Poison has been a lethal weapon throughout history.
Even Mages, who were more sensitive to their surroundings, were not immune from something like poison. Normal ones might not work on them as they could simply push it out, but Poison Masters had always tried to invent different poisons specifically for Mages.
As the strength and the powers of a Mage increased with time, different designs of poison evolved accordingly.
They were created with different variations, some strong enough to kill a Mage instantly and some taking their time and being hard to detect until it was too late.
Basically, according to the formula that they were made.
The worst poisons for Mages weren't those that would kill them instantly, but those that would make them crippled.
A crippled mage was far more useless than a common person since even regular work would prove daunting to them.
Poison makes things more interesting.
Kai's thoughts swirled as he breathed in and out. He felt the foreign substance in his body as the air left his lungs. His hand came intact with his stomach as he continued to focus on his body.
He moved the small amount of mana he had through his veins, but something blocked it and sent it back.
Kai might have just assumed it as a case of mana blockage, if not for his familiarity with the poison.
I never thought I would find myself in a body inflicted with Mana Bane. Fate is something.
Kai thought to himself, a weary smile creeping on his face. Images of his childhood popped up, scrambling for food in alleyways and stealing for a living. All the time while dealing with a Mana Bane affliction.
Though, this time, it looked like he was dealing with a weaker version of the poison he knew of.
It made sense as it was centuries earlier and in the coming time, this poison would be used as one of the basic concoctions for anyone treading the Art of Venom mastery.
Its real name wasn't Mana Bane, but it had been known as that for centuries.
It was also carefully planted. If not for him checking his body thoroughly, it would have been hard for him to detect it.
Kai inhaled sharply.
The poison blocked the rhythmic flow of mana, and stayed there like a block of wall, separating two sides.
That also explained why he couldn't do spells even though he had a Mana Heart and was able to sense the lingering mana in the air.
But why did no one notice the poison in my veins?
The question remained in his head for a solid second.
Maybe, just maybe what had happened was that Arzan was labelled a cripple by a Testing Mage who had been careless. No one would have bothered with him after that since it would have seemed like a case of mana blockage instead of poison.
Mana surgeries would only start a few centuries later, so he might have been a lost case.
Not only does that make sense, but that adds up to his constant worries in the diary.
But the truth could be far from what he expected.
After all, whoever had injected the poison in him would have taken care of not getting found out. He had a few people in mind for whom it might be based on the diary entries, but the poison had been injected way before the Awakening for sure.
It had been frozen in place for years now.
Whoever it had been, that person couldn't be his siblings. Arzan was the youngest, but not by much. He doubted newly awakened Mages would have access to such poisons. Though, he knew nobles were a scheming breed.
He had come across a few, and it had seldom gone well.
Political rivalries of a Duke's son would be way worse. For now, he had way less information to form a conclusion.
Kai frowned and decided to get the poison out of his veins first.
One good thing about this being an earlier version of the Mana Bane he knew of was that the veins weren't damaged. If Kai had been a few centuries late, there wouldn't have been any remedy without a major surgery.
The current version simply worked to block the flow of mana in his veins.
In this state, if Kai tried to awaken as a Mage, the backlash would burst his veins and Mana Heart, killing him instantly.
Even the thought of that made him wince internally.
He had to be quick now.
He knew what was going on inside him, and the only way he could save himself for the future was to do what he had to; remove the poison from his veins.
He closed his eyes.
The room fell silent as he consciously listened to his rhythmic breathing. He focused on his intention, the subtle hum in the air grew further as he concentrated on pushing the poison out.
He used a thin strand of mana and pushed the poison, slowly increasing the mana to put more pressure.
He could feel the relentless resistance of the poison, like an inky adversary.
Kai struggled but focused harder on pushing it out of his body. The poison inside him fought back, stubborn and malevolent.
It had been stuck for too long.
He furrowed when the poison's resistance became stronger as he tried. His forehead started covering in sweat, as he used every bit of mana he had.
He hadn't felt like this in years, but having an unawakened heart meant a very low amount of mana which might just be enough to push out the poison, but there was no guarantee.
Kai focused harder.
Just a bit more.
His muscles tensed as he fought back. If someone came in the room, they would think he was simply meditating, but Kai knew he was on a battlefield, every bit of mana in his body fighting to free his veins from the poison.
He inhaled deeply and finally, with everything he got, he pushed one last time against the wall of frozen poison.
Kai coughed as he felt his energy drained. But he felt a release in his body.
His hand covered his mouth as something came up to his throat. A few seconds passed by as Kai crunched down with his head in between his hands and vomited.
Gradually, it all soothed down.
