Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 1: The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Chapter 2: The Encyclopedia Of Mana Manipulation
Chapter 3: Head Start
Chapter 4: My Life Now
Chapter 5: Let The Journey Begin
Chapter 6: Up The Mountain
Chapter 7: How I Wished
Chapter 8: Questions
Chapter 9: Ones Held Dear
Chapter 10: Road Ahead
Chapter 11: To And Fro
Chapter 12: Meeting
Chapter 13: Q & A
Chapter 14: What’S To Come
Chapter 15: The Other Side
Chapter 16: Next Step
Chapter 17: Companion
Chapter 18: Family
Chapter 19: Peaceful
Chapter 20: Proclamation
Chapter 21: Everybody Wins
Chapter 22: For Them
Chapter 23: Royalty
Chapter 24: Auction
Chapter 25: Aftermath
Chapter 26: Partners In Crime
Chapter 27: Worth Fighting For
Chapter 28: Examination
Chapter 29: Changes In Dicathen
Chapter 30: Sword And Body
Chapter 31: Last Leg
Chapter 32: Dire Tombs
Chapter 33: Dire Tombs Ii
Chapter 34: Dire Tombs Iii
Chapter 35: Rash Actions And Limits
Chapter 36: Precautions
Chapter 37: A Son, Brother, And Friend
Chapter 38: In The Meantime
Chapter 39: Introspection
Chapter 40: New Winds
Chapter 41: I’M Not That Nice
Chapter 42: A Ball
Chapter 43: A Ball Ii
Chapter 44: Xyrus Academy
Chapter 45: You Dare?
Chapter 46: Not Quite As Planned
Chapter 47: Wiser Than The Wise
Chapter 48: Attention
Chapter 49: Reminisce
Chapter 50: Disciplinary Committee
Chapter 51: Classes And Professors
Chapter 52: Classes And Professors Ii
Chapter 53: Classes And Professors Iii
Chapter 54: It’S A Pleasure
Chapter 55: Match Start
Chapter 56: This Is Going To Hurt
Chapter 57: Family Gathering
Chapter 58: Feelings And Old Memories
Chapter 59: First Day On The Job
Chapter 60: Confrontation
Chapter 61: Romantic Idiot
Chapter 62: My Team
Chapter 63: Baby Steps
Chapter 64: Field Trip
Chapter 65: Widow’S Crypt
Chapter 66: Widow’S Crypt Ii
Chapter 67: Widow’S Crypt Iii
Chapter 68: Widow’S Crypt Iv
Chapter 69: Widow’S Crypt V
Chapter 70: An Unfamiliar Burden
Chapter 71: Evolving
Chapter 72: A Confusing Day
Chapter 73: One Fallen
Chapter 74: A Will’S Last Breath
Chapter 75: Order Of Power
Chapter 76: Manifest Destinies
Chapter 77: Good To See You
Chapter 78: Allies?
Chapter 79: Meanwhile
Chapter 80: Meanwhile Ii
Chapter 81: Meanwhile Iii
Chapter 82: At Last
Chapter 83: Benefactor
Chapter 84: A Greater Scale
Chapter 85: Lineage
Chapter 86: Elven Kingdom
Chapter 87: Winding Down
Chapter 88: A Will’S Unwillingness
Chapter 89: A Stroll
Chapter 90: A Cursed Blessing
Chapter 91: The Start
Chapter 92: Collapse Of Xyrus
Chapter 92: Bird’S Cage
Chapter 93: Chosen Ones
Chapter 94: Arrival
Chapter 95: The Calm Before
Chapter 96: The Storm
Chapter 97: Outcome
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322: Echoes Of Accusations
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325 Painless
Chapter 326 Backlash
Chapter 327 Enough For Now
Chapter 328 Face To Face
Chapter 329: A Plea For Help
Chapter 330
Chapter 331: The Trial
Chapter 332: Broken Chains
Chapter 333: Attention
Chapter 334: Last Mercy
Chapter 335: Haunting Peace
Chapter 336: Protection
Chapter 337: Layers
Chapter 338 A Weapon Against Him
Chapter 339 The Central Dominion
Chapter 340 Burden And Stakes
Chapter 341 Ashes And Dust
Chapter 342 Duality
Chapter 343 Professor Princess
Chapter 344 Eyes Locked
Chapter 345 Socialite
Chapter 346 A Dim Spark
Chapter 347 A Stroll With Gods
Chapter 348 Melee Enhancement Tactics
Chapter 349: Hope And Lies
Chapter 350: Colleagues
Chapter 351: Minimally Catastrophic
Chapter 352: Relic, Revived
Chapter 353: Paradigm Shift
Chapter 354: Somewhat Teaching
Chapter 355: Just His Name
Chapter 356: Closure
Chapter 357: Blood Relic
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361: The Second Ruin
Chapter 362: Fate Intertwined
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 374.5
