The sun is up, and the sky is clear.
Right after the little drama, Trex found himself alone in the house.
All the sleepiness had gone away long ago. Now Trex had things he needed to do.
'Should I learn about my family first? Or check my stuff. What's this ring even about?'
After pondering for a moment, Trex decided to go to the study first.
Whether it was going outside, or finding more about magic, or even settling down as Marko Rhemi, he needed information. What could be a better place than the study to get all those points.
The layout of the house was very conventional. On the second floor are three bedrooms: the master bedroom, Trex's bedroom, and a guest room. Downstairs is the living room, kitchen which is just opposite to the dining room. Illana's room is on the other side of the kitchen. Lastly, the study is the farthest away from the stairs.
Heading over with growing curiosity in his heart, Trex opened the door, almost impatiently.
Trex had been outside and seen the house. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either. But entering the study, Trex was surprised.
The study itself is as big as the entire two-story house.
Calling it a study is honestly an understatement. It was an entire library filled with bookshelves and a bunch of desks.
Unlike at the time from Doctor Sherman's clinic, space here was much gentler, but he could still feel the difference.
When his mother said that gaming on an enlarged space wouldn't work, he didn't believe it completely. Now that he knew they already have something similar to it, he finally understood it wasn't just a lie.
One thing he realized during his time in the Arcade realm is that he's basically a sentient mana crystal. Space magic expands or compresses a space that twists the regular flow. Depending on how much expansion or compression there is, the more severe this interference is.
Just like the Sherman Clinic that has a ten-story expanded space in a single hallway, the pressure Trex felt was so immense it mentally affected him. This relatively small, expanded room is much gentler to him.
Since the games are being kept in crystals, it is only logical that it'd feel the pressure that Trex also feels. With how specific everything had to be from registering inputs and displaying necessary visuals, interference would result in failure or, worse, corruption.
'Ah!' Trex exclaimed.
He was surprised at his inference. The addition of the memories of the nine mercenaries improved his knowledge base of the arcane. The way that he was able to pinpoint the problem in a single glance was something he wouldn't be able to do without the scattered memories.
Trex couldn't help but feel thankful, utterly unaware of his instability as an individual.
Looking at the three desks settled in the study, Trex began to speculate.
On the left-most desk is a bunch of papers that seem to be about healing. The middle desk is empty and clean. The right-most desk also had documents and folders. From a glance, Trex was able to see a drawing of a scale.
Attracted by the drawing, he decided to walk towards the right-most desk.
Reaching the desk, Trex immediately knew this was his new mother's desk, Eliza. The folders contained cases such as 'Julius Thouland vs the Kingdom of Rapros' or 'The Free Arcanists vs The Mercenaries Coalition.' There was an impressive amount, and as a prosecutor, most of the cases had the defendants marked with the verdict of guilty.
In that sea of guilty, he found one of the more eye-catching not guilty. 'Kenzi McLola vs The United Kingdoms of Coalezca'
After a short peruse, Trex felt terrified at the words he just read.
A mage called Kenzi McLola found treasures beyond reason, and others had found out. When she learned about those who betrayed her, she ravaged the cities and towns of those people. Afterward, she managed to run away with the treasures and now had enough ability to bury villages in one breathe. Since one kingdom wouldn't be enough to catch her, the kings decided to ally themselves against her.
Afraid of fighting, they had her in a trial with his mother as the prosecutor. Suffice to say, his mother's position was fatally dangerous, but nothing of the sort happened. That is because every piece of evidence was legally forged. In the end, Kenzi was given a not-guilty verdict. On the contrary, all of those who betrayed her had been guilty, cases that were also handled by Eliza Rhemi.
The case ended there, but there was a bunch of notes attached.
Waiting for the side effects of the various pills she took, the alliance of the kingdoms made their move and killed her. Unfortunately, or fortunately, all the treasures were consumed or traded away, leaving the alliance leaving empty-handed. The lack of treasures had been the reason for the continued alliance of the kingdoms as they were ready to backstab. This was also the seed that spread the judiciary system of the kingdom of Rapros to the alliance.
The fact that the story kept worsening astounded Trex. Legally forging evidence was already a stretch. The fact that the kingdoms themselves wanted to rob and loot after the murder was even more terrible.
The fact that his mother survived after all those events made Trex feel weird. Instead of learning more about his mother, she became even more mysterious, borderline terrifying.
It was then that Trex decided not to think about it. At least he knows now why his dad seems to be submissive to his mum.
Looking around, he saw a myriad of books. Some are about the ways of the arcane, some are about Raprosian laws, there are even some about creating them. But what Trex wanted to read about was history and current events.
Since absorbing the knowledge of the nine mercenaries, Trex had a lot of ideas about magic, but he never tried it. Attempting to ride a motorbike while unable to balance on a bike would be disastrous, so he held back.
On the side of a shelf, a bundle of papers is clipped neatly. For Trex, it felt like Eliza was trying to hide the documents in plain sight due to its inconspicuous position but unadorned cover.
Opening the folder, he saw title deeds for various lands and some papers about occupancy.
Besides law, his mum also dabbles in real estate, and she was a landlady.
Trex is really confused at this point. Why does it seem like their family isn't all that well off due to the living location and the average-looking house?
With all these sources of money and strength in the magic world, shouldn't they be somewhere in the inner circle of a city or something?
After a little more exploration, he couldn't find anything about the kingdom he is in.
'Time to check my father's then.'
Brimming with curiosity, Trex moved in strides.