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But it also brought out a lot of confusion with it.

Therefore he turned around, masking his confusion and vulnerability with a polite smile.

Archon moved forward and extended his hand— there was a thin strip of yellow parchment, designed with green embroidery in the corners.

"This is the temporary pass for the library," he said with a gruff voice.

Kai gave a curt nod and noticed that the man’s aura was stranger than before and his eyes seemed to bore into him. Even Jasper showed similar annoyance, but he hid it way better. He couldn’t blame them since he doubted the tower had many instances of losing out like this.

Not only they could do nothing to him on Actra’s death, they even have to compensate him.

He gave them one last look and turned around to leave.

As he exited the room, he felt Veridia’s gaze burning into his back, a heated intensity that sent shivers down his spine. The glare that bore behind his back made him wonder if she was going to go back on her words and simply attack him, but he maintained his composed stride, disappearing down the hallway.

Once safely out of sight, Kai allowed himself to breathe. Thankfully, no one stopped him for anything more and it allowed him to recap the entire interrogation.

It had been a high-stakes dance for sure, and while he’d managed to stay one step ahead, the revelation about his mother made him rethink everything he’d known about Arzan so far.

He replayed Veridia’s words in his mind: "Your mother would be proud that you were able to access her inheritance. The tower only had a handful of magus and she was a special one even among those."

Arzan’s mother, a magus of Archine Tower? It wasn’t hard for him to believe that a lot of people in his family were Mages.

After all, his initial potential had been pretty good, but he hadn’t entertained the possibility of his own mother being a powerful magus and one that probably had a history with Veridia.

His thoughts went back to anything and everything he could think of her.

The diaries, the only link he had to his past, had offered no mention of her. He’d simply assumed she was from a noble house, someone who’d passed away early, leaving Arzan with no memories of her. Now, it seemed the truth was… far more complex.

The inheritance, then, wasn’t from the Duchy, but from his mother herself. An inheritance that others assumed to be powerful enough to unclog his mana veins and awaken his magical abilities.

Had Actra killed him for the inheritance if it was so powerful? He doubted it since it was usual for only the successor to be able to access it until a Mage had decided to make it a competition.

A thousand questions swirled in his mind.

Everyone around him was probably going to assume he had gotten the inheritance. But only he knew the truth. The question of what type of inheritance it was, who actually was his mother and where was this inheritance located bugged him.

As he walked, he pushed these questions down, deciding to use the tower’s library to see if they had any records on his mother. Knowing how they publically boasted of their former powerful Mages, they would have a lot of information for the novices and apprentices to read through.

Suddenly, he thought back to the awakening of his ice element and the voice he had heard. Was that some sort of a soul imprint left by his mother? It could definitely be that, but he couldn’t come to a conclusion before getting more information about her.

If he was lucky, he would even be able to find more information on his whole family in the library.

It wouldn’t be a bad choice to look into this inheritance since it was bound to contain some sort of artifacts, spells or powers that Arzan’s mother would have left for him. It was sad that he would never be able to get his hand on his rightful inheritance, but he was here in his place.

Even if it wasn’t the most moral thing, he didn’t care since strength was very important to him.

After all, the investigation was not a hurdle cleared, but a fragile truce at best.

He knew the tower’s interest in him would only grow. They needed him to be quiet and if they were actually serious about the investigation, then he could see several ways how he might be impacted.

If there was actually a secret cabal of demonic Mages within the tower itself, it might lead to an internal war and if the whole tower was on it, then he might very well expect more than a few assassins after him.

Though, he had a feeling he was going to be chased by assassins either way.

It still left the question of who wanted to kill him out in the open and as that person hadn’t made any moves since Actra, he was waiting for something to come up.

Kai sighed as he pushed past a small crowd to get to the lift. The conversation had mostly exhausted him due to how careful he’d wanted to be.

On the other hand, he still had his audience with the King, then he’d return to check out the library and take the exam to officialize his Mage position tomorrow.

His time in the capital was going to be filled with one thing after another.

***

Kai stood before the imposing doors of the King’s audience chamber.

This was one of the official duties he had as a noble. Everyone of them visiting the capital needed to show their faces of to the King as a sign of respect and since he was also going to be talking about the beast wave, it was one of the most important things in his check list in the capital.

As he looked over his clothes for one last time, Killian who was standing beside him spoke. "Are you certain about this, Lord Arzan? Keeping the details of Actra’s treachery under wraps? Seems risky."

Kai looked at Killian; the knight’s neutral face bored him for answers. "The information is vital, Killian. But for now, the tower’s investigation is our best play. Let them squirm, reveal their secrets and see what comes out of this investigation. There’s something bigger at play here, and I want to see what worms they unearth."

His eyes flickered towards the massive doors. "Besides, I have a more pressing matter to address with the King. Let’s hope he takes it seriously and agrees to our demands."

