Despite the limitations he placed on himself, he got a few notifications for his troubles.
[Absolute Spatial Perception lvl 22 -> lvl 23]
[Field of the Shattered Will lvl 17 -> lvl 19]
[Phoenix’s Mark lvl 1 -> lvl 3]
[Harmonic Balance lvl 1 -> lvl 3]
He noticed that his void skills were falling behind his other skills and that he would have to work on them in the future. He might even start incorporating them into his new style once he gets a better handle on things. On another note, he was quite happy at how well his kinetic restriction helped [Field of the Shattered Will].
It was a proper challenge for the skill, and he wasn’t even using it against his opponents. He would have to keep at it and try some different variations. Not only did it help him keep a low profile, but it also served as good training. He didn’t want to let his kinetic energy fall behind his other stuff. Cain would yell at him if he allowed that to happen.
It was the only affinity that he hadn’t improved yet. But he hoped to find something during his exploration of Corvus.
While he was checking his notifications, he made sure to turn the roasted meat over on the fire. They could have returned to the city, but they both decided to stay out in the woods for the time being. It was nice out, the temperature was perfect, and the stars were shining brightly.
He didn’t know if it was because both of them had life mana affinities, but she seemed more comfortable in nature. Her usual aloof expression slowly morphed into one of quiet contentment. She was currently playing with Drasil by the campfire.
The little spirit was throwing small sparks of mana at her, and she would do her best to bat them aside. Drasil liked her, and Julius could tell he wanted to show off his real form. The orb was fine and all, but it restricted Drasil.
However, their deal was still in place, and until Drasil could successfully hide his wings, he would have to stay hidden. Julius got a few chunks of mana hurled at him for this decision.
Seraphyne had decided to stay inside his soul space. She wasn’t much of a socializer, unlike Drasil. She preferred to nap quietly in his soul space and only came out when there was food involved.
He checked on the vegetables he had roasting in a tray over the fire. They were almost done, and right before he took them off, he threw in an extra knob of butter and some herbs to the tray. The sound of hot butter sizzling and the mouthwatering aroma blanketed the camp.
He took the meat off the heat and allowed it to rest. He siphoned some of the heat away as well. This way, he wouldn’t have to wait another twenty minutes for it to finish resting. Magic was very useful, and he wished he had it back in his old world. Stuff like this would have been so handy.
He was just taking the vegetables off the fire when he saw Selene sit down close to him. But for some reason, she looked a little troubled. A little conflicted and a little sad.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked curiously. They had gotten a little closer over the past few days. He learned that while she was a skilled healer, she was also very considerate. The way she helped those villagers wasn’t just a one-off thing; from what he observed, she liked helping people whenever she could.
He caught her healing a few random people when they were leaving the city. An older couple who were holding their backs in pain. Or a young adventurer, a boy who couldn’t have been older than thirteen, had an injured leg and was hobbling back to the city.
They didn’t ask for it, nor did she tell them. She must have sensed they were injured and, as she was passing by, sent a small healing pulse of life mana. It wasn’t for recognition, but simply because she wanted to help them.
Hence, seeing her look despondent had him slightly worried about her.
She looked at the fire and nudged a small rock with her toe. “Do you have any family?” she asked out of the blue.
“Do I have any family?” he repeated slowly with a frown on his face.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Why are you asking that?” he asked cautiously.
She didn’t respond; instead, she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly.
He looked at her worriedly. Her aura was a mess of various emotions. It was like she didn’t know how to feel; anxiety and uneasiness were at the forefront of her aura. She was decent at controlling her aura, better than most Tier 4s he’d come across at least. But he had gotten really good at sensing aura and the emotions attached to them. Partly thanks to Drasil and Seraphyne, but also thanks to his own volatile aura. Which meant he could read her fairly well.
He nodded softly and looked up into the star visible through the treetops. “I mean, technically, my family is dead. I might have a few cousins running around, but no blood relatives that I would consider family.”
He saw her head snap up to him; guilt and pity were apparent on her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
He waved her concerns away. “It’s okay. I never met my mother, and my father wasn’t exactly a great guy. I wasn’t too heartbroken about his death. I had an uncle, but he passed away. His death was— still a little hard to deal with," he corrected himself.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"But I got some friends who more than make up for it,” he said with a warm smile.
“What about your family?” he prodded her when she didn’t reply after a few moments.
She looked up at him with a sad smile. “I have a big family, several siblings, and cousins. But they can be…” she trailed off with a grimace. “... they can be cruel.”
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say.
She nodded, this time there was a little bit of resentment and guilt mixed into her aura. “Yeah, me too.”
He bobbed his head gently, acknowledging her internal conflict. He didn't know about her relationship with her family and wasn’t about to pry, but he could guess it wasn’t that great. He was somewhat lucky in the sense that he didn’t really know his direct family.
Gregory had spent all of his childhood years wasting away in brothels or in a bottle. Oftentimes both. But at least he had people like Lukas and Edwin, or even his grandfather in his old life. He also met some amazing people during the past year.
