Before William left for the Academy, he had set in motion a series of changes in the Thelwedean empire, primarily in Kelsein.
Using Pandora, he regulated the information coming in and out of the Empire, knowing well that things were already going downhill.
He made allies of all the prominent guild leaders and even the ruler of the area, Duchess Kristina Anne Blanchard. Since Duchess Kristina was still young, she had yet to fully grasp her power.
She, however, had the wit to progress in her area of jurisdiction, having already purged most of her enemies before she even became the duchess.
William set in motion a series of reforms and initiatives to regulate and eliminate those who possessed demonic seeds, even creating a bounty system for anyone who discovered a betrayer.
However, since William had to leave for the academy, he was unable to manage these reforms on his own, having to rely on his father and his subordinates. His relationship with his father had gotten better by the time he had to leave and William was pleased with the progress they had made.
Since Jerome, William's butler, had yet to master his abilities, Eddie had taken his position, for the time being, overseeing the changes.
Eddie wasn't cut out for such things, so he had to use the help of guild leaders to put William's plans in order.
Of William's subordinates, Vincent was the most mysterious since he only spent his days training, trying to control his aspect to the best of his abilities and even awakening his aura in the process.
However, despite their many reforms and attempts, the situation inside the empire only got worse day by day, and in the few months William had spent inside the academy, things had escalated.
“Shit, why now of all times?”
“Honestly, I don’t know why this is even happening. Didn’t we already eliminate the vast majority of betrayers? How come the numbers keep increasing by the day?”
“These demons are getting more annoying…”
Inside Kelsein’s castle, an ongoing discussion was under wraps as the still-youthful Duchess Kristina ordered a meeting.
“Enough.”
She ordered a frown to be etched on her petite face. Immediately, the hall went silent.
“I can’t believe how incompetent you guys are! Will is just a kid, but he is far more useful than all of you combined and then some. How did you even get such high positions?”
Kristina vented out her grievances, prompting those attending the meeting to evade her stern gaze.
Those attending the meeting weren’t simple people, but rather the guild leaders of the Kelsein branches.
Baron Don Petersen, the guild leader of the Merchant Guild.
Marcus Howell, the guild leader of the Adventurer's Guild.
Isaac Burks, the guild leader of the Blacksmith’s Guild.
Alec Johnson, the guild leader of the Bard’s Guild.
“Duchess, please ease your anger…”
Baron Don Petersen tried to ease her rage, but all it did was make him the target of her bickering.
The others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement, already planning to use Petersen as a scapegoat.
“That should be enough, Kristina.”
A voice resounded in the hall, silencing the commotion, as another figure appeared on the table, its figure covered in a mist that made its appearance indistinct.
Duchess Kristina stopped talking as soon as she heard the voice; however, she still seemed annoyed but was willing to listen this time.
Soon, the figure condensed into the image of the hidden master. Smiling brightly, he gestured towards the table, where a map lay open with many markers placed upon it.
“I don’t know when, but it seems like most of the new demonic seeds found come from villagers, specifically from those surrounding Kelsein. First, search these areas, and then we can proceed with other plans. I would like this situation to be over before that little demon comes back.”
The Hidden Master spoke with an exasperated tone, having gone through a lot these past few months.
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He didn’t hide his true appearance, since he didn’t need to worry. The people inside this hall were all aware of his status, and using his aspect in this manner didn’t betray its weaknesses.
Turning to the bard guild master, he spoke.
“Alec, utilize all of the traveling bards to acquire as much information as possible from the villages and other cities. I don’t care how you do it; just make sure things go smoothly. As for the rest, just continue what you’ve done till now.”
Pausing slightly, the Hidden Master glanced at Kristina and spoke.
“Kristina, we need to have a conversation, just the two of us.”
Duchess Kristina nodded, her expression softening slightly as she turned her attention to the Hidden Master.
‘At least there was someone competent enough to deal with serious matters. I’ve barely slept the last few days.’
She thought, her mind already wandering off to a distant land.
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At the southern end of the Thelwedean Empire, a small village was located.
The village wasn't anything special in terms of appearance, at least when one just looked at it from the outside. It was one of the many villages surrounding Kelsein.
Inside the village, a group of people gathered in front of a small house.
The group consisted of individuals from various walks of life—farmers, craftsmen, and even a few retired soldiers. They had come together under the guidance of a wise old woman named Elara, who was known for her knowledge of ancient prophecies and the mystical arts.
