The dusk settled after their long day, but something inside him said the night would be longer. He leaned against the plush interior of the carriage, glued to the passing tableau.
They passed a few roads, took a few turns and were finally at the mouth of the capital of Lancephil Kingdom, Hermil.
A steady stream of carriages choked the streets, each one a microcosm of its own. Opulent coaches emblazoned with noble heraldry glided past, their occupants shrouded in haughty indifference—carts laden with overflowing sacks of vegetables and boisterous vendors hawking their wares created movement and noise.
A guard stood at the intersection, his bored expression momentarily breaking into a flicker of respect as he saw Kai's sigil in the front.
The guards had been notified of their arrival and how the sigil looked from their letters that were shared back and forth, or simply the guard didn't care much since the exterior of the carriage and the entourage was proof of their identity.
But soon, the guard walked closer and Killian briefly exchanged words with him.
With a curt nod, he gestured them towards a less congested route, "Head straight down, Baron Kellius. The Royal palace lies at the end."
He saw Killian nod at that and started moving forward.
As the carriage rolled, he remembered what he had learnt about the capital's districts— the grand artisan district, a playground for the wealthy and creative, the stoic noble district, home to the city's elite, the bustling central district, the heart of commerce, churches and trade, and the infamous lower district, a warren of poverty and desperation otherwise known as the slums.
It was a planned city, and he was curious whether he could use anything from it for Veralt. Kai had mostly lived in the Sorcerer's Tower and most of the cities in the world in his era were desolate, a lot of people even moved underground to survive the fiends.
There was nothing planned and even if there were places of civilization, they were mostly broken and barely working. He had only learned of the great cities of the past, even a few where only Mages lived, making it a heavenly place for those seeking knowledge and strength.
If he was right, Hermil itself would be one of the early places where Mages would gather in huge numbers in the first golden era of magic. There was still over a century to it.
As their carriage weaved through the throngs of people, Kai observed the diverse faces that streamed by on the streets.
Well-dressed men and women with an air of self-importance brushed shoulders with labourers whose faces bore the marks of hard work.
Compared to other places, there were also more non-humans here. He caught more than a few different races walking by, a few hiding their identity with robes and others displaying it freely.
Elves with their pointed ears, dwarves with gruff voices, nagas with their tall frames and slit pupils, trying to blend in with the others. He was surprised to see a few of them as he was seeing them for the first time.
A lot of them had grown extinct by his time, especially the ones with low populations as dead mana had simply turned them into monsters.
Occasionally, he would sense mana from a few figures walking by, clearly hinting at their connection with either one of the noble families or the Archine Tower.
Actra was the only Mage he had seen after regressing till a month or so back, now he was in a city full of them.
A pang of concern flickered in Kai's chest.
Despite the undeniable vibrancy, there was a subtle tension beneath the surface. The smiles on the faces of the wealthy seemed strained, a hint of worry clinging to their eyes.
The common folk, while diverse, looked burdened. Even the festive street vendors seemed to peddle their wares with a touch of desperation.
The words Malden had told him about Veralt doing better than a lot of places echoed in his mind.
On top of famines and growing prices, he was sure that Hermil wasn't an easy place to live financially, given that it was the capital.
With those thoughts, the carriage rolled towards the artisan district and he took sight of one of the arenas around the capital.
They were made to hold both official and unofficial fights with a large audience capacity.
The arena they passed by was a circular structure made up of large stone blocks with a wall surrounding the fighting arena. Kai wondered if they were made for hot-headed nobles or Mages to train and compete, but his thoughts died when he saw something even more interesting.
The Archine Tower.
It was a colossal edifice of white stone that seemed to scrape the heavens, being one of the tallest structures he had seen. With [Hawk eyes], he examined the intricate carving on its surface, wards to bolster its defences. Even from afar, its grandeur and majesty captured the imagination of anyone passing by.
His eyes were glued to the insignia, a stylised gryphon with outstretched wings that was carved on it.
It wasn't as grand as the Sorcerer's Tower and he even felt like the carvings on it weren't the best compared to what he had seen, but it was still better than what he had expected. He slowly raised his evaluation of the tower a bit.
As they drew closer, the imposing silhouette of the Royal palace loomed into view. Its gleaming golden gates, flanked by statues of former kings and queens, made him lean further into his seat.
They stopped by the gates. Killian emerged from the carriage first, "We'll be staying in the guest quarters reserved for visiting nobles, Lord Arzan," he informed Kai. "An audience with the King has been arranged for the morrow, as per protocol."
Kai nodded, a question lingering on his lips. "The palace? Why?"
"While the Duke does possess one estate within the capital walls, it remains inaccessible to you at this time. Well, it's mostly because… Lord Arzan's just a member in name for now. We asked for permission from the steward who handles the estate here, but he never got back to us. Until we build our estate, we would have to stay here."
Kai's brow furrowed in understanding. He didn't need Killian to elaborate. It wasn't a bad thing for him per se. His brother didn't like him and even if he hadn't met him, his opinion of him was surely the negatives.
If he could remove himself completely from him, it was for the best.
With a shared glance, the two Mages who had escorted them throughout the journey approached Kai's carriage. He let Killian hold the door as he stepped outside. The fresh air hit his nostrils immediately as he felt the mana in the air, fresher than Veralt by a small margin.
"Lord Arzan," Klan began, his voice laced with a hint of urgency. "We should head to the tower."
Kai cast a hesitant look towards the darkening sky. Dusk had settled over the city, painting the horizon in hues of orange and purple.
"This late in the hour?" he questioned, a hint of amusement in his voice. "The tower Mages in charge wouldn't be particularly thrilled with a late-night interrogation, would they?"
The two Mages exchanged a nervous glance. A beat of silence hung in the air before one of them spoke again. "Very well, then," he conceded. "We shall proceed at dawn. You would probably want this investigation over with as soon as possible."