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384
Chapter 385
Chapter 386
Chapter 387
Chapter 388
Chapter 389
Chapter 390
Chapter 391
Chapter 392
Chapter 393
Chapter 394
Chapter 395
Chapter 396
Chapter 397
Chapter 398
Chapter 399
Chapter 400
Chapter 401
Chapter 402
Chapter 403
Chapter 404
Chapter 405
Chapter 406
Chapter 407
Chapter 408
Chapter 409
Chapter 410
Chapter 411
Chapter 412
Chapter 413
Chapter 414
Chapter 415
Chapter 416
Chapter 417
Chapter 418
Chapter 419: One Of Mine
Chapter 420: Shackles
Chapter 421: Black Doors
Chapter 422: Black Doors Ii
Chapter 423: One Last Ruin
Chapter 424: Through The Djinn’S Eyes
Chapter 425: Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 426: Changing The Narrative
Chapter 427: Amends
Chapter 428: Hoping
Chapter 429: A Dream Yet To Happen
Chapter 430 Opposition
Chapter 431 Time
Chapter 432 Overdue
Chapter 433 Respect And Regards
Chapter 434 Fellowship Forged
Chapter 435 Entourage
Chapter 436 Obscured
Chapter 437 Scales Of Understanding
Chapter 438 A Broken Path
Chapter 439 Holding Ground
Chapter 440 A Loose Idea
Chapter 441 The Message
Chapter 442 A Snapped Thread
Chapter 443 Horns Of Exeges
Chapter 444 A Sword Struck
Chapter 445 The Truth Of Power
Chapter 446 Scarred
Chapter 447 A Certain State In Time
Chapter 448
Chapter 449
Chapter 450
Chapter 451
Chapter 452
Chapter 453
Chapter 454
Chapter 455
Chapter 456
Chapter 458
Chapter 457: Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 459
Chapter 460
Chapter 461
Chapter 462
Chapter 463
Chapter 464
Chapter 465
Chapter 466
Chapter 467
Chapter 468
Chapter 469
Chapter 470
Chapter 471
Chapter 472
Chapter 473
Chapter 474
Chapter 475
Chapter 476
Chapter 477
Chapter 478
Chapter 479
Chapter 480
Chapter 481
Chapter 482
Categories Genre: All, Fantasy, Martial, Ongoing Status: Ongoing ______
Total Chapters in book: 485
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 485 Page No. 484 Page No. 483 Page No. 482 Page No. 481 Page No. 480 Page No. 479 Page No. 478 Page No. 477 Page No. 476 Page No. 475 Chapter 171
Chapter 171
Chapter 171: Inside The Tavern
The flickering fires of street lights glowed in the nearby distance, a sight for sore eyes after hours of nonstop walking. I had come back to Ashber, the small town where I was born, for the first time in more than ten years.
“Mica is ready for a nice cold mug of ale,” the general whispered, licking her dry, cracked lips.
I nodded wordlessly, keeping my pace brisk to match the speed of the carriage we were behind.
“Just out of curiosity, Sir. How many slaves do you own?” the younger man asked eagerly, his narrow eyes shifting between Olfred and me.
“I never counted,” Olfred answered with a shrug. “We have many at home, some owned by myself and some owned by my family.”
“Wow.” The younger man sighed. “If you have so many, how about you leave those two slaves with us—ouch!”
The older, bearded man leaned back from his seat and smacked the boy upside his head. “Are you hollow in the head? Who in their right mind would just freely give away their slaves!”
The boy rubbed his head, fixing his dirty blond hair. “I was just asking, old man. Sheesh!”
“Sorry about my boy. I’ve had to raise him on my own after his mother ran off, and manners weren’t always a priority on my list of things to teach him.”
“No offense taken,” Olfred said with a deep chuckle. “Normally, I might’ve just left them with you once I’d reached my destination but these two offer at least a bit of security in these chaotic times.”
The boy clicked his tongue. “Unlucky.”
Something about the two of them didn’t sit right with me. Aside from the fact that there were no other carriages going back and forth so close to town, there was no luggage on the carriage either. Their only weapons seemed to be the knives that they had buckled to their waists, which provided barely any protection.
