Chapter 37
Lives aren't weighed on ranks. In theory, all lives are important. No matter how tiny, no matter how large, life remains the same on every front.
In other words, no life is unimportant. That is why, the Exp from saving lives is mostly dependent on the threat scale and the number of lives threatened.
It means if there were only a hundred lives to be saved from a wall falling, then Exp gained from them would have been a lot less.
Anyway, this episode was done with. I haven't received any quests regarding this which means it was out of my own choice. This wasn't a fixed point like Rose's father, Gallard.
But, I had gained a powerful ally. Stewart, the knight of the royal family was actually an SSS rank existence. The only problem was, he was injured.
That's how Monica had easily found her husband after she woke up. He was right next to her. The only problem was, he was injured.
Still, no matter what manner of injury, a phoenix's tear should heal it because phoenixes have strong regenerative abilities even higher than werewolves.
"What will this do?" He asked pocketing the vial with fiery-colored liquid in it. "Heal your wounds. The ones on the inside."
Breakthrough. A very big problem for the residents of this world since it always comes with a risk. A risk of an injury. If one's lucky, the injury wouldn't be permanent, but if one's unlucky like Mister Stewart here, the injury would sometimes be permanent.
I had plenty of chances to check his condition from the inside when I touched him to absorb dark mana from his surface.
His rank drop must have been permanent.
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Even after recovering my HP fully, I still couldn't get up properly. I almost died three times in that fight and had it not been for Stewart, I wouldn't have lasted longer than a second.
[The jokes on you]
'Shut up. Not like that.' I replied in annoyance.
"How do you feel, Your Highness?" Max asked while massaging my shoulders.
"A lot better now." I wouldn't say prim and proper but I wasn't much far from that.
The news of the queen's awakening spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom in a night and it wouldn't take long before the whole world of Isis becomes aware of it.
When Laura regained consciousness and saw her mother smiling at her, she lost it and cried a lot. I left the mother and daughter pair to tear away and returned to the room given to me to rest.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Rose who was quiet ever since I came back. I didn't need to be told what she was feeling right now.
"It's nothing, Your Highness." She replied in a soft and low voice.
"Weakness isn't a sign of helplessness Rose. It just means you're not strong yet." Rose's talent was amazing. Scary even if I have to put it in better words.
The only character in the novel who doesn't have a divine weapon, special physique, or a special condition. All she had was raw talent.
Just because she was useless in this fight, didn't bury the fact that she still had more potential than the protagonist himself. I had just helped her focus only on her talent instead of focusing on different things like me, her family's condition, and the students who would bully her in the Academy.
I will do my best to keep her away from useless things and focus more on herself.
As for Max, well his progress would be slow but I have just the teacher in mind to teach him. His most problematic trait is his honor and his aversion to acts that go against it. I know of a person from the novel who will be an excellent teacher to him in that regard.
I excused both Rose and Max. Only Max left but it seemed like Rose had something to say.
"What is it?" I asked. Rose hesitated for quite some time and it took her more courage to say it, "I would be honored if His Highness could guide me more severely from now on."
[She's one brave girl]
What's so surprising about it? She must have felt that her progress had slowed down so she is simply asking me to train her more severely.
I have no problem doing that.
"Once we reach the academy, we will begin training in earnest. Then it won't just be physical training but a lot more grueling training so prepare yourself for this month."
Soon Rose would reach the peak of C rank. No one has ever reached that stage at this age and this soon in the academy. In the novel, Rose reaches that stage six months after the beginning of the academy.
[Your intervention has accelerated that greatly]
It may have. But it was mostly Rose's talent. Like I said, if she forgoes most of the useless things and many more things stop getting in her way, she would be the strongest in the world in just a few years.
Rose nodded with a smile and left. It wasn't long after when she returned to inform me that the queen, Monica Ravenknight was requesting my audience.
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"I can't express my gratitude in words, …" Monica began in a gentle tone but stopped midway.
"Adrian. Please call me Adrian, Your Majesty." I spoke. She nodded and continued, "Stewart told me what you have done for me, and for that, I can't thank you enough."
"I'm sure Sir Stewart must have done a lot more than just 'told'," I replied with an ever so straight expression that even the queen couldn't understand my meaning. Stewart on the other hand, did.
"Kuhum. What my queen means to say is that the Ravenknight kingdom would be eternally in your debt." Stewart awkwardly said.
I smiled and bowed courteously. Currently, almost everyone important and in power in the kingdom was present in the throne room.
Many with happy faces and many with faces like I had stolen their wives.
[You brought someone who might]
Figuratively, yes. By waking up Monica, there is no one strong left in the Ravenknight kingdom to go against the royal family. And once Monica became aware of what the families had done in her absence, she would take things from them more precious than their wives.
