"How are you? Are you still feeling sick?" King Lucius IV asked, full of concern.
"I'm fine," Caladros shook his hand as he smiled. "I never been feel so refresh like this moment."
"I'm glad you finally recovered," the king grinned ear to ear. "The recovery resources we used was totally worth it."
"Recovery resources?" Caladros raised his eyebrow.
"Yeah," the king nodded. "They were really expensive. Also, thankfully, whoever was the culprit didn't manage to hit any of your vital organs. So the recovery went pretty well."
So Astaroth did not entirely heal me, huh?
Just by hearing those things from the king, he understood that even if the demon god helped him recuperate quickly, it was also the healing resouces that his father used which made his recovery complete in just 3 hours or so.
"Then there's the healers," King Lucius added. "Before you got here, they made sure to cast a sustained healing to you. It's because of them that you thankfully survived despite losing so much blood."
"Sounds like you spent so much just so that I can recover quickly from a wound on the back." Caladros chuckled. He honestly thinks that his father did not really need to do all those, as normal recovery pills will do the work, even if they're hundred times slower.
"Of course I would do it," the king laughed earnestly. "You are my son after all."
He patted Caladros shoulder as he continued laughing, his face brimming with pride due to how he did not hesitate to save his son from the brink of death.
Caladros looked at his personal maid who in turn looked away, looking clearly embarassed. He still didn't remember her name. The only thing he could remember about her was that she has been his personal maid for about 7 months already, since her predecessor retired to take care of her children.
Lucius looked at his own son and noticed how he was staring at his personal maid. He grinned slightly and said, "Son, did you know that Rose was the first person who tried to go to the Duchess' estate when she heard what happened to you?"
"Really?" Caladros looked visibly surprised as the maid, Rose is her name according to the king, turned red like a tomato. He approached her and held her hand, "Thank you, I appreciate your concern for me."
"Ah! Umm… Y-you're wel…welcome Your Highness," Rose said, uttering words with complete nervousness.
Caladros nodded his head as he retracted his hands from her. Then he looked at the king again, now with a serious expression. When King Lucius saw this, his previously happy expression was wiped clean. He understood that his son wanted to have a serious talk right now. About the incident.
Caladros looked at Rose and smiled at her. The maid curtsied before hurriedly leaving the room.
"Did Duchess Marianna survive?"
Caladros sat on the white chair by the desk, pressing his plams together as he stared at the king.
"Unfortunately, no," King Lucius sadly shook his head. "Not only her, literally every person in that meeting were killed other than you."
"The assassin actually has the guts to not only try beheading me, but also the others?" Caladros lowered his eyebrows, frowning. "The one behind this is clearly plotting something."
"That is the possibility that we all have been thinking," Lucius said in agreement. "But Cal, I don't want you to be part in any of this."
"But I am also the victim here!" Caladros retorted. "Do you think I can sit still, knowing that the assassin who nearly killed me is still lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike my unguarded back!?"
"I know," Lucius helplessly said. "But me and your brother will take care of this matter. From here onward, I won't let you handle diplomatic meetings anymore. You shall stay here. This is the safest place for you."
"You are underestimating me!"
"Yes I'm underestimating you!" Lucius couldn't help but sneer, even though he was really feeling guilty. "What can you even do? You can't use magic. You are helpless against the masterminds behind this attack!"
Caladros smiled, much to the king's surprise. He the shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever, as you said, I will stay here."
Lucius was flabbergasted when he heard his son's reply. He did not expect him to comply with his request, being the father who protects his son, and a king who protects his royal blood.
"Y-you agree?"
"Yeah, whatever." Caladros stood up from his seat. "I think I'm tired from all those recovery process. Can you please get out for now, father?"
"Oh, sure," Lucius looked at him blankly but he got off the bed he was sitting anyways. "Do you want me to call Rose?"
"No," Caladros shook his head. "I'd want a private time for myself."