They had seemed reasonably suspicious upon first contact, but they opened up too easily as if waiting for a reason to trust us. However, we were almost in Ashber and nothing seemed amiss.
“Well, here we are,” the bearded driver announced, pulling on the reins to halt the carriage. “We’re skipping through this town so it’d be best if you walk from here.”
“You’ll be traveling through the night?” Olfred asked, skepticism laced in his voice.
“We’re in a hurry to a small outpost just an hour away,” the blond-haired boy answered with a laugh, releasing the latch in the back to let Olfred out.
“Well, regardless, thank you for the ride.” Olfred handed the boy an extra silver coin before hopping off the carriage.
The driver gave Olfred a wave before snapping his reigns. With an annoyed grunt, the two horses started trotting, pulling the carriage to a narrower dirt road that veered off to the left.
“They need to work on their acting,” Olfred said, shaking his head as he began walking.
“So it wasn’t just me,” I replied.
“Whatever. As long as there’s alcohol and a cozy bed, Mica will be happy.”
As the three of us walked into town, I couldn’t help but notice how empty the streets were. Part of my memory of Ashber was how lively it had been for such a small town. Adventurers were scarce this far up north but a small river flowing near the town made the area a great place to raise crops. After the death of Lensa, my father took my mother here to this remote town and took a job here guarding farmers and their crops against the frequent wolves or stray mana beasts that came from the Grand Mountains. With farmers waking up early to tend to their crops and afternoons spent either selling on the market streets of Ashber or to frequenting merchants, nighttime was when everyone truly found the time to unwind and have fun.
My father would oftentimes come home at night, tripping over his own feet after drinking with the local farmers. I had expected some change to have occurred from the war, but I never expected Ashber to become such a ghost town.
The street lamps that lay scattered around were burning brightly, but there were no signs of people nearby. The three of us sensed someone in the alleyway, his features hidden by shadows. After a moment, though, the person scurried off, his unrhythmic footsteps growing fainter until the only sound we heard came from ourselves.
The three of us looked at one another but remained quiet. Looking around, most of the buildings were either vacant or barred. Wooden planks were nailed over windows while chains held together a store’s front entrance. I activated Realmheart to sense for mana fluctuations, not expecting much.
However, I could see the distortions in the atmospheric mana all over the town. There had been mages here recently.
“I sense individuals scattered around, but there seems to be a congregation of forty or so just a few blocks away,” Olfred grunted.
“Mica sensed forty-three,” the little lance muttered beside me.
“I thought we agreed not to use magic,” I said, irritated. “What if there are Alacryan mages or Vritras nearby that pick up on it?”
“Mana wasn’t needed to sense them,” Olfred replied cryptically.
What? I almost said aloud. If they were able to sense people around this accurately, my whole plan could be compromised.
“That’s good,” I lied. “Looks like we’ll be able to pick up on the Alacryans’ hideout sooner than I’d expected.”
“It’ll probably still take some time. Mica can only sense people within a short distance and even then it’s sort of fuzzy. Same goes for Olfred,” Mica explained.
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“You’re both talking too much for slaves,” Olfred snapped, before dropping his voice into a whisper. “Just because we can’t use magic does not mean our enemies are bound by the same handicap. Assume our voices will always be heard.”
I knew no one was nearby—at least no one that was manipulating mana—and so should Olfred, making it seem like he just wanted Mica to stop talking about their limits, but the elderly dwarf did have a point. I nodded and continued trailing a few steps behind Olfred with Mica quietly simmering in frustration beside me.
Turning a corner after passing by a particularly tall, worn-down building, I knew exactly where this “congregation” that Olfred and Mia mentioned was.
Clouds of smoke visibly puffed out of a chimney from what seemed like a tavern. The large shack had a crooked roof with missing tiles, but out of all the other tattered edifices and hovels nearby, it was the only place with light coming from inside.
We approached with little hesitation, driven by the thought of a nice seasoned meal and a plush bed.
‘I smell meat being grilled,’ Sylvie said as we got closer, rustling impatiently inside my cloak.
Olfred turned around and the three of us looked at one another before opening the splintered wooden door. My nose hungrily breathed in the pungent smell of alcohol, smoke, and a variety of indiscernible foods and spices. A clamor of a dozen conversations all trying to overwhelm one another resounded throughout the large tavern with the sounds of glasses clinking and palms pounding accompanying them.
The people—mostly men—that were seated at the tables closest to the door all turned to face us, some with flushed cheeks, others with irritated scowls.
