"Wha..." Foster muttered as he skimmed through the list of names and read the signed order granting them to Earl Helagaust.
"Young master, I don't understand. Who is this Earl Helagaust?" Foster asked as he finished reading the order.
"It would appear that I am, or should I say will be. Now, come and sit. This concerns you as well." Arthur replied, leading the pair into the study.
Unsurprisingly, Kyren was hovering around the study with his arms and legs splayed out as if floating along a lazy river. His head perked up when he saw the commotion and looked toward Arthur.
"What are you doing here so late, kid?" Kyren asked, not bothering to change his floating posture as he hovered to Arthur's side.
Of course, Arthur couldn't answer him since Foster and Senna were around, but it made things easier since he would only need to tell the story once. After they took their seats, Arthur recounted his conversation with Edward.
He left out any information about his mother's death as that information could be dangerous for them to hear. Arthur even included his father's final comments and confessed that he had been a third circle mage for about two years now.
The three people, or better yet, two people and one ghost, were the people Arthur trusted most in this world. Senna for obvious reasons, as she had essentially raised him and Foster because he was the closest thing to a friend that Arthur had.
Whatever decision he made, they would be affected in some way, so he felt it was time to open up to them a bit.
"You were a third circle at eleven!?" Foster exclaimed as his facial expression distorted.
"What will you do?" Senna asked with a voice of concern.
"HAHAHA! You get them, Agelia! Show the Ollerin trash whose boss!" Kyren bellowed out deafening laughter, recounting the events that led up to the war.
Arthur wanted to remind Kyren that it was the second prince of Sparnia, his own country, who killed him and that his sense of nationalism was pointless now that he was dead, but he held his tongue.
"I don't know. My father seems to believe he is helping me, but the Helaguast region may be even more dangerous than trying to hide from Duke Yor." Arthur explained.
"Why does Duke Yor still want you dead? If you've already been disinherited, doesn't that mean he won? Why do your life and death matter?" Foster asked curiously.
"Heh... Must be nice to be so stupid." Kyren mocked as he shook his head at Foster.
"The fact that my father can buy an earldom in a secret exchange with the emperor should answer that for you. He likely wants to root out any problems before they have a chance to grow.
"Since if I had enough support, I could attempt to reclaim my title as the rightful heir to the Revan territory. The real question is, why is he so interested in this territory, and why doesn't that concern my father?" Arthur replied.
"The Revan territory controls two of the fourteen aether crystal mines within the empire. Perhaps Duke Yor is after them?" Senna asked.
"It's possible..." Arthur muttered as he mulled over the idea.
The idea that Duke Yor wanted to kill him over a couple of mines irked him for some reason. It was a perfectly good reason to kill someone, as far as reasons go, but it felt so mundane in a world of swords and magic that it bothered him. Whatever the reason, it didn't change his situation, and he only had eight days to make a decision.
"I'll follow you no matter what you decide, young master." Senna declared.
"You shouldn't. This is a perfect opportunity to go out and finally live for yourself. You've done more than enough for me. I can't ask any more of you. Besides, if I follow my father's plan, I'll be going to war, and I can't bring a powerless woman along with me." Arthur rebutted.
"Who says I'm powerless? I'm also a third circle mage." Senna said as she raised her hand in the air.
Before Arthur could respond, a vibrant blue magic circle appeared above Senna's hand. Inside the magic circle was a multitude of geometric shapes and strings of Aetherin arranged in nonsensical order intended to make any would-be copycats unable to decipher the spell's obfuscation.
A small, thin icicle rapidly grew above the magic circle and reached a meter long before it halted its growth. From the moment Senna lifted her hand, only an instant had passed, displaying that Senna had imprinted this spell onto her mana core.
It was Arthur's turn to be surprised as he watched the magic circle and icicle disappear as if they were a lie.
"Your mother, Lady Perick, taught me in her free time." Senna declared to a dumbfounded Arthur.