He opened his eyes. His room reeked a bit and a black goo-like substance was all around him. He drew in a deep breath, but the very breath had a scent of the poison.
He sighed but then looked at his hand to see a black substance covering all of his palm and fingertips.
It was Mana Bane.
The poison was finally out of his body.
Kai felt as if he accomplished something ever since he found himself here. He kept looking at his surroundings.
He opened his window and it felt much better.
Taking a breath, he felt like his circulation was much better. Focusing on that feeling, he started to inhale and exhale deeply.
It was almost as if a pillow of suffocation was lifted that let Kai breathe freely.
This feels much better, Kai thought while wiping his hand with the napkin that was beside his food plate. But now that there's no barrier in between, maybe I can start developing the first circle.
As soon as he thought of the process, he felt weak and was reminded how exhausting it could be for him at the moment. He had used all of his mana and in this state, he doubted he would be able to do anything. He needed a full Mana Heart if he wanted to awaken.
Maybe not today…
The curtain in front of the windows started moving due to the wind, letting the moonlight inside the room.
It was almost as if it was signalling him to sleep it off. Kai knew he had no choice.
He walked to his bed and didn't even bother to change his clothes. From the strange ritualistic symbols to the mana weaver to getting the poison out of his heart, it had been exhausting since the moment he became Arzan.
He would have loved something like a [Refresh] spell at the moment, but with no such luxury, sleep was his best choice.
As soon as he hit the cold velvet, he drifted into the slumber.
***
He opened his eyes as a chilly wind hit him. He forgot to close the window last night and he shivered as he got out of his blankets.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the room to see everything right where they were.
The ritual. Arzan's diary. Even the chair where he had sat last night.
He took a few seconds to think about what had happened. It all hit him slowly, one by one—but in the end, he smiled. At least, he wouldn't have to live in constant danger to his life from now on. At least until the mana weaver problem didn't increase.
Looking down, the bruises from the ritual were all healed. He still had blood stained underneath the clothes he wore, but nothing that a good wash wouldn't solve.
His hand came up to rub his stubble.
I will focus on building the first circle today and learn more about this place.
He decided as he made note of where he left everything last night.
Kai stood up from where he was and thought of taking a hot bath to clean his body. But as he walked towards the drawers, the knock on the door halted his actions. He turned and walked to open the door.
The door opened with a creak. Kai saw Claire who stood with a polite smile and some towels and a bucket of water in her hands.
"Good morning, Lord Arzan. I hope you slept well."
Kai nodded, "I did. Please leave them inside," he said and motioned to her hands.
He let the woman walk in and took a few steps back.
"One more thing, Lord Arzan. Knight Killian has requested your presence in the dining room today."
Her voice made him turn around and there, she stood with prying eyes.
Kai thought about it for a second. Knight Killian. Finally, he'd get to meet and see what he was like. A part of him wanted to reject and focus on building the first circle, but it was not good to stall until he was going to act as a recluse.
That fit with Arzan's personality, but he wanted to take a more active approach to things.
"I will." Kai nodded.
"I will leave these inside," Claire said as she walked past Kai and towards the door that had been on the opposite side of the room.
So, that is the bathroom.
Kai gave a glance in that direction but walked back to the desk where the diary was still open. He wanted to keep it somewhere unnoticeable as he knew he should get the room cleaned.
He stepped closer to the drawer filled with clothes and buried it underneath all the tunics. When he was done, he heard the bathroom door close.
Claire was holding a bunch of clothes which he assumed had been used prior.
"Your breakfast will be ready when you are down, Lord Arzan," she paused and her cheeks went reddish before questioning, "Do you need assistance with the bath, my Lord?" She questioned and Kai immediately realised that it was the norm to get an assistant for even a shower for nobles.
It felt like such an embarrassing thing to him as a Magus.
He immediately shook his head. "I will be fine."
Claire gave a half-bow with all the clothes in her hand and walked herself out of the room. But before she could reach the door, Kai called her and she stiffened.
"Can you clean the room while I go have my breakfast?" he asked as his eyes went to the ritual on the floor, then to the black stains on some areas.
The black substance had evaporated, but marks had been left behind.
Claire's eyes followed as she saw how everything in the room was dirty and disorganised. She nodded her head quickly. "Yes, I can, my Lord."
"You can leave now," he said and noticed how she walked out of the room. By her steps and her behaviour, it was obvious that she was still shaky around him. Maybe it's his title, but he didn't have to worry about it at all.
As long as she keeps her mouth shut, things will work fine.
Kai walked to the bathroom to wash his face. When he was inside, he was met with an average size room, filled with a luxurious bathroom experience. The bathtub was in the corner of the room. And near the entrance, he had a big mirror with a basin and a pitcher.
