"Young Master Magnus, you're awake!" exclaimed a girl with sapphire-blue hair and amethyst eyes as she entered the room and saw him sitting up.
Magnus's gaze drifted toward the voice. There stood the girl. From the memory fragment he'd absorbed, he recalled her name was Seraphina. She was his father Arthur's close personal assistant, almost a second wife after Magnus's mother, Maureen, died giving birth to him.
[Akashic Insight]
-[Name: Seraphina]
-[Rank: Unranked]
-[Occupation: Assistant of Lancaster Territory Lord]
-[Race: Celestiel Elves]
-[Skills: Cooking [Lv 7/10], Archery [Lv 3/10]]
-[Trust: 0% (Note: Can only trust a current lord of the Lancaster Territory with the Lord's Seal)]
Magnus stared at Seraphina's information, a frown creasing his brow. He'd already suspected she was the lord's assistant. Back on Earth, when he played Emperor's Crucible, it was more of an AI assistant than an actual person. They were programmed to be bound to the Lord's Seal, a sigil required to control a specific territory. The seal for the Lancaster Territory had been lost with Arthur's death.
What truly puzzled him was her race. Magnus had studied all the races in Emperor's Crucible. There were many intelligent species besides humans in the game, but he'd never encountered Celestiel Elves.
"Young Master Magnus, are you alright?" Seraphina asked, her brows furrowed in concern as she scrutinized him. The way Magnus's eyes had lingered on her was unsettling.
'Did his injury turn him into a creep?' she wondered.
Magnus, realizing how his gaze had lingered, quickly looked away and cleared his throat. "Oh, I'm fine. Just a bit… off, that's all," he replied, using [Synthesis] to copy both of Seraphina's skills.
'How is he even able to sit up?' Seraphina wondered, still staring at Magnus.
It had been a week since Magnus's injured body had been brought back to the village. He'd been unconscious ever since. With the severity of his injuries, it was a miracle he was still alive. And here he was, sitting up just a week later. It was shocking.
"How long have I been out?" Magnus asked.
"A week now," Seraphina replied, recovering from her surprise.
Magnus's brows furrowed. A week was a long time. A lot could happen, especially given their precarious situation.
But before he could ask Seraphina about the events of the past week, his stomach rumbled loudly. Hunger pangs gnawed at him.
"I'll go prepare something for you to eat," Seraphina offered, having heard his stomach.
Magnus felt his face flush. His stomach had chosen the worst possible moment to make itself known, just as he was trying to project an image of strength and control.
Sighing, he replied, "That would be nice. Get Augustus to come meet me here," he instructed.
"Okay," Seraphina said.
"Good. And don't let anyone other than Augustus know I'm awake," Magnus added.
'I can't afford to trust anyone at the moment,' he thought. 'Gaylord probably has spies everywhere within the village.'
Seraphina nodded silently and left the room.
Magnus watched her go, then rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. Everything looked ancient, nothing like his modern room back on Earth filled with technology and gadgets. Thankfully, there was a large mirror hanging in the corner.
Walking towards it, Magnus stood before his reflection, his face etched with shock. "What the… Is this really me now?" he exclaimed.
Even though he'd glimpsed his new appearance in the memory fragment, it was different seeing it in full.
Despite being only eighteen, his new body was already six foot two, a stark contrast to his previous five foot five frame.
Even better, he was in excellent shape. Not overly muscular like a bodybuilder, but fit and well-proportioned. His skin was smooth, his features well-defined. Short blond hair, streaked with strands of silver on either side of his face, framed his gleaming silver eyes.
Magnus smiled. A new life, a new and healthy body. It was a good start.
But then his mind turned to the problems facing Lancaster Village. His smile faded into a frown as he sat on the bed and began to formulate a plan.
First, he'd identify the spies. Then, deal with Gaylord and his territory. Find the Lord's Seal. And finally, prepare for the first trial of the Lancaster Territory.
The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown became. It all sounded like a mountain of trouble.
