s nothing wrong with the first plan.¡± ¡°But we have a modified plan.¡± Aiden looked west, spotted the inn the knight, Thompfer, was supposed to be in. He hated that he didn¡¯t know how deadly the inn was. With his free hand he pointed out the building. ¡°You¡¯re headed in that direction,¡± he told Elaswit. ¡°That¡¯s where Thompfer booked.¡± ¡°How do you know this?¡± Elaswit asked, voice heavy with doubt and suspicion and a touch of imploration. ¡°How do you know all these things?¡± ¡°Ask me when you¡¯re done with your part of the quest.¡± Aiden moved his attention to Valdan. The knight had his eyes fixed on the two men disappearing into the distance. ¡°Stay on them. With the way things are going, they¡¯ll lead you to your destination. When you find what you¡¯re looking for, I won¡¯t need to motivate you to kill them.¡± Valdan was already moving before he was done talking, but Aiden stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know their classes,¡± he told him. ¡°But I know that they¡¯re both somewhere close to level fifty, and they¡¯re both adventurers. Be careful. And if you see any creature vanish into thin air, ignore it.¡± Valdan nodded once. Then, crouched as he was, he darted into the night, tailing both men. ¡°How do you know so much, Aiden?¡± Elaswit asked. Her voice was weak. She sounded scared¡­ of him. Aiden turned and took her shoulders in both arms, fixing her in place. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of the wrong person, princess. You asked me what I thought about your mother before we left the capital city. Well, here¡¯s the answer. Your mother is a good woman, but she is a terrifying woman who knows far more than you can possibly fathom.¡± Elaswit¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°She knows about what has been happening here and did nothing?¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking,¡± Aiden answered, careful with his words. ¡°She has spies everywhere, something that shouldn¡¯t be news to you. Her spies bring information back to her. She shared some of that information with me before we left.¡± Elaswit¡¯s shoulders began to shake. ¡°What kind of parents do I have?¡± she lamented. Was she crying? Aiden couldn¡¯t tell. It sounded like she was. But this was no time for tears. ¡°You are a princess,¡± he told her. ¡°You do not have the luxury of having normal parents. Your parents are monarchs. By that simple virtue, the world cannot allow them to be normal, if not they will succumb to the world. They will possess good and evil and make mistakes. Your job is to learn and accept them.¡± Valdan and the men he was tailing had vanished out of sight now. Gone like the wind. Aiden doubted he would be able to see them even under a perception enchantment. ¡°Do what you have to do, Elaswit,¡± he said to the princess. ¡°You¡¯ve come here to live a life outside the control of your parents. This is what that kind of life is. You listen to those who know and learn until you become one of those who know.¡± Elaswit sniffled once, handling the discovery of just how dangerous her mother was well. She was still young. Despite whatever it was she had gone through, she was just a sheltered girl. Unlike most women her age, her shelter simply extended from one house to an entire kingdom. With a single nod, Elaswit turned and left Aiden. Crouched low, she headed in the direction of the inn she was supposed to find Thompfer in. Aiden knew she wasn¡¯t going to find the knight there. In his past life, they¡¯d spent their first two to three days investigating the forest during the day. When they had found nothing to go on, they¡¯d gone to the forest at night. That was when they had seen the strangest things. Disappearing goblins. Moving footprints without bodies. They¡¯d never found an explanation for the disappearing goblins. Since no one had ever been ambushed by any of the disappearing goblin, they didn¡¯t let it bother them too much. Watching Elaswit sneak through the buildings, Aiden almost felt bad for leading her astray. She would walk into the inn and ask for the knight only to be told that he was most likely not around. But keeping her out of direct danger was all Aiden could do for her. He hoped she would be fine. As for her forgiveness for keeping her out of harm¡¯s way, it was unimportant. After all, this would most likely be the last place they would see each other. Rising to his full height, Aiden stepped out into the open. Now that he was alone, he had no interest in hiding. Senseless violence wasn¡¯t going to do him much good since he was currently at level forty-nine. Whatever he did, he would not level up until he created a manifesting skill. As for his manifesting skill, he had been giving it some thought. In his past life, he¡¯d developed something of a boring manifesting skill. [Enchanter¡¯s Domain] it had been called. It increased the effects of enchantments cast around him and by him when it was active by at least two folds. It also allowed him to manipulate the effect of any enchantments he activated, pushing them beyond their limits or suppressing an opponent¡¯s exponentially. He just needed to know what the enchantment did to affect it. If his opponent used an [Enchantment of Lesser Madness], his manifesting skill allowed him to limit its range or just how much chaos the enchantment caused. It was useful in its own way, but Aiden had no interest in it in this life. What he wanted this time around was a more combat oriented manifesting skill. Something that played a very active role in a fight not a support role. He already knew how to gain the skill. What he needed was the right situation to develop it. A fight against cannibals was certainly not the right situation. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get this over with,¡± he muttered to himself as he walked out into the open town. It was time to go visit the head of the operation, a man he had dreamt of killing for a few months before forgetting about it in his past life. It was time to go have a chat with the town chief. Senseless violence would be of no benefit to him, but nobody said anything about reasonable violence. Sometimes to solve a problem you just had to kill the right person. EIGHTY-SIX: If It Is Made Poetic Enough The door to the office swung open without preamble. Not a knock or a call of any kind preceding it. The bastard of an uneducated swine just opened it. Norlam had half a mind to pin the man to the wall with a knife, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°We¡¯ve got a new problem.¡± Norlam shifted his attention to his new guest. Joina was the youngest member of the town by arrival. Only six months in the town, he was a devout member of the cause. His only problem was his inability to keep himself calm. On three occasions already, he had almost startled their prey before they had been ready for the hunt. Norlam still didn¡¯t know why he hadn¡¯t just hunted the fool instead. When he looked at the boy, he remembered why. Joina had curly black hair that fell just a little over his eyes. Most times, they masked his eyes, but at times like this, when he was strung up in panic, his eyes grew wide and anyone could see the deep ocean in their baby blues. Joina stood at least a head shorter than Norlam with freckles under his eyes and a skinny physical structure that was still fleshing out with all the flesh he continued to eat. The reason Joina was still alive despite messing up three times in six months was because of how innocent he looked. Killing him for mistakes he made just seemed¡­ cruel. Norlam sighed as he rubbed the wrinkles of annoyance from his forehead with thumb and forefinger. The idea of killing someone for a mistake because it was cruel was ironic, and the irony wasn¡¯t lost to him. Being the town chief of a place that thrived on cannibalism did not explicitly mean that he was a monster. And yet, somewhere in his heart he knew that the world would deem him so. But he couldn¡¯t blame them. You were a monster if you did not conform to societal norms. ¡°Chief,¡± Joina pressed, closing the door behind him. ¡°I really think we should¡­¡± His voice trailed off when he saw that Norlam was not alone. The look Norlam was giving him was probably another deterrent. People had always told Norlam that he had a look that always seemed predatory even before he¡¯d ever tasted his first flesh. ¡°Joina,¡± Norlam said, effecting as much calmness in his tone as he could reasonably muster. ¡°What have I said about knocking before you enter?¡± The boy looked down, keeping his eyes to the ground. The question was easily considered rhetorical, so Norlam didn¡¯t press the matter. Besides, he probably wasn¡¯t really angry with the boy. There was just something about his job, being in his office, that irked him the wrong way. With his large desk of brown wood polished to a reflective shine and his cushioned chair, it was easy to be comfortable. There was also the beauty of how spacious it was. Norlam had left the town enough times to know that his office was the size of any half decent merchant¡¯s. The two chairs on the other side of the desk were reserved for guests that he rarely had. Tonight, however, they were occupied by a single guest. Comfort, Norlam thought with a taste of disgust. Since his brain had become functional in life, he¡¯d hated the word. Hated the feeling. Comfort was the killer of evolution. The killer of strength. Comfort belonged to the weak, those ready to stop growing. Comfort was often deserved, but just because something was deserved did not mean it should be claimed. That a man deserved to keep living did not mean he got to live. That a woman deserved to go back home to her loving family after traveling out to some random town for sightseeing did not mean that she got to go back home. That a person deserved comfort did not mean that they should lose themselves in its embrace. It was why Norlam hated his office. It gave him the illusion of comfort. Every day he wished he could simply throw off the pretense and be who he had always known he was. Alas, life didn¡¯t work that way. In the end, all the contemplation dulled down to a tired sigh. ¡°What is the problem, Joina? Get it over quickly so I can return to dealing with my guest.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Joina bowed hurriedly. ¡°I spotted four people coming into the town.¡± Norlam paused, holding up four fingers. ¡°Four?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Joina nodded. Norlam¡¯s guest stiffened slightly. Paying him no attention, he continued the conversation with Joina. ¡°You said people, so I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s different genders.¡± Joina nodded again. ¡°Three men and a woman.¡± ¡°How long ago?¡± ¡°An hour¡­ maybe two.¡± A scowl touched Norlam¡¯s lips. Joina had the [Archer] class. One of the reasons Norlam had agreed to take him in was so that he could be used as a watchman. He had a skill that made his eyesight significantly better than that of anyone in the town. But sometimes the boy could be a real fool. ¡°And why am I finding out two hours later?¡± he asked, doing his best to keep his cool Joina cowed away slightly. The boy knew that if not for the guest seated in the room Norlam would¡¯ve struck him a few times to make a point. ¡°Aitom wasn¡¯t around,¡± he said in explanation. ¡°And the third man was kind of off, chief. He wasn¡¯t with the others. He just stood far off for a very long time, watching them. Something just wasn¡¯t right about him. He had a damaged cloak, and I couldn¡¯t see his face.¡± Joina paused as if for dramatic effect, eyes staring off in remembrance. ¡°He just stood there. Then he was entering the town. Haven¡¯t seen the likes.¡± Norlam pursed his lips in mild annoyance. Joina was a lot of things, but a liar was not one of them. A man who¡¯d crossed a large distance in the blink of an eye. That implied teleportation or speed. Teleportation would leave signs. Joina would¡¯ve seen it happen. That he did not see any signs meant it was not teleportation. A speed class? Norlam pondered. Some classes were known to have very high-speed stats. A [Runner]? The [Runner] was an odd domestic class. All it did was specialize in increasing the speed of the person. They were not very popular. Used by most cities and towns, they were employed as messengers. But it couldn¡¯t be. Joina made the man sound ominous. People with the [Runner] class were not ominous. ¡°Do you remember anything else about the man?¡± he asked. Joina shook his head. ¡°No. His cloak was hiding too much. I couldn¡¯t even see a weapon or anything.¡± Norlam rubbed his jaw in thought. It had been a long time since he¡¯d shaved, stubbles were already taking over. ¡°Was the cloak big?¡± he asked. ¡°Small and tattered.¡± Joina paused to think then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think he could¡¯ve hidden any weapon in it.¡± That would mean that in the worst-case scenario, the person had a class that focused on unarmed combat. It was the only explanation for how he moved so quickly. ¡°So he was not with the other three.¡± ¡°No, sir,¡± Joina answered. ¡°I take it you have no idea where the lone guest entered. What of the other three, where are they?¡± ¡°They took shelter in the abandoned adventure society hall.¡± Norlam almost scoffed in derision. Thinking about the building always annoyed him. It was a remembrance of the city of Elstrire¡¯s attempt to control them. After the first three adventurers sent there had disappeared, the city had considered them not worth the stress and left it alone. As for the reason they were in no hurry to press on the matter considering the amount of money spent to build the hall, it was simple. Someone had used the hall¡¯s creation to embezzle adventurer funds. The adventure society branch guild master in Elstrire was as corrupt as they came. ¡°The abandoned adventure hall,¡± he mused, eyes darting over to his guest. ¡°Do you know anything about this? Has the king sent another person to look into us?¡± His guest shook his head. Norlam found that he believed the man. He looked confused. He smelled confused. It didn¡¯t matter. If they were not the king¡¯s men, then they were free food. ¡°Send someone to check on them,¡± Norlam said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°Find out all there is to know about them and get back to me. If they are not with the current group that¡¯s giving us trouble, then we¡¯ll handle them accordingly.¡± Joina nodded once then hurried out of the office. He forgot to close the door behind him. Staring at the open door, Norlam failed to contain the growl of annoyance that bubbled in his throat. The sound made his guest give him a strange look. ¡°When you¡¯ve lived as long as I have doing what I have, you tend to develop habits,¡± he said in explanation. Forcing himself to ignore the open door, he focused his entire attention on the guest. ¡°Now tell me about this miracle potion you were talking about.¡± ¡°Would it not be better to deal with your new guests?¡± the man asked. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Norlam shrugged, nonchalant. ¡°We get people popping in to look for trouble every now and again. The only reason we haven¡¯t dealt with your group is because you arrived with a knight. The king does not play with his knights.¡± His guest sat back, his initial confusion gone. ¡°That much is true. I wonder how you intend on handling the dead girl in their party, though.¡± ¡°Dead girl?¡± Norlam frowned. ¡°What dead girl?¡± ¡°I see you are not aware of that.¡± The man gave him a smile. It was a slimy thing to look at. It told Norlam that he was dealing with a man that was willing to do anything to survive, no matter how cowardly. Norlam hated cowards, but he couldn¡¯t fault a survivor. ¡°What is this about a dead girl?¡± he asked, pressing the question. His guest folded his arms over his chest. It seemed he was beginning to think he had the power in the conversation now. The length of how wrong he was would dawn on him before the night is done. For now, Norlam was willing to allow him his delusion. ¡°Two of my teammates went into the forest last knight,¡± the man said holding up two fingers. Then he dropped a finger. ¡°Only one came out.¡± ¡°She could be missing,¡± Norlam suggested but the man shook his head. ¡°I went in on my own and found the girl.¡± He shook his head in sadness. Surprisingly, the emotion seemed real, guilty even, as if the man felt he should¡¯ve been able to save the girl. ¡°I found her merged to a massive tree. Gone. There was nothing I could do to save her.¡± ¡°Do the others know?¡± The man shook his head. ¡°Not yet. I cleared the tracks that would lead them to her easily.¡± That was intriguing. ¡°Why?¡± The man sat up. Leaning forward, he rested his arms on his side of the table. ¡°Because I know the murderer, and I know the things I intend on doing to him. If my party members find him first, I will not be able to.¡± ¡°So this is about vengeance.¡± Norlam could work with a man who had clear motives. ¡°Did you love her.¡± ¡°That,¡± the man said emphatically, ¡°is not your business. Help me catch him and I¡¯ll offer you what I brought.¡± Norlam offered him a smile that bared his teeth. ¡°And if I ask you to hand it over now?¡± ¡°It changes nothing.¡± The man met his gaze, undaunted. ¡°Do we have a deal?¡± ¡°You will have to give me the location of said culprit and give me guarantees that when this is done, your lady friend¡¯s death will be tied to him.¡± Norlam sat back, rested against his chair. ¡°I have no quarrels with the crown, and I intend to keep it that way.¡± The man got up, audacious. ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have taken the relative of a noble.