Marcus left Caleb to comfort his family. He went and cleaned up the crime scene left by the "defenders".
While he was using his telekinesis to move the bodies, he discovered that he could extract a tiny amount of mana from these bodies.
His ability 'Mana Energy Conversion' helped him to convert his mana into energy or laser beams. It also helped him in extracting mana from objects by converting it into energy and absorbing it, thereby converting it back into mana.
It was his most handy ability just after telekinesis and also his primary attack. Having control over energy meant he could make his attacks mana-efficient and flexible.
Its only limitation was that he couldn't extract mana from living objects. But it didn't matter since he had humongous reserves that replenished over time.
He was like a balloon that only grew with more mana he got, and even if it shrank in size, it would regenerate into its peak only in a matter of time.
But his powers were not without their flaws. He was not able to move the bodies using his telekinesis. This puzzled him since other than carcasses, he was able to move anything non-living without any issue.
But it was not a problem for now. This was his first time looking at human flesh carcasses. And from the looks of it, they had already started to enter rigor mortis. The shriveled up corpses were very uncomfortable to look at, but he had seen enough gore to endure it.
He was indeed given a scare when the woman chopped off the heads of those two men. This was his first time witnessing murder. Even if he was angry at them, he had no intention of killing them.
This ruthlessness gave Marcus the shivers. Cedric, who saw the entire scene unfold before him, acted as if everything that just happened was unrelated to him.
Seeing Marcus's discomfort, he offered some assistance.
"I will take care of them for you. In exchange, we will be even."
"Eh, what even?"
"You helped me when I was injured. Think of it as repayment."
Marcus was in awe of this guy's shamelessness.
"I think you are forgetting something. You owe me two favors. First, I saved you from the greater basilisk, and secondly, I took care of you when you were injured."
Cedric's complexion became ugly after hearing this. It seemed Marcus's shamelessness could give his own a run for its money.
Marcus conjured two earth golems. These golems took the bodies and put them inside their hollow interior, becoming something akin to moving coffins.
The blood left was easily washed away by Marcus. As the golems exited the house, Marcus said to Cedric, "If you want to repay your debts so badly, then there are some things I want to know from you."
Cedric was confused but nodded nonetheless. He followed Marcus outside, and after walking for a considerable time, Marcus asked him, "Tell me about demons and the countries you know about."
Cedric looked at him as if he was talking to a lunatic, "Who are you, a mage? Shouldn't you know about things that even uneducated commoners know about?"
Marcus didn't reply but looked at him seriously.
"Good riddles. You are from this place; you should know about these things. But anyway, since you are hell-bent on asking this question, here is what I know:
The demons are just as the Holy Church describes them. They are otherworldly ferocious creatures that feast on human souls. It is said they come from a place named the Abyss or Hell.
As for the countries, we are currently in the Holy Empire. To its west is the Kingdom of Soissons, and to its east, there are elven settlements, Lechia, and the Rurikov Empire."
"Is that all?" Marcus asked in an unsatisfied tone.
"Are you also not from here? Is that why you don't know?"
This time, for the first time, Cedric showed an uneasy expression.
"Leave it," Marcus said, just probing Cedric to get some extra information. Little did he expect that Cedric's knowledge was also limited.
"Since your answer was not satisfactory, I will ask for something else. You will be coming with me to the count's place."
Hearing this, Cedric somewhat relaxed, "So you were testing me? Anyway, it doesn't matter; with this, one favor will be done."
Marcus secretly celebrated in his heart. He was very adept with negotiations. From the time he was an architect, he had to estimate building costs and negotiate contracts.
Though most of the negotiations were done by his seniors, he had picked up a few handy tricks for himself.
Testing the waters was one of them. You can probe the other party's real limit to get some additional benefits.
He was not even looking for too much information out of Cedric; he just wanted him to give him the most basic knowledge that everyone should know about.
In addition to that, he had acquired himself a meat shield for his visit to the count's place.
'If worse comes to worst, then I can just leave him and run away. With his skills, I believe he will be able to survive.'
Cedric, who was oblivious to Marcus's sinister thoughts of betrayal, had already picked up his pace, leaving Marcus behind.
'Nah, I was worrying too much for his sake; he will be fine; he is strong.'
Marcus buried the two bodies, or rather, he made the golems which had the bodies inside them dig themselves underground.
Following Cedric, he returned to Caleb's home. There he saw a guard standing at Caleb's door. Marcus picked up his pace and strode over to him to prevent any accidents like what happened in the morning.
The guard saw Marcus and recited his identity, "I am here to guide the esteemed mage to Count Elfied's mansion. Please follow me."
It went smoother than Marcus expected. The count's mansion was outside the village in its own private lands. There was a well-maintained road connecting the village with it.
It only took half an hour of walking to get there. Reaching their destination, Marcus was in awe of the count's mansion.
It was a beautiful stone building with pointy roofs and Gothic-style windows that he had only seen in his history books.
Truth be told, Marcus yearned to see buildings like these. In his past world, all such medieval-style castles and buildings were either destroyed by war or were turned into private property by the rich as a way to flaunt their wealth.
Entry for the public was restricted, so Marcus didn't get the chance to experience one for himself.
So it was not wrong to say he was very excited to look around the place. He was like a tourist entering a super high-end hotel.
Walking up to the fence gates from where the vast expanse of the count's private lands started, they were greeted by an elderly man and woman.
The man, who seemed to be in charge, gave a polite bow, mainly given to guests of honor.
"I am the head butler of this mansion, and this is the head maid.
I will be your guide for your entire stay in the mansion; please refer to me as Sol. I will be responsible for your hospitality during your stay."
The butler gave Marcus a short yet to-the-point explanation, as if he did not dare to take too much of his time.
And, moreover, he seemed to only greet Marcus and not Cedric, showing that they indeed knew who their guest was.
The guard who brought them here also gave a big bow and left briskly. Marcus just nodded at Sol, since he didn't know any noble etiquette, he didn't bother himself with it.
Sol and some of the servants who were nearby started showing Marcus the directions, while the 'head maid' continued to stand at the gate.
The land of the count was indeed very spacious to the point that there were multiple facilities like a livestock pen, a stable, a smithy that was releasing smoke, and several other stone buildings.
In the middle stood the lofty mansion of the Count of Elfied, which had its own fence surrounding it. This place could have passed for a village if it were not for the few people he saw doing their own duties.
The village also had a similar size, but it had far more houses and people living there. This only showed just how huge the wealth gap was between commoners and the nobility.
Looking at Sol, who was currently showing him a magnificent garden that could have passed for a small park, Marcus asked him something.
"When we left, I saw there were still servants standing by the door."
Sol hesitated a bit, but it was just for a second. He explained the current situation.
"Yes, we are also expecting the arrival of another guest.
That person is also a mage."
The second part was said with a bit of hesitation and a low tone.
Marcus wondered what the identity of this individual was to garner such a cautious response from the butler.