Kai offered a noncommittal nod, the Mages' peculiar eagerness piquing his curiosity. Their hurriedness felt out of place, almost… forced. But before he could voice his suspicions, Jacks cleared his throat, his gaze flickering to one of the carriages. It was the one where they had kept the Blursage.
"Speaking of which," Jacks said. "May I inquire about your intentions regarding the additional substance you brought along? Blursage… Why?"
Kai had anticipated this question since it was inevitable they were going to wonder about the detour they had taken.
"Ah," he said, a nonchalant smile gracing his lips. "This? It's a mere matter of dealing with the merchant who provided us with our transportation and mercenaries. Blursage extract fetches a good price. I am sure you know that."
The Mages exchanged another glance. They both nodded slowly, seemingly satisfied with his explanation. With a mumbled farewell, they turned and melted back into the throng of palace guards, leaving Kai and Killian standing alone before the imposing golden gates.
Internally, Kai chuckled. These Mages seemed blissfully unaware of Blursage's true potential. Sure, it had its uses in potions— a harmless speed enhancer at best. But its real power, the key to his plan, only came to light after the third Mage war, thanks to a rogue master alchemist and his forbidden research.
From what he had learned from Malden about the usage of Blursage, he doubted even Magus Veridia would know of the secret properties of it. Even on the off chance she did, he would have enough plans thought out.
It was certain that those two would be telling everything about him to whoever was going to conduct the investigation tomorrow, but whatever he had shown them till now, it had all been for a reason and if he was right, the tower wouldn't be seeing him as someone they could push around.
Obviously, there was a chance they would think of him as a threat, but in their eyes, his strength would be at the peak of the second circle, maybe they would guess he's a third-circle Mage. With a Magus in charge and several others with similar strength, he doubted they would think of him highly.
At least till the time he got enough strength to not care about them at all.
He shrugged the thoughts in his mind and started walking towards where Killian was moving along with the rest of the guards.
***
Kai sported a tailored tunic woven from deep blue silk, its edges embroidered with silver thread that shimmered. A soft leather belt cinched his waist, and a matching cloak hung gracefully over his shoulders.
He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. With the exercises he was doing and his surge in power, he had been looking better and better. It wasn't something he particularly cared about, but appearances always helped.
A sharp rap on the door startled him from his thoughts about the day. "Lord Arzan," came Killian's muffled voice. "Are you ready to depart?"
"Almost," Kai called back, slipping the vial of the potion out of his tunic. He uncorked the vial and downed the cool liquid in one swift gulp. A surge of energy coursed through his veins, his senses tingling with heightened awareness. He picked up a sealed envelope from the table.
With a final smoothing of his cloak, Kai opened the door. Killian stood there, his face a neutral mask as usual. But after a good night's sleep, the knight looked a bit relaxed— maybe the tiniest bit. "We are ready to go," he announced. "The Mages who will escort us await in the carriage bay."
"Excellent, lead the way."
The walk to the carriage bay was a blur of opulent hallways and stern-faced guards. As they reached the stable, two Mages clad in the distinctive crimson robes of the Archine Tower stood beside a sleek black carriage. Their expressions were unreadable, but Kai sensed a nervous tension emanating from them.
"Lord Arzan," Klan bowed curtly. "We are at your service."
Kai offered them a nod, his smile unwavering. "Shall we proceed, then?"
He climbed into the carriage, Killian following suit. The archine Mages settled into a separate carriage behind them, a silent black shadow trailing their path. As the carriage rolled out of the palace gates and into the bustling city streets, Killian spoke, his voice laced with unease.
"I don't know what to expect, Lord Arzan," he confessed. "From what I've gathered within the palace walls, investigations conducted by the Archine Tower rarely go well for the accused. They have a reputation for deflecting blame, for twisting narratives. I heard they can be worse than even nobles and it was hard to find a sane person among the power-hungry lot. They've already rejected the notion of Actra turning into a monster. They'll likely try to pin it all on you."
Kai leaned back in his seat, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Let them try," he said coolly. "I've come prepared."
"Still, Lord Arzan. You are young and you haven't been of age for long," he said. "Now that you're a noble and a Mage, every word of yours weighs a lot, and you need to be careful. The Archine Tower will try its best to blame you for Actra's death. They would try to get you to say what they want and try to end the matter."
"I know. They want a scapegoat and I'm perfect for it. Fits all their boxes, but I have got a plan, Killian."
Killian furrowed his brow and glanced back. "But shouldn't you try to gather some support within the nobility? Surely some connections would hold more weight during the investigation."
Kai shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Support? Among nobles? Killian, I have no friends in these gilded halls. My own brother can't be trusted. Besides," he continued, "compliance wouldn't help. They'd just send more Mages to harass me, and frankly, I'm not eager to deal with their ilk. Moreover, I have an advantage."
"Advantage?" Killian echoed, intrigued by the shift in Kai's demeanour.
"Exactly," Kai replied, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. "These Archine Tower mages are probably used to getting their way, used to bend others to their will. I saw it with those two in the back when they appeared in our estate– arrogance masked by a thin veneer of courtesy."
"True, but perhaps the higher-ranking Mages are different," Killian cautioned.
"Perhaps," Kai conceded, "but even then, they likely see me as a greenhorn, a liar who can be easily bullied into submission. That, Killian, is exactly the underestimation I need."
A slow smile spread across Killian's face. He began to see the gears turning in Kai's mind, the cunning plan taking shape. "So, you're going to flip the script?"
Kai's grin widened. "Precisely. They didn't call me here to be investigated. I came here to investigate them. Do they want a scapegoat? I'll give them a target— the corrupt practices within the very walls of the Archine Tower."
-
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