The throbbing in my head, grew from a feeling till it was audible enough to jolt me back awake.
I stared at my surrounding, feeling the warmth of daylight perforate my window till it enveloped my room.
"It seems like this body prefers passing out, rather than actually getting anything done" i teased as I dropped down from the bed.
I felt unnaturally light, so much that I doubted if I was actually awake.
Since I had activated a form of the eye, it meant that I didn't always have to reflexively supply a portion of my mana to keep it at bay.
The very fact that I woke up rejuvenated, meant that I had overcome a major hurdle in my growth.
I walked towards my window, stretching both hands as I leaped towards the balcony behind the window, pulling my weight from the ground and begining my push ups, while suspended in the air.
From the events of the previous day, I could estimate the runtime of my ability to about fifteen minutes.
All that was left, was how to pair the ability with Zarvrioth.
Zarvrioth was the most cumbersome piece in my growth as a swordsman, and If eventually I was unable to gain control over it, I would have to give up swordsmanship.
"Daily average is now 150 huh?" I muttered, hopping back on my feet.
When compared to an average fourteen year old back on earth, it was barbaric how beefed-up I was.
My shoulders now had a wider arch as muscles stacked on one another, beautifully appealing my form.
"You're awake now, young Lord?" A voice from inside my room questioned. I walked over towards the window, peering closely at the figure, even though I could tell who it was from the sound of her voice.
"Who brought me in when I pas-"
"Mark" Natasha responded, setting down my breakfast. Black spots stretched below her eyes from lack of sleep.
It was as if ever since we arrived in Ethos, Natasha had encountered even lesser time to rest.
She dropped a letter behind the dish, arranging the hems of her dress before walking towards the door.
"Natasha!" I called out to her, stepping closer before finishing my statement.
"Get some rest now, I'll try not to worry you too much from now on" I comforted, feeling the urge to stop her from overworking and causing severe damage to her health.
She was amongst the only people I could rely on in this world and losing her at such a pivotal point in my journey, would turn into a setback eventually.
She smiled at me, bowing lightly as she closed the door and headed towards her room.
I sat on the edge of the bed, tearing through the envelope, to reveal Poderick's writing of his weekly report.
A grim feeling rattled me as I read through the word "disposed of" which he wrote, referring to the bandits I had asked him too take care of.
It felt concerning, that he mistook my instruction of resolving the bandit's case as wiping them out completely.
"At least he got the job done right" I asked myself, justifiably denying my involvement in his decisions.
Nothing more was contained in the letter, except for the fact that he had detained one of the bandits for questioning in their "hideout" - again not my idea- and awaited my presence for the information he would share.
It was smart that he had decided to leave the information undisclosed in the letter, since I had been feeling watched for the last few weeks.
Our progress in the resolution of the uprising, was to be known only in secret, as even the slightest information shared, could lead to an even far worse scenerio than planned.
I rushed over my breakfast after that, pulling a black tunic over my chest and breeches on my waist, as I walked out of my room in search of Mark.
Luckily for me, he was posted outside my room door, keeping watch the entire time.
I tugged at his vest, urging him to walk with me as we made our way to the entrance.
"I'll need you to go back home, I have something very important for you to complete" I ordered, maneuvering through the large house.
The main living room was overly spacious, filled with extravagant furnitures and even decorations on each end.
I had barely noticed it since most of my days were spent in a hurry - including today.
Tanya was standing outside, passing out instructions to some servants who were constantly loading boxes into wagons.
I was instantly reminded of the last meeting we had, regarding the visit from the Dragar Wolvesborn, the supreme leader of the beast men.
At first I was fascinated by the fact that I would get to meet with another race, but then got immediately dumbfounded by the possibility that I would be too busy for the reception.
"You know I can't do that young Lord, the patriarch entrusted your safety in my hands, if anything were to ev-"
" You worry to much, I'll be safe" I responded, cutting him off halfway through to avoid the unnecessary details.
"I need you to oversee something for me in secret, and I can't disclose the details of what it is here right now" I continued, standing as i turned around to scan the room for anyone eavesdropping.
