In the meantime, Galen translated the tome for Lucas, since that was also just a bunch of scribbles to Lucas. He didn't have the time to study an entire language, so he was very happy to have a translator on hand.
During their travel, Galen and their horses needed some rest. After a good 30 cycles passed was the tome complete and their training at an end. Now they just had to go back to the Empire. Galen accompanied him for the entire journey.
This gave Lucas time to finally study the tome. To his disappointment, it wasn't just a list of spells and runes, but it actually detailed the way animals and magical beasts used magic.
How did they learn magic spells on their own? Through pure instinct? Taught by the older generations? Or was there something else?
The tome described how the beasts lived in harmony with humans and how they adapted to the world around them. At first, people theorized that every single spell was instinct, but this theory quickly collapsed when they found higher Ranking beasts.
'At Rank 3, beasts tend to develop their own personal mental sphere, giving them the tools to experiment with runes and boosted their intelligence. Once the sphere is grown, a beast can learn human languages and communicate like any other.... is this serious?'
'Well... that's a fucking surprise, or actually, it isn't.'
'What do you mean, it isn't? Beasts have always acted out of instinct, not once did they attempt to speak. Even the Dragons that are so feared are never mentioned conversing.'
'So? The Black Griffon we fought in the second trial shows how capable beasts can be. Plus, I knew things weren't going to be so easy. It wouldn't make any sense for them to know high level magic and still be dumb as a rock.'
'Sure, but that's just strategy and tactics on how to hunt. Teach a dog a trick and it'll learn. That beast learned through experience, that's all.'
'The author had no reason to lie, this is the truth. We were extremely lucky to not encounter a Rank 3 beast until now. But if this is the case, shouldn't you be ecstatic?'
'What do you mean? Shouldn't you be afraid of the possibilities?'
'I am way ahead of you, I always had that as a possible risk, I'm prepared. They just reached the level of humans, so it's not that much different. I'm not going to panic over some dumbass animals gaining self-consciousness. That should be something good for you even.'
'Why? You think I can talk to them?'
'Sure, their ego will be massive, and they won't understand how humans think and act. If there's one of us that is good at manipulation, I don't think we need to argue.'
'Hmm, there are a lot of things that might work, but still, I'm just afraid that they'll become like humans and start to plot as well. Then we'll have so much trouble on our hands.'
'True, that would be hell. If a human had the physical strengths of a magical beast and the intellect of a mage, we would always be on the losing side. Still, a beast, no matter how smart stops being a nuisance when they're dead.'
Lucas kept reading the tome as it was filled with information that was very interesting. It described how each animal used mana and magic to their own advantage. There were the obvious answers like the Black Griffon that infused mana into its own wings and feathers, but there were also a ton of other peculiar ones.
A small beetle that was capable of digging tunnels ten times its size, flies that lived for less than a day, but through magic could extend their live and create a ton of offspring, a lizard that was able to regenerate its own body parts
Snakes that were able to use their venom in magic, creating clouds of poisonous fog. A frog with such a poisonous hide that it could poison rivers easily.
A large bird that was able to break the barrier of sound if it used magic, centipedes with the power of splitting their body and both parts living on their own, a parasite that could take over part of the host's brain and make it smarter. There were a ton of different uses of mana, many of which were extremely utilitarian.
Some of these spells were described in the tome, like the sand tornado that the Great Beast of the Desert used. There were also descriptions on the other more defensive spells. A lot of the cool spells that Lucas wished for weren't recorded, but the smaller ones were.
The issue with this lied in the fact that the author couldn't ask these monsters which runes they used. They had to re-engineer every single spell and create something similar to it, meaning that some spells were simply too complicated to replicate.
By the time he had read every defensive spell the beacon of the capital was already in sight. Galen bid him farewell and returned home. Lucas almost forgot he wasn't traveling alone, all this time, he never spoke a word to Galen as he was focussed on the tome.
Days, or cycles, had passed, but only now did he realize how asocial he was being. Not that he would've acted differently had he known. Having read the spells, all that was left was memorizing them and perhaps carving the runes in his dome to master them. Only then would he move on to the offensive and miscellaneous spells.