Elara, with her silver hair and piercing blue eyes, stood at the center of the group, her gaze penetrating all that stood there.
"You have become servants of the great me; it is time for you to repay me."
Her voice was cold and icy as if she were just a bystander in this situation.
The people bowed at her words, not saying anything. Their eyes had long been clouded over with a red hue as if controlled by some sort of spell.
Elara smiled at this scene, energy encompassing her entire body.
"Now that you have become my servants, it is time for you to fulfill your purpose."
Elara spoke, her voice creating a small energy wave that seemed to transmit orders to the villagers.
The villagers nodded in unison, their red eyes filled with insanity. They were just normal civilians with no power, but under Elara’s influence, they gained demonic energy.
Elara's true identity wasn't that of a citizen of this world; instead, she was one of the many clones of the demon, Uriltia.
After she failed in the destruction of the world tree, she spent some time trying to research the reason behind it.
She found that the Emperor of Thelwedean had gotten a hint of a half-demon from a scout, and so he decided to send in saints to assist with the subjugation.
Sending in such a powerful force signified the importance the Emperor had placed on the situation. Since she learned the truth of the matter, she decided to continue with her second plan.
She began by mind-controlling and planting demonic seeds on civilians throughout the entire empire, as well as the neighboring ones, with her main hub being Kelsein, due to the geographical advantage.
Elara's first step was to gather more allies and followers. She sought out disgruntled individuals, those who felt marginalized by the reforms or had fallen victim to the eradication of the criminal organizations, as well as the escaped demonic seed possessors.
Her goal wasn’t anything significant but rather a disturbance in the Empire’s forces, as Uriltia’s other clones would follow different plans.
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Back at the Marinus Mage Academy, William was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling.
He had just returned from an intense training session in one of the gravity rooms, so he was exhausted. After showering, he sprawled himself on the bed to rest his sore muscles.
As William lay there, he wondered about how things were going outside. Sadly, he was unable to get in contact with anyone, so he had to wait for the break period to begin patiently.
The Academy had a break only once a year, and it was at the end of the year. With William's current progress, he should be able to graduate in a few years, having fully utilized all the resources he needed.
As he lay on the bed, his mind wandered back to Kelsein and the changes he had set in motion before coming to the Academy. He wondered how his allies were faring in his absence and if they were able to make any progress without him.
William knew that he had entrusted the implementation of his plans to capable individuals like Eddie and Vincent, as well as the guild leaders. He had faith in their abilities, but he couldn't help but worry about the challenges they might face without his direct guidance.
After all, despite being competent, they didn’t know the big picture like William did.
He resolved to communicate with them as soon as the break period arrived. He wanted to know the current state of affairs in Thelwedean and offer any assistance or guidance that might be needed. He also wanted to ensure that the reforms and initiatives he had initiated continued to progress smoothly.
Sighing, he waved his finger in the air, casting a healing spell on himself.
In an instant, his sore muscles recovered to an optimal state, returning him to peak condition. William didn't like to use spells to enhance his natural body recovery since it would hinder the development of his Aura and muscles.
However, he didn’t have the time to rest his body at the moment. He had just discovered a way for him to correct his mana brain method.
William got up and stretched for a few minutes before sitting on his bed again, this time cross-legged. Taking a deep breath, he activated his aspect, his body becoming covered in countless glowing green runes.
William breathed rhythmically as mana swiftly moved through his channels. Since he was still in the testing period, he wasn’t sure how things would turn out; however, he made sure to do it as carefully as possible.
Mana moved within his channels, moving through his spinal cord and entering his brain soon after. William could feel that the adjustments he had made were working, and he was even noticing a major advancement in his mana-gathering speed.
William spent weeks tweaking this method, with great results. Now, when he trained mana absorption, he noticed an almost 100% increase in energy quantity and quality, which was significant.
He also informed Professor Cline of this matter, who helped him further advance his absorption method. Since Professor Cline was someone who specialized in Arcana, the field of study consisting of real-world application of mana and not just theory, he was extremely helpful.
The two also created a specialized method for a regular person to cultivate a mana brain, though it still had a large number of flaws.
However, William could use the research they had created as his Academy graduation paper, which made things much easier for him in the long term.
Like this, another six months passed by in the blink of an eye, and William was now fifteen.