Chapter 7: Chapter 6

The young baron’s instinct warned of potential danger and forced him awake. Arlan jerked up to see two different maids setting up his outfit for the day. The maids noticed the young baron and instantly bowed. They both simultaneously greeted, “Good morning, Master Arlan.”

“Good morning, what are your names?”

“My name is Helga, Master Arlan.”

“My name is Lynn, Master Arlan.”

Both maids had petite bodies with white hair and were in their early twenties.

“Thank you, you may call me Arlan when it's just us,” said Arlan as he got out of bed. He made his way to the clothes left out only to have the maids start undressing him. Arlan forgot to tell the two maids that he’d change himself but decided it was too late.

The outfit was a simple white tunic with a thin gray overcoat with red linings and a buttoned collar. Arlan’s sigil was pinned to the collar to represent his first day as a Reeve.

“The Duke brought some gifts for you at your desk,” stated Helga. Arlan thanked Helga and moved over to see what his father had bestowed upon him. It was a refined leather belt with a shortsword attached to it. Golden lions lined the black scabbard while the blade was twenty inches long. Arlan decided to draw the blade out.

It was the same color as Duke Reeve’s longsword. A fat smile struck Arlan as he realized its material. Arlan had read about this light, illustrious, and rare metal. Mithril was used by rich nobles, high-rank adventurers, and military commanders.

Only two other metals were stronger. Adamantium and Meteorite. There are only eight known adamantium weapons in the Midland Kingdom. While no one has seen a Meteorite weapon in centuries.

The young baron equipped the leather belt to his hip with the mithril shortsword dangling on the left. Now that he was no longer a commoner, he needed to dress the part. The outfit, the lion sigil, and the sword were representations of his wealth and status within the Reeve family.

Satisfied with his preparations, Arlan left the room towards the dining hall. His two maids followed behind a short distance. Throughout Highmane, were many elite guards in full plate armor. Anytime Arlan walked by them, they’d stand upright and bring their right fist to the center of their upper chest, this was the Midland salute.

The savory aroma of turkey sausages and bacon seduced Arlan to the dining hall. Countess Vivia and her daughters were already eating at the table. “Arlan, join us for breakfast, my dear.” commanded Countess Vivia, “Louis and Emile are both attending to a small matter. We started without them.”

Arlan sat down next to Katalina. As if they predicted the future, the servants set a plate of the hot savory breakfast in front of the hungry young boy. He ravenously devoured his food. Katalina’s face evolved into pure curiosity at Arlan’s demonic eating speeds causing Countess Vivia to let out a small laugh. Katalina finally asked, “Arlan, are you even from this world?”

You have no idea, Katalina. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

“Probably not,” replied Arlan in a sarcastic, yet joking manner. The younger sister, Katherine joined her mother in giggling at the two. Katalina didn’t understand the joke.

“My father tells me you’ll be attending Lancel High Academy as well.”

“Yes, Katalina. Will you be attending as well?”

“Of course I am! I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. I was born with advanced mana manipulation. With that, I can learn to cast spells.”

Hearing that Katalina was born with advanced mana manipulation, Arlan’s interest in their small talk grew a bit more.

“Arlan,” interjected Countess Vivia, “You’ll both be attending Lancel High Academy together. Please look after Katalina when you’re there. I hear you’re quite the capable fighter.”

“I will protect her with my life, Countess Vivia.” proclaimed Arlan in a gracefully confident manner. It was like a different person had taken over Arlan when he spoke to the Countess. Eating the final bite of his meal signaled Arlan to excuse himself from the dining hall. He was to see Count Emile in the council room.

As a testament to the size of Highmane, It took two minutes to arrive at the council room from the dining hall. Two Heracul Knights were guarding the door. Both saluted and stated that Arlan was expected.

Entering the council room revealed Arlan’s adopted father and uncle surrounded by several nobles and a familiar armored knight. That knight was Lord Commander Jermain. They were in mid debate.

Arlan caught bits of the discussion as he approached but it was not his place to ask or intervene. It had to do with bandits in Dolaga Fields.