"Still..." Arthur hesitated as he tried to find the right words to say.
Having an extra third circle mage would certainly be a boon, but it was hardly a deciding factor. Third circle mages were a dime a dozen within the empire. Only by surpassing the first bottleneck and stepping into the fourth circle could one truly consider themselves a mage.
"Still nothing. I raised you, so I get to say when I've done enough for you." Senna said, leaving no room for argument.
"Hah... Fine, but you're my personal maid no longer. It will be of your own volition if you want to follow me." Arthur assented.
Senna nodded in approval, and Arthur turned his gaze toward Foster.
"Let me guess, you're also a third circle mage?" Arthur mocked.
"Young master... I'm actually a fourth circle. You must be at least a third circle to be accepted into the Revan family guard." Foster confessed.
Arthur wasn't aware of that fact. His interactions with Foster consisted of the small talk and gossip they shared before Arthur entered the study each day. The topic of cultivation had never come up, considering Foster likely believed Arthur hadn't started cultivating yet.
He knew some of the family guards were battlemages, but he had never been told the requirements to become one before. He had always assumed Foster was a normal human.
If all the Revan guards had achieved at least third circle, then he might be able to survive in the Helagaust territory. It was still a long shot, but it was far more realistic than managing the region with a dozen normal humans, as he had believed a moment ago.
Of course, the success also depended on the willingness of the guards to follow Arthur. If they didn't want to follow him, they could be even more dangerous than the citizens of Helagaust.
"Foster, do you recognize the other names on the list? What circle have they reached?" Arthur asked as he began formulating a rough plan.
"Most are third circle, I think. I know Harkon has reached fourth, same as I, while Jeren is a fifth circle." Foster replied as he looked over the list of names.
"If you think a couple of third circle mages are strong enough to defend you against those fanatics in Bern, then you're as stupid as he is, kid." Kyren said.
Arthur would've liked for the hovering half-naked man to elaborate more, but that would have to wait.
"Any troublemakers in the group? Do they have families? How do you think they'll feel being ordered to follow me?" Arthur shot a flurry of questions at Foster.
"I only personally know Harkon, young master. He's a good guy, and he hasn't started a family yet, either. Most of the guards joined up to learn spells and grow stronger.
"I think as long as you give them aether crystals each month and pay them their wages, they should follow you without issue." Foster explained.
"How much crystal does the Revan family provide?" Arthur asked.
"We get a hundred Riis and one ounce of aether crystal each month. There are bonuses as well, but I've never seen one despite my hard work."
As its name suggested, aether crystals were highly compressed pure aether that had naturally crystallized underground. They acted as a supplement to cultivation, allowing mages to take in far more aether than they could naturally.
They were essential for third circle mages and above as the amount of aether required to progress increases significantly after the third circle. However, due to their high demand, they were prohibitively expensive for the average man, costing between five and seven hundred Riis per ounce.
It meant that Arthur only had enough money to keep the guards happy for two to three months, assuming the Revan family paid them for their participation in the war. Of course, that number also assumed he didn't spend a penny on anything else.
Arthur guessed a more realistic timeline would be a month and a half if nothing went tragically wrong. Managing a territory was costly, especially a hostile one. Usually, the taxes the lord received would cover the cost, but Arthur knew better than to expect any substantial tax money from the territory for a while.
"All right, you guys can leave. I'm going to collect my thoughts for a while." Arthur turned to look at Foster. "Foster, meet me here in the morning. Report your transfer to whoever you need to lest you be blamed for abandoning your duty. They should know about it already, but if not, just tell me tomorrow, and we'll work it out."
Senna and Foster said their goodbyes and left the room, leaving only Kyren and Arthur behind.
"Young master! I'll follow you wherever you go!" Kyren shouted sarcastically.
"Shut up." Arthur rolled his eyes as Kyren's bellowing laughter filled the room.