“With the advent of the Titans, the liberation fleet was given new orders.

Each titan would be responsible for a sector of the night sky to liberate and connect to the gateway system. No longer would our entire force be brought up on just one system at a time, but a multitude of stars would be liberated at once.

This was made possible not only because of the Titan's ability to operate entirely autonomously of imperial logistics but also because of the scale of the armaments the Titan brought to a star system. Nothing we had faced until now could ever hope to compete with the amount of conventional and arcane weaponry that a Titan brought to an engagement.

It was expected that this would allow the commander of a Titan complete freedom to roam our galaxy at will.

By concession of the existing great houses and the emperor, each titan would be commanded by a major house that would ascend into a greater house, allowing the ruling body of the empire to expand as the borders of the empire were expected to expand exponentially, freeing up vast administrative spendings.

The empire started the process of moving towards a more decentralized rule, and it may have been one of the greatest political accomplishments of the sitting emperor.

If humanity once again found itself at the mercy of an outside force, it would become impossible to remove the ruling body as was done to us once when the self-proclaimed god lings destroyed the cradle of humanity.

Like in the stories of old, Titans once again roamed the cosmos, and humanity was their master.”

- Elistar Iscariot, Grand Magister during the second Kingfisher dynasty.

Grabbing a quick bite to eat with my complimentary twelve gold. I watched the day-shift scurry to clean up my rooms now that the city guard had left. I would have to have a word with the captain at a later date about dragging dirt into my quarters.

Spotting the former village blacksmith, I waved the piece of bread and cheese I was eating and said.

“Hartwin, how are you all doing today? Have you and Egmont considered where you want to go from here?”

He looked uncomfortable. I had noticed he seldom spoke out, and he was likely to start stuttering if he had to answer quickly. Something that wasn't as frequent when he spoke to Egmont.

Enjoying a bit of breakfast while he worked on his response, I thought back to how different my worldview had become over the last few days. More precisely, everyone else's place in it related to mine.

Not that I wouldn't take full advantage of my station when necessary, but I now understood how little I had done to earn any of it rather than thinking it was my just right.

That also meant I needed to start slowly changing how things worked around me, or I would eventually be so far away from my morals that I was more than likely to start hating myself. No one wants anyone in power who hates themselves or what they represent. It's a recipe for disaster, and in my mind, why most governments where the masses were in charge eventually crumbled under their own sense of moral superiority and the strange need to pander to the most inane self-haters among them.

It's not that I was adverse to eventually taking my place as the leader of my house either. I just had been shown too many things to dismiss everyone else's lives as lesser and worthless. However, I would still like to be the one to make the decisions.

My aunt would be crushed if she found out about my recent change of heart.

Sure, I couldn't blame her fully for my innate sense of entitlement, and I certainly wasn't blameless, but I recognized now that she had been fanning that fire hard during my upbringing. Turning me into something truly vile as she made sure my every whim was met and any wicked plan was approved and indulged. In hindsight, she had also made sure I never had anyone or anything that could influence me other than her.

I remember a particular afternoon just after I turned fourteen when I had woken up later than I wanted to. It was boar hunting season, and the hounds were frothing at the mouth any time I started to give the command for attack. It worked just as well on humans.

Having just left a bloody mess and a few crying people in my room and on my way out, I noticed my Aunt was receiving someone in the throne room, the only one outside of the king's own, since my family was allowed to hold court, unlike most other houses.

Walking in, I recognized quite a few of our border barons. They looked angry and tired. More than anything, I remember how filthy they looked.

Didn't they respect their liege enough even to freshen up? Put on some proper clothes instead of the stinky armor. I could feel the headache begin almost at once.

Storming into the room, I remember the looks of sorrow, pity, despair, disgust, and even fear as they noticed me.

Feeling my headache setting in again with a vengeance. Looking at these useless old men. Who did they think they were? My head throbbed in pain and anger, and I started feeling dizzy as an unquenchable rage building in my stomach. It always came together with the headache.

As I was about to voice my opinions, my aunt came and rushed me to a private room. It was one of the few times she had stopped me from saying exactly what I wanted to anyone.

Having secluded me, she started to help with easing the pain. She always knew how to remove the headache when it hit me the hardest, and I both hated and loved her for it. She was my saving grace and my hated jailor.

Much later, when my head was clear again, I remember going down into the pens and hiding in a corner under a pile of wagging tails and slobbering grins. The hounds would always be there for me, so I let myself go. No one could see me cry. No one but my hounds and they didn't ask why I was such a weak and filthy boy. They were just happy I was with them.

The next morning, all my hounds were found dead in the pen. I didn't want to go hunting anymore after that.

It was strange that the headaches and the nightmares had stopped shortly after I disemboweled my valet for spilling wine on one of my companions. My other servants fled the same day.