When the Duke noticed his son had entered, he ended the discussion by declaring he’d personally see to the matter. He was excited to see if Arlan had liked the gift. “Everyone, this is my son, Arlan.” said the Duke as everyone bowed. Arlan responded with a bow as well.

The nobles filed out of the room shortly after. Lord Commander Jermain stayed behind with the Reeves brothers. The Duke pointed to the sword at his son’s hip and asked,  “Arlan, is the sword to your liking?”

“The sword fits me well, father, thank you,” replied Arlan. He always enjoyed receiving weapons as gifts, even before he came to Althea.

“It’s the same sword given to me by my father at your age.” said the Duke with a proud smile, “Now start your daily lesson with your uncle and come to the training hall in two hours.” ordered the Duke as he left with Lord Commander Jermain. Count Emile pointed to a seat next to him, signaling for Arlan to take that seat.

“Let’s start your first lesson. Today, I’m going to teach you about the Seven Great Houses and how they rule over Midland. We’ll also cover topics regarding the trade, laws, culture, and nobility of the Northeastern region. Use the parchment and quill for notes.” instructed Count Emile as he grabbed multiple books from a nearby bookshelf.

Arlan wasn’t good at fighting because he spent his former life as a soldier, he was good at fighting because he could process information at an abnormal rate. As if his mind was a computer, he’d always come up with the right plan or strategy to win. This wasn’t limited to battles or wars.

On Terra, the Federation Military hailed Rove as a war genius due to his unparalleled strategy and tactics. He was quickly promoted and became the youngest Field General at twenty-one.

When he woke up as Arlan, his body was fragile but his mind was left untouched. Arlan never passed up any opportunities to gather intel. He was like a sponge, ready to soak in information.

After thirty minutes into the lesson, Count Emile was impressed by Arlan’s comprehension skills. Most young nobles would find the subjects boring but Arlan showed true interest in the lesson. The uncle realized that his nephew wasn't only a capable fighter, but was also very intelligent. To keep up with Arlan, Count Emile had to increase the speed of his lecture. Even when a minute wasn’t wasted, two hours went by quickly.

Count Emile finished shelving the last book when he turned to his pupil and said, “Arlan, I’m impressed that you learn at a rate tenfold faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

“Knowledge and information are considered dangerous weapons as well,” stated Arlan.

“Only fourteen and you’re wiser than most people twice your age. Head down to the training hall. Word of advice, I know you’re strong but your father's strength is unrivaled. He’s been called the Lion’s Claw for a reason.”

“Uncle Emile, thank you for the lesson and advice. Until next time.” Arlan replied as he bowed and exited the room.

The young baron made his way through Highmane once more. As a testament to the castle's size, Arlan greeted at least thirty different servants and guards before reaching the training hall. Loud metal colliding could be heard from within.

Entering the hall revealed Duke Louis Reeve dueling with Lord Commander Jermain, both combatants donned their full battle regalia. The veteran warriors traded blows with full might.

While Arlan watched, Helga and Lynn came up behind him with a steel cuirass. It’s quite difficult to put on armor alone, so Arlan allowed the two maids to assist him. Once the maids finished, Arlan heard the intensity grow. Sparks erupted from where their death machines made contact.

Lord Commander Jermain wielded a halberd, which is a polearm with an axeblade accompanying the spearhead. Arlan noticed that the bladed area at the end of the halberd was charcoal black.

That halberd must be made of darksteel. I’ve read that it’s twice the weight of normal steel weaponry but much stronger and more durable. It’s right under mithril in terms of power. The massive extra weight means this isn’t an easy weapon to use. That knight must have incredible strength and training to wield such a heavy weapon.

Arlan activated [Battle Trance] so he could read the fight better. After a short stalemate, Lord Commander Jermain channeled large amounts of his essence in preparation for an attack. The Duke responded by taking a few steps back and assumed a defensive posture. Milliseconds after, the knight swung his darksteel halberd horizontally at the Duke. Something peculiar caught Arlan’s eyes, an apparition of a bull’s head manifested itself within the swing.