Entering the castle, Lucas found Thurin, Carian, and a bunch of different scholars hard at work. After the war, there were a ton of issues that cramped up. One of the biggest one was food production and paying debts, or delaying the payments of said debts.
The throne had borrowed a ton of money from a lot of different places and needed to repay them all. To achieve that goal they needed to boost their export and economy while also keeping a large enough profit margin to let the people enjoy their lives.
It was a balance that proved extremely hard to find, but with the smartest scholars at work, things should be going in the right direction. Lucas had been gone for quite some time, even if the time spent with Galen flew by. He had forgotten the notion of time for a moment.
All his time reading and understanding the tome passed by in a blink of an eye, almost unnoticeable. Still, Thurin welcomed him with open arms. He had a smile on his face again.
"I guess you're starting to adapt?", Lucas smiled as he gave him a firm handshake.
"Hah, I suppose you could say that. I'm just happy I don't have to worry about which group of people I have to sacrifice but rather which building should be rebuilt first."
The most stressful period was over, so now it was time to rebuild everything that was lost in the war. It would take a long time and a lot of effort, but it was better than being in constant war.
There was still the issue with the people as well, many don't support ending the war, not wanting their anger and hatred to go unfulfilled. There was nothing to be done there, sadly, the propaganda that Augustinus spread everywhere wasn't enough to convince the entire population.
Seeing the lack of effect, Augustinus proposed to have some kind of Colosseum where people fought against each other for entertainment. It would increase the betting industry while also giving people a place to vent. Or that was his reasoning, Carian and Thurin weren't a fan of the idea. Only after changing the rules did they agree with it.
The propaganda wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't as it had no effect, a lot of people started to see the benefits of peace and not having to worry about death for a while. There were no more worries that one's neighbor would suddenly disappear, never to return again.
Thurin ordered the throne room empty, the new guards, who wore no helmets, were getting used to the way the Emperor worked and obeyed him in an instant.
"So, I wanted to talk about something important, but it was a bit delayed. What will you do next?", Thurin asked as he stared into the eyes of Lucas.
Lucas closed his eyes as he scratched the back of his neck. "I have to leave, not only because I want to, but because I have to."
"What do you mean?"
"You know where I come from, there's a high ranking mage that has put a beacon into my heart. It alerts them of my location. The other Starborn came here to assassinate me. Since they failed, they will send a stronger one. If I don't want the entire Empire to suffer, I have to leave."
"How dangerous are we talking about?", Carian asked out of curiosity. He wasn't sure what Lucas was talking about, but he grasped the situation through the context easily enough.
Lucas pondered for a moment before releasing his aura a bit. "People that aren't strong enough to match my level get pressured under this aura. In the entire Empire, there might only be a few people capable of standing straight when they're enveloped in it."
The men nodded, they had experienced it multiple times and knew all too well how powerful that ability was. He had the strength to pressure anyone weaker than him to the ground, as an emperor, Thurin wouldn't mind having the same powers.
"If the man that's after me released his aura," taking a small pause, he calculated his odds as realistically as possible. "I would probably die in less than a second."
For Lucas, the person that was Simon's father or backer had to be someone of Rank 3 or higher. Considering the noble status, Lucas assumed the head of the family was a Rank 4. If he were to go up against someone of that Rank, all his power would be snuffed out in an instant, no, even shorter.
He didn't feel discouraged or sad, no, Lucas just saw that as a reason to grow stronger. His desire for power was never sated, especially not when his opponents kept growing in strength.
"I see.", Thurin nodded slightly, he hid his emotions well, but Lucas saw through his facade. They spent a lot of time together, there was no way for him not to notice. He walked up to him and pulled out a small book.
"It's not much, but in my absence, you can continue your search for magic. I've written down how I worked to learn my spells. It should prove useful.", he smiled slightly as he handed over the book.
Carian who was unaware of the entire situation felt like there were a lot of secrets between his Emperor and the Starborn. "What else have you been hiding from me?", he folded his arms as he jokingly stared at them.
"Hahaha, you wouldn't want to know, Carian.", Thurin laughed like when they first met. Carian laughed with them for a bit before realizing that he was being more serious than he first thought.
Eventually his laugh stopped and a peaceful silence appeared. Thurin stared at Lucas for a few moments as he looked back on how he got in this throne. It had been a long story for him, yet the man in front of him was going back to face his demons. His story had just begun.