¡± He walked out of the office after that and Norlam watched him go. Even in his annoyance, he could at least appreciate the man¡¯s kind act of closing the door behind him. Alone in his office, Norlam allowed himself relax. The last few days had been stressful with the knight simply existing in the town. It was an odd thing. The knight never did anything, only the people that had come with him. It was as if they were the investigators and he was nothing but a witness to their investigations. Even when they encountered problems in the forest, he never raised his spear to help them. From the reports Norlam had been getting, they fought in the knight¡¯s presence but fought alone. Something was going on. Something he did not understand. And he did not like not understanding. His hand gripped the surface of the desk and his finger nails scraped deep lines in it. Seeing the mess, he tried to buff the scrapes with the flat of his thumb. He cleaned out flakes of wood but nothing else. The scar remained. It didn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t like the table anyway. As for these new visitors, if they were not tourists, then they were investigators sent by someone other than the crown. Those were people he could deal with. Norlam of nowhere had never been one to shy away from a simple fight, and he was not going to start now. ¡°Let them come,¡± he muttered into the silence of his office. ¡°They are sustenance in the end.¡± ¡­ The air was cold and bitter. It was a funny thing how the mind of a person shifted perspectives quite easily. Most people would call a cool night breeze soothing. Some may call it cold but mostly when winter found itself lurking around the corner. Nastild was far from winter. Winter was passed and not coming soon. Still¡ªAiden looked to the sky, a sword in hand and one in its sheath at his waist¡ªthe air was was cold and bitter. Sad and ruinous. There was no beauty here. No accepted approach deemed humane. He let out a slow breath, a calming breath. It was the problem of some men to let the traumas of the past die rather than deal with them. Even in the Order they would teach you to deal with your trauma, to talk it out until your mind came to accept it and leave it behind. But the same Order also knew that not all traumas could be fixed. Not all injuries truly healed. Sometimes you were left with scars. Not the scars that mark you as a man who has lived. Not the scars that mark you as a man who has healed. Sometimes you were left with those grotesque and ugly scars. Sometimes you didn¡¯t have scars¡ªsometimes you were simply scarred. They were not the scars of a man who has lived but of a man who has refused to die. When the Order found you scarred, they left you to do what strong men did but not what healthy men did. You were left with your trauma, allowed to let it die rather than fix it. Then the master of the Order would pat you and the shoulder and say, ¡°I will speak to fate for you.¡± It was always the same thing. Always. He would speak to fate for you. Aiden had never understood it until he¡¯d walked into the room of trauma and hadn¡¯t come out for four days. In the end, he had learnt something of himself. He had not been a healthy man, not really. There were scars that had healed the healthy way. Then there were the grotesque scars that had become his companions. But that was the thing about being scarred. Like evil, one was more than enough. When he¡¯d heard the simple words ¡®I¡¯ll speak to fate for you,¡¯ he¡¯d understood what it meant then. He knew what the master of the Order was truly saying. There are traumas that you cannot rid yourself of, traumas you cannot kill. So let them die. Let them fester. And for your sake, I hope the desolation left behind does not consume you as it taints you. So it was in that way that Aiden had learnt that some things you don¡¯t fix or heal from. It was in that way that he¡¯d learnt that you simply learnt to live with them. He inhaled deeply once more and let the air out from his lungs. Aiden Lacheart had never healed from the town of cannibals. But unlike most men, he got the chance to face his trauma once more, a chance to rewrite his story and that of his brother¡¯s. He had no plans of wasting the opportunity. The metallic color of a steel blade glistened under the dull light of countless stars and a crescent moon. He listened to it anticipate what was to come. The sword did not speak to him, not at all. But it is often in the nature of men to romanticize certain things. If it was poetic enough, it could be made beautiful. In front of him was a building, three floors high. There were two buildings on either side but both were dark, void of life. The building held within it the offices of those who played important roles in the town. The line workers, those who spoke to the missing and helped them feel safe and at home, people who wandered out into the open world and advertised the tourist attraction that was the town. The gatherers. On the second floor rested those who stood guard. They stood like mountains, protectors of the group. They mastered the sword and the spear. The art of grabbing and the art of biting. They mastered the animalistic and feral gifts that came with the title of [Cannibal]. On the final floor, high above, was the man who had introduced himself in a time lost as the town chief. It was poetic to Aiden to remember that he did not even know the name of the man who had once tried to eat him. The man who had hunted him¡ªthen when he had failed¡ªhaunted him. Aiden looked down at the length of his blade. Steel greeted him with a friendly glimmer. If it is made poetic enough, even the greatest atrocities can be beautiful. He raised the steel to his face. With his free hand, he inscribed upon it a single enchantment and his interface came alive. [You have used class skill Unarmed Engrave] ¡­ [You can used Enchantment of Lesser Dismemberment] [Effect: 25% increase in chances of dismembering an enemy in every blow] [Duration: 00:05:00] ¡­ [Dimensional Mana Detected] ¡­ [Enchantment of Dismemberment is now Enchantment of Lesser Void Dismemberment] [Effect: 52% increase in chances of dismembering an enemy in every blow] [Duration: 00:09:04] The steel of his blade shimmered slightly. Then it trembled, vibrated under the power of the enchantment. Aiden watched a small darkness, like shadows of falling snow, cling to the edges of his sword. He watched the weapon a little longer and saw that the vibration did not stop, would not stop. If you were poetic enough, you would say the sword was crying, mourning perhaps, for what he intended to make it do. ¡°Excuse me, young man.¡± The voice of was gruff and deep, designed to intimidate. Aiden raised his head to look at the man who had spoken to him and lowered his sword. He was tall, intimidating by size. Aiden would have to reach up on the tip of his toes if he wanted to touch the copper-colored beard on the man¡¯s jaw or grab a handful of the mane of hair that fell down to his shoulders. As the man approached him, eyes on the sword, Aiden was reminded of what the giants looked like when they were under the effects of [Curse of humanity]. Could the man be a giant? Unlikely. Maybe he simply had a touch of giant¡¯s blood in him from some ancient ancestor in his genealogy. More important was what Aiden could smell on him. Blood. So much blood. So much human blood. The cannibals didn¡¯t even bother to cook their prey¡­ not that it would¡¯ve made it any better. ¡°You cannot be here, young man,¡± the man said in a deep, angry baritone. ¡°Off with you. Return to your residence. Don¡¯t make me¡ª¡± Aiden moved. There was nothing fancy about the action. He hadn¡¯t even needed to think of it. His foot shot out with enough force to break the man¡¯s knee. The man fell down to the single knee and cold steel relieved his head from his body. [You have dealt a Fatal Blow!] [You have slain Exadil Lvl 46!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the title Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind.] Aiden did not look down at the dead. He stepped over the man and made his way to the door to the building. Behind him, blood pumped from a severed neck, bathing the floor crimson. The moon and the stars bore witness to what he had done. They would bear witness to the chaos he would bring. Aiden opened the door to the building and stepped inside. Warm air met him. It was simple, the warmth of other people. There was nothing untoward about it. Aiden looked at the people present, and they stared back at him. Confusion and a sense of wariness filled the air, none of it his. The warmth that came with it was simple and normal. To Aiden it was putrid. Thirteen men, he counted. Four women. He lowered his center of gravity, crouched forward so that one leg bent at the knee while the other extended to the side. Sword arm held out behind him, the tip of his sword pointed back and away from him. When Aiden moved, it was with a calm anger. He was a calm sea with the worst predators lurking beneath. [Congratulations Prisoner #234502385739!] [You have used a Flow from the Order Sword Technique.] [You have used the first Flow of the Fourth Order.] [You have learnt Conqueror¡¯s Sword] ¡­ [Error! Error! Error!] [Error detected!] [Prisoner #234502385739 does not meet the requirement to learn this Technique] [You have not learnt Conqueror¡¯s Sword] He ignored the notifications that followed. [You have dealt a Fatal Blow! x17] [You have slain one with the title Cannibal x16] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind x16] Aiden knew who had not died. She was a woman rested against the wall, gasping for air for a life that would not come. She had lost her arm and the right side of her upper torso and was bleeding out all over the place. The wall behind her was stained in her blood. It drew a map of what he had done to her. It was her last impact on the world. A dirge to her demise. Aiden did not look at her. He did not end her suffering. Instead, he made his way forward, footsteps carrying him up the stairs. Four steps up and his interface came alive. [You have slain Sel-elna Lvl 39!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the title Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind] She was dead. An unnatural predator of your kind. Sometimes, his interface gave him notifications that seemed to justify his actions. Aiden closed his mind to the idea and continued climbing up. His interface definitely made it sound poetic. Aiden would¡¯ve smiled if he could. But he could not. There was nothing to smile about. He had only pain to give tonight. It is often in the nature of men to romanticize certain things. The words played in his head like a solemn ritual. If it was made poetic enough¡­ ¡­even the greatest atrocities could be beautiful. EIGHTY-SEVEN: Basket Maker The hollow thud of his feet against the wooden steps were a reminder of reality as Aiden ascended. Those he had just killed had been nothing but normal people. They were killers, but that was all there had been to them. The only thing that had made them stand out was in their crime of cannibalism. As for their combat prowess, they had none. The people he was about to meet now, they were different. They were the protectors. Men and women who fought when it was time to fight. Aiden brought his hands together and weaved an enchantment into being. [You have used class skill Enchanted Weave] ¡­ [You have used Weave of Lesser Speed] [Effect: 40% increase in movement speed] [Duration: 00:06:00] When you fought with a weapon like the sword, speed was always your most important trait. You always had to move first. Your strikes always had to land first. Unless you were fighting a brute of a man, in which case you needed more strength than you would normally use. With [Enchantment of Lesser Void Dismemberment] running through the blade of his sword, Aiden knew he would not need more strength. ¡°Hey! Nemet, get me a bottle of beer. Mine¡¯s finished.¡± The voice was followed by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you like to hide away the good¡ª¡± There was a flat ground just before the stairs turned in the opposite direction. The owner of the voice came down to it as he came into view. His voice ended abruptly before he could complete his statement. He was a small man, shorter than Aiden, smaller even in size. Men his size were always fast. ¡°What the heck are¡ª¡± Speed was often hindered by surprise and Aiden took the man¡¯s head before his sentence was complete. [You have dealt Dede a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Dede Lvl 49!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the title Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind] Darting upwards, he ran the man¡¯s body quietly into the wall, catching his falling head with his free hand before it hit the ground. Aiden held his breath, waited. His eyes moved in their sockets, trailing a path up the stairs. Certain that no one had followed the man or been alerted, he let out the breath he was holding. He lowered the man¡¯s body to the ground gently and placed his head beside him. Aiden went up the stairs. Attention as sharp as they could be, he walked slowly, carefully, ensuring each step he took was as quiet as he could make it. The second floor was nothing like the floor beneath and Aiden cursed how much knowledge he could not remember from this time of his life. He¡¯d known that they were all gathered here, a piece of information gained only when it had been too late, but he did not know the actual layout of the building. While the floor beneath had been nothing but an open space with chairs and tables. This floor had a straight hallway. Surprisingly, the stairs stopped here. All the way on the other side, at the end of the hallway was a flight of stairs that went to the higher floor. It was poor architecture. Intentional architecture. Almost as if someone didn¡¯t want to be reached without their visitor going through the process of meeting everybody. Between him and the second flight of stairs, the hallway possessed six doors on each side. Aiden¡¯s best guess was that each door led to an occupied room. [Detect] was not at a level where he could get basic information of what was on the other side of each doors. The same could be said for the enchantment of lesser detection. Not even [Enchanted Weave] would help him push the enchantment far enough to engulf the entire space. Aiden looked down at his blackened arm. Half his hand was red. The remaining part of it still black slipped beneath the covers of his long sleeve. But what of its void form? Giving it some thought, he discarded the idea. When you used [Detect] on a person, they felt it, knew it. It was like a thousand eyes looking at you. Whether the skill worked or not, the feeling was the same. Even if the void form of the enchantment could push its reach far, he doubted it would envelop the entire space. All it would do was end the little element of surprise that he had going for him. Aiden needed another plan, and he needed it fast. Alright, he thought to himself. Let¡¯s see how this works. Walking up to the first door closest to the staircase, he turned the knob. From its connection with its frame, it was a door that opened outwards not inwards. Even though it was not locked, Aiden pretended to jimmy and struggle with it as if it was. He wiggled the knob around violently once, twice, then let go. He knocked very loudly, banging against the door with his fist in irritation. Through the entire thing, he kept his ears as attentive as they could be. ¡°What the hell, D!¡± a pissed off voice bellowed from inside the room. ¡°Door ain¡¯t locked.¡± ¡°Short ass¡¯ always been dull in the head, Jode,¡± another voice called out, raising a ruckus of laughter from multiple voices in the room. ¡°Just pull, short ass!¡± the person bellowed when the voices died down. ¡°Pull with your short ass arms.¡± Aiden counted three male voices in the laughter, maybe two females. He couldn¡¯t say it was all. He was sure of the voices he¡¯d heard, but he was working with the minimum number here. Not less than five, he concluded. Definitely more. He jimmied the door again, ears attentive, not only on the room in front of him but the area around as well. Any of the doors could open suddenly and at any moment. In a steady rhythm, he banged against the door once more, this time with his fist and entire forearm. Then he jimmied again with twice the annoyance, like a man pissed off at being locked out of his room by his roommate. ¡°For fuck sake¡¯s, D!¡± Aiden didn¡¯t recognize this voice. Then again, it wasn¡¯t an easy thing knowing the sound of a talking voice from the sound of a person laughing. Not less than six, he counted, choosing to err on the side of more rather than less. Footsteps followed after the voice. ¡°I swear I¡¯m going to knock you on top of your freaking head when I get there,¡± the voice swore with a touch of laughter that let Aiden know the words were simply used in good nature. The friendship of cannibals was not his business. ¡°You fools best let him in!