The Conciege
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ROTLE- Chapter 65- What In The Blackened Void
🕑 Added 2024-10-28 23:18:01 +0000 UTCBrandis 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—the 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—” 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—” Aiden stopped himself before he could say ‘madness.’ In Bandiv it was known as lesser confusion. “—Confusion, 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?”
“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—or was it guilt—that 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 – 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]
[Perks]
[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.
Comments
the oldest dream
Thanks for the chapter, i came from royal road to avoid the cliffhanger and in the end i got another one. Good stuff
Johnny Merch
And now I bet you switch back to August Intruder just to leave the suspense hanging 😁
JaceNight
Can I have some more chapters please!
jumbosauce
Amazing stuff! This is a really addictive story and I am enjoying the ride!
Keven Leigh
The cliffhanger man. God damb it dude. Your too good at them