I need to figure out if that attack was related to his weapon or some kind of skill like [Battle Trance].

Right before the knight’s mysterious attack reached its destination, a monstrous pressure erupted. The Duke thrust his mithril longsword into the darksteel halberd’s axeblade. Lord Commander Jermain’s swing was violently recoiled, pushing him back several meters. The essence used by the Duke was four times the amount Arlan currently had.

[Battle Trance] revealed gargantuan amounts of essence flowing from these two. Arlan was sure that the Duke didn’t have this much when they first surrounded him, probably because he wasn’t actively channeling any. Although the Lord Commander had half the essence of the Duke, it was still double Arlan’s current capacity.

The outcome of the duel had been decided after the mysterious bull attack was deflected. Lord Commander Jermain conceded to the Duke with a salute and bow. The Duke replied with a salute as well. The Lord Commander Jermain left the middle of the training area after being acknowledged.

The Duke motioned his adopted son to the center of the training hall. “Come Arlan, swing your blade at me with all your might.” ordered the Duke to his son. The young baron silently accepted his father’s orders. He drew his mithril shortsword and assumed the position where the Lord Commander stood during the duel. Both the Duke and Arlan released their killing intent. Everyone in the room instantly felt that this young boy was no ordinary man. To be able to exude such murderous aura and stand before the Duke with no ounce of fear, was a spectacle.

When Arlan stood before the Duke, he was reminded of his current body's disadvantages. He was tremendously smaller and more fragile than his new father. The Duke towered over his son at six feet and five inches. The young baron was about fifteen inches shorter.

In preparation for his first duel with the Duke, Arlan channeled his essence into his body. After leveling up, he now had access to fifteen percent of his total essence capacity. But even that wouldn’t be enough to match the duke just yet.

The young Reeve started with a downward diagonal strike against the older Reeve. The Duke responded with a perfect parry. Sparks exploded as the weapons collided. A loud metal clang complimented the entire training hall.

Arlan increased the speed of his swings to look for an opening. With no results, the Duke maintained his posture while he effortlessly blocked each strike. The old Reeve did this with one hand on his sword.

My instincts say to use the skill called [Trifecta] and it feels like I know how it works. I guess there’s no better time to use it.

Arlan still had a good surplus of his essence and focused on how he could activate his new ability. He momentarily paused his attacks, to see how the ability would work.

Activating [Battle Trance] was as simple as an on-and-off thought. Maybe attack skills activated with a use thought? Use [Trifecta].

As if Arlan clicked a button, [Trifecta] activated. Arlan lept two feet up while spinning. His blade was swung at the Duke with twice the amount of power; essence had amplified his attack.

The first hit was blocked by the Duke’s guard but the ferocity pushed the old Reeve back a few feet. Arlan wasn’t finished, [Trifecta] had two more attacks behind it. The two strikes followed up within a quarter of a second. The Duke blocked the second hit again but this time with both hands and didn’t move back.

On the third hit, the same pressure that erupted earlier exploded once more. This time, Arlan was sent flying back several meters but rebounded on his feet. The Duke had used a skill to deflect the final attack from [Trifecta]. The young warrior looked up to see his father holding up his hand.

“That was Impressive Arlan, your stance is strange, but it’s like you’ve honed it to near perfection for a decade already.” said the Duke as he sheathed his sword, “You also performed a Mar-Tech I’ve never seen before.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t know what a Mar-Tech is. Please enlighten me, father” stated Arlan.

“Martial techniques.” answered the Duke, “They’re special attacks and abilities gifted by the war gods to the first humans. Mar-Tech was passed down over thousands of years. Some of it’s been lost forever, while some are widely known. There are two ways to fight, one is to use essence and enhance your physical body. The other is harnessing mana to cast magic spells. Mana can also indirectly enhance your physical body by casting enchantments. Both are equally powerful.”

“I don’t know how I came into possession of mine but I believe it’s called [Trifecta]. Did the Lord Commander Jermain use a Mar-Tech as well?” admitted Arlan even though he knew how he got his Mar-Tech.