¡± a voice bellowed from one of the other rooms with enough weight to fill the passage. As had been the case with the room in front of Aiden, the voice was followed by a chaotic round of laughter. Aiden almost swore under his breath as he moved to the side of the door. He wished he had been paying enough attention to get a vague number of the people in the other room. The footsteps from within the room came to a stop at the door. The person inside was about to open it. From where Aiden stood, pressed up against the wall, once the door opened, he would get a quick partial view of the room before anybody would see him. Unclipping one of his soldier belts, he allowed an enchanted orb to drop into his hand. When you fought against a group of unknown numbers, crowd control was always a good strategy to start with. The knob turned, the clicking sound of a door unlocking filled the air. ¡°I swear I¡¯m going to pick you up and let your legs dangle a little,¡± the voice joked as the door opened outward. Again, those inside laughed. Aiden channeled mana into the orb in his hand, bent low and rolled it along the ground. In the chaos of the laughter, the sound of the rolling orb was lost and Aiden stabbed up with his sword, sheathing a portion of it inside the man¡¯s head through the bottom of his jaw. The man let out a gargled sound as his eyes rolled up inside his head. [You have dealt Blent a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Blent Lvl 49!] The subtle sound of the enchantment engraved on the orb he¡¯d rolled inside filled the room a moment before Aiden¡¯s interface alerted him of it and he was already slipping into the room, pushing Blent forward as a body shield as he charged in. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Madness] [Effect: 19% disruption of ambient mana.] [Duration: 00:00:02.] [Radius: 0.004km.] Aiden had sacrificed duration for greater effect and wider radius intentionally. Someone let out a muffled grunt from the effect of the enchantment but Aiden ignored it. Instead, he charged in, sword held low and in both hands. He needed to be quick and efficient. He needed to be silent and so did the corpses he was about to create. His eyes darted around as he moved. The first man closest to the door did not lose his head. Aiden simply dragged the edge of his sword along the man¡¯s throat as he moved past him. Two more lost their head. Aiden saw an eye slowly come into focus and knew that he would not be fast enough. That was something that he could not allow. Feet carrying him to the next [Cannibal], he drew his second sword. What followed was a dance of death. A slaughter. Blood was spilled. Lives were lost. Death throes were not given the time to happen. The last man held his arms out in front of him and the air materialized into a thin but solid plane in front of him, a skill designed to shield him from attack as a sound of fear slipped from his throat. The only problem was that the shield materialized around the blade of Aiden¡¯s sword. Only silence met the entire room. The shield dematerialized with no mana to hold the skill that summoned it in place. When it was gone, Aiden got a look at the man, seeing what he expected to see. The end of his sword had trailed a path through the man¡¯s open mouth, pinning his head to the wall and silencing whatever sound he had intended on making. Aiden withdrew the sword and held up the body, letting it down quietly. He counted eleven people as his interface came up. [You have dealt a Fatal Blow! x11] [You have slain one with the title Cannibal x11] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind x11] Plus the man he¡¯d killed at the door, that was twelve. Aiden unclipped a pocket and two orbs fell into his hand. Two orbs enchanted with lesser madness and five more doors. They were nowhere enough for the same strategy to work five more times. Besides, he wasn¡¯t counting on the same strategy to work five more times. There was bound to be a failure at some point. Looking around at the blood, bodies, and silence, he knew using a technique would¡¯ve worked better and faster. But he couldn¡¯t have used a technique, and it had not been advisable. For one, techniques only worked properly when you had the time to take into account the number of your enemies, their positions, and their exact placements. It wasn¡¯t something you just use on the fly. Then there was the complication of the techniques. Crowd control techniques¡ªtechniques used to kill in numbers¡ªconsumed greater stamina than techniques used against single opponents. The technique he had used downstairs to end seventeen lives had already cost him thirty eight percent of his stamina. The last thing Aiden wanted was to find himself passing out when he needed to be strongest the most. Aiden was walking back to the door, boots stepping on pools of blood without concern when the numbers hit him. He had taken seventeen lives on the floor below. Now, he had taken twelve. Twenty-nine. His brain did the math seamlessly as his feet stopped moving under him. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He had killed far more in his lifetime. He¡¯d fought in four battles and three wars at the behest of the Order, after all, helping those the Order deemed to help and executing those it deemed to execute. Sapient beings and monsters alike. He doubted there was a species on Nastild that he had not killed or at least tried to kill. He had even been a part of a party that had tried and failed to kill a dragon. But this was different. Not the cause or the reality of what he was doing. No. It was the situation. He was no longer of the Order. He had a new life and a new path he could choose to take. So, you would abandon revenge? Aiden suppressed a snort, almost laughing at his own slight misunderstanding. That was not what this was about. He looked down at the corpses around him. Bloodied and severed, scattered amidst chairs and round wooden tables as brown as the cleanest tree, they were silent. Only a few empty eyes stared back at him. But none of them looked at him. None of them judged him. Even now, Aiden felt nothing for them. Even in his vengeance they were nothing but a necessary task to be carried out. Taxing, yes. But just a task. Like washing the car or mowing the lawn. Or running a long distance. He cared nothing for what he had done. Felt nothing. Once upon a time, regardless of how terribly deserving his victims were, he would¡¯ve felt something. Anger. Hate. Justice. Even the slightest disgust at himself or the enemy¡­ Something. It was not a simple thing to kill something that had life and intelligence in its eyes. To watch yourself snuff out something so beautiful, something so similar to you, even if the owner had been undeserving of it. Such an act took a little something from you, evoked... something. Twenty-nine men and women, and Aiden felt nothing. He ran a hand through his hair. It was wet and bloody, sleek upon his head. The Order has made a monster of me. Now, he understood why Valdan was angry with him for killing Derendoff. At least he liked to think that he understood now. There existed two possibilities. The first¡ªmore suitable to the knight in Valdan¡ªwas the fact that Aiden had not been permitted by the king or that he had killed a fellow knight, or at least someone that had once been a fellow knight. But Aiden''s money was on the king part of it. The other possible reason was more suited to the Valdan that thought of Aiden as a child who needed to tread the right path. Valdan was angry because no matter what he had tried to do, no matter what they had gone through or how close they had grown, Aiden was still unaffected by the idea of taking a life. No. Not just the idea of it but the very action itself. If Aiden was right, then it made Valdan¡¯s anger and confusion when he had not allowed him try to kill Tarot¡ªTorat¡ªunderstandable. ¡°But what does it matter?¡± he muttered to himself. Of what use was the revelation now. He was still going to do what he was supposed to do. With a calm heart and a calm mind, he walked out of the room, stepping over bodies and limbs, weaving around tables and chairs, stepping on pools of blood and leaving his footprints behind. It wasn¡¯t sad or worrying that he killed easily. If he even enjoyed it then that would have been something to focus on. What was worrying was that he felt nothing. As his mother had once said to him as a child: it was easier to make someone who felt something feel nothing than it was to make someone who felt nothing feel something. Aiden slipped the unenchanted sword back into its sheath before he left the room. As he walked up to the next door, jimmied angrily and knocked with false frustration, he wondered at a single question. Did he even want to change? ¡°What in the name of the dead god do you want?!¡± someone called from inside the room as the other voices within came to life with the silent mumblings of simple conversations held by a handful of people. Aiden said nothing. Like clockwork, he jimmied the knob once more and banged against the door. Is there even a need to change? He asked himself, slightly distracted by things unnecessary just before a fight. He couldn¡¯t see the need for change. He had gotten a second chance at life, but he had no intentions for peace. It was an option not a necessity. He wasn¡¯t even planning on being a hero or the good guy just as easily as he wasn¡¯t planning on being the bad guy. Ted was what mattered. Aiden would scour the whole of Nastild looking for a way to stop Ted from becoming the [Demon King]. But if he could not save his brother from that fate and find them a way home, then he would at least be powerful. Strong enough to be a difference in this world. If Ted became the [Demon King] once more, then Aiden would be an ally that would make the world tremble. An ally that would keep his brother in check if he had to. Aiden was not here to be good or evil. He was here to be necessary. He sighed, slightly saddened to know that while he understood Valdan, it changed nothing. Because it was one thing to disagree with what you don¡¯t understand, and it was another to understand and still disagree. As the sounds of footsteps approached the door from within the room, Aiden¡¯s thoughts evaporated into the void of nothingness as he noted something. The voices behind the door had gone silent. He drew his second sword very slowly from its sheath and stepped away from the door, placing himself to the side. They know I¡¯m here. There would be no more silence. No withheld control. What was about to happen would be a bloodbath. ¡­ Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive. The words rang continuously in Fjord¡¯s head as he crept through the forest. He walked with slow steps and kept his head down. As a poacher he had learned that it was the best way to stay alive when you were doing something you were not supposed to do in a forest. This way you could stop abruptly and stay still if you needed to, or you could take off as if the dead god was on your heels if you needed to. He really hoped that he wouldn¡¯t need to do any. He was only here to see a girl. To know if she was alive to be helped or dead to be mourned. Don¡¯t forget missing, he mocked himself, remembering the generous third surprise option his own interface had given him. Not for the first time he wished he had chosen something other than [Gambler]. Other people had skills that worked to keep them alive. He had skills that could just as easily get him killed as it could get someone else killed. You keep wishing you hadn¡¯t chosen [Gambler] but what would you have chosen? He thought to himself. [Baker]? He¡¯d been offered the [Baker] class, the [Farmer] class and the [Gambler] class. Sometimes he¡¯d helped his mother bake as a child, but he was no baker. And his father was a [Farmer]. He¡¯d seen what being a farmer had done to his old man. Fjord would rather die than pick up a hoe or a rake or some farm implement as a source of livelihood. So, he¡¯d gambled on the [Gambler] class, which was quite ironic. He¡¯d told himself that if nothing truly good came out of it, he could at least make a living going from one pub and tavern to the other, making money by gambling. Then he¡¯d gotten the class and seen the skills. Realization had hit him hard enough. To hold the class meant to gamble at life with your life. He bent lower, ducking under a low hanging branch. With the canopy of trees around, even the evenings seemed like nighttime. Now that it was night and the moon and stars barely shined down on the normal world, the forest was almost pitch black. An orb of light wrapped in a cloth was what he used to see. It was an old farmer¡¯s trick he¡¯d learnt from his dad. When you wrapped the orb in a cloth, it released a very dull light that allowed you see right in front of you and not much farther. It was good when you didn¡¯t want to risk being seen by someone or something else. Unless that something else was nocturnal, then you were entirely on your own. Fjord got to a tree he remembered¡ªat least hoped he¡¯d remembered¡ªand took the turn that was supposed to lead him to the girl merged with a tree. As he walked, he reminded himself of the insanity of what he was doing. It had been a day since he¡¯d seen the girl. Coming out to help was stupid¡ªa gamble. I guess I¡¯m a gambler at heart. It was funny since he¡¯d never gambled a day at a gambling table before. But he had taken a lot of risks as a child. Maybe if he¡¯d spent time at gambling tables the class would¡¯ve been tailored to gambling tables. Fjord shook his head, dispelling the thoughts. He walked for what could have been a mile longer before the sound of voices forced him to duck behind a tree. He released his swaddled orb of light, sliding it into his pocket and plunging himself into darkness. ¡°Why do we have to go through this mess,¡± a voice asked, uncaring of the silence that the night deserved. ¡°We can just leave them there. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to find anything.¡± ¡°Just shut up and get to work,¡± the second voice snapped. Fjord recognized the first but not the second. Since he¡¯d arrived at Elstrire and started the takes Lord Lacheart had given him, he¡¯d heard the first voice a lot. He¡¯d even seen the man¡¯s face a few times from his spots hiding behind trees or in their branches. In fact, he knew the man¡¯s name. Denal. And Denal was scum. Brash, shallow and rude scum. Once upon a time he¡¯d come into the forest with a woman and had hit her when she¡¯d dared to challenge his opinion just the way he¡¯d challenged his companion¡¯s just now. Please hit him, Fjord hoped, listening for the sound of a palm striking flesh. The sound never came. ¡°Just get things in order,¡± Denal¡¯s companion groaned. ¡°We don¡¯t want the meat to spoil.¡± Denal chuckled. ¡°Boss will eat anything as long as it¡¯s flesh. He¡¯s got the stomach of a Halutat.¡± Fjord¡¯s grin couldn¡¯t have been any wider when the sound of a swinging palm striking flesh echoed through the forest. ¡°What the heck was that for?!¡± Denal hissed. His companion did not seem threatened. ¡°That¡¯s for talking about the boss and flesh. Learn to shut up and do you job.¡± There was subdued grumbling from Denal. It was followed by the sound of rummaging and shuffling. It took Fjord a moment to realize where exactly he was. In his days surveilling the forest, he¡¯d learnt that this was where these people, whoever they were, disposed of their dead. From his days of traveling, Fjord had come to learn that everyone had the way they treated their dead, so he¡¯d never ventured too close to the spot. He¡¯d only gone out of his way to confirm the corpses once upon a time. What he¡¯d learnt was that they piled them up carefully and cast a skill on them that turned them into grass. Fjord almost smacked himself on the head. How the hell had he for one second thought that it was some tribal way of dealing with their dead. Maybe because Denal always came with someone new? He tried creating an excuse for himself. But he could not. They weren¡¯t handling their dead, Denal was hiding corpses. Why? The words of Denal¡¯s companion popped in his head immediately. You don¡¯t want the meat to spoil. In his former poaching group, the older members had always told him that he was a little slow on things. Back then, he had thought that they were just making fun of him, bullying him. Now, however, maybe they were right. How had he not seen it. They were eating people. Really? he thought dryly. How exactly were you supposed to piece it together that bad guys are also eating their dead? What were the chances that Lord Lacheart had known and that¡¯s part of the reason he¡¯d sent him here? First the missing people, now cannibals. How is he supposed to know all that? He scolded himself. Next thing you¡¯ll start saying he¡¯s some kind of god incarnate. He¡¯s not all knowing. It¡¯s just a coincidence. Coincidence or not, however, Fjord turned to make his way around them and to the girl. He would record this when he got back to Elstrire. Maybe Lord Lacheart would use it to get some kind of justice. That¡¯s if he really comes back for me. Three steps into his resumed journey, Fjord heard a sound that made him stop. It sounded like gargling or, more accurately, someone drowning. He turned, returning his attention to Denal and his companion. He froze at the sight he saw. Denal stood, choking on his own blood as a sword protruded from his neck. The blade shown a bright yellow with lightning crackling through it. Behind the man, standing a little too close, was the knight that had been with Lord Lacheart at the Naranoff estate while Ded¡¯s companion staggered away as if trying to escape. The knight¡¯s presence gave Fjord a touch of hope that Lord Lacheart would be somewhere nearby. But Fjord couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel relief or elation. Not when the face of the knight was twisted in rage. With his face stained in the blood from the dying Denal, the knight looked like something from a horror story told to scare children. ¡­ A few moments ago, perhaps five minutes ago, the entire building had gone eerily quiet. Norlam had heard the absence of sound, listened to it, before everything had erupted in a cacophony of grunts and struggles and cries of pain. Through it all he had sat in his chair behind the desk he hated in the office he hated. While the chaos had been happening, he had looked to the side and confirmed that his axe was within reach. It was. The option of going down to help had crossed his mind but he had not left his office. There was something most of the people that worked with him did not understand. Some of them had made fun of the architect that had constructed this building, laughing at things like the arrangement of the stairs or how the final floor seemed like a designer¡¯s mistake. Norlam had never thought to correct them. But even now, as he heard the footsteps approaching the door to his office, he knew why the building had been made the way it was, why he was the only one occupying the final floor. He got up from his chair, the action slow and purposeful as his guest came to a stop outside his door. Those on the floors below and those in the town, they were nothing but weak sub-products. They basked in the miniscule detritus of perks that came with the title of cannibal. They were weak. Pathetic. They were poor imitations of him. Why? Because, unlike them, the world had chosen him. [Cannibal] was a predatory title earned when you¡¯d eaten enough flesh from your species, and it was strengthened by the more flesh you ate. No one in this town had eaten as much as Norlam had. But that was not the reason he knew he was chosen. The door to his office opened slowly and a man¡ªno, boy¡ªstepped inside. He wore a simple cotton shirt and black pants. Illuminated in the light of the orbs in the room, Norlam couldn¡¯t tell what the color of the shirt really was because of how much blood covered it. The boy had even used some of the blood as some kind of hair product, using it to pull his hair back from his face so that it was sleek. The boy was of average height. Not short but not tall, although he was closer to being tall. He had two sheathed swords dangling from his waist, one on each side, and he had tracked blood into Norlam¡¯s office. Norlam felt as if he should be angered by the blood stain, but he didn¡¯t really mind. It wasn¡¯t as if he liked the office to begin with. ¡°Are any of them alive?