It was already nighttime, but Desser wanted to try cultivating as soon as possible. Desser called out to the knights doing night watch outside his door, "Sir Knights, I have orders for you."
The knights opened both doors of his bedroom. It was entirely unnecessary, but the knights wanted to be the first to help their crown prince. After all, Desser was a ticket to getting into higher ranks. Many knights thought Desser was going to die, and along with it, the Arch-Magi's direct lineage.
There were some descendants of the great prophet, but they were hidden from the general public for being dirty. The fact that the church killed all bastard children extremely cruelly was unknown to Desser. He would soon find out about the so-called bastard children and their fate.
The knights said in unison, "your desire is our command!"
Desser found it awkward to address them as 'sir knight' and would like to know who was protecting him at his most vulnerable. He asked them, "what are your names?"
The senior knight spoke first, "my name is Alfonse Follin."
Desser was surprised to hear a last name. Until now, Cornelius and Sonia didn't have last names.
The senior knight, Alfonse, continued, "Of course, I belong to the Follin house. You could say that I'm the heir to the Noumni territory and my father's Dukedom." Alfonse spoke with great pride.
The junior knight seemed much smaller and younger to Alfonse. "My name i-is Vince F-Follin. I'm Alfonse's younger brother and an apprentice k-knight, your highness." Vince struggled to speak because he greatly admired Desser and felt nervous.
Alfonse's prideful attitude and how he spoke informally to Desser did not go unnoticed. In contrast, Vince paid respect to his title and seemed a lot more approachable.
Desser ordered, "Apprentice Vince, bring Cornelius and Sonia to my room immediately. I need to speak with them."
"Immediately, your hi—" Vince was interrupted by his older brother's outburst.
"Prince! Why would you send my incompetent brother! I would be more than happy to accomplish your every whim. Command me to do so in his stead."
Desser looked at Vince with annoyance, "and you presume to tell me what to do? Have I suddenly slept so long that you have become a prince and I your servant?"
Alfonse was dumbstruck. He clamoured to correct the misunderstanding, "of course not! I would never do such a thing to a Mogar! My apologize, prince."
Desser felt there were hidden meanings to Alfonse's words, but he had neither care nor patience for the idiotic man before him.
"What are you waiting for, Vince? Get going."
Vince instantly ran out the door after his look of shock disappeared. This was the first time Vince had seen his brother being corrected.
A couple of minutes passed as Sonia and Cornelius came rushing in. They were still half asleep and had barely made themselves presentable. Cornelius's priestly attire was on backwards as he reported to Desser, "your highness, we have arrived as soon as possible! Do you have a new revelation about this war against the light?"
Sonia heard this and stood up straight, "should we forbid all candlelight too? If you command it, I will learn how to cook in the dark, my prince!"
Desser slapped his forehead in frustration, "would you two shut up and listen?! I don't have time to explain how stupid you too sound." Desser began to wonder if he was being surrounded by the dumbest of people on purpose. Was this hell, and he was being punished?
Desser continued, "Cornelius, I would like to begin my cultivation again. I would like you to bring me to an area with the smallest concentration of Magic nearby. And Sonia, I need you to prepare for our departure. It may take some time; I'm not sure how long. We will probably be there for a full day. Bring my medication, food for us, and arrange temporary shelter in case we must be there for several days."
Cornelius and Sonia unanimously replied, "as you command!"
Cornelius then asked, "have you gained enlightenment after reading our great prophet's holy book?"
"I'm not sure, but I do have some experimenting and learning to do. I can't understand the theory without trying it in the real world." Desser answered.
"Most wise, Prince Mogar!" Smiled Cornelius.
Sonia confirmed with Desser, "should we move out at sunset tomorrow?"
"No, I'd like to go now!"
Sonia heard that and ran out the door. There was no time to waste. Cornelius already knew of a clearing where trees never grew. Interestingly, the most fertile soil is located where the highest Magic concentrations exist. The same applies to animals. Animals could evolve into monsters with enough time and Magic concentrations. Monsters could evolve into disasters that threaten kingdoms where Magic was at its densest. Magic was a life force and a catalyst.
Because Magic could be so powerful, Desser knew he had to be careful.
Sonia walked into the room again with a parade of chests moving down the hall.
"What's all that, Sonia?" Desser pointed that the Congo line beyond the bedroom doors.
"I have emptied out our storage rooms and brought every piece of food I could find along with 6 months' worth of medication and more!" Sonia held her head high as she spoke.
"What will the rest of the staff eat while we are gone?" Desser asked, shocked by the overreaction from Sonia's preparations.
"LET THEM EAT GRASS! OUR PRINCE MUST BE FED!" Sonia yelled with great pride.