“Yes, the Lord Commander used [Raging Bull] to accelerate power into his attack. His ability lets him multiply the force of his swing based on the weight of the weapon. He uses darksteel weapons for that purpose.”

“I see. Father, do you have any Mar-Tech as well?”

“Yes, I have mastered quite a few Mar-Tech. Most soldiers, adventurers, or other fighters are only capable of learning a few in their lifetime. For you to know one at this age is nothing short of a genius.” stated the Duke, “One day, I’ll teach you all my Mar-Techs. While your essence is extremely gifted, your physical body is holding you back still. Learning Mar-Tech requires your essence to be completely drained for a day or sometimes weeks. Recovery varies from person to person. Some don’t even recover from the weight of learning Mar-Tech.”

“Is there a way to know how much essence you’ll need?” asked Arlan.

“The quality of your core is most important, but efficient essence routing and current essence available are other secondary variables. The success of learning Mar-Tech is dependent on those variables.” stated the Duke.

“I see. How do I measure my core?” replied the intrigued son.

“There are many catalysts that can be used to analyze the quality of your core. There is a small ruby here in the training room against the wall near the door. Rubies are the most accurate measurement. Other gemstones aren’t as accurate but are much more common. Place your hand on the ruby and channel your essence to full.” answered the Duke.

Arlan follows his father’s instructions and approaches a ruby crystal on a pedestal placed in the center of the wall. The young baron channels all of his essence as instructed. The ruby emits a glow that pierces into Arlan’s hand. Arlan felt no pain as a letter appeared at the back of his hand.

“As I expected of someone who single-handedly defeated a company of goblins.” stated the Duke proudly.

“May I have an explanation of what this means?” asked his son.

“Yes Arlan, cores are separated into ten tiers. The tenth tier is the most powerful. Within each tier, a core must be refined to a pure white to advance to the next tier. All cores start at a red color. They move from red to orange, to yellow to white. Surpassing into the next tier requires a pure white core at your tier. Advancing tiers will multiply your essence or mana by quite a bit.

“What is my tier?” asked Arlan.

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“My boy, your core has already been elevated to the third tier orange. I’ve only been able to reach the fifth-tier yellow. Most soldiers or mages never break into the second tier.”

“Father, what’s the highest tier you’ve ever seen?”

“The best fighters across Althea are no higher than fifth tiers. Anything higher is considered impossible for mortals to reach. Dragons and mythical beasts have seventh-tier cores.”

“How does one advance to the next tier?” asked Arlan again.

“Through intense training by cultivating your core. Arlan, at your age, with a third-tier core, you’ve already reached what most fail to do in a lifetime. That’s enough for today. You’re dismissed for today.” answered Duke Reeve.

“Thank you, father.”

As Arlan bowed out, the two assigned maids removed his armor. Arlan made his way to his quarters while thinking of what he learned today.

Alright, it’s time I check out Galdo City. Although I think it may be better to check it out in secret.

Arlan ordered the two maids to stay in his quarters while he donned a blue cloak. It was the least expensive-looking cloak the young baron could find. Arlan made his way to the front gate of Highmane. He was already well known among Highmane and rumors were already spreading throughout Galdo City. The guards instantly recognized him with his hood down. But as Arlan left the castle and entered the city, he raised his hood and vanished into the crowds.

The young baron’s first steps into the city felt surreal. It was his first time finally exploring a large city on Althea. While this venture was for intelligence, Arlan could not help but indulge himself in walking the streets. He found multiple vendor stalls, houses, stores, restaurants, and other assortments of buildings. Within these buildings were different varying characters. The city was bustling and the people were quite lively.

Before Arlan had noticed, an hour had passed and it was already three in the afternoon. He’d just arrived at the market square, the center of Galdo City. As he explored the markets, a restaurant towards the end seduced his hunger. No one in the market recognized his face yet and he intentionally hid his sigil under his cloak.