¡± he asked, knowing that it would be a headache to train a new group of men to do the necessary jobs. The boy moved his head from side to side slowly. His eyes never left Norlam. Norlam gave the action a word. No. He nodded slowly. There was no surprise there. ¡°Where you sent by the crown? Does the king have a vendetta against me?¡± Again, a slow shake of the head. Again, the eyes never left him. Norlam sighed. If the boy had killed all his men, then there was no point to picking up the axe. In fact, there was a chance that the boy knew about the [Cannibal] title and had somehow worked a way to killing those who had it. It would¡¯ve built a certain level of confidence in him. Prepared him for what was about to happen. Norlam could respect that. After all, it was the reason he¡¯d had the builders construct the building this way. In the event of an attack, he was, by all insinuations and ramifications, the final boss. You had to go through everyone else to prove that you were worthy of coming to him. Being able to stand in front of him in hostility said that you were worthy. Curious, Norlam activated his [Detect] skill. The boy cocked a brow even before Norlam¡¯s interface informed him of the activation, as if he had expected it. The information he needed appeared over the boy¡¯s head. Norlam was surprised. The boy had two names which made him a noble. There were rumors that they had killed a relative to a noble. Had that noble come for his head? Another surprising thing he learnt was the boy¡¯s level. Forty-nine. It was impossible to believe that the boy had gone through an entire building filled with people that were level forty-nine and below by himself and was still standing here. And he was a [Weaver] at that. A basket maker. But the final surprise, the greatest one, that left Norlam confused was one he had not seen before. [Aiden Lacheart¡ªWeaver¡ªLvl 49 (Not Prey)] At level forty-nine there was something very ominous about the words in the bracket. Norlam had never come across anyone his interface had captioned as ¡®not prey.¡¯ In someone with a higher level, Norlam would¡¯ve been worried. But he was not. The child before him was nothing but a child. His level was impressive for his age, but that was all there was to it. Norlam was nothing like the [Cannibals] the boy had experienced before him. Still, he would not make his pride as a predator turn into hubris. He placed a hand beneath his table and flung the table aside. It crashed violently into the wall. The boy did not flinch. He did not draw his sword. He stood as calmly as ever with his hands behind him. Norlam felt the unwelcome attention that came with having the skill [Detect] used on you. With how many levels stronger than the boy he was, it was not uncomfortable. For the first time since entering the office, an expression crossed the boy¡¯s face. Mild surprise. ¡°Not a title,¡± he said with a touch of surprised disinterest, like a man who¡¯d just found out that the small, clustered sand he¡¯d past was actually a small rock. He was right. The reason Norlam was nothing like the weak men and women of the town, the reason he was chosen by the gods, put upon the path that he followed was because he did not have the title of [Cannibal]. When he had come of age, he had not received two or three classes to pick from like everyone else. He had received one. A single class that he was more than happy to take. He had received the class [Cannibal]. And the class came with far more glories than the title. [You have used Manifesting skill Apex Predator] He reveled in the glory and power that came from the skill as his muscles grew harder and tighter, swelling to rip his shirt into pieces. His teeth grew sharper, fangs growing more pronounced. His powerful fingernails became short claws and his thighs ripped his pants. He felt himself grow taller, larger, more powerful. He did not become a beast, only a larger, more powerful man. He became an apex predator. At level fifty-nine, he would grace the boy with a perfect death. The boy, Aiden Lacheart, looked up at him with a single expression. It was a raised brow. ¡°I did not know you could do that,¡± he said as if on a side note. Then he sighed. ¡°No matter.¡± Removing his hands from behind him, revealed different orbs and plaques and cubes in them. With his heightened senses, Norlam counted eight different items before he¡¯d even looked at them. Aiden Lacheart opened his hands and the items fell forward. They were all enchanted. EIGHTY-EIGHT: Prey A blast of black spikes rained down from the air above, erupting from the ceiling. Aiden ducked to the side. [Enchantment of Lesser Speed] made him quick as a whip in a vengeful punisher¡¯s hand. He rolled along the ground, a sprawled corpse almost disrupting his escape. When he came up, it was with swords swinging. One missed its target by an inch. The other tore a clean line along a woman¡¯s neck. [You have dealt Fariva a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Fariva Lvl 49!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the title Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind] Aiden ignored it as he charged the man who had used the spikes. His eyes caught a man at the edge of seeing and he pulled to an abrupt halt, darting left. The wall on the other side of him shattered. [Formless Bow], Aiden thought. He was probably wrong, but whatever the skill was followed similar rules. The man simply hadn¡¯t drawn back his hand like an archer. He went after him. Something warm trickled down his forehead, just above one of his eyes. Aiden wanted to clean it but that would leave him with a momentary blind spot just in front of him. So he did not. The ceiling moved once more above his head and he ignored it. At least, he pretended to. The man in front of him was already preparing another skill. He could see it in the level of focus in the man¡¯s eyes. The man was calculating, thinking. Aiden couldn¡¯t blame him. You had to be careful when fighting against an opponent that had just slaughtered more than a handful of your companions out in the hallway and barged into your room just to slaughter more. Covered in blood and grime, Aiden probably struck a deathly visage. The ceiling above him turned black, spikes descended like falling rain, and he activated [Dash]. Spikes pelted the floor behind him as he scaled the distance, shattering the ground. His opponent thrust forward and Aiden watched a shimmer down the length of his hand. [Formless sword]? He wondered. [Formless spear]? It was just his curiosity. With a forward thrust what it was didn¡¯t really matter. Aiden spun on his feet, threw himself to the side in an almost perfect pirouette, like a ballerina seeking to become the prima, wielder of the lead role. Swords held out to his sides, he was a spinning top with blades. He wasn¡¯t sure which sword it was, all Aiden knew was that one blade dealt the man a fatal blow. Silence settled upon the room. Aiden¡¯s spin came to an end. Left standing as one more body lost the life in its eyes and dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, his gaze settled on the only other living being in the room. The man wore a short coat in the Bandiv style. It was brown with stains of blood. The red blood splatter gave it something of a fashionable look, like an upcoming designer trying something new. The man backed up slowly. Aiden wasn¡¯t bothered. The door out was on the other side of the room. He could get to it before the man. The man¡¯s eyes twitched in their sockets as he fought not to look at the people he¡¯d been laughing and sharing drinks with a moment ago. Aiden watched him fight against himself. Then he moved his hand ever so slowly, lowered the point of one of his swords until its point touched the ground softly. The man¡¯s eyes moved straight to the sword, snapping back to Aiden almost immediately. He was wide at the eyes now, trembling, like a skittish horse. ¡°Why?¡± The word slipped from his mouth in a low mutter, almost as if he wasn¡¯t even asking Aiden, just questioning the world. Despair corrupted it as one would expect from a man with no hope. Aiden raised the tip of his sword lightly and tapped it against the ground quietly, almost soundlessly. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°YOU KILLED THEM ALL!¡± the man bellowed, rage mixing with fear as tears ran down his face. ¡°ALL OF THEM.¡± All of us, Aiden corrected but did not give the thought a voice. You did not correct a man who did not need to be corrected. Gently, he slid his sword arm back, kept it at a distance. The sound of the point of his sword scraping the ground was a gentle touch of sound in the room, like a lover¡¯s whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± the man sobbed. His hands trembled by his side. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t want to die, too.¡± It was all Aiden could say. He tapped the sword to the ground once more. ¡°They probably didn¡¯t want to be eaten, too.¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened. Now he knew why this was happening to them. Aiden nodded slowly. In the space of a heartbeat, the man¡¯s eyes returned to normal. He let out a slow breath, calmed himself, steeled his resolve. Aiden watched it all happen with a simple-minded detachment. The man bared his teeth at him. ¡°They were nothing but prey.¡± His hands came up and Aiden moved his arm as well. His sword crossed the distance before the man could do what he wanted to do, burying itself in his neck. The man fell backwards. Dead. [You have dealt Anaboi a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Anaboi Lvl 49!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the title Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind] ¡­ [Congratulations!] [You have gained perfect mastery!] [Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 99.98% -- > 100.00%)]. [Skill Basic Swordsmanship is evolving] [Skill Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 100%) is now Intermediary Swordsmanship (Mastery 02.00%)] That¡¯s surprising, Aiden thought. From what he knew about skills, it was very difficult to get a skill to its next level. Moving from ninety-nine percent to a hundred was almost as difficult as getting a manifesting skill. And all he had to do was kill a lot of cannibals. Walking up to the body, Aiden retrieved his sword from the man¡¯s neck. He swung it in an arc, ridding it of what blood he could, and walked out of the room. Corpses littered the hallway. The walls were brown with the color of red from splatters of blood. The dismemberment charm had done more than just its fair share of destruction. Too many limbs had been severed from bodies. Too many corpses lay decapitated. Aiden noticed how often he went for the head in a sword fight and wasn¡¯t surprised. The Order did not teach how to dally and flounder. They taught how to end a living thing¡¯s life in the shortest amount of strikes possible. The greatest artists create the greatest arts with the fewest strokes. Before long, Aiden was walking up the stairs, making his way to the third and final floor. The lives behind him and below him had ended, but not without consequences. He had taken a few hits here and there, lost a few percent of his health and stamina. His mana was still up, sufficient. Halfway up the stairs, Aiden sheathed both swords. This was Nastild, a world of magic and mysteries. Even an [Enchanter] could kill an enemy with nothing but enchantments if they put their minds to it. Any class could kill anybody if it was tailored properly. After all, he¡¯d seen the Order¡¯s head baker kill a person. He had the [Baker] class and had quite effectively baked the woman to death. Unclipping a selected number of pockets on his soldier¡¯s belt, he allowed the items within fall casually into his palms. He knew what item was in what pocket and knew what they were capable of. He would start his next fight as an [Enchanter]. The town of cannibals had scarred him as an [Enchanter]. It was only right that he end this as an [Enchanter]. He placed his second foot on the solid ground of the third floor and stared ahead. There was only a wide space in front of him, a large hall like the first floor. But its dimensions were off. From outside, the layout of the building implied that all the floors within had the same dimensions. But this floor was smaller than the open space of the first floor. It was not as wide or as long. The length was explained by the door on the opposite end of the room, but not the width. Aiden paid it little attention as his fingers played with the enchanted items in his hands, balls, cubes and plaques. He would need to bind them, though. Luckily, there was an enchantment of lesser binding among them. all he needed to do was channel the proper amount of mana into it. He walked up to the door and was about to open it when his interface popped up in front of him. [Achievement unlocked!] There is no creature alive that does not have a predator. Even the strongest is the strongest because they are not aware of what hunts them. You have walked in the blood of an unnatural predator of your kind. You have slain them with the calm detachment of necessity. Even amongst your unnatural predator you walk with the mantle of fear. [You have earned a new title!] [Unnatural Hunter] [Effect: +20% increase in damage when facing natural and unnatural predators of your kind.] [Effect: +30% damage resistance when facing natural and unnatural predators of your kind.] [Effect: +10% increase in all physical stats when facing a natural and unnatural predator of your kind.] [Effect: You will be alerted when you are within attacking distance of a natural or unnatural predator of your kind.] In his past life, Aiden hadn¡¯t gained this title. Then again, he hadn¡¯t gained any of the titles he had now, except [Goblin Slayer] and [Giant Slayer], so there was that. I will be alerted when in attacking distance, he read. Whose attacking distance? Was it his own or the predator¡¯s? Was it both? A sudden tingle ran up his spine. It was an annoying sensation, but Aiden took only a moment to realize that the tingle wasn¡¯t what was annoying, he was just slightly annoyed. Like a mother sighting their child¡¯s friend and just knowing on an instinctual level that the person was not a good friend. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A slight growl bubbled up in his throat but did not come out. His nostrils flared and, to his greatest surprise, his eye sight sharpened. He could see it. He could smell it. He could almost hear it¡¯s beating heart. On the other side of the door there was an indicator hovering over a man. It read in the simplest of words: [Prey]. Shaking the sensation from his head, he opened the door and walked into the room. The office was illuminated by orbs placed at strategic points high up on the walls. It was a large enough space, small when you thought about how much space lay just outside the office. On Aiden¡¯s left, the wall was covered in shelves that were half empty. To his right, the wall was bare. In front of him was a work desk with two chairs on his side of the room. All these were unimportant in the face of the figure standing behind the desk. The town chief was a simple man standing with strong eyes focused on Aiden. There was no way he had not heard the commotion down the stairs. And covered in all the blood that currently bathed him, there was no way he did not know what the outcome had been. Yet, he looked like a man who had just gotten a visit from an acquaintance. Not a friend, but also not an enemy. Aiden watched the man¡¯s eyes move to the floor at his feet. He was probably noting the blood trail Aiden had dragged in with his footprints. The man¡¯s eye twitched slightly, as if there was an expression he was trying to muster up. In the end, no expression came. It died like the urge to work kindling within the mind of a lazy man. ¡°Are any of them alive?