Declan, Lily, Edgar, Derek, Aubrey, Cain, Freya. All of these people he would gladly trust with his life. Reinera might have even made that list. But her status as a princess made things a little more difficult.
He reached over and was about to start carving the roast when he felt a small tingle of mana. It was subtle, and the mana from the woods helped hide it, but it was there. He extended his perception as far out as he could, narrowing it so he could increase the distance.
But even then, he wasn’t able to sense anything.
Maybe it was something else. But a few moments later, he did get a ping with his perception, and he let out a sigh. “Is this why you proposed that we stay out here, all alone?” he asked Selene, looking at the young woman with a disappointed frown.
She seemed genuinely remorseful, biting her lip and clenching her fists. “I’m so sorry. I don’t have a choice; they threatened to kill me and punish my brother if I didn't comply with their demands.”
He just nodded softly and shrugged. He wished he could say that he was truly stunned by this turn of events. He didn’t know if it was because of his previous experiences, but he’d been looking out for something like this. He didn’t want to believe it, especially since Drasil liked the girl, but in the back of his mind, he knew something was off about the way she approached him.
That first night, she almost seemed hesitant to approach him, but now he realized it was reluctance. But he also didn’t think this was necessarily a bad thing. In fact, a small part of him had wanted this to happen. Hoping it would.
It was a small consolation, but at least he knew she hadn’t completely fooled him and still seemed like a good person at heart. Just someone caught in an unfortunate situation.
If what she was saying was true and that she was doing this because they were threatening her and her brother, Julius couldn’t find it in his heart to blame her. At least not that much.
He watched calmly as several forms exited the woods and the final piece of the barrier slammed into place. He recognized two of these people straight away.
It was Lady Celestine and Kaito’s brother, Hayden. The two of them strolled toward him; Hayden had a cocky grin on his face, whereas Celestine had that same graceful smile. A smile he understood to be a complete facade.
Hidden in the back behind the trees were a few other Tier 4s, but his perception skill easily detected them. They were cloaked, and their features were obscured. Julius found that interesting because the other two hadn’t bothered to hide their appearances. He wondered why that was the case.
“You don’t seem that surprised to see us,” Celestine commented calmly.
“I had a feeling I would be seeing you again,” Julius replied evenly.
“Oh? So you suspected little Selene was playing you then?” she teased.
Julius shook his head, lying slightly, if only for Selene's benefit. “No, but your interest in that spirit was unusually extreme. I know how people like you two behave. I admit, though, that Selene was a bit of a shock. Was she placed in that caravan at your discretion?”
Celestine didn’t answer; instead, she smiled knowingly, which honestly gave him his answer. “Who are you?” she asked.
“You haven’t done your own investigation?” he asked calmly.
“We have.”
“And?”
“And I would really appreciate it if you came with me, please,” she said with a smile.
“And if I don’t?”
“Then we will be forced to deal with you a little more forcefully. However, I would like to avoid that. You see, I have a proposition for you. One that I believe you won’t be able to refuse, but I also can’t risk you going and telling Kaito about it before I say my piece.”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure about that. I might surprise you, I can be very stubborn when I want to.”
“Please let’s just go somewhere to talk privately,” she said gently.
He looked at the woods and laughed lightly. “This is as private as it’s going to get. You can ask me what you want right here,” he said with a casual smile.
“Oh, good lord, just fucking grab him,” Hayden grunted out from the back to the cloaked men.
Julius felt the men all collapse on top of him, and as much as he wanted to kill them then and there, he held back. He didn’t even flinch when one of the men was a little too rough and almost broke his arm when he twisted it behind his back.
Rather, he stayed calm and stared at Lady Celestine with a blank expression. He felt them placing shackles over his hands, and his mana, as well as his aura control, was restricted. It wasn’t that bad, though. If he wanted to, he knew he could break out of them with a quick pulse of his aura. There were several gaps in them that his ruinous aura could exploit.
Perhaps they would have been able to restrain a normal Tier 4, or even a stronger-than-average one. But his aura was special and didn’t feel endangered by them at all.
He’d already made his decision the second he sensed them surrounding him. He was going to allow them to capture him and see what they wanted. He hoped that his Lightweave Necklace was as good as the description stated. So far, nobody had been able to detect it while the illusion was up, but it would certainly be put to the test now.
When he first met Celestine, something that Kaito said tickled his suspicions. He also remembered what Grand Elder Koenn had said about the Conclave's interest in the eastern regions of the Empire. It was entirely possible that this Celestine Cromweld woman, who Kaito said was from a noble family in the Empire, was a part of the Conclave.
And so why would he blow his first good lead before he got to ask her any questions? He had time, and he was patient. He wanted to see what she was up to and find out whether or not she was involved with the Conclave.
If she was? Then, perfect, he would gain some valuable information.
If she wasn’t? Then he could always escape with [Void Step]. Either way, he didn’t feel like he was the one being captured. In fact, it felt like they were the ones in danger should he choose to fight back.
Tier 5s or not, he wasn’t scared of these people. But he was curious about what they wanted and decided to play their games for a little while.