“Do we wait to get seated?” Olfred’s voice sounded from behind his mask.
“You’re responsible for finding your own seat in establishments like these,” I said, pulling my hood down to cover more of my face as I resisted the urge to chuckle.
I grabbed Mica’s wrist and followed behind Olfred as he weaved through the customers and tables. It was impossible not to notice the glares as we passed by. A burly man with long, tangled hair purposely leaned back, hoping to bump into one of us as an excuse to start a commotion.
“Nevermind. It’s only forty-two,” Mica said as she pointed to a fanged hound that stood near its barrel-chested owner, drool leaking out of its flat muzzle.
I raised a brow. “What?”
“Forty-two people, not forty-three like Mica said earlier. Mica mistook that mana beast for two people,” she explained.
“Only forty-two people; got it,” I replied.
Continuing through the maze of people, I tried to pick up any bits of conversation I could that might alleviate my suspicions about this place. I was able to pick out a part of one table’s dialogue amidst the clamor, “...were able to reel in some fish tonight.”
While the toned man with several missing teeth could’ve simply been talking about catching a trout or some other aquatic vertebrate, their suspicious gazes told me that their conversation wasn’t so innocent.
Eventually, we seated ourselves around a wobbly table in the far corner of the tavern next to the bathroom. A vile stench caused by the absence of proper plumbing assaulted my nose, getting rid of every trace of the appetite I had built up.
“What’ll it be for you tonight?” a barmaid asked as she nonchalantly pulled down on her dirty gown to further expose her breasts. She leaned down on the table next to Olfred, blatantly inviting his eyes toward her cleavage as she herself scanned his fine cloak.
Mica and I apparently didn’t exist to this server as she swayed coquettishly next to Olfred, waiting for him to order.
“I’ll take three mugs of cold ale and whatever stew you have tonight along with some bread,” Olfred said, unfazed by her attempts at wooing him.
“Right away,” she cooed as she gently ran a finger up his arm. Whether it was another attempt at seducing him or gauging the quality of his cloak, I didn’t know, but I could tell that she wasn’t the only one that had noticed the potential worth of Olfred.
“Ugh. What’s the point of showing off those lumps of fat anyway?” Mica mumbled, disgusted.
“For once, we agree on something,” Olfred said with a nod. “A woman should have a firm and muscular build and the coarse skin to match.”
I opted to stay out of the conversation, taking the time to sneak in glances of the tavern. With Realmheart activated once more, I could tell that magic had been used and it hadn’t happened that long ago.
A distorted aura of mana surrounded a particularly large table along the opposite wall. A robed middle-aged man stuck out from the table. Unlike his companions, he was neatly groomed. His beady eyes flickered lewdly at the two scantily-dressed barmaids in each of his thin arms as they took turns feeding him fruits and ale. With hollow cheeks and a receding hairline, it was apparent that the two servers weren’t cozying up to him because of his dashing good looks.
Just from how loudly and haughtily he spoke, and the way his peers laughed and nodded to whatever came out of his mouth, there was no doubt the beady-eyed man was important—if not in control. By how the particles gathered around him, it seemed he had conjured a layer of mana to strengthen and protect his body.
He wasn’t the only one; just from a cursory glance, I spotted a few augmenters that were expelling a thin layer of mana over their skin for protection. However, the density and purity of mana encompassing their bodies were at a level far lower than the Alacyran soldiers I had faced near the southwestern coast. If I had to guess, they were either mercenaries or lower-tiered adventurers. In comparison, the skeleton being sandwiched by two girls was at a far higher level.
But that wasn’t what had bothered me. It wasn’t the subtle air of hostility in the tavern or the suspicious amount of mages present. I knew that man. Something about his beady, perverted gaze and his crooked face brought up bitter emotions but I couldn’t place my finger on why.
‘What’s going on?’ Sylvie asked, noticing my concern.
Sylvie, take a quick peek at the table to my left on the other side of the tavern. Do you recognize anyone?
My bond rustled inside my cloak before her small muzzle popped out. Her intelligent eyes scanned the room, focusing on the area I had directed when a blatant distaste leaked out of her. ‘He’s that scoundrel that tried to use the king to forcibly take possession of me during the Helstea auction event. I believe his name was something along the lines of—’
The man got up and hobbled toward the bar, keeping minimal weight on his left leg as he used a wooden staff to keep balance. As soon as I realized his injury, his name immediately flooded into my mind along with the rest of my memories of him.
It’s Sebastian.
Total Chapters in book: 485
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
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