I do hope that she is careful though. It is all politics in the end and only an iron fist doesn't last long.
From underneath her veil, Laura was smiling so widely that anyone could tell even if her face was covered.
She glanced at me with suggestive gazes that excited me a bit. The queen must have noticed that as she spoke, "I hear you will be studying with my daughter at the academy."
"Yes, you heard correctly, Your Majesty," I replied.
"I hope you will take care of my daughter during that time." She replied with a smile. I also smiled and replied, "I will do my best not to disappoint Lady Laura."
There was some restlessness when I called Laura by her name and even Monica was a little conscious of it but Stewart shook his head slightly at her and she calmed down.
"I am looking forward to that too, Sir Adrian," Laura replied in an equally soft and suggestive tone which silenced all the voices in the crowd.
[Can't believe she is flirting with you in front of everyone]
'I like it.'
[Of course you do]
"I myself am very eager for that," I replied with a sweet smile.
Kuhum! Stewart again coughed. He should have it checked, it could be serious.
[You're flirting with his daughter]
[It is serious]
'She started it.'
Anyway, "Your Majesty, may I have a word with you? Alone." I asked. Monica glanced around the room and after staring at Stewart briefly, she nodded. Many in the room made faces but began to stand up and leave.
"You too Laura," I said to Laura. She made a dissatisfied face but didn't speak and left with Rose and Max. Stewart was about to leave too when I coughed and shook my head.
He noticed my actions and remained in his place. Once only me, Stewart, and Monica were in the room, I began, "Your Majesty, although it is your inherent secret, I would suggest that you refrain from using mana for some time lest you end up using your darkness as well."
Monica flinched at the mention of Darkness and faint traces of dark mana appeared around her.
"Monica," Stewart called which stopped the gathering process of Monica and she stared at him for some time. She then turned to me and said, "It isn't my fault."
Of course, it isn't. But the world wouldn't see it that way. Dark mana. In other words, mana of demons. If it is exposed that the Ravenknight family has dark mana in their bloodline, no doubt the whole world would gather to kill them.
"No, it is not. And although you are not using dark mana in your attacks, your mana is dark which means whenever you use mana, it will be automatically like you using dark mana."
"The problem is; that Darkness needs to meet many conditions. Darkness is the strongest when it comes to any kind of power and that includes mana."
"Sometimes it is a conduit or at others, it's a sacrifice. A payment if you will. The payment in your case, is your life."
"Your life force depletes every time you use mana. That is why your body went into stasis to preserve and collect more life force while you are dormant."
I explained everything in simple terms and both, Stewart and Monica, listened with rapt attention. Once I was finished, Stewart asked, "How do we prevent that from happening?"
"Good thing you asked. The solution to your problem is very simple." I replied as I pulled out an item from my inventory. A book to be more precise.
"This is a list of everything you need and do to collect more life force. There is also a cultivation method that will make your life force more potent. In other words, increase your life. It won't make your life infinite but potent, there's a difference."
"Unfortunately, you're at a stage where the price for mana has already been selected. So the only measure that can be taken to prevent that is increasing your life force and what's in that book will work best for you."
I ended my explanation there and then turned to Stewart regarding his problem, "The vial that I gave you. Consume it somewhere away from people."
"Why?" He asked, confused.
"You will be returning to your former self and quite possibly breakthrough to the next stage. Do you really want people to be around then?" I retorted and realization dawned upon him.
"Right. Thanks." He replied awkwardly and nodded. Another fact he soon realized but remained quiet. I knew of his strength. He must have been taken aback about it.
"Now that all of this is out of the way, let's talk about some payback, shall we?" I spoke with a sweet and innocent smile on my face.
[Even I'm feeling cold]
'Shut up.'
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"No matter what, do not slack off. You are close to your breakthrough. Focus on that." I strictly instructed Laura while she was seeing me off.
"Do you really have to go?" She asked with a pout. This was one of the rare moments when she didn't have her veil on. But since only me, Max, Rose, and her family were here, she had taken it off.
"I can't go with you. That would implicate many things." I replied. She understood the meaning behind my words so she remained quiet.
"What?" However, the pout on her face hadn't gone away.
"Why didn't you visit me before?" She asked in a low voice but Monica standing a few feet behind us coughed.
"Your mother has her eyes on me." I softly spoke which caused Monica to cough again, only this time, she wasn't alone.
Stewart glared at me for a while so I simply nodded and said my last goodbyes. "Don't worry. She won't be at the academy."
Laura gave me a sweet smile to that statement and backed off. I boarded the carriage and behind me, Max and Rose got on as well.