{Jade's POV}
"Young Lord!?" A voice called out.
I turned towards Secrust, watching his tilted head lift as he caught my gaze. He was clenching the hilt of his sword lazyily, announcing our arrival.
The head farmer, Steele, stood in front of us, rubbing both hands in delight as he greeted us.
"Welcome young Lord, we were told you'd come the following day, forgive our tardy arrangements. " He apologized, leaning forward as he bowed lightly.
Steele was a middle aged man, stout and brazen. He had come to our land twenty years ago, after the war in the Myrid continent against the elves killed thousands of people.
Father gave him a land at the edge of the county, where he cultivated crops in massively, acquiring more land after, till he was granted the position of head farmer to oversee all the farmlands.
"It's fine, I don't intend for the problem to extend any further than it already has" I replied, gesturing for him to lead us.
Before the patriarch granted him the role of head farmer, he proposed that we started large scale farming as a source of revenue generation.
But there was one problem that soon surfaced along the way.
"It seems the irrigation system still works perfectly?" I asked, staring at the water ditches that spread side by side, accross hectares of farm land.
The problem we faced was shortage of a watering system at the end of the area he had proposed.
Since the nearest river to the county was miles away, most of the workers he hired to help dig the irrigation system, all gave up soon enough.
"We're here young Lord" He announced, waving for the escorts to leave us.
Steele had dug the first irrigation path that led water to the farm lands, all by himself.
Moved by his loyalty and determination, the patriarch granted him the post of head farmer to oversee all the lands in the county.
Both private and publicly owned.
That land now, was dying from excessive poisoning from a foreign material present deep within the soil.
"Blackened soil and the smell of dead livestock huh?"
It was just as I had expected, the land was cursed with a residue from black magic.
A practice that was forbidden by the empire, years ago.
"So what do you think" Secrust voiced out his curiosity.
I looked around, making sure we were the only ones in the vicinity before speaking.
"It was caused by black magic " i revealed finally, watching the look in their eyes grow from curios to terrified.
I was beginning to feel unsettled as I began to remember the details of Milo's letter.
"Black magic!" Secrust shrieked, holding his mouth afterwards.
"But how is that possible. The empire abolished the practice years ago." Steele responded quickly, stepping closer to us.
I paused and turned back towards the corrupted soil, then bent down as I dipped my hand into the ground.
"Young Lord don't, the workers who did that got infe-"
"He knows what he's doing" Secrust cut him short in his statement, standing as he blocked the him.
"The young Lord was born with affinity for divine magic. This should be a walk in the park for him." Secrust bragged, walking backwards silently as he urged Steele to do the same.
What he said wasn't wrong though, since once I could find the foreign material buried deep within, I could then reverse the effects of the corruption through a purification spell.
But first.....
"Secrust I want you to blast a hole over here" I ordered, watching as he unsheathed his sword calmly, walking towards the front.
Even thought this was a method I didn't want to use, we were running out of time and time was a precious commodity at the moment.
If the corruption was left for even another day, the damages would be irreparable.
'There's no telling if my purification spell would work at this point'
Shimmers of light rushed towards Secrust's blade, raising the mana concentration around, till we could feel it when we inhaled.
BOOOOMMM!!!!!!
A small crater formed from where he had released the blast, as smoke climbed up slowly.
'Nothing there huh'
"Next" I ordered, moving to a different spot ahead of the one we stood on. We continued in that same order until finally, a black object surfaced from the tenth crater, glistening as it reflected the sunlight.
I slid down towards it, not caring about all the dirt that clung to my clothes.
The amount of dark energy that emanated from it was so strong, i had to warn both of them to step back.
Recklessly removing the object would inevitably cause a massive level of destruction, and judging by all the symbols etched on its body, I could already tell that the method of activation was touch.
So that left me with only one viable option.
Absolute light force: mana dissipation
By activating the surrounding mana, I cast a sixth grade light spell, causing it to eat away at the black substance till eventually, nothing was left.