¡± the town chief asked. The look on his face told Aiden that the man knew the answer, at least suspected it. It was a question asked because it was a question that was supposed to be asked. Aiden answered him with a shake of his head. Above the man¡¯s head remained the indicator [Prey]. It hovered in amber. Something about the color gave Aiden the sensation that the man was not a threat. That his interface did not deem him a threat. An enemy, yes. But not a threat, not capable of becoming one. The man gave a slow nod, an understanding nod. The answer had been expected, awaited even. ¡°Where you sent by the crown?¡± he asked, moving down the list of questions that seemed to be his duty to ask in such a situation. ¡°Does the king have a vendetta against me?¡± The thought of king Brandis saddened Aiden. That had come as a surprise. Brandis was supposed to be a good man. Perhaps, in some ways he was. But without even knowing it, Aiden had developed expectations for the man. With the [Sage] in his ears and his wife scheming for him where he couldn¡¯t, Brandis was slowly working his way into becoming a good king. But that was the problem with being a good king. So very rarely was there a good king that was a good man. Aiden understood why Brandis had done what he¡¯d done to Valdan. Understanding it, however, did not mean liking it. Aiden cast the thought of Brandis from his mind and answered the question with another shake of his head. He had not been sent by the crown. Brandis had no beef with such a small insignificant village. The man sighed. There was an axe not so far from him but he didn¡¯t seem interested in reaching for it. It was large, a battle axe like the one Aiden currently had in his storage space. A moment later, Aiden felt the man¡¯s eyes settle on him. He cocked a brow, knowing what was about to happen. Next came the sensation that came with having the skill [Detect] used on you. It was not strong or overbearing. Aiden was simply aware of it. The man was either not as strong as he¡¯d expected or the title [Unnatural Hunter] gave him quite the boost. The man¡¯s brows furrowed in confusion, and he squinted as if he was surprised by what he¡¯d seen. It was probably his class, Aiden concluded. No one would ever expect someone with a class like [Weaver] to walk into their office covered in blood. Or maybe it was his level. Most of the people he¡¯d killed had been of the same level, after all. Satisfied with whatever he had seen, the town chief placed a hand under the table in front of him. Aiden prepared himself for whatever was about to happen. In the end, it was not an attack. The man simply threw the table to the side as if in a display of strength or anger. It was possible that he was just clearing the path between them. Perhaps I should greet him, too. [You have used skill Detect] The information he needed appeared over the town chief¡¯s head in amber. [Norlam Cannibal Lvl 59 (Prey)] That was surprising, Aiden noted. ¡°Not a title,¡± Aiden mused. It was surprising. He had no idea that there was a class called [Cannibal]. He¡¯d only known of it as a title. What did it say about Nastild if people could be offered something even deemed unnatural by the interface itself as a class. What does it say about him that he chose it? The town chief, Norlam, sucked in a deep breath, like a man preparing to take a dive. When he let it out, Aiden watched something interesting happen. Norlam grew in size. His shoulders grew broader. He grew wider. The shirt he was wearing began ripping at the seams. Letting out a low snarl, Norlam revealed teeth that were sharp, more canine than any other type of teeth. His nails grew slightly longer. Less wild animal and more of an increase from well kept nails to females who enjoyed keeping their nails naturally long. It was like watching a before and after video of a body builder. Norlam had gone from a normal sized man to a hulking body builder who¡¯d supplemented with years of steroids and performance enhancing drugs in a matter of seconds. ¡°I did not know you could do that,¡± he muttered as if on a side note. A transformative manifesting skill, Aiden noted. There were few people on the human side of Nastild that had transformative manifesting skills. Torat was one of them, and Aiden certainly did not want to face Torat when he finally deemed it fit to use the skill. In the face of what Torat was capable of doing, Norlam was nothing but a body builder hyped on steroids. He wasn¡¯t even as powerful or as big as the lycanthropes from the other side of the world. Maybe if he gains a few more levels, he thought. [You have found yourself against an enemy that is ten levels higher than you] [Title Giant Slayer is in effect] [You have gained 10% increase in damage dealt. All damage received is decreased by 10%.] ¡­ [You have found yourself against an enemy that is ten levels higher than you] [Title Unnatural Hunter is in effect] [You have gained 20% increase in damage dealt. All damage received is decreased by 30%. All physical stats are increased by 10%.] ¡­ [You are under two title effects Giant Slayer and Unnatural Hunter.] [Calculating effects¡­] [You have gained 30% increase in damage dealt. All damage received is decreased by 40%. All physical stats are increased by 10%.] Aiden cocked a brow at the notifications. It was definitely interesting. He would take every blow at almost half its strength. He could survive twice as long and be seen as a durable fighter. Titles were amazing to have. But in his current situation, it was not necessary. Bringing his hands out from behind him, he channeled mana into the enchanted items. Then he let them fall forward. Norlam¡¯s eyes moved to the items. Aiden saw the moment the man realized what was happening. His eyes widened in horror and he moved to back away from the items. He wasn¡¯t fast enough. Aiden¡¯s interface exploded in a cacophony of notifications as he drew his sword and held it in both hands. [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Madness] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Binding] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Force] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Flame] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Gas] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Lightning] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Binding] ¡­ [You have used Enchantment of Lesser Light] The enchantment of lesser light went of first. Aiden closed his eyes to it as it went off. The flash of white echoed behind his closed lids, almost a little too bright to handle. Lightning went next. Aiden heard it in the crackling and Norlam¡¯s violent grunts of pain as he tried to fight back. He was likely blinded at this point. There remained a possibility that he had survived the blinding light, though. With Aiden¡¯s eyes closed to the light, if Norlam survived the enchantment, it would leave him at a disadvantage. But Aiden had that covered. The lightning enchantment would stop Norlam from moving forward. That, too, was not all the backup he had. Opening his eyes now that the light was gone, Aiden watched as dark blue vines erupted from two of the enchanted items. They reached up like tentacles from an infant kraken. Slapping and wrapping themselves all over the town chief, they kept Norlam down, forcefully bringing him to his knees. Norlam fought against them. As much as Aiden hated to admit, he had to give credit where credit was due. He could not deny Norlam¡¯s strength. The vines from the binding enchantment barely kept him in place as he tried to move forward, eyes closed, blinded. Aiden held his sword and took a stance, sword drawn back beside his head in a stabbing motion. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He ignored everything, closed himself from the world as best he could. The enchantment of lesser Madness filled the office. Aiden felt the air around him tighten. His lungs struggled but he¡¯d already stopped his urge to breathe. The world wobbled around him, but he was not looking. Sound disappeared but he did not let it phase him. When the world swayed, he did not sway with it. The chaos that came with the enchantment lasted for only a moment and the sound of a heavy object dropping to the ground drew Aiden back to the world around him. Norlam had dropped to a knee, and the vines of binding held him in place, pulling him closer to the ground. Pinning him there. When the gas popped from its enchantment, it was a small thing, almost inconsequential. It was preceded by the enchantment of lesser flame, with the weight of the enchantment of lesser force right behind. It was a small explosion but a powerful one. Powerful enough to rip Norlam from the grasp of the vines of binding as it threw him back and into the wall. Now it was Aiden¡¯s turn. Norlam bounced off the wall, and [Dash] carried Aiden through the distance between them. He sank his blade, sheathing at least two feet of steel into the man¡¯s chest. The weight of his speed forced Norlam back into the wall and Aiden¡¯s sword pierced the wall as well. Aiden took a deep breath and stepped away. The world tilted around him, and he steadied his feet beneath him, regaining his balance. There were still residual effects from the enchantment of lesser madness. It messed with all five senses, throwing even your sense of balance off kilter. Certain that he wasn¡¯t going to fall out of nowhere, Aiden finally allowed his sight settle on Norlam. The town chief, as large as he was, was pinned to the wall by a single sword running through his chest. Aiden had done his best with what he had not to pierce his heart or hit any vital points. If he failed, well, he wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over watching the man bleed out and die. The sword wasn¡¯t the only injury inflicted on Norlam. There were tears running across his body from fighting against the vines that had tried to bind him. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth. A massive burn covered his entire torso. With his pants singed and tattered, he was left on full display. A lesser man would have turned away from the sight with a grimace. Aiden stood. He¡¯d gauged the distance so that he was just beyond the reach of Norlam¡¯s arm. The village chief settled angry eyes on him. Even beyond the pain, he had his entire attention on Aiden. So even as Aiden said the words that came out of his mouth, he knew they were simply petty. ¡°Do I have your attention now, Norlam?¡± Norlam stared him down with defiant eyes. At least anyone watching would have thought of them as defiant, and they most likely were. But Aiden saw beyond the silence and the defiance. He saw the truth because he had seen it more than enough times in more than enough people. Norlam was fighting his pain. He was not defying Aiden. He was defying his pain. Aiden folded his arms over his shirt, suppressing how gross being soaked in blood felt. The warmth of his shirt plastered against his chest, sticky and viscous. The trickle that was already seeping beneath the fabric and running down his skin. It was the thing the stories didn¡¯t tell you. Killing of this extent was a messy business, not just in the action itself but in the side effects of it. Aiden really wanted to take a bath. ¡°I will not insult you by offering to help with the pain.¡± He stepped into Norlam¡¯s reach. ¡°You are not so weak that¡ª¡± Norlam¡¯s arm swung at him and Aiden caught it with a raised hand. Then he broke it. Blood and spittle spilled from between Norlam¡¯s gritted teeth as he grunted in pain, refusing to cry out. His arm fell limp by his side. It showed in his eyes that he would¡¯ve swung the other hand if Aiden¡¯s sword in his chest hadn¡¯t made the action impossibly painful to carry out. The indicator [Prey] had remained hovering over the man¡¯s head the entire time. Now, it had gone from a simple amber to a dull grey. It felt unimportant now. Its unimportance made the man himself feel unimportant. Like an unworthy prey. ¡°I am not here for your cannibalistic actions,¡± Aiden told Norlam, watching his eyes twitch in surprise. ¡°I am not even here for the noble girl that is missing. You and I both know that she¡¯s dead and gone. There¡¯s nothing that can be done about that. I am here for something else.¡± ¡°Kill me,¡± the man groaned. Aiden nodded, expecting it. ¡°I will. You are the kind of person that would rather die than be spared, emboldened by your own hubris. However, what is important to me is necessary. Tell me what I want to know, and I¡¯ll end you in a single blow. Make it difficult and I will take my time killing you. Is that understood?¡± Norlan¡¯s nod was slow, and he dangled from the wall, one side of him held up by the sword running him through the chest. His legs could barely keep him up. Aiden folded his arms back, an action that was designed to let Norlam know that he was not worried in any way. ¡°You all normally get your tourists and divide them up with the other cannibals,¡± he began, ignoring the smell of blood that choked his lungs. ¡°But something changed a month or two ago. The numbers increased. The bodies increased. You started finding more, hunting more. You weren¡¯t even killing them yourself for the level increase. I can tell because your level is way too low.¡± These were all pieces of information Aiden had gotten after they¡¯d returned to the palace in his past life. Norlam had never even been caught after the entire fiasco. The town had just been overtaken, eventually, then forcefully assimilated into Elstrire. It was during all these events that he¡¯d heard all this news. He¡¯d never found out what had happened to Norlam, and at some point, he¡¯d just told himself that the man had been hunted down and killed. It made him sleep better at night. He¡¯d never seen or heard of him again so that was a conclusion he was more than happy to believe. ¡°Ask your question,¡± Norlam said in a tired voice. ¡°The missing people, the confused town. All of it.¡± Aiden looked the man in the eye while wondering if Elaswit had met with the knight, Sir Thompfer, and if Valdan had found the corpses he knew the man would find. ¡°You and your little renegades are not strong enough to do what you¡¯ve been doing in the last three months. So how?¡± He leaned in, looked Norlam in the eyes. ¡°What changed?¡± Slowly, like the rising sun, he watched realization push through the pain and defiance in Norlam¡¯s eyes and take a front seat. It was followed by a feral grin, a cocky smirk. ¡°You not here about the missing persons, are you?¡± he said, still smiling. ¡°I am not.¡± Aiden ignored the smile. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here.¡± There was a moment of silence where Norlam looked as if he wasn¡¯t going to answer. But it passed quickly, easily. When Norlam answered Aiden, it was with words Aiden would never have expected or even considered he would hear so soon¡ªnot even half a year on Nastild. Norlam looked him in the eye with pity and spoke. His words were simple. ¡°You¡¯re here for the Demon.¡± EIGHTY-NINE: Like A Dog Demons were, as everyone already knew, the monsters that heralded the arrival of the [Demon King]. Or more precisely, the war that would come with the [Demon King]. In the holy books of Nastild they were very much like the demons Christians spoke greatly of and priests saw in visions and in the eyes of those who did things no normal person should. They were a race that identified themselves as superior. Existing only to conquer kill and destroy, they were to the people of Nastild what the Vikings were to their victims. But most importantly, they were stories, creatures that existed in times so ancient that none had been seen since the last era of civilization. Still, everyone was wary of them. It was the way with religion and prophecy. You did not fear that the devil would walk into your room one day and attempt to fleece you, yet you were afraid of the devil, nonetheless. That was how Nastild viewed demons. When you spoke or heard of them, you blessed yourself with a sign of the church. You scared your children with them when they were a little too naughty. You called your very terrible friend a demon and often used it in jest. But deep down in everyone¡¯s hearts they worried and waited, hoping that the rising darkness prophesied in the holy books did not come in their day. They walked into the churches and prayed their prayers. Let the demons pass them by. Let the [Demon King] rise not in their days or in the days of their children or in the days of their children¡¯s children. They prayed these prayers as if it was alright if it happened a little farther down the line of generations. Better if it was to children who would not remember your name as if their blood would be too diluted for you to care what became of them. Never had Aiden heard of a person pray that the [Demon King] would never rise. Then again, so was the way of the people of Nastild. So, to hear Norlam speak so easily of a demon being present sent a shiver up his spine. From what he could remember, it would be years before the first demon appearance. It begged the question of if the man was lying. Looking into Norlam¡¯s bloodshot eyes, Aiden didn¡¯t think he was. ¡°And where is it?¡± he asked, pretending to know what he was talking about. ¡°Where has it hidden itself?¡± Norlam¡¯s brows furrowed, and Aiden suspected that he had said the wrong words. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know everything,¡± the man said with a wry smile. ¡°You don¡¯t even know enough to¡ª¡± Aiden slapped him. Norlam¡¯s silence was abrupt, his words cut off by Aiden¡¯s action. Anyone with half a functioning eye would see that it wasn¡¯t the pain of the slap that silenced Norlam but the shock of it. Aiden looked left, then right. He wanted a chair to sit on and found none. The explosion born of mixing the enchantments of force, gas, and flame had torn the chairs nearby to shreds. In the end, he settled for standing. Maybe it was for the better. The thought of sitting in his blood-soaked clothes didn¡¯t really appeal to him. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s happening, Norlam.¡± He leaned in, stared into the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°You will die here. I believe I have already told you that. Whatever benefit you find yourself believing the demon holds for you, you will not enjoy it, even though I doubt you ever will. Am I clear so far?¡± Norlam nodded. ¡°Good,¡± Aiden said. ¡°Now, I will not waste any more of our time. A companion of mine is already in the forest dealing with the men you have working on whatever it is they are working on. He is smart, resourceful. Not as brutal as I am but brutal enough. Before the sun is up, they will also be dead. That said, you either help me with the demon so it can be dealt with tonight or you just make my work annoying and it will be dealt with in seven days.¡± A half-smile, almost a smirk, touched Norlam¡¯s lips. ¡°And what if I choose seven days?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll be alive for seven days,¡± Aiden said with a shrug. ¡°I will keep you here, and every day, after my investigations, I will come in and have a conversation with you that will not involve words. And every day you will beg me to listen to what you want to tell me, and it will make no difference.¡± Norlam paled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re a monster.¡± ¡°And you are prey. It makes no difference to me.¡± Aiden stood back and drew his second sword from its sheath. ¡°Now, what¡¯s it going to be? Do I get to work or do you help my ministry?¡± Norlam was silent for a while. His mind worked like an overridden jepat with a master that continued to whip it. He was pushing his thinking capacity into overdrive. Aiden waited with his attention on the man. Not knowing the full scope of Norlam¡¯s skills and abilities, it was very possible that the man was buying time, maybe healing himself or something along those lines. The idea did not worry Aiden. There had been no demon from this place that had caused any problems in his past life. If there truly was a demon, it was largely unimportant. He was not afraid of not finding it. That was not to say that he would not try. When Norlam had spoken of the demon, the impossibility of it had crossed Aiden¡¯s mind. In fact, he had almost dismissed the idea as nothing but a lie from the lips of a confused man. Demons had not become a problem until years from now. However, there was just a small piece of recent history that couldn¡¯t allow Aiden to accept those terms. Gargoyles had also not appeared until years later. But Aiden had seen them recently. Fought them and won. There was much to the appearance of demons that he did not know. ¡°There is a cave south of the forest,¡± Norlam said, finally ending his thoughts. ¡°Within you will find a rock formation. It is false. An illusion cast by my illusionist. You will find the demon there.¡± ¡°Do you know what kind of demon it is?¡± Aiden asked. It was a long shot since the different kinds of demons were not common knowledge. To the world there were demons and that was all there was to it. Asking someone what type of demon they met was like asking someone what type of snake they¡¯d run from. Ultimately, it was a snake. The end. Unsurprisingly, Norlam shook his head. ¡°Then how did you know it was a demon?¡± Aiden asked. Norlam sucked in a labored breath and let it out. ¡°Because it had demonic mana. I felt it, and it promised to grant it to me. With demonic mana I could be stronger, as strong as the demons in the stories. I could stand at the top of the food chain.¡± The man had gone from passing information to ranting. Aiden could see the ecstasy that came with the simple promise of the possibility in the man¡¯s eyes. The allure of power. As interesting at it was, Aiden thought it was stupid on Norlam¡¯s part. There was nowhere in known Nastild history where a demon granted a person demonic mana that became their own. ¡°Let me guess, that¡¯s the reason you needed more bodies,¡± Aiden said, shaking his head. ¡°You weren¡¯t killing them. The demon was. Growing stronger so that it could grant your desire.¡± Norlam said nothing, but he saw it in the man¡¯s eyes. He was right. Aiden almost laughed. The man was a fool. But it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°The demon lied to you, chief,¡± Aiden said, swinging his sword from side to side. ¡°You were never going to get any power from it. It was only growing stronger, biding its time. You were a fool. But don¡¯t feel too bad. Most people tend to be. I guess we¡¯re done here.¡± A confused frown creased Norlam¡¯s brows. ¡°You believe me? You won¡¯t confirm that my words are true?¡± Aiden shrugged. ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t mind realizing that I¡¯ve been lied to because it¡¯s not my fault for believing you, it¡¯s your fault for lying to me.¡± Norlam¡¯s eyes widened in terror and he pulled himself against the sword pinning him to the wall with all his might. He rampaged in place struggling and tugging. He moved his broken arm, roaring in pain as he did, and grabbed the sword by the hilt. Aiden stood in place, watching without worry. A lot of people tended to underestimate just how weak a broken arm was. Pain came with moving a broken arm, and that was just moving it. Using it to perform an actual task was on a different level of pain than most people understood. The arm worked with less than half its actual strength or efficiency, and the more you tried to get out of it, the greater the pain. In Norlam¡¯s case, it would be worse. The man had actually gotten through the pain and succeeded in grabbing the sword by the hilt. Now he fought against pain on multiple fronts. It was not an easy thing to pull a sword out of yourself, worse if the sword has been run through a solid wall. Norlam succeeded¡ªto Aiden¡¯s surprise¡ªin pulling half an inch of the sword free before succumbing to his pain. His broken arm fell numb to his side and he panted like a man who¡¯d run two marathons. Aiden waited a little longer, watched him. He had not seen this version of the man in his past life¡ªhe had not seen him when he was transformed. Yet he had haunted my dreams for a while. It was a humbling thing to remember how weak he had once been. ¡°Are you done?¡± he asked casually, making sure the man understood that he had not been bothered in the slightest. Norlam raised frantic eyes to meet him. ¡°You cannot kill me,¡± he said. ¡°Why?¡± Aiden posed the question like an adult would to a child. ¡°What makes you so special?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the king¡¯s law,¡± Norlam said hurriedly. ¡°You are not permitted to kill another man.¡± Aiden wanted to laugh. ¡°But you are?¡± ¡°My actions are crimes. Crimes punishable by the king¡¯s law.¡± ¡°If you are arrested, only one fate awaits you. Death.¡± ¡°I am very much aware,¡± Norlam agreed. ¡°But that is for the king¡¯s law to decide.¡± The king¡¯s law would find Norlam guilty and sentence him to death. The only difference between now and then would be the method of death. They would leave him for the monsters to devour, that way nobody benefited from the possible level increase that came with killing someone of the same species. Aiden sighed like a man tired of a farce. ¡°What gives you the impression that I answer to the king¡¯s law, Norlam?¡± ¡°Everyone answers to the king¡¯s law,¡± Norlam said in a panic. ¡°There is a knight present with a group of investigators on the matter of the missing people.¡± He was threatening now, hoping. ¡°They said that they have questions for me. What do you think will happen when they come and find me dead? They will investigate. Once they do, they will find you. No one escapes the king¡¯s investigators.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t kill you, they¡¯ll find all the bodies, though,¡± Aiden pointed out, wondering how Norlam was going to spin the conversation. ¡°It is a simple matter to deal with. Given enough time I can clean it all up.¡± ¡°Which means that given enough time I can clean it all up, too,¡± Aiden pointed out. ¡°Also, like I said, I have no business with the king¡¯s law. If I¡ª¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me,¡± Norlam pleaded, interrupting him. ¡°I beg off¡ª¡± Anger bubbled inside Aiden so suddenly it was like a typhoon. ¡°For the love of God! Take your death like the man that you are!¡± he snapped. ¡°You lived a life filled with killing! You killed confidently! Now die confidently, for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Silence settled on the room with the end of his words. Norlam said nothing. The only sound anyone listening would hear was the uneven panting. His careless breathing. The silence was witness to his dying breaths. Norlam let his head fall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve killed far too many and tried to kill you, too. As someone who knows what it means to be a victor, this is not a sight I should show to my victor.¡± He lifted his head and met Aiden¡¯s gaze once more. ¡°I hope you find your demon.¡± Aiden really couldn¡¯t care less about the demon. Lifting his sword, he placed the point of its blade against Norlam¡¯s neck. Norlam flinched at the touch of the blade but stopped himself. ¡°I¡¯ll at least die like a man,¡± Norlam said, closing his eyes. Aiden snorted in amusement. ¡°I intend on killing you like a dog, you piece of shit.¡± The words were intended to take away Norlam''s acceptance and serenity, to snatch away the peace he had just gained. And it worked. Norlam¡¯s eyes snapped open in fear, wide as saucers. His mouth opened and he cried out. ¡°You woul¡ª¡± Aiden pushed forward and slid the blade of his sword into his neck, silencing him. [You have dealt Norlam a Fatal Blow!] [Congratulations! You have slain Norlam Lvl 59!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the class Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind] Withdrawing his sword, Aiden swung it in an arc to rid it of what blood he could. There was still much left on the blade. Since there was nothing he could do about it, he sheathed the blade regardless. He did the same for the second sword, pulling it free from Norlam¡¯s chest, swinging it in an arc, and sheathing it as well. With nothing to hold it up, Norlam¡¯s body dropped, crumbling to the ground. Looking down at it, Aiden felt no sense of peace or fulfillment. It did not matter. He hadn¡¯t done this to feel some sense of fulfillment. He had done it because he¡¯d wanted to. Often times people mistake those who seek vengeance. They tell them of how it would not bring them peace or change what had happened. They were right, but they were also wrong in one thing. People who were smart, cold and calculated do not seek vengeance because they are looking for peace or to change the past. They seek it because it is what they want. This wasn¡¯t vengeance, Aiden thought as he turned and walked out of the office. It was simply necessary. With his new title and the evolution of [Basic Swordsmanship] to [Intermediary Swordsmanship] he was curious. He pulled up his personal details. [Name - Aiden Lacheart] [Species- Human] [Age ¨C 19] [Class- Weaver Lvl 49] [Class Skill] [Enchanted Weave (Mastery 75.05%)], [Walking Canvas (Mastery 38.29%)], [Unarmed Engrave (Mastery 29.38%)], [Modify Engrave (Mastery 10.41%], [Broken Weave (Mastery 02.91%)], [Locked (Mastery 0.50%)(U)], [Fate Walker (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] [Affiliation] [Kingdom of Bandiv]. [Title] [Goblin Slayer], [Defier], [Protector], [Stone Guard], [Giant Slayer], [Unfettered], [Unnatural Hunter]. [Skill] [Tongue of the Visitor (Mastery 100%)], [Intermediary Swordsmanship (Mastery 02.00%)], [Unarmed combat (Mastery 78.40%)], [Willpower (Mastery 07.40%)], [Mana manipulation (Mastery 59.22%)], [Basic Enchant (Mastery 62.17%)], [Dagger-wield (Mastery 19.53%)], [Stealth (Mastery 04.01%)], [Detect (Mastery 31.11%)], [Lockpicking (Mastery 02.10%)], [Leap (Mastery 15.94%)], [Pathfinder (Mastery 06.32%)(U)), [Spearmanship (Mastery 03.48%)], [Stats] [Dexterity 26], [Agility 18], [Mana 26], [Speed 23], [Perception 20], [Strength 17] [Traits] [Spatial Crack (Level 49)] [Life] [Health 63%], [Stamina 29%], [Mana 52%]. There were skills he wasn¡¯t using. [Stealth], [Spearmanship], [Lockpicking] and [Daggerwield] had not moved by up to a percent. But he couldn¡¯t hold it against them. He¡¯d gained the skills not out of necessity but because they were there to gain. Two of the skills were there because he sought to gain the [Weaponmaster] skill which only came when you had enough weapon skills. As for [Stealth], it was difficult to grow it if you weren¡¯t using it often. And if you were strong enough, you would rarely have a need to sneak around. Achieving what he had done tonight in his past life would most likely have raised the mastery of [Stealth] by a large margin. He would¡¯ve had to sneak around and kill discreetly. But things were different now. Aiden Lacheart was different now. [Fate Walker], he mused as he climbed down the stairs of the building. It was the only real odd skill in the pile. As a class skill, he¡¯d gained it as an effect of the title [Unfettered]. A passive skill, it simply said that he was an anomaly. It came to life as he focused on it. [Fate Walker (Mastery 0.00%)(U)] You have realized your existence at the edge of fate. You walk where even gods fear to tread. You are an anomaly unknown. If it¡¯s still zero then I guess I still haven¡¯t used it, he thought. There were also class skills that he didn¡¯t use often, but that was not a problem. It was in the way of class skills to eventually be used whether you liked them or not. As for his level¡­ well, that was the thing with levels just before each fiftieth level mark. You could be stuck there forever, until you found your manifesting skill. And knowing the type of manifesting skill he wanted, Aiden knew he would be stuck for a while. Unless he made a mistake and manifested a skill he didn¡¯t want. He planned to wield the manifesting skills of the great enchanters of myths. Beings capable of activating enchantments without even being in physical contact with the items. To achieve that, he would need enemies, a good number of them. And these enemies had to give him a run for his money. As ironic and hypocritical as it sounded, he needed to do to himself what Brandis had done to Valdan. Aiden cast the worrying thoughts from his mind as he stepped out of the building and into the cold night. He could barely feel the chill. At the door, a welcome mat for all to see, lay the corpse of the first man he¡¯d slayed tonight. A massive man maybe seven feet tall. Checking his blackened arm, Aiden pulled his sleeve back. Only the hand was red, the rest of the arm remained black as night. It would grow back into its complete black in time. Now the arm was another thing he needed to keep his attention on. He was getting the hang of it, learning to manipulate enchantments using it. As long as he knew when it turned completely red, he would be fine. The last thing he needed was to use [Enchanted Weave] at an important moment only for the skill to fail because of the arm. Ignoring the corpse in front of the building, he went on his way. Come morning, the entire town would be aware of the bloodbath that had happened here, but he would not be here to witness it. Come morning, he would be gone. For now, he had a cave to find. ¡­ The air was cool, gentle with a welcoming smell. Walking into the waiting area Elaswit was met with the sight of a receptionist behind a wide desk. The receptionist wore spectacles, an unnecessary accessory unless it was enchanted or spelled to grant advanced ocular benefits or something else. There was scarcely a person on Nastild old enough to have an interface with bad eyesight. Unless you¡¯ve fallen to great problems, she corrected herself as she approached the table. Her cleaver hung from her back. With its handle protruding from over one shoulder, the end of its massive blade was visible at the bottom. With her shawl covering half her face with at least nine different enchantments hand stitched into it by her mother, she struck the visage of a mysterious mercenary. The receptionist watched her curiously as she approached. And just as the lady tried to scrutinize her, Elaswit scrutinized the lady. Her ears seemed a little pointed at the top where most people¡¯s were rounded. Rumors had it that such people had some form of elven blood in them, inherited from elven ancestors from civilizations past. Eons ago, before the sundering, the separation of humans from mythical beings. It was a difficult happening to believe if it was not written in the holy books and the black pillars that pierced the skies didn¡¯t litter specific points in Nastild. The woman behind the desk had brown long hair that she kept in a neat bun atop her hair. If Elaswit was a good judge of age by looks, she would place the lady somewhere in her late thirties, maybe her early forties. Perhaps noticing Elaswit¡¯s attention on her as well, the receptionist turned her eyes down to her table as if checking something. The waiting area of the relatively small inn was illuminated by orbs that released light the color of the sun, dousing the entire room in a soft yellow glow. With chairs and comfortable couches interspaced over brown marble floors Elaswit had half expected at least one or two people to be in the waiting area. There was none. Not a single soul. ¡°I hope the night finds you well,¡± she greeted when she got to the receptionist. The lady returned her greeting with a nod. ¡°And you,¡± she said. Elaswit nodded in acceptance, then made a show of looking around. ¡°I was expecting to find guests waiting around. You have a nice waiting area.