"Understood," Lucius nodded, holding the handle of the door. It was understandable for his son wanting to have time for himself, especially being nearly killed by assassins. When he thought about how Caladros was on the brink of death just hours ago, he fumed as extreme anger rose within him. No matter who did this, regardless of status, he will punish them for messing with his family.
After his father left his room and he made sure to lock the door, he sat on the white chair again and looked through the window again. It was already noon, and he felt his stomach growling from hunger. But he paid no heed for it. In his mind, he was planning. On what he should do, step by step. Of course he won't be able to create a perfect plan from the scratch, and he still did not understand the nature of his hidden enemies.
Right now, he has a hidden weapon. The gift Astaroth gave him, his fixed magic core and that mysterious additional magic core. He did not know how the latter works, so he will just figure it out as he go. For now, he needed to be a true, bonafide mage. And to do that, he needed to apply the principle of magical progression.
It is stated in this principle how mages advance from one level to another. From the start, talented people who has the affinity to use magic were born with magical core. To be more accurate, a red magical core. To apply the principle of magical progression, a mage has to absorb mana from their surroundings.
When they finally absorbed enough mana, they could condense a sub-core—a smaller core that will be formed floating around the main core. That marks the first level of Red-tier. And once the mage former 10 sub-cored around their main core, they can break through with enough force and talent and advance to Orange-tier, with the magical core turning orange. In this tier, acquired mana will be more condensed and higher quality, able to cast spells easily.
Right now, while Caladros has a Red-tier magical core, he was not a true Red Mage in a certain sense. After all, what he have in his body was merely one main core (and that mysterious dark core). He has to form a sub-core to fully become a Red Mage.
Thinking of all this, Caladros touched his chin as he delve deeper within himself, looking at his own magical core. He could "see" the red core and that nearly invisible dark core within him. Now, all he has to do was to absorb the mana in his surroundings, and turn it all into acquired mana.
Caladros took a deep breath as he formed a cross-legged sitting position. He closed his eyes, trying to use all his senses other than his sense of sight. According to what his fighting instructor, and mentor, Erik, to feel the mana in one's surroundings, they must not use their eyes to clearly sense them. Because once a beginner Mage used their vision, all they will see was the physical world, not the mystic world merged around them.
And to sense the mystic was to disable one's vision. Caladros did just that. His other senses heightened, the hair on his skin standing up. He could finally feel something right now. There was some sort of colorless, formless energy wrapping around him like oxygen and air. It was mana. Now, all he has to do was to absorb them using his magical core.
Deep within him, his red core suddenly move, swirling counterclockwise as it formed a circular vortex that didn't affect any physical objects, but rather only the mana. The mana around him moved, going straight toward his stomach where the vortex was, and his red core greedily absorbed all the mana.
10 minutes later, Caladros gasped for breath as his red core was now extremely full, looking like it was verge on explosion. But he endured it as he recalled the teachings of his mentor. He activated his red core again, but now swirling in a clockwise direction inward. All the mana he absorbed formed a circular motion wildly in his red core, looking like how a water looks when we used our hands to stir it.
Bang!
Nothing explodes, it was only the sound his red core made, a sign that he successfully condensed his first sub-core. When he delved his consciousness within him, he saw that there was a smaller red sphere, about 1/3 of the main core's size, orbiting around the main core.
"Finally," Caladros mumbled happily, his voice full of happiness. He will forever remember this moment. The time when he, Caladros Fenwynn Daelithor Amaranth, a bastard who was previously magicless, officially advanced to the realm of mages.
Even though it was only at the first level, it did not made him any less happy. This merely gave him motivation to work hard even more. Sooner or later, he will catch up to his peers, and surpass them. And whoever was the mastermind behind the attack, he was not afraid. He just have to be stronger as quietly as possible, and when they finally came to attack, he will strike them back.
After plotting for a bit, Caladros fell asleep due to exhaustion.