Upon entry, a human maid with black long hair greeted the young baron without realizing his nobility. She held a very nice hourglass figure and looked to be in her early twenties. The maid guided Arlan to a table in the corner. The tavern was bustling with life and the atmosphere was joyous.

Arlan ordered a special chicken soup with freshly made plum juice. As he began devouring his food, he noticed a trio of nobles entering the tavern with two escort guards. Something that bothered Arlan was this establishment didn’t seem to appeal to the upper class.

Arlan left one silver coin for the tab on the table, it was payment for his food and more. Being the son of Duke Reeve meant he had access to a large amount of wealth. Arlan got up and followed the trio from a distance and noticed they arrived at a table with three army recruits. Arlan activated [Battle Trance] to ascertain the area better.

The three noblemen appeared to be in their late teens, same with the recruits sitting at the table. A teal-haired noble started by shouting at the recruits who instantly stood up from their table and bowed. “You lowlifes are insulting me when you fight against my banner during training. You need to know your place and stay your hand during combat training. Or you’ll lose it.” exclaimed the teal-haired noble.

One of the recruits replied, “I apologize for our rudeness, sir. But we were merely doing as our instructor told us to.” Arlan recognized that recruit. It was JD.

JD, I thought you’d be in the Knight’s Academy by now. Not a recruit in the Midland Army.

At the end of that thought, the purple-haired noble grabbed JD by his uniform’s collar and started dragging him out. With this commotion, everyone in the tavern had turned their attention to the corner. None of the maids dare say anything to the nobles.

JD allowed the nobles to drag him towards the center, right past Arlan. Afterward, the purple-haired noble proclaimed, “Get on your knees and beg for our mercy. Or I’ll have you removed from the Midland Army!”

The soldier obeyed and knelt towards the nobles. Before JD could say anything, the teal-haired noble raised the scabbard of his sword and prepared to strike JD. Arlan knew it was time to intervene. He had brought his mithril sword along with him.

Arlan channeled essence and used his scabbard to block the attack for JD, positioning himself right between the two in the Tavern. It knocked the teal-haired noble on his rear. The nervous green-haired noble replied, “Heathen! Do you dare get in my way? I’m Ralph Pennington. My father is a knight in the Midland A-”

“I don’t care.” Arlan interrupted. JD’s eyes widened as he thought he just heard Arlan’s voice.

“You’ll be punished!” Ralph threatened Arlan.

Let’s have a little fun.

“Oh no, punishment by the fucking ugly kid! What will I ever do?” acted Arlan sarcastically. This struck a nerve with all three nobles.

“Smitty beat this hooligan!” ordered Ralph to one of the guard escorts. It was a guard in his late thirties wearing chainmail. The guard didn’t draw his weapon but approached Arlan with the intent to strike him with his gauntlets. Arlan motioned for JD to step back, everyone’s gaze fell upon Arlan and Smitty with the promise of violence.

Smitty was at least seven inches taller than Arlan and approached with intent. Arlan decided not to release his killing intent and used the hilt to defend himself. As Smitty approached striking distance, Arlan channeled his essence and prepared to riposte the inevitable strike.

The escort guard lunged at the young baron with his right metal fist. Arlan was able to deflect the blow with the hilt. A loud thud echoed through the entire tavern. Smitty let out a slight groan and realized his hand was broken. The guard was now rendered unable to fight.

“You damned useless soldier!” Ralph scolded his guard, “Rodrid, you beat him.”

Before the second guard could approach, six different city guards invaded the tavern and surrounded the scene. Ralph and his posse immediately pointed the guards towards JD and Arlan and accused the pair of thievery and violence. The city guards immediately drew swords. One of the senior city guards declared to Arlan, “Lower your weapons and surrender. If you refuse, you’ll pay with your blood.”

Arlan remained calm and simply lowered his hood. Everyone in the tavern immediately gasped and the guards withdrew their weapons immediately. Arlan’s collar was now visible with the golden lion sigil, a special sigil signifying his baron title. The senior city guard broke the silence, “My Lord, please excuse my incompetence. We were unaware that it was you. I offer my sincerest apologies.”

