{Jade's POV}
It had been weeks since I resolved the poisoned farmlands but our progress with the bandits were still stunted.
An uneasiness hung in the air, forcing an unusual calmness amongst everyone, both at home and in the county.
Various negotiations with different mercenaries were made but somehow, we weren't able to secure the services of any, due to the fact that after agreements were made, they would all turn up missing or dead the following day.
After suffering three attacks and a clash with a group resulting in major casualties, we finally decided to settle for the services of five mercenaries, led by twins, who claimed they could handle the issue efficiently.
They demanded an upfront payment of ten percent, with the remaining balance to be paid after completion of their work.
Even though I had conflicted opinions about their efficiency, we were out of more viable options.
Naturally, our battalion should've proved efficient in pushing back the bandit forces, but we we had our hands constantly full with internal affairs and the recent spike in violence.
"Young Lord, we'll have to go on foot from here on out" Badring pointed out, fixing his armor hurriedly.
I had urged father for permission to take a few knights to check the progress of our hired hands.
We were already at the outskirts of the county, dusk setting in rapidly as the lively green glasses, plunged into a darker tinge.
"Remember, we're not here to intervene, just reconnaissance" I reported once more, the seven knights clinging carefully at the hilts of their swords, quivering softly in fear.
They were trainees with barely any real battle experience, but they would suffice.
The route to the hideout was narrow and reeked of danger, but we paid no heed, traveling quietly as we approached the noise of an ongoing battle.
Bushes dominated our path, leading to aneven greater and deeper forest
Knowing that the mercenaries were outnumbered and possibly outclassed, we decided to tread carefully to avoid drawing attention.
The huffing sounds that emanated from everyone dominated the noise ahead of us.
A lingering fear clung to my chest, causing discomfort the more I breathed.
It was saddening, knowing that we were out of cards to play in regards to the bandit situation.
Only two options existed at the moment, either we sacrificed the internal safety of the county and went all out against the external threats, or we would have to seek assistance from the grand Duke, inevitably weakening our claim as the lands rulers.
Even as those thoughts existed in my heart and mind, a feeling of hope slowly crept in, enveloping my senses.
As we neared, the route became evidently rocky, slowing our movements significantly.
The hilltop was submerged entirely with the sound of weapons clashing, reverberating throughout the entirety of the forest.
Finally, we stood at the very top, face to face with the battle. It took me a while to be able to fathom what we were experiencing, the screams of our assailants settling in our ears, making the process of decipherment easier.
The crimson dew of blood falling towards the ground, matching the rays of the setting sun cast, was hard to miss.
Wails and screams of terror filled the battlefield as bodies kept on dropping.
Together, the mercenary team possessed great synergy, with mostly the twins fighting head on and the tanker providing defense.
The mage behind them hardly had enough time to formulate spells, as she mostly spoke them hurriedly without a clear vision, but the support mage assisted by reforming the spell after casting.
But the most eye-catching members were clearly the two vanguard swordsmen, plowing endlessly at their opponents. The brilliance in their swings was superb and it reflected a replication of Secrust's family sword style.
Regaining my focus, I urged the knights to retreat back, as we left the professionals to their jobs without disturbances.
Although I had disregarded their skills and potency as prospect aids, my recent experience left no room for doubt any longer.
Right now, it was a matter of keeping them affiliated with us for as long as it counted.
"With an army like that, there's no telling what I could achieve" I raved, feeling my blood pump in excitement.
******
{Milo's POV}
Huff.....huff....huff.....
Another day of mana training and yet, no progress was being made. At this point, it wasn't a matter of how much I exerted myself, since it was all dependent on my weak innate affinity for magic.
The weight of mana exhaustion was a feeling that toppled over physical overexertion. It's effect wasn't just limited to the body and mind, but mildly even so, to one's innate capabilities.
I had researched, practiced, and trained myself but all that still had no effects. Since I had already drawn the conclusion that spellcasting was out the window, it was finally time to explore the much harder options.
"Gaining control over my eye huh?" I accepted finally, gazing at the light cuts on my palms.
I stared around the training room, scanning for any onlookers as my gaze was greeted with nothing other than armors, weaponry and gear.
Arming myself with the realization of human absence, I decided to proceed without any more time wasting.
I placed my index finger below my right eye, pushing my hair backwards with my other hand. Energy pulsated from the touch, moving towards the eye, extending till it made contact.
A red blur clouded my vision, darkening till eventually I couldn't see anything with my right eye.
Then came the streak of pain.
First was a tingling sensation that stung my cornea, then following that pattern, it's reach lengthened and so did the sting.
By the time the mana reached my iris, I carefully increased the volume, feeling its surge push the pain to a new level as I felt my ears ring.
"Fuck!...." I shrieked calmly, feeling the pain intensify till I lost the ability to even scream.
The energy peaked, reaching my pupil finally and almost as my mind was about to blank, the pain stopped.
I fell to my knees, huffing and panting frantically.
The fact that I had to train this ability with the body of a fourteen year old, made the entire process more difficult.
As my panting slowed, I began to feel relief and rejuvenation.
At first, i thought the process didn't work and decided to leave the training room, but as I stood at the exit, threadlike lines of chatoyant colours became visible from my right eye, connecting everything as far as I could see, like it held the entire spatial fabric.
It took a while for the words that hung in my throat and mind to form, but I knew what I was seeing.
Imperceptible organizations of fluid thin structures, moving endlessly in my view.
"I CAN SEE MANA!!" I screamed uncontrollably, almost leaping in joy.
Even though as it stood, I was merely grazing the full potential of Sundra's eye, what I just achieved was no joke.
Especially for someone like me, who's growth had been stunted for so long.
The guard stationed outside stared at me in silence, eyes distraught in concern as he must have mistook my joy for madness. However, I didn't care in the slightest.
Hurrying to test my freshly unlocked potentials, I rushed towards the place with the most concentration of mana in the city.
The stream by the central park.
The calm breeze crossed my face and hair as my feet gathered pace, compelling me to run even faster.
I ran and ran, till eventually i came to the crossing, separating a short garden from a narrow stream.
Thick blue lines ran through the water, extending farther than I could see. I shifted my gaze towards the garden, watching as separate, distinct lights roamed around in my view.
I was seeing mana in different forms and as I looked further, my eyes caught spirits, or at least the silhouette of their forms.
Small, irregular and moving rapidly.
With this new stage unlocked, I could attain things I had struggled with, like quantifying the amount of mana I could distribute while spellcasting, or even predicting the attacks of my opponent even before they cast the spell.
But as I celebrated my breakthrough, i was hit by causality, paying recompense for the continuous usage of the eye.
First was the bleeding, then total exhaustion of mana before I could even reach my lodge, then finally, loss of consciousness.