¡± The receptionist smiled kindly, politely. ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± Most people¡ªAiden Lacheart¡ªwere averse to small talk, but what they didn¡¯t understand was that small talk could get you leverages and pieces of information that being a brooding and silent man would not. As her mother always said: ¡°A well placed compliment will have doors opening that the grandest enchantments would not even know existed.¡± ¡°Is there a reason for the emptiness?¡± Elaswit asked with a smile that reached her eyes. ¡°Because by the life of me I cannot imagine people would not like your company.¡± The smile remained on the lady¡¯s face, but a touch of wariness crept into it. Elaswit wondered if she had been a little heavy on the friendliness. ¡°Here at Bone Marrow, we pride ourselves on a zero waiting time,¡± the lady said, counting out the words as if reading from a book. ¡°We like to keep our patrons in their rooms or using the amenities the inn has to offer.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Elaswit nodded in understanding, trying to conceal her reaction to the inn¡¯s name. Who named their inn ¡®Bone marrow¡¯. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to know. But as tempting as it is to book a room here, I fear I am only here for a visit.¡± ¡°A visit?¡± the receptionist echoed. Elaswit nodded again. ¡°I have a friend who stopped by here earlier and I am trying to get a hold of him.¡± The receptionist looked down and started thumbing through a large book. ¡°And what is this friend¡¯s name?¡± she asked without looking up. ¡°And do you know how recently they checked in?¡± Elaswit held out a hand to draw the lady¡¯s attention from the book. ¡°He was here to visit someone else. Sadly, I don¡¯t know who.¡± This was the fourth inn she was walking into since she and Aiden had parted ways earlier in the night. She¡¯d gone to the inn Sir Thompfer was supposed to be in and had learnt that he had stepped out after being visited by two others. She had employed the same tactics of conversation in each in hoping to stumble upon Sir Thompfer¡¯s destination. For some reason, fear of failure plagued her with each inn she walked into. Of all the tasks shared between her, Aiden and Valdan, hers seemed like the easiest, even if a little important. She really didn¡¯t want to fail at it. ¡°If you don¡¯t know all these,¡± the receptionist pointed out kindly, ¡°then I won¡¯t be able to help you ma¡¯am.¡± Elaswit kept her stressed frown from her face. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to make it difficult. But I had just been in his room where we were supposed to meet, and he left me a note saying that he would be here.¡± No such note existed from Sir Thompfer. ¡°If your visitors check in their names, his name is Sir Thompfer. He¡¯s a knight.¡± Recognition filled the lady¡¯s eyes. Not at the name, but at the title. ¡°There was a knight in here earlier,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t remember his name, but he was here were two others to see one of our guests.¡± Elaswit brightened. She was happy to know that she would not fail such a simple task. ¡°May I know what room he visited?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t matter,¡± the woman said, closing the book in front of her. Elaswit found her elation dying like a fish out of water. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because they are no longer around,¡± the lady answered. ¡°Your knight friend came in and got into a fight with the guest upstairs.¡± That was surprising. ¡°Where they at odds with each other?¡± ¡°Not from what I saw at the end,¡± the lady said. ¡°The problem, from what I learnt, was that when they visited, there was a terrifying creature in the room and they ended up fighting it. It later turned out to be a summoned familiar. But they are no longer around. They left after the fight.¡± Elaswit almost groaned. The night was getting old, and she still hadn¡¯t found them. The very idea of going on another search was annoying to think about. Holding up her hand, she summoned her bank card. The action was intentional, designed to let the lady know that she had money to spend. A bank card and a storage ring was the purview of someone that did not have a problem coming by money, after all. She watched the shimmering refraction of light that came with pulling items out of the storage space catch the lady¡¯s eye before she spoke again. ¡°If you can give me any useful information on how to find them, I¡¯ll handle the damages caused from their fight. Maybe there might even be a show of appreciation for you.¡± The lady¡¯s ears perked up at the offer and her eyes twinkled at the thought of money. ¡°The forest,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°I heard them talking about looking for a friend in the forest.¡± ¡°All four of them?¡± Elaswit asked. The lady nodded. ¡°All four of them.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Elaswit said, placing her card on the table. ¡°Now, how much do I owe this fine establishment?¡± ¡­ A very confused and repulsed frown marred Valdan¡¯s lips as he kept the adventurer named Jaderd standing frozen at the tip of his sword. In his rage he had taken a man¡¯s life, but that was not the thing that had him confused. His interface was the source of his confusion and disgust. [You have dealt Denal a Fatal Blow!] [You have slain Denal Lvl 42!] ¡­ [You have slain one with the title Cannibal] [You have slain an unnatural predator of your kind.] What the hell was a cannibal doing in a town like this. Such titles were hard to come by. And even when you came by such titles, it was usually in some slum somewhere where something as simple as water was hard to come by. Or in a small town stricken by famine for so long. Not in a comfortable town like this. His eyes settled on the adventurer still standing at the end of his sword. Did the man know? Was there something to this place that was really bad that Aiden knew? When you find what you¡¯re looking for, I won¡¯t need to motivate you to kill them, Aiden¡¯s words slithered into his mind from when he had directed Valdan to follow them. Aiden knew too many things, far too many for the explanations or lacking explanations he gave. It was easy to believe that Aiden had known exactly what Valdan would discover. And he was right. He could find it in his heart to forgive people who ate other humans because it was either that or die. But eating one human was not enough to gain the title of [Cannibal]. Are you also a cannibal? He thought, staring daggers at Jaderd. The man looked cautious but not scared. A true adventurer. He had questions for the man, a lot of them. With all the questions floating around, he settled for only one as his grip tightened around the hilt of his sword and he fought against the urge to take a life. The words had barely touched his tongue when his interface appeared in front of him giving him a worrying piece of information. [Mana 62%] [Mana 59%] [Mana 68%] Valdan knew of only one thing that made a person¡¯s mana fluctuate so chaotically unprovoked. Demonic mana. The blood of the dead Denal irrigated the grass beneath them as Valdan asked the only question his rage and newfound confusion allowed him. ¡°What, in the name of the gods, is going on here?¡± NINETY: [Knight of The Crown] Silence had always been the purview of the intelligent. In Bandiv, there was a saying; it was better to remain silent and allow people sow the seed of doubt towards your intelligence than it was to speak and grow the tree of confirmation towards your stupidity. Valdan had often liked the saying. Even the unintelligent could display some level of intelligence in silence. After all the ability to identify your own stupidity and mask it with silence was, in itself, a form of intelligence. The adventurer, Jaderd, was proving to possess intelligence. ¡°What is going on here?¡± Valdan asked, repeating a question he had asked only moments ago. Jaderd remained silent. All it did was provoke Valdan more. His anger boiled within him, burning away at his patience. Worse, it was using his patience as kindle, burning brighter. In no mood to deal with a seemingly intelligent man in the present context, Valdan pressed the point of his sword calmly against Jaderd¡¯s neck. It drew a trickle of blood that slowly caressed the adventurer¡¯s neck as it crawled down his throat. Jaderd showed no reaction to it. He did not even grimace. ¡°Understand this,¡± Valdan said in his most quiet voice, one he used when he was angry and wanted to calm himself, ¡°I do not have time for anything prolonged. I have a task, and it is my duty to complete it before the sun comes up.¡± Jaderd remained silent, met Valdan¡¯s gaze, undaunted. At the edge of Valdan¡¯s vision, his interface continued to inform him of his fluctuating mana conditions. ¡°Alright,¡± he said, making a quick decision even if it was one fueled by his anger. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. I have no love for those who possess the [Cannibal] title. Your dead friend possessed it, and I am certain that you do, too.¡± ¡°I do not,¡± Jaderd said with certainty, like a man willing to be burned for being a murderer but not imprisoned for being a rapist. ¡°Hard to believe considering your partner,¡± Valdan said. ¡°But it matters too little. I will count to four. If you have given me no pleasing answer, you will die.¡± Jaderd gave him a flat look. ¡°Will Valdan, a [Knight of the Crown], really continue to violate the king¡¯s law?¡± The question stabbed a hole in Valdan¡¯s chest and he could not stop the snarl that slipped from his lips. Jaderd did not miss it. The confident smile that touched his lips was all the indication Valdan needed to know that the adventurer had realized what had happened. Jaderd knew that he had hit a spot. So he pressed forward gesturing at the corpse lying in the grass. ¡°You killed my companion, in some cases, that is understandable. But I am a man unarmed.¡± He raised his hands slowly to emphasize the absence of a weapon. ¡°And you have a sword to my neck. I surrender.¡± He met Valdan¡¯s gaze. ¡°Knowing this, will you really kill me? Is your reputation for honor false?¡± Valdan¡¯s lips tightened. Not many people knew about the [Knights of the Crown]. The knights bearing the title weren¡¯t necessarily a secret, they just appeared rarely enough that they were easy to forget or go unnoticed. Only those within the capital city remembered the title very easily. But here was an adventurer who not only was aware of the title, but he was also aware of the fame that came with the title. The [Knights of the Crown] were above reproach because their honor was above reproach. Valdan¡¯s grip on the hilt of his sword tightened. It made his hold stiff, unadvisable for anyone about to get into a sword fight. ¡°One¡­¡± It was all he could say. It was all the control he had. Jaderd¡¯s brows furrowed in mild confusion. He took a step back, but Valdan moved in tandem so that the tip of his sword remained against the man¡¯s neck. ¡°You will not take my life,¡± Jaderd said with certainty. ¡°Especially now that you know I am not a [Cannibal].¡± ¡°You sound so very confident,¡± Valdan said. Jaderd kept his gaze. ¡°Because I am. I know what you are, and what you are is honorable, [Knight of the Crown].¡± Valdan nodded very slowly even as his anger mixed with pain at the constant use of the title. ¡°And you¡¯re willing to bet your life on it?¡± he asked, then added into the silence that followed, ¡°Two¡­¡± The tip of his sword moved slightly as Jaderd swallowed. ¡°It is not a bet, Sir Valdan.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re a gambling man.¡± Valdan pressed the point of his sword a little deeper, not enough to cause harm but enough to draw a little more blood. ¡°Three¡­ you¡¯ve got one more statement before I have to respond. Use it wisely.¡± Jaderd inhaled deeply then let it out. He closed his eyes. ¡°Those who bear the title of [Knight of the Crown] share in the king¡¯s honor. There is no man more honorable than the man who currently sits upon the throne.¡± He opened his eyes and fixed them on Valdan with newfound determination. ¡°It is known.¡± Once upon a time, while Valdan had been sparring with Aiden, he had commented on how Aiden was too uptight for a boy his age and how he should take a piece of advice from someone who knew¡ªhimself¡ªand loosen up. Recalling what Aiden had said to him at the time, Valdan now posed the same words to the fool standing in front of him. ¡°You know nothing. Fo¡ª¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Jaderd practically screamed into the night. His voice startled the air and Valdan heard slight movement somewhere in the distance, possibly an animal startled by the man¡¯s voice. Still, the man¡¯s scream had its benefit. It had stopped Valdan from discovering if he would¡¯ve stabbed him through the neck. ¡°Speak,¡± Valdan commanded. ¡°This town hides bodies and sacrifices them to a creature hidden out here in the woods,¡± Jaderd said, surprisingly maintaining his composure. Valdan had lived on the streets long enough to know that someone capable of still being composed in the adventurer¡¯s position had not surrendered. Jaderd still had plans of escape running through his head. Cataloging the observation somewhere in his mind, Valdan¡¯s gaze moved to the heap of corpses on the ground before returning to the adventurer. The heap had not been there a moment ago until Jaderd¡¯s companion had touched it. Illusion, Valdan thought. It was one possibility as to how it had appeared out of nowhere. The bodies were still clean, not rotting. ¡°And you kill them before the sacrifice?¡± he asked, his anger growing very slowly. Now that he was getting answers, it wasn¡¯t growing as quickly as it had been mere moments ago. ¡°No,¡± Jaderd corrected. ¡°The creature kills them and then we retrieve the bodies.¡± Valdan frowned. It didn¡¯t make much sense. The bodies were too clean for their owners to have been killed by a creature. Or was their cleanliness only another illusion. They didn¡¯t smell like corpses after all. They smelled like nothing. ¡°How does the creature kill them?¡± he asked. If there was a demon lurking around, it was his duty as a capable human being to kill it. To do that, he needed to know all that he could. Jaderd shook his head, the action clear in the darkness of the night. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Jepat¡¯s shit,¡± Valdan snapped. Jaderd waved his hands in the air frantically, as if the action would serve as a reminder that he was still a man who had surrendered. ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± he said quickly. ¡°All I know is that the only injury on them is a clean insertion in the back of the head.¡± Valdan thought about it, then walked to the side. With his sword against Jaderd¡¯s neck, he forced the adventurer to move, guiding him in the direction of the corpses. ¡°Show me,¡± he ordered when Jaderd was next to the pile. The adventurer hesitated for a moment before bending down and turning one of the corpse¡¯s head to the side. Once he was done, he stood back up. There wasn¡¯t enough light to see with, and with his [perception] stat¡¯s level, it wasn¡¯t the easiest thing to see. But Valdan was able to make out the hole in the person¡¯s neck. It was as wide as his smallest finger. If his very lacking medical knowledge was to be trusted, the insertion was located at the proper position designed to leave a normal human paralyzed. Does it suck out their brains? He wondered. He would¡¯ve consulted his knowledge of demons from the holy book, but he was not one for religion. His knowledge of his holy book was not even half as trustworthy as his knowledge of medicine. And his knowledge of medicine was infinitesimal. Melvet spoke of the holy book every now and again, and while he had smiles to give her and paid attention, Valdan would be lying if he claimed to remember anything she said when she was done. His smiles and attention had always been more for the sound of her voice and the intent on her face than her actual words. ¡°What were you supposed to do with the body, tonight?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you have another for the creature?¡± Jaderd shook his head. ¡°We were to move the bodies. We got confirmation from one of your people that they were getting close to this area.¡± A frown creased Valdan¡¯s brows. ¡°Confirmation?¡± Jaderd smirked a little, as if he had been unable to help himself. ¡°Not all subjects of the crown are as honorable as the [Knights of the Crown],¡± he said with a knowing look. ¡°The king should be more careful about the people he employs.¡± A traitor. Valdan was sad to know that he wasn¡¯t really surprised. Only one of the summoned was destined to save Nastild from the [Demon King]. With all of them being nothing but children, he couldn¡¯t say that he was surprised to find some with no honor. They were just children, after all. Still, it did not mean that he would give the man the comfort and satisfaction of dropping that bit of information. ¡°Careful,¡± Valdan warned. ¡°That you are alive now does not mean that your life no longer hangs in the balance.