The steam that filled the bathroom made him realise that it was all warm water— just what he needed.
Kai stepped inside and faced the mirror. A faint surprise was written on his face as he looked back at his reflection.
His facial features were sharper than before— nose, thin eyes, and even the lips. They were all well-refined. Kai traced the scar that was on his left eyebrow from his fingertips. Unlike his previous lifetime, he now had black hair.
It wasn't long and no one would notice it if he hid it with hair, but the scar seemed to be from some childhood injury.
His eyes then fell on his body.
"I need to run a few laps daily," he said and stared at the belly that showed that he was well fed unlike most in the estate. He needed to put in more physical effort once he got over awakening his powers.
The stubble and the pieces of grown hair that were hanging around his ear in his face needed a trim. But it was not the time. Kai tugged at his hair, getting a good measurement of how long they were. He has never had hair this long.
He continued to stare at himself for a few more seconds, taking every single detail on his body wanting to keep them in his memory. Although he wasn't ugly by any measure in his last life, Arzan had way better genes in the physical aspect.
The more he looked at himself, the dried-up blood in his body distracted him. It was everywhere.
Removing his clothes, he kept them beside the basin, on the floor.
Kai washed his face and the water dripped down his body. He sighed at the sensation of hot water.
Heavens, this feels good!
Kai started rubbing the blood stains on his body one after another and washed his face, feeling relaxed after a long time.
***
Kai donned new clothes after getting out of the bathroom and felt much better.
Knight Killian, time to meet you.
He seemed to be in charge around the grounds, thus, Kai had all the more reasons to be curious. But there was one problem.
He didn't know where the dining room was.
Cluelessly, he walked out of the room.
My luck does work.
Claire stood in front of his room with cleaning materials. She had been waiting there for him to walk outside. If Kai could express his emotions, he knew he'd have a big, fat grin on his face, but he had to be subtle.
"The breakfast is ready, Lord Arzan," she said while looking at the floor.
"Okay, let's head there. I have a few things to ask you," Kai ordered, hoping she wouldn't question and after a second more, she nodded.
As expected, she started walking in the front without questioning.
A smile crept to Kai's face as they walked. It's a success.
"How's the atmosphere of the estate after the mana weaver attack?" He asked, noticing a few other maids doing their work. They bowed to him as they walked.
"People are still scared and it's been spreading to the city. The rumours of you defeating a mana weaver are everywhere."
"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, though, some people are saying that it's a farce since well, you are not a Mage."
She flinched while speaking and only calmed once Kai didn't seem offended.
They took a few turns after reaching the second floor that led to the dining room. Since he wasn't in a rush this time, he was able to notice the details more clearly.
The dining room was massive.
The rectangular table in the middle was already occupied with a few guards. They were clad in their usual uniforms, making noises and talking in whispers probably fearful of a brooding figure that sat on the far end, clearly standing out.
It seemed like they were directly under Killian or at least had some sort of a privilege that other guards didn't have. Most nobles he had seen would never eat at the same table as guards.
There were some other people, especially one who wore glasses and was in a robe. He also noticed the guard who had reported about the mana weaver among them.
The maids were preparing different foods that included fresh bread and soup.
The fireplace that was lit beneath the dining table stole his attention for a brief second. On the sides of the room, there were large windows that were closed.
He walked towards the table after looking around for not more than three seconds.
As soon as he was in front of the table, people dropped their conversations, bowing to him in respect.
"Have a seat," Kai said and took the seat in the middle of the table that was mostly reserved for the most important person in the room.
As soon as he sat, two maids walked towards him and started serving bread to his plate. Bread, meat and some fruits were on the table.
He ignored all of it and looked at the man who was seated on the opposite side of the table. He was a tall, muscular man. He looked stern and scary with blonde hair and a scar that ran down one of his cheeks.
Kai didn't have to think twice to know who he was.
He gave Kai the impression of one of the Enforcers that would take on several Mages at once, but Kai couldn't feel any mana beyond what a normal person would have from him.
Everyone in the room was normal.
"Lord Arzan, we need to talk."
Kai nodded and took a bite from his bread. He kept his utensils away and leaned backwards, giving who he assumed to be Killian his undivided attention.
His goal was to appear calm and confident in front of him.
I need to not give him any suspicions. He's not a mage, but is clearly important.
"What is it?" Kai questioned.
"The Tradeheart merchant company is threatening to take over the farmlands if we can't pay back the debt," Killian said without a pause.
He continued to gaze at Kai, looking for a response.
Initially, Kai assumed it was about the mana weaver attack, but it seemed to be completely different.
What debt is he talking about now?