Light magic was the ultimate repellent and opposite to dark magic, making it a cheap threat against someone like me who had already attained the position of a seventh grade divine mage.
'That should do the trick then' I thought, climbing back out as I felt the clouded mana begin to clear gradually.
All that was left now, was the purification spell.
"Are you sure you'll be able to cast that spell now. Isn't it an eight grade spell" Secrust noted, handing me a short towel as I wiped my face and hands with it.
He didn't seem shocked by what I had done, a valid reaction from someone who was eight tier himself.
"Did you bring the potions I asked for?" I inquired, brushing aside his question with mine.
He flashed three tiny bottles at me, all coloured green.
Mana restoration potions.
They were useful since the spell I was about to cast would eventually use up all the mana I had in store too.
I took one from him, gulping down the contents hurriedly.
My insides immediately felt hot, the heat spreading throughout my entire form as the feeling of rejuvenation climbed even to my head.
My entire body was filled with energy and it was hard for me to contain it.
'Then shall we' I thought, shutting my eyes as I stretched out both hands besides me till they were perfectly aligned, opposite of each other.
Since it was a spell and not a skill, It equired a lot of concentration so I don't blow it out of proportion.
"Hear me oh heavens, cradle of all that is. Cause your blessings to descend and cleanse. Purification" I bellowed, feeling the outpour of mana from within me, transform into a bright light as it scorched the land below.
A loud humming and rumble followed, as the blackish tinge slowly disappeared, revealing the normal color of dirt.
I staggered after, feeling fatigued and dehydrated.
Secrust rushed towards me, aiming to support me but I stopped him from getting close.
"This much is fine". I assured, bending over to catch my breath. The effects of my spell didn't take too long to spread, as within minutes, half of the entire area was already returning back to normal.
I walked back towards Steele, his face pale in expectations of bad news but instead, I gave him the opposite.
"It's done" I bellowed, smiling exhaustively at him.
"It will take two weeks before it becomes tangible enough for planting but the hard part is over" I assured finally, forcing myself to stand properly as we walked back towards the front gate.
Secrust was laughing freely now, bragging once more in my stead, as he patted Steele on his back.
Some of the workers were hurdled together at the entrance, dispersing the minute they saw us walking through.
A familiar presence passed through us in that instant, causing my heart to race in realization of what it was.
I turned quickly, pulling Secrust's sword immediately, as I called out at the top of my voice.
"Hey you, stop right there!" I roared, watching as they stopped in their tracks.
Immediately they bolted, proving my guess correct as I almost ran after them before Secrust sprinted in front of me, reprimanding the imposter with ease.
There was a necklace on her neck and it reacted as I pulled off the hood she wore.
The necklace was similar to the object I had destroyed.
"What the hell is going on here!".
******
{Milo's POV}
"The corruption was resolved quickly thanks to your hunch and we also caught the perpetrators in the process, sincerely Jade von Brithuels."
The last part of Jade's letter read. It had been exactly two weeks since I wrote to him, and he finally sent me a reply.
With the corruption gone, farming would commence once more, which ultimately meant that the loan would be paid back in about three months tops.
Although I was pleased with the progress we were making, it still felt unsettling knowing that a third party was trying to jeopardize us secretly.
"How I wish I had omniscience, I could've wrapped this up easily " I cursed, feeling blood move to my head as i tilted it backwards.
I had been on desk duty for quite a while and it felt exhausting, constantly signing documents and revising the trade data of almost every deal being carried out.
"Milo, the mayor has called a meeting let's go" Grant called out, pushing the door open as he walked away.
I immediately jumped to my feet and rushed outside, delighted by the sudden change in pace.
"Oh, Milo you came. Have you heard of the city of Jugrin?" Tanya asked instantly, hardly even giving me time to settle as she tried to ease into a difficult request.
" Yes, it's the capital city of the Dwarven empire " i responded, praying deeply for her question to remain nothing more than it was.
"Good, you and Rosemary will be heading there to run am errand for me, go pack your stuff" she responded, clapping mischievously as she sat.
"Huh!"