As I walked with Andrew, I mulled over possible solutions to the problem. I needed to find out who was behind the attacks and their intentions. "For now, let's head towards Lady Calliope's estate," I suggested. "Regardless of who is behind this, they will suffer the same fate."
As we entered the estate, I saw Lady Calliope waiting for me in front of my guest room. I quickly put on a smile and greeted her, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
She replied, "I just wanted to let you know that your training begins tomorrow at 5 pm, and you will join me for breakfast from now on, okay?" I nodded, and she smiled before turning to leave.
Once she was gone, Andrew asked me, "What was that about?"
I sat down on the bed and gave myself a proper stretch before replying, "Oh, I'm her disciple now."
"Seems like I missed a bit" Andrew responded
"Well, not really. Anyways, since they burned down one building, it's likely they'll burn down more in the following days." I realized that since they didn't take any business secrets, their intention was probably to draw me out of Silverglade to either kill or kidnap me.
"I think we need to change our plans. Instead of telling Jason, Fred, Malachai, and Preston to be on alert, let's tell them to start heading toward Shadowmoor. Once we meet Owen here, we'll head there as well." I sighed but continued
I let out a sigh before continuing, "I will send a quote to the journalists stating that all those who were working in the previously burned buildings will continue to be on payroll until the construction of the new building. Also, if one of the burned buildings is from Mr. Beckett's Barony, we'll add a basement and buy the surrounding buildings." Andrew nodded without asking any questions but I could tell he had a few.
Exhausted and feeling the weight of the situation on my shoulders, I rubbed my face and took a deep breath in. Despite the potential benefits that could arise from my plan, I knew, for now, I needed rest. So, I allowed myself to succumb to slumber.
—-------------------------
As I woke up, I glanced out the window and noticed the bright sun outside. I stood up and changed into more casual clothes, stretching as I did so. Looking at myself in the mirror, I saw my black hair, blue eyes, and 5'0" height - I had always thought I looked handsome.
I called for Andrew, and as usual, he was waiting outside my room. "Any updates?" I asked him while styling my hair.
"You were right, 2 more buildings were burned, including one in the Beckett barony. I also sent the orders to them, and Owen will arrive in 6 days," he replied. I wasn't surprised - it was what I had expected, but it was still a bit stressful.
"How about the newspapers?" I asked as I walked towards the hallway, with Andrew following me.
"The public is praising you, calling you a saint with a generous heart," Andrew responded with a lighter tone and a small smirk.
I chuckled at Andrew's response. "What, you don't think their praise is accurate?" I asked jokingly.
As we entered the dining room, Lady Calliope greeted me with a smile and a cup of tea in her hand. "Good morning, Lucas. Hopefully, you had a good night's sleep," she said, motioning for me to take a seat. My eyes drifted over to the newspaper sitting next to her.
"Thank you, Lady Calliope. I did," I replied before taking a seat.
"That's surprising based on what this newspaper says, 3 burned buildings thankfully no casualties," Lady Calliope said with her voice a bit sympathetic
"I suppose it's just a small setback," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "These things happen, and unfortunately, I was just unlucky enough for it to occur at this particular time. But the most important thing to me is ensuring that my employees are safe."
"Very noble of you, Lucas," Lady Calliope responded with sincerity in her voice. "Most nobles wouldn't even consider compensating their workers in such a situation."
I knew that Lady Calliope was a woman of the people, and I had no doubt that this act of generosity would earn me some points in her eyes. "I'm just doing what is right, Lady Calliope," I said in a humble tone. "I shouldn't receive praise for doing what God would deem as correct." She believed that true nobility lay in humility, and I hoped that my actions would reflect that.
"I wish more nobles had your mentality; then this kingdom wouldn't be so rotten." Her eyes flashed with a glint of hatred, and I couldn't blame her, given how many nobles had turned their back on the South.
With a farewell to Lady Calliope, I left the dining room with Andrew by my side. As we walked, I idly looked through some business documents and relaxed, watching the day slip by. Before I knew it, it was time for my training.
As I arrived at the training ground, I felt a spark of excitement within me. I was eager to increase my skills and finally be able to probably use my teleportation ability.
I noticed Lady Calliope already present, not wearing any armor. "You arrived just in time," she said, motioning for me to sit on the floor, which I did without hesitation.
"Just checking my magic today?" I asked her.
"No, I am checking your magic, but I also want to see what you are lacking so I can tailor your training accordingly," she replied, placing her hand on my back and injecting mana into me.
I felt a surge of energy as she did so. "Wow, very good for your age," Lady Calliope remarked. "The mana is being properly circulated, and the flow is good, but I see an issue. Your core hasn't taken the next step to really allow your abilities to flourish."
"So, what's next?" I asked.
"Well, when checking your core, I could tell you had two abilities. One is obviously ice, but the other one is falling behind, limiting your growth. Since you haven't used it, you need to tell me," she explained.
"It's teleportation. I haven't been able to use it since it drains all my mana, and that has drastic effects," I replied.
"Teleportation? Wow, you have a really rare one. That is amazing!" Lady Calliope exclaimed with surprise before quickly regaining her composure. "Well, I have just the thing for you. Since you have teleportation, you will be able to just use it as a scan."
"A scan?" I asked, genuinely curious. From what I remembered, there wasn't any scanning ability with teleportation.
"Yes, when you choose a target to teleport, it has to be in your line of sight. It has an outline indicating it, but you could also use mana and your mind to see every potential target to teleport with and turn and switch with it, a perk of the indication," she explained. I remembered a few years back when I teleported with a pencil and saw a faint blue outline around it.
"Here, let me show you how to do it," Lady Calliope said, gesturing for me to stand up. "First, focus on the area around you, and feel the mana in you and spread it through the air. Once you do that, close your eyes, and everything that your mana touches will be showed in your mind"
I focused on Lady Calliope, and to my surprise, the scanning worked. I could see everything, but every time I tried to let my mana reach her, it wouldn't work.
"It doesn't work when I try to touch you with mana," I asked, confused.
"Well, that's obvious. I can sense the mana coming to me, so I block it. But don't worry, once you master the scan, not even the strongest beings of this world will be able to detect it," Lady Calliope explained, reassuring me. The possibility of this ability was very promising,
Checking my teleportation orb, I could sense it had gotten faster and it began rotating at double the speed than before around my core. I also felt a rush of mana into my body and felt overall much healthier.
The training session went on without a hitch, and as night fell, Lady Calliope and I parted ways. However, despite the shining stars above me, my mind was racing and sleep eluded me.