“I have not been offended. Arrest the three nobles and their guards,” ordered Arlan with ease. JD was shocked with silence.

The young baron was now in full control with leverage of the Reeve’s sigil. Since Arlan never heard of the Pennington name, it was safe to assume their house was of much lower status. With Arlan’s orders, the guards followed and the nobles pleaded for forgiveness. “Milord, we beg for mercy. We were not aware of your status.”

“I shall grant you mercy. Under the condition that you leave this soldier to his duties for the rest of your lives.” responded the young baron.

“Your mercy is endless, Milord,” begged Ralph as left the tavern with his posse behind him. Arlan ushered for the guards to leave as well and they obeyed. They didn’t dare question a Baron, even if the Baron was fourteen. Arlan then turned to JD who still was shocked with wide eyes. Arlan greeted first.

“It’s been a while, JD.”

“Arlan! I mean, Milord-”

“No need for manners, Arlan is just fine.”

“Right! I thought I heard your voice! It really is you. You’re a Baron of House Reeve now.”

“I’m still not used to being a Baron either,” replied Arlan as he noticed the two other soldiers still back at the table. “Should we return to your friends and catch up?”

“As a noble, we shouldn’t sit next to you.”

“It won’t matter, no would dare question a Reeve,” stated Arlan. JD nodded and the two walked over to the nervous pair. JD tried to introduce Arlan, “This is my friend fro-”

“Baron Arlan of House Reeve. Pleased to meet you two.” inserted Arlan as he bowed.

“Milord, I’m Trent and this is Erin. We’re recruits with the Galdo City Garrison. Please excuse our presence.” stated Trent who was taller than JD and barely fifteen years old. He wore the Midland Army recruit uniform like JD and Erin. The uniforms were dark blue long sleeve dress shirts with gray pants with medals and rank insignias. They were recruits still, not considered soldiers till they finished their training.

The trio nervously made room for Arlan to sit. The same maid who seated Arlan ran by and bowed nervously and took Arlan’s order. The recruit’s eyes widened when Arlan ordered more expensive items off the menu. Erin felt uneasy and decided to ask. “Milord, how is it that you know JD and why are you sitting with us? Wouldn’t it be better to eat at a more luxurious restaurant? Forgive my rudeness.”

“I’ve known JD for a while. We lived at the orphanage together. This is my first time exploring Galdo City and I’d like to experience the area fully. If you’re friends with JD, I’d like to thank you for keeping him out of trouble.” replied Arlan.

“Milord, Trent, and I both owe JD a great deal. He’s helped us and many others endure the training. We’re thankful for your intervention.” stated Erin.

“JD, why was the Pennington kid after you?”

“I was able to beat him in a training skirmish between our banner and theirs. He didn’t enjoy being beaten by a commoner. So we came here to celebrate our victory today and that’s when he showed up.” stated JD as he looked at his cup, “Arlan… How did you end up becoming a Baron for the Reeves family?”

“I seem to have impressed Duke Reeves by slaying a company of Goblins on the way here. Then during our dinner, he was able to get a grasp of my intentions. So he ended up adopting me as his son. Duke Reeves is my father.” stated Arlan.

Once the young baron finished his sentence, Trent and Erin both choked on their drinks and began coughing. JD held a very shocked face while Arlan let out a laugh.

“I heard of the rumors of the Duke’s new son. I didn’t think it’d be you.” said JD as he let out a smile, “You didn’t change. You could’ve flashed your sigil way earlier. But you decided to break that nitwit’s hand.” Arlan wrapped his arm around JD’s neck and started rubbing his fist into JD’s head. While JD and Arlan let out laughs, Trent and Erin looked at each other in disbelief that a baron was acting so casually with them.

A Baron from House Reeve had joined them for dinner and was acting incredibly casual with JD. This wasn’t a normal sight for commoners. The maid came about with four tauro steaks. Each slab gave off a savory aroma. All four of them haven’t had tauro meat. They dove right in and after eating, they forgot Arlan was a noble and that they were commoners. Arlan was bombarded by different questions but he was able to answer them. It satisfied the recruit’s curiosity about Highmane, the Duke, and combat.