While it had been challenging acquiring new servants in Murktown after that, but it was not a large issue for me. I mostly spent my time with people who had servants, and Lily had an excellent staff. I managed just fine.

Taking a moment to gather myself, I looked at Hartwin, who was looking at me anxiously.

“Your lordship, I. That is, we wanted to see if maybe, if it wasn't too much of a bother, to ask you maybe if you needed some helping hands. If it's not a bother.”

He turned beet red after saying all of that. I was impressed he hadn't stuttered. That was a good sign, right?

“The thing is, Neither Egmont nor I rightly know where to go, and the kids seem to like you. Our village is gone, you know. You saw what was left of them. Peace be on their souls. I'm not sure what good I am to you, but Egmont is smart and can figure out how to do anything. The kids can help carry your stuff and things. I have seen other nobles having children around them who run back and forth.”

Not a stutter. I was truly impressed. He meant pages, more than likely. I didn't have much of a need for them, but I had other plans for the children anyway.

“You are a blacksmith, correct?”

“Ah, yes, my lord, but I don't have no smithy anymore.”

“Were you any good?”

He drew himself up and said.

“Best in the nearest ten villages I am…I was. Dad always said I had the blessing of the forge father. Not that I did any fancy swords or armor, mostly nails, horseshoes and farming equipment, mind you.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Activation True Sight, the ritual flashed a moment in my mind before the world revealed its mysteries to me.

Sadly, I couldn't see any power coursing through him. It would have been too good to be true. When I scanned his body, he felt healthy, almost unnaturally so, as if he had the energy of a child in a grown man's body. He would likely be hammering away at the anvil long past the time most retired.

“Why don't you go get Egmont, Albert, and Saskia? I have a proposition for the four of you, and it will be easier if you are all here.”

The relief on his face when he realized he wouldn't be asked to speak to me anymore was almost comedic. I have no idea what the little salute he did was meant to be before he turned on his heels and practically ran toward their rooms.

Moments later, the four of them entered. Well, Saskia was a bit ahead, skipping while trying to explain to me what was special about the doll one of the maids had given her. It was an unsightly knitted thing, but she seemed to love it more than life at the moment. I would have to reward that maid when I found out which one it was.

“Here is the thing. As I understand it, none of you wish to leave and find another village?”

Saskia said while the two adults nodded in confirmation.

“I don't want to go, Uncle Owl. The bad people will put me in a cage again. I don't want to be in the cage.”

It's been days, and I still haven't figured out why she insists on calling me Uncle Owl.

That said, she really didn't seem to like the idea of going to a village by her expression. Albert looked ready to vomit, but he was the quiet one of the two. He did nod when Saskia said she didn't want to be put in the cage again.

“That's fine. You don't have to leave, but you will have some responsibilities, and I need you to take them seriously. Understood?”

Both children gave me their best attempts at an earnest nod. Albert, whose body had yet to catch up to the size of his head, looked about ready to snap the skull off his neck.

“Good. That leaves the two of you. Egmont, I need a valet, someone I can trust not to sell out my secrets. I realize that it is a far cry from running a farm, but I have no doubt you will be more than up for the task. If you agree to become mine, I will arrange for a gentleman to tutor you until we leave Murktown.”

At first, he looked a bit shocked, and I can't blame him. I doubt that was something he ever had considered. It was an extremely important position in the household, and he had the ear of the master of the house, me, which came with its own set of perks.

The man was smart and could read the room easily enough. I had no doubt he would manage the job without any trouble and eventually excel at his work.

“Thank you, my lord. Yes, I accept.”

“Excellent. I will arrange for your training to start during the next few days. As for the three of you, I need you to go to school.”

Holding up a hand to cut off any discussion, I continued.

“Hartwin, I will need personal smith for projects I have planned when we return to my lands, but to be able to help me with those, you will need to have a better understanding of mathematics and natural science. I will hire a tutor for you in those fields and arrange for you to spend every third day with a few smiths in the city. As for you two, you will start by learning to read, write and do basic mathematics.

I understand if everything doesn't make sense yet, but you will stay in your rooms here, and I will provide enough for you to have some funds available. Both Mira and I will probably be spending a lot of time at the guild training grounds and, if possible, doing some exploration over the next few months, so be prepared that there may be days or weeks when we do not see each other. Any questions?”

Albert held up a hand, so I gave a go-ahead sign.

“Can I get a puppy, Uncle Abu?”

Abu? Where had that come from?

“Sure, as long as you take care of it and make sure it doesn't make a mess inside.”

“Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

He obviously thought I meant at once since he ran out of the room. Well, at least it would keep them occupied for a few days picking a dog. I tried going over good breeds in my head we could look at.