Before Killian could respond, a male voice echoed through the chamber. "Baron Arzan Kellius, son of the former Duke Kellius, your audience is granted."

The heavy doors swung open with a groan, revealing a scene of what exactly he had in mind. Nobles, dressed in finery, milled about in the big chamber, their voices a low murmur that filled the air.

Numerous eyes glanced at him as he entered. He didn’t give them more than a glance as he walked, his focus solely on the man at the far end of the room.

On a raised dais sat King Sullivan Lancephil, a man with a long, thick white beard that went down his chest. His eyes, a faded blue, held a weariness that spoke of years spent burdened by the weight of the crown. A young servant, looking to be in his early twenties, knelt beside him, offering a plate of glistening grapes. The King accepted one with a sigh, his gaze flicking towards Kai with disinterest.

Kai straightened his back, walking with confident strides that he seemed to be getting good at. He strode purposefully across the polished floor, the hushed whispers of the nobles following in his wake.

This was his first step onto the political stage, but as he looked at Sullivan, the man looked way more interested in the grapes than him.

"You are Duke Kellius’ third son? Well, the former Duke now." King Sullivan questioned, his voice surprisingly warm for a man of such stature.

Kai nodded, hoping the topic won’t stray too long on his family. "Indeed, Your Majesty. I am Baron Arzan Kellius."

His gaze softened, a sentiment of recognition passing through his eyes. "Ah, Duke Kellius. A stalwart man, a credit to the realm. Your father’s achievements in the Battle of Saint Wells are well documented. But why have you come here? Any specific reason?"

A wave of relief washed over Kai as the King moved over to the topic he was waiting for. He straightened slightly, emboldened. "Your Majesty, I come seeking your assistance."

"Assistance for what?"

"My territory had gotten signs of a beast wave. I had already confirmed it and it’s approaching fast. I’m here to seek assistance from the kingdom since if the beast wave isn’t stopped, a lot of lives would be at stake."

A murmur rippled through the court at his words. He felt more eyes on him. Kai ignored it, focusing on Sullivan’s increasingly serious expression.

"A beast wave, you say? How many beasts are you talking about?"

"Around a thousand, your highness," he said, exaggerating the numbers, causing another ripple through the nobles.

"That’s no trifling matter. Isn’t your territory around the Vasper Forest?"

Kai nodded, a bit surprised Sullivan remembered it. He saw something flickering through his eyes and the disinterest in them slowly faded and for a few seconds, he saw pity.

"I understand. This is no trifling matter, young Arzan. The kingdom will lend its aid." He clapped his hands and gestured to one of his servants who promptly moved.

After a few minutes in which he answered a few more questions on the beast wave, a door at the back of the room hissed open, and a figure emerged.

Kai’s breath hitched seeing the person. His eyes settled on him as he recalled a painting he had seen while entering the castle.

He had white hair, the colour of freshly fallen snow which was a sharp contrast to his dark eyes. Other than that, his face was a bit plain and if we removed his hair, he would look like any other commoner, but he noticed that the man walked with a stride that seemed to suggest that he trained everyday.

He was the first prince— Eldric Sullivan Lancephil.

He hadn’t planned to meet him on his journey to the capital, but as Eldric stood before the King, he knew his plans were hardly going to matter here.

King Sullivan gestured to the prince. "Eldric, I’m glad you have come here at such a short notice."

"I was in the castle, your majesty," he said, bowing in greeting.

"Dark clouds have moved themselves towards our kingdom again, Eldric and with them, they have brought upon a beast wave on Baron Arzan’s territory. Ensure he gets all the help we can offer."

Kai felt Eldric’s gaze on him as he bowed in gratitude. He didn’t particularly like it, never taken well to any nobles he had crossed paths with, but this was a part of his life now, so he could simply get it over with.

The voices from the sides died down as soon as Sullivan ordered the prince to take over the matter. Though, he did saw a lot of people whispering.

Things moved rather fast after that as Sullivan dismissed him, saying that he had heard enough for today and wanted to move back to his chambers.

The audience ended abruptly, Kai ushered out by a flustered chamberlain who led him to one of the rooms in the back which seemed to be a plush waiting room.

After giving him a steaming cup of tea, he left, leaving him alone.

Kai didn’t particularly care about how he was treated, but whatever he observed in the court confirmed most things Malden had told him. Sullivan was really not interested in handling the kingdom’s affairs anymore.

As he took his first sip out of the tea, the door creaked open.

Prince Eldric stepped into the room, followed by a few guards who stood by the door and a man who seemed to be some sort of an advisor who followed him to the table.

Kai rose to his feet, looking over at him and hoping that his first meeting with the future mad king would be smooth.

"Baron Arzan," Eldric said in a far more cheerful voice than he had expected. "I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now."

What did he just say?