He was given more than a throne, he was given power, influence, a strong army, peace in the south, and best of all, a friend. Now that person was going to risk his life somewhere else. He didn't like it one bit. After being given this gift to learn magic on his own, he felt that all he had given Lucas wasn't enough.
"If you are ever in need of men or supplies, you know where to find me. The contract you and Carian had is gone, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop providing you with what I can."
"Thurin, I don't want to be rude, but even if you gave me your strongest men. Against the monsters I have to face, they would undoubtably die.", Lucas liked the gift, but it was just something unrealistic. For all he knew, he might never return to this place.
"That matters little.", Thurin's retort surprised Lucas. "If I were to ask around if there would be anyone willing to sacrifice their lives to safe you, I can assure you I'll have a hundred men easily."
Lucas smiled, before giving him a perfect bow. "Then I'll accept your generosity, your majesty... and my good friend.", his heart felt satisfied, as if an invisible itch had been scratched. Saying those words while he meant them sated his soul.
It didn't take long before Lucas was back on his way north this time. Having no reason to stick around any longer, he went to find the final trial before he could leave this place. Of course, he wasn't out of the woods yet.
There was still the other assassin aiming for his throat. But if he was correct, he wasn't in that much danger. The specialty of the other assassin was much more stealth related. His signature spell was the one with the little strings.
They couldn't do much against Lucas if he just destroyed them with his Dark magic. Of course, there was the issue that information about his special body would spread. But as far as Lucas knew, you could only get out of this place if you could fly for a long time.
So before exiting the Underground, there was bound to be a lot of work ahead.
Leaving behind one of his very few friends, Lucas went north, following a path that Augustinus drew out on a small basic map. There were but a few points of interest on the map to guide him, nothing more.
Right as he left the busy capital, he visited the nearby woods and sat down to study his tome further. He was most likely going to meet the assassin at the place of the trial or on the way there. That was the best case scenario to Lucas.
'Chances of that are nihil, you realize that right? We would be way too fucking lucky for them to just stand around waiting for us to come, do you know how stupid that sounds?'
'It might not be, let's think positively about this.'
'Any person with half a brain stem would retreat and inform the employer that the mission failed. I don't know who that person is, but they're smarter than that ogre. They will retreat.'
'I find that debatable.', Lucas thought as he walked forward with a pep in his step, optimistic in his chances.
'How?'
'Simon comes from a big family, their youngest son is a Rank 2 mage and growing quickly. It's clear that they have plenty of resources.'
'And? Can't say you've motivated me to change my mind.'
'Well, why did they only send two people after us?'
'What makes you say that there isn't an entire group waiting for us?'
'Then they would've already come. We were weak after fighting Grok, yet nothing happened. Even during our training with Galen they could've interfered and gotten rid of us instead of letting us grow stronger.'
'Hmmm... it's indeed strange they didn't take advantage of a few opportunities, are they trying to lure us into a trap perhaps? Making us think we're safe and then strike?'
'No, I think they don't have the capacity to attack in the first place. We've only met two assassins, and after we killed one, we haven't seen any signs.'
'Yes, that's why I think they left to get back-up.'
'I disagree, they're alone in here, the beacon gives them our location, but not the way to us. I think only two found the way here, the others are non-existent or still looking.'
'That... is something I can agree with. But doesn't that mean that the moment we get out of here, we'll be ambushed?'
There was a slight pause in his mind as he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
'...I didn't think that far.... yes, the chances of that are... actually pretty high.'
Lucas sighed.
'Well shit, guess our little studying session is going to last a fuck ton longer.'
'Sigh, I didn't... dammit.'
Realizing his current circumstances, he realized that what he thought was only a single opponent left, might've been a hundred... or a thousand... or so many more. Closing his book he looked at the cover.
'Is there an animal that can regenerate its own heart?'
Lucas flipped through the pages, but after glancing through all the pages, he quickly closed it. It wasn't the time to rush through his work. The tome was written in a narrative story, linking each animal to one another. Skipping ahead was doable, but all the scientific terms made his heart hurt.
So he took a deep breath before reading the page where he left off, taking his time. He would find something eventually.