Sighing, Magnus sat back on his bed and summoned the system screen.
Two skill books appeared, the ones he'd copied from Seraphina.
"System, is there a limit to the number of skills I can copy with [Synthesis]?" Magnus asked.
-[Negative. As long as the skill isn't higher than SS-Rank, it can be copied. You can copy as many as you like. However, be warned: there's a limit to how much information your brain can process.] the system replied.
Magnus nodded. That made sense.
Without further hesitation, he learned both skills, one at a time, remembering the discomfort he'd experienced before.
A few minutes later, just as Magnus finished absorbing the skills, the door swung open and two men entered.
The first had salt-and-pepper hair and wrinkles etched on his face, marking his age. It was Augustus, his father's advisor and assistant, who had managed most of the territory's affairs. Now, it seemed, those affairs were Magnus's responsibility.
The second man was bald, with a neatly groomed, long dark beard. This was Archibald Nutgrove, one of his father's five commanders, and one of only two who remained.
According to the previous Magnus's memories, when his father and his army were ambushed, only three hundred survived out of thousands. Nutgrove was the only commander, out of the four who'd accompanied Arthur into battle, to lead the survivors back to the village.
That in itself was suspicious. Upon returning, Nutgrove had pressured the previous Magnus to lead the remaining men in an attack on Gaylord's territory, insisting they couldn't let the attack go unanswered.
While Augustus had also advocated for retaliation, Nutgrove's insistence was more fervent. Augustus had lost his only son in the ambush and his wife was gravely ill from grief, so his desire for revenge was understandable. Nutgrove, on the other hand, had suffered minimal personal loss.
Yes, he'd lost some men, but Nutgrove had never been known to prioritize their lives. His reaction seemed exaggerated, placing him high on Magnus's list of suspected traitors.
As the two men approached, Magnus activated [Akashic Insight] to view their information.
-[Name: Egbert Augustus]
-[Rank: Unranked]
-[Occupation: Assistant]
-[Race: Human]
-[Skills: Inventory Control [Lv 5/10], Budgeting and Accounting [Lv 5/10]]
-[Trust: 57%]
Magnus frowned and shifted his gaze to Nutgrove.
-[Name: Archibald Nutgrove]
-[Rank: Unranked]
-[Occupation: Commander]
-[Race: Human]
-[Skills: Unarmed Combat [Lv 3/10], Archery [Lv 1/10], Swordsmanship [Lv 3/10], Instructor [Lv 2/10]]
-[Trust: 5%]
Magnus's frown deepened.
'Interesting skills. Can you expand on those and give me more details?' Magnus mentally inquired.
-[Affirmative.]
-----[Augustus]-----
>Inventory Control [Lv 5/10] — *Expertly maintains accurate records of stored resources, effectively preventing spoilage or theft, and proactively anticipating potential shortages. Can manage large-scale inventories with precision.*
>Budgeting and Accounting [Lv 5/10] — *Meticulously keeps records of income and expenses. Identifies areas for cost savings and accurately projects future resource needs. Skilled in financial planning and resource allocation.*
-----[Nutgrove]-----
>Unarmed Combat [Lv 3/10] — *Fundamentals of unarmed combat are solidifying. Improved technique allows for more efficient strikes and basic grappling maneuvers. Still vulnerable to experienced fighters, but capable of defending against untrained opponents.*
>Archery [Lv 1/10] — *Mastery of basic archery skills. Accuracy is reliable at close range (90% hit rate), but diminishes significantly at longer distances (5% hit rate). Requires further training for improved long-range accuracy.*
>Swordsmanship [Lv 3/10] — *Solid grasp of basic swordsmanship. Can effectively engage and defeat less experienced opponents. Beginning to develop a personal style, but still lacks refinement and precision.*
>Instructor [Lv 2/10] — *Increases the chance of successfully teaching a skill or technique to an amateur by 10%. Effectiveness may vary depending on the learner's aptitude and compatibility with the skill being taught.*