¡± Jaderd¡¯s smile disappeared from his face abruptly. ¡°Good.¡± Valdan let out a gentle breath, hoping it would dispel his anger. It did not. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t care what you were going to do with the body. I care only to know who gave you this piece of information and where this creature is.¡± Jaderd shook his head. ¡°No idea who the first one is, just got orders from the village chief.¡± Valdan paused. ¡°The village chief?¡± What the hell is going on? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Jaderd asked. His lips twitched in another smile, but he held his satisfaction back. ¡°I did not,¡± Valdan admitted. ¡°Who else knows about this? How many people are in on it?¡± Jaderd shrugged. ¡°Most of the town? In truth, those who are not in on it are at least aware of it. It¡¯s something of an open secret at this point really.¡± That was horrible. A town of cannibals that weren¡¯t even cannibals for the sake of survival. They hunted their prey, killed them and ate them. Or, more accurately, sacrificed them to a demon and ate them. ¡°Careful.¡± Jaderd¡¯s words came out in panic and Valdan realized he¡¯d almost skewered the man in his anger. ¡°I haven¡¯t suddenly stopped surrendering. And I¡¯m cooperating.¡± Valdan stilled his blade, controlled his anger. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Jaderd was quick to reply. ¡°Just say the word.¡± ¡°First, you¡¯re going to tell me where this creature is,¡± Valdan said. If he was feeling the demonic mana from here, then it was either very powerful or not very far away. Jaderd nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a cave within the forest. It¡¯s not very far from here.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Valdan nudged him with the end of his sword. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Jaderd swallowed heavily. It was so heavy that Valdan heard the sound. ¡°Are you scared?¡± he asked the adventurer. ¡°Only a fool would not be scared of a monster an entire town makes sacrifices to,¡± Jaderd said without hesitation. ¡°I am a lot of things, Sir Valdan. But a fool is not one of them.¡± Valdan nodded, not caring and nudged him some more. ¡°Lead, Jaderd the not foolish.¡± He was already getting tired of the man. A person who helped another commit murder when not under duress was as evil as the murderer in his books. Jaderd was no better than the [Cannibals] he thought he was above. Without any further resistance, Jaderd obeyed and led. As they walked through the forest, Valdan could not help but notice the absence of noise. The entire forest was too silent. Even the rustling of leaves from the branches of trees did not stain the air. No birds chirped. No animals scurried around. It was night, Valdan understood this. Animals would be asleep. But that was not enough excuse. Not all the animals in a forest slept. And even if they all slept, there was a silence that came with life even if it was life asleep. This forest had none of it. It was dead silent. They walked in silence for what seemed like almost half an hour. Jaderd led him around trees and beneath fallen trees. They moved through thick brushes and around patches of grass that had no place being in a forest this thick. Valdan¡¯s attention sharpened when Jaderd led them into a patch of the forest that was eerily too thick with plant life. If a fight broke out here, it would be a thing of difficulty to swing a sword like the one he owned around. As worrying as it was, Valdan couldn¡¯t bring himself to be too bothered by it. He was a [Knight]. If he didn¡¯t have a weapon to swing, he could always crush the skull of his enemies with his fist. The [Unarmed Combat] skill in his repertoire was not there for fancy. Jaderd did not try anything untoward within the patch of thick plants and trees. Instead, he led until they returned to the properly full part of the forest with enough space between trees to swing a sword properly. That surprised Valdan. He¡¯d expected the adventurer to try something. In the night light, or absence of light, Valdan could barely make out much in details. He could see the trees but if asked he could not say in confidence what color they were. Brown would be the color of his choice, maybe black. But most trees he knew were brown. And in the darkness of the night almost everything was black. ¡°Watch your steps,¡± Jaderd said in a quiet voice. Valdan always watched his steps but now he moved more silently. Jaderd stopped suddenly and looked around. Standing behind him, Valdan had no idea what expression the man had on his face. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked. ¡°Calculating,¡± Jaderd said, voice still quiet. ¡°And please keep your voice as low as you can make it.¡± Valdan was speaking in a low voice already. But he could go lower. So, he did. ¡°What are you calculating?¡± he asked in a whisper. ¡°The distance between us and the cave,¡± Jaderd answered. ¡°I cannot remember the last time we fed the creature. I¡¯m very certain it¡¯s hungry.¡± Valdan didn¡¯t really care. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Jaderd replied cautiously. ¡°If we get too close and it hears and or smells us, it might come to us before we get to it. We do not want that.¡± He looked back at Valdan. ¡°Right?¡± Valdan nodded. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Good. Now please tell me you have the [Stealth] skill.¡± Jaderd did not look hopeful. ¡°I know all you [Knights] are all about honor and charging in headfirst. I¡¯m sure sneaking in is probably beneath you. I can only imagine how much more a [Knight of the Crown].¡± Hearing Jaderd say the title so casually grated against Valdan¡¯s nerves. But he refused to bring himself to stop the man. Control was an important part of being a human being. You controlled your emotions, not the other way around. Also, he¡¯d been a street urchin before finding his way to the palace and the title of a [Knight]. He¡¯d done a lot of sneaking around. ¡°I have the [Stealth] skill,¡± he answered. ¡°Good,¡± Jaderd said, returning his attention to the path before them. ¡°Use it. We will need it to get close enough.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Valdan thought about the skill but did not activate it. ¡°Ready?¡± Jaderd asked. ¡°I am, but is there a reason you aren¡¯t using yours?¡± Jaderd bristled, stiffening suddenly. Valdan couldn¡¯t help the smile that crossed his lips. People rarely paid attention to a lot of things so there were people who didn¡¯t really know this. One of the weaknesses of the [Stealth] skill was in the movement of the wind. The skill worked to mask your smell as well as the sound you made. At the lowest level and mastery, it hid you from the normal human being if they weren¡¯t paying attention but not from an animal that wasn¡¯t paying attention. As the mastery and levels increased, so did the amount it masked. Soon even a normal person paying attention would neither hear nor smell you coming. Simple animals, too. But you needed to keep raising it until it also had the same effect on those with their own interface. However, the higher a person¡¯s perception, the higher your [Stealth] skill needed to be for it to hide you from them. Still, that was not the weakness. The weakness was in the wind. [Stealth] masked your smell and sound to almost imperceptible degrees, but you did not suddenly cease to exist. You remained a physical form that made a path through the breeze. ¡°Would you be kind enough to use yours first?¡± Valdan asked as the gentle breeze of the forest night carried Jaderd¡¯s scent to his nose. The fool smelled of alcohol and mutton. ¡°I¡¯ve always hated knights,¡± Jaderd muttered under his breath. Then he acted. Valdan saw the slight glow of light as it gathered around one of Jaderd¡¯s hand and moved. His body carried him, reacting from years of combat experience. He did not hesitate. Honor did not make him dally. His sword arm moved in a blur and Jaderd¡¯s voice pierced the quiet forest air as he roared in pain. Valdan did not hear the sound of the man¡¯s severed hand hit the grass. Still, he saw it. Its glow died gently as life left it. Jaderd fell to the ground in pain, but rather than grasp the arm the hand had been severed from as most people would, he held out his other hand. Valdan moved once more. He ducked to the side and thrust his sword forward. Not knowing whether the man was trying to blind him or cause him harm, he only hoped he would be faster. He was. For the second time in a handful of heartbeats, Jaderd roared in pain as light gathering to a hand died out once more. Valdan had not severed the second hand. Instead, he had stabbed his sword through it so that an inch of it came out from the other side of the hand. Jaderd cried out. His body twitched as if there was something he wanted to do but could not. Valdan assumed his body was looking for a hand to use and cradle a hand. Unfortunately, it had none. With all the noise the adventurer had made, Valdan cast his attention to their surroundings while he kept an eye on Jaderd. He heard nothing. ¡°You took my hand,¡± Jaderd sobbed, twitching in a very confusing manner. ¡°Hands,¡± Valdan corrected perhaps too harshly. ¡°I took your hands. Be happy I have not taken your head.¡± With a simple move, he withdrew his sword from Jaderd¡¯s second hand. Jaderd barely concealed the shout that left his lips when it happened. Free from the sword, he fell on his side trying and failing to cradle his bloody wrist where there was no hand with the hand that had a hole in it. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this, you bastard,¡± Jaderd swore between sobs. ¡°I¡¯ll gut you like a fucking corpse.¡± He turned his head to look at Valdan. Even in the darkness around them, Valdan could see his determination. His certainty. Jaderd smiled through his pain. ¡°That¡¯s if the demon doesn¡¯t get you first.¡± That got a frown out of Valdan. Up until now, Jaderd had been calling it a creature. Valdan had only come to the conclusion that whatever the creature was, it had to be a demon because of the effect that the demonic mana had had on his own mana. ¡°Have you all learnt nothing from history,¡± Valdan muttered in disgust. ¡°The church taught you everything you needed to know, yet you willing consort with demons.¡± ¡°Demon,¡± Jaderd corrected, an imitated mockery of Valdan¡¯s earlier correction. ¡°And that Demon will make sure you don¡¯t see the sun.¡± ¡°Neither will you,¡± Valdan said. Jaderd smirked and raised his hand, exposing his wrist. ¡°I am marked. It knows that I am not food.¡± As he had said, there was a mark on his wrist. A crescent moon with an arrowhead sticking out from its top. ¡°We all are,¡± Jaderd said. Valdan wondered just how many people ¡®all¡¯ referred to. ¡°And if you survive,¡± Jaderd added. ¡°Then I¡¯ll find you, [Knight of the Crown]. And I¡¯ll show the entire kingdom that your kind is capable of death.¡± Valdan already knew that [Knights of the Crown] were capable of death. No one had to disillusion him of it. However, there was something that bothered him. Even as he kept his attention on his surroundings, he asked Jaderd a simple question. ¡°You talk too much for a man about to die.¡± Jaderd snorted, growing accustomed to his pain. ¡°I said I¡¯m marked.¡± ¡°I heard that.¡± Valdan did not ignore the adventurer. ¡°The demon will not kill you, but I¡¯m also here.¡± The man snorted. ¡°I¡¯m all but incapacitated, bleeding out. I am no threat to you.¡± he smirked. ¡°You will not kill me.¡± Valdan gritted his teeth as annoyance bubbled up once more. Jaderd continued to spit in the face of honor. He believed that simply because he was currently not a threat that he would not be killed. A man with no honor held another man so firmly to their honor that he believed that he would not die. A part of Valdan was beginning to understand why Aiden did the things he did without batting an eye. Anyone who knew Aiden would not be this confident in Jaderd¡¯s current position. He would be held by the chains of fear. He would beg for his life and the life of those he loved. Not because Aiden would choose to terrify but because who Aiden was could be simply terrifying. Valdan took a step closer to the man and the man¡¯s eyes narrowed on him. He could see a touch of doubt in those eyes. If Valdan let him live, he would be a man who he would have to look over his shoulder because of for a while. Because unlike most knights, Valdan never dismissed an enemy that was still alive as harmless. He could not allow himself to do such a thing. The enemy would plague his thoughts, and he would always be alert. His eyes moved to Jaderd¡¯s wrist where he¡¯d severed the man¡¯s hand. It was still bleeding out. If he didn¡¯t kill him, the blood loss might. But the adventurer could also have a sufficient enough potion to solve that problem. Honor dictated that he let the man live. Truthfully, the man was no longer a threat, and Valdan had a bigger threat to deal with. But common sense told him to end the man¡¯s life. You did not leave an enemy alive, all it did was create a problem to deal with in the future. Valdan frowned. His knuckles tightened around the hilt of his sword. He met Jaderd¡¯s eyes and Jaderd met his. Honor, he thought as the world stilled between them. The honor of the king. Once upon a time he¡¯d believed King Brandis to be the most honorable man in Bandiv. Now, he did not know what to believe. Honor. With the things that had happened to him in the last handful of days, the word tasted bad in his mind. ¡°Honor.¡± His voice came out low, a slight murmur. As he¡¯d expected, it tasted bad in his mouth too. Where was the honor in what had happened to him? Even the King had acknowledged that it had been wrong, regardless of his reasons. You do not uphold honor because someone else has asked you to, he told himself. You are not a knight because of your loyalty to the king. A knight was the most honorable title there was. At least that was how the stories went. There were myths and histories. Ancient Orders lost in ancient civilizations. Those had been his motivations. He held honor to his chest because he chose to. When he felt his foot step back, Valdan knew that he had made up his mind. A young girl had once used honor the wrong way, but she had not been wrong in her description. Honor did not bend. Not even to common sense. Valdan did not sheathe his sword as he turned and walked away, leaving Jaderd laughing on the ground. ¡°I told you!¡± the adventurer barked after him. ¡°I know you! You are bound to it!¡± He laughed manically into the night. ¡°Ruled by it!¡± Jaderd was mocking him, and Valdan did his best to hold himself together as he moved through the trees. The man was either mocking him or drawing the attention of the demon. Or both. So Valdan moved quietly with a frown on his face and a slight anger towards himself. He did not have to deal with the demon now. He only had to remember this place. Then, once the sun was up, he could return with Sir Thompfer, Aiden, and whoever else wished to help. Hopefully, the princess would¡¯ve found them. As he moved deeper into the forest, slashing quick marks along the barks of trees with his sword as Jaderd¡¯s voice faded into the distance, Valdan could not help but feel a pang in his chest. All [Knights of the Crown] were meant to be bound by honor. It was what set them above everyone else. Valdan smiled sadly at the thought. It was something he had always told himself. And you still tell yourself that, he thought in self-mockery. It was rich coming from him. Stupid, perhaps. If [Knights of the Crown] were bound to honor, what did that make him? He had just spared the life of a man that was sure to be a threat in the future. The reality of what he had done weighed heavier on him with every tree he passed, every grass he stepped on, every slash of his sword that marked his path. Even now, he could feel the itch, the daring urge to look over his shoulder. He had had every reason to kill the man, but he had not. He had blamed it on honor, but what if it hadn¡¯t really been honor. What if it had simply been fear. Fear of doing something different, of doing something without a code to guide him. A code all [Knights of the Crown] knew and were guided by. So, it begged the question. Now that he was no longer a [Knight of the Crown], was he still bound to honor¡­ ¡­ or had he simply become a slave to it? Plagued as his mind was with his unhealthy self-doubt, his instincts were not dull. His feet came to an immediate stop, and he crouched into a ready position. He¡¯d heard something and it had captured his attention. He waited, silent as the dead, and listened. When the sound came again, it was unmistakable. It was a low and slow his of something serpentine. Inhaling a slow breath, Valdan prepared himself for what would come next. It seemed that Jaderd was right about one thing. The demon had found him. ¡­ The blood had since dried. It was not comfortable, but it was still more comfortable than it had been when it had been wet. But that was the least of Aiden¡¯s worries. It had taken almost half an hour to sneak his way through the town and around the buildings. Almost half an hour to get to where he was now. So, armed with nothing but the swords at his waist and improvised enchanted items in the way of small rocks and broken items he could find around with the help of [Unarmed Engrave], Aiden stood at his destination. The edge of the forest. If he was lucky, he could be done and cleaned up by sunrise. Finding Ted would hopefully not be a time-consuming task. For now, he had a matter that piqued his interest. It was time, it seemed, to hunt down a demon.