JD was able to update Arlan on the rest of the orphans. Noah is a Midland Army recruit but is on a training exercise with his unit. Chrysta became an apprentice mage. Sayla and Layla, both work with a merchant union. Greenhorn, whose name is Wren, was taken in by the local blacksmith. Doyle, who Arlan knew as ‘Reachy,’ is a student with the Galdo City Ministry.

JD explained that he didn’t make it into the Galdo Knight Academy. This surprised Arlan because JD was talented enough and had the capabilities to become a Knight. The young baron knew he wielded the power to change his friend’s fate.

“JD, I could have you enrolled into the Knight Academy under House Reeve's endorsement.” Arlan offered. JD paused for a moment and the other two recruit’s eyes widened.

“You’d… do that for me?!” shouted JD as his eyes widened.

“Yes, under our endorsement, you wouldn’t have any issues either,” stated Arlan. Trent and Erin looked at JD with pure envy after such a golden offer.

“Thanks, Arlan, but I can’t leave my friends behind. If I wasn’t around, the Penningtons would easily have at them,” said JD. Trent and Erin instantly told JD to reconsider.

You were always standing up for others, even when you had to make sacrifices.

“I’ll send a messenger in the morning that they’ll be changed to a unit under House Reeve's name. That’ll keep the Penningtons from causing harm. But I’ll only do this if you agree to my offer.” replied Arlan. This wasn’t that much of a hassle for Arlan. Having a unit transfer would have minimal cost. Trent and Erin’s eyes widened as they’d be under the Reeve’s banner, a well-respected House.

JD began to tear. The weight of looking out for his friends was gone. He knew that they’d be in good hands. “Thanks, Arlan, I’m going to become a Knight. You better pick me up as your retainer.” smiled the future knight.

“Always, my dear friend. I want you to come to see me at Highmane if anything ever goes wrong. This is also open to anyone from your unit.” said Arlan with warmth. Erin and Trent were simply awed at being able to enter Highmane to see a Baron.

“Simply tell the guards that Baron Arlan Reeve sent for you and they will immediately take you to me.” instructed Arlan, “But you JD, I need you to become a Knight, I’m going to need someone I can trust. This country is going to war in one year.”

The trio was immediately shocked at the revelation but dared not to ask more. Festivities for the night had their highs and lows. The sun had just set and Arlan had to return to Highmane before his father would send for him. He parted ways with JD and his new friends to begin his walk home. Arlan didn’t bother to hide his face anymore due to the recent events. He left the tavern with every patron watching his every move.

Into the cool summer breeze, Arlan saw extra guards stationed in the area and the Galdo City nightlife emerging. This city doesn’t sleep until late in the night. Workers wanting to spend a part of their day’s wage fueled this nightly crowd.

This is way too much security for this area, it’s likely for me.

Arlan began making his way home. He headed back west, the walk would only take about fifteen minutes. The many pathways at night weren’t dangerous due to the number of people still walking about. That didn’t stop a hooded figure from following Arlan.

Arlan would activate his [Battle Trance] skill every few minutes and would notice this same person following him at a distance. The stranger also had quite a large amount of essence but it wasn’t even a fraction of Arlan’s.

The young baron turned a corner onto a street that had only a few people about. Arlan immediately faced his pursuer and let his killing intent flourish towards his stalker. The aura was so powerful that every bystander on the street felt uneasy and immediately looked towards Arlan in disbelief.

The stalker who had just turned the corner was stunned by what he felt and saw. A hazel brown-haired kid staring right at him with murderous eyes ready to pierce his soul. The stalker’s hand grasped the hilt of his sword. He had been trained to react this way. The bystanders noticed this and gasped at the event unfolding. Some began to back up into the homes and shops. The young baron simply turned back towards Highmane and kept walking.

Arlan used [Battle Trance] to reaffirm that he was not followed any longer.

I’m going to have to be careful even in the city. I’ll have to establish some kind of information system through recon or other means. I need to know who that was.

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