A dog that bonded easily with children and was protective. Yes, I had just the…

What the bloody rat's ass is that.

“Say hello to Fang because he's missing one.”

That was not a puppy. That was an adult wolfhound, and the only reason the boy managed to drag it by its top half along the floor was because of the extreme smoothness of the hardwood.

“Hello, Fang. Glad you could join the group.”

Yeah, I'm not petting that.

Deciding this was something I didn't want anything to do with, I just gave each five of them a long look and said.

“You five figure it out, or there will only be four of you remaining here, and I'm not decided on which four of you that is yet. Make sure Fang is properly scrubbed.

Take the day to relax and maybe get some stuff you will need. There's forty silver in that pouch. I'll be busy most of the day. Any more questions? No? Good. Have a good day, and I'll hopefully see you at dinner.”

Watching the four former villagers and a damn wolfhound leave, I could only shake my head at the latest development.

Turning my head to the door, I knew Mira was hiding behind, I asked,

“What do you think?”

When the door opened, a slightly sleep-deprived Mira made her entrance before she shambled over, poured herself some coffee and grabbed an apple.

“You dint act like a complete asshole, so that's progress. You didn't ask for a blood oath or anyone's firstborn, so that's good. Does that mean you will waive the NDA we have? Other than that, well done. I think they will be much better off than they were in their former village.”

“No, I'm not waiving the NDA, mostly because the things they will see are not important. The things you can potentially learn could get me killed.”

If the assassins had known I was Awakened last night, this life would have been even shorter than my last one.

“Oh…Wait, so this whole nobility thing wasn't it or important enough? How many secrets do you need?”

“No, this is important, or it will be if what I'm starting to envision can be made into reality, but that is still a long way ahead. It's just not the part I'm worried about. So does that mean you want to share all your secrets with me now?”

“Screw you. A lady never reveals her secrets.”

“Well, a lady better get dressed then since she has an appointment with the tailor before we head to the guild. While I appreciate the effort, and I'm sure every other man and quite a few women will, too. Walking around in a nightgown may not give the best first impression.

Thinking about it, it just may, but perhaps not the one you intended. You do know that thing can be laced up, right?”

After she looked down at herself, she left the room at record speed.

Having a carriage prepared beforehand significantly cut down on the time it took to get to the tailor. I could have asked for a visit to the room. It would take time out of the day, and I wasn't prepared to spend until I had word from the duke, if any came.

I ended up with four sets of pants, eight light shirts and four jackets so I could switch things around a bit. The tailor even had the cobbler next door come and take our measures for a couple of shoes and boots for me and boots and slippers for Mira, who incidentally seemed to go berserk when she understood this would be on me. I lost count of the different items she bought, but she now had a wardrobe. As the team leader, she needed to look presentable once our fame grew, as I'm sure it would. I had already made a list of the bards and performers I planned to have sing our praise whenever we did something halfway praiseworthy.

Six gold poorer, I got assurances that the clothes would get sent to our rooms as soon as they were done. At this rate, I would become poor sooner rather than later, so I was glad much of this was one-time expenses.

Much later than I had hoped for, we made it to the Hunter guildhall.

The main hall was much more in line with what I had envisioned. Slightly chaotic, with several people drunk out of their minds singing, fighting or sleeping and a constant flow of people coming and going. I could come to like this place as we walked through the massive doors leading into the hall and out again on the other side from equally massive doors.

What I hadn't expected was the size of it. The were guild grounds the size of several city blocks containing training grounds, arenas, buildings and even a Colosseum. I also noticed that any opening between buildings was walled in. It was basically a fortress inside the city.

At least it explained why there hadn't been any windows on the ground floor of the guildhall and why the windows up to the fourth floor were so few and slim.

It was an interesting design I could see used on a smaller scale on frontier manors or a particularly paranoid lord who couldn't afford or wasn't allowed to build a castle. The king didn't like people building their own castles in his kingdom. Something to do with earlier civil wars or something like that.

Asking around, we soon enough found the building that administrated the different courses and trainers.

To the amusement of a few hunters who were around, I asked for a beginner's course in sword fighting, staves, spears, thrown weapons, axes and hand-to-hand armed and unarmed combat. It was quite a list that happily only ended up costing me 25 copper each.

Mira picked up courses for defensive fighting and, more importantly, anatomy classes, alongside being given trainee shifts at the guild hospital ward. I ended up paying silver for the classes and twenty copper for the defensive fighting courses. I was less happy with that. Then again, hers were far more advanced than mine.

Somewhere along the line, my personal stash had become our team's stash…I didn't like that development and promised myself I would have a talk with Mira. We were both looking at a few busy weeks, hopefully with less stress than the previous days had been.