Mark shaked his head in disagreement, not willing to accept my offer, causing me to feel frustrated by his reaction.
"Milo, you're awake already"
Tanya had finally noticed my presence, turning as she walked towards me, handing her red overcoat to the maid stationed at the entrance.
She was clothed in a black dress, reaching just below her knees, a fur coat carelessly wrapped around her shoulders, lowering till it reached her back.
Her dominating aura was evident even in her steps.
Over familiarity had formerly hindered my perspective of her, but now as I stared at her majestic form, I could tell she was leagues ahead of any female counterparts I had met in this world.
She grabbed my face gently, rubbing my cheeks as she ranted endlessly about how concerned she was.
"I thought something bad must've happened, perhaps I should just take you off the administrative work" She offered shrewdly, hoping to bait me with the sweet talk.
"That won't be necessary, it was just a false alarm" I pointed out, raising my hand in disagreement.
"I have something to discuss with you before you head out, come with me" She demanded, grabbing me by the hand as she whisked me away to her quarters, again.
"Pack your things and wait for me by the training room!" I yelled at Mark who was still standing, a confused look on his face, tiredly pleading a different course of action.
We passed an array of servants and guards all stationed at the topmost lobby, as if patiently waiting for her orders, bowing in silence.
The curtains in her room were closed, blocking out the light that peered in through pores all over.
A sweet perfume overpowered my sense of smell, pulling me deeper into it's clutches. The very mystique that Tanya possessed, enthralled me the more I experienced it.
The only thing stopping me from wooing her to my side as an ally, was that I had nothing substantial, to offer her yet.
She walked behind her desk, then pulled out a black envelope with her stamp, before handing it over to me as she sat on her bed.
I stared at the envelope, already reaching a possible conclusion of what it was, but still confused by how fast she had attained it.
She gestured impatiently for me to open it, reclining slowly as she crossed both legs.
I tore open the envelope, revealing a file with names and a photo of an emblem, with a flaming circle and a hand reaching out.
The names were irrelevant data and I just glazed passed them hurriedly, reading deeper at the core topic in the file.
As I read, Tanya unfeelingly explained the details within, pointing out the fact that the group that had been terrorizing the county, were in fact affiliated to the ones we caught.
And as I delved deeper and deeper, a thought kept eluding my mind, almost like I was going to come across something that would yet again, cause a setback in my journey.
"This information was hard to come by, especially now that I can't even trust my own sources anymore" She explained, bragging and complaining at the same time.
"I might have a solution for that" I replied nervelessly, eye still fixed on the paper I held in my hands.
"It was just as you predicted, there's clearly a third party involvement and although their concern seems to be fixated on the Brithuel county, it still isn't comforting to know that one of my assets is being watched" she ranted, waving at mid air in mild anger.
"Asset" was a word I didn't want to be referred to as, especially if it was coming from her.
To her, I was nothing more of a pawn meant to be overworked till I fell out of use, something I couldn't despise her for since it was my line of approach also.
Finally reaching the end of the documentation, a certain word drew my attention, piquing my interest to its limits as my eyes shone in wonderment.
Even knowing that my intuition had always been spot on right from the beginning, it wasn't a comforting ideal for what I had just come across.
And as I stared at the words, proving my earlier suspicion, the only emotion my mind carried, was fear.
Noticing my sudden change in reaction, Tanya stood up and walked over to me, leaning forward as she read the part where my eyes were fixed on.
"Oh that, they're the ones pulling the strings from the sidelines. Some cult called nirvanic or something"
"Nirvana!" I corrected, staring at her as I spoke, my eyes ladened with terror at that point.
"The cult of Nirvana....."
The uprising that started surprisingly after my transmigration, the failed ambush, the bandits, Tanya's sources getting compromised.
Everything was finally fitting gradually, a singular conclusion, tugging repeatedly at my mind.
The reason everything seemed out of place for me but sorely ordered in a pattern, was because someone like me was interfering with it.
"There's an otherworlder like me here!" I murmured to myself, quivering from the realization.