“Welcome, brother Percival!” Leodec greeted me not ten minutes after I was led to the waiting room of his palace. He smelled of mashed herbs and pungent chemicals. He wore thick work clothes with hundreds of stains both new and old on his jacket, pants, and apron. His hair was disheveled and if one wouldn’t tell he was a [Prince] if they didn’t {Appraise} him.

> > [Imperial Prince] Level 77 human male [?????]

I couldn’t read his Class, meaning he had something to obfuscate it that my {Appraise} Proficiency couldn’t pierce. Very uncommon and usually something that made authorities raise eyebrows. Not that it mattered here in the Empire when he had such a high social status.

“Brother Leodec, thank you for receiving me. You’ve been working with summer tulsi by the smell of it.”

He grinned, “Fresh from Fulgen! I got very lucky to secure a shipment! I didn’t know you were a connoisseur of plants, little brother! If you’re interested, come to my greenhouse!”

While his words seemed friendly, he avoided physical contact. Leodec even flinched slightly when I approached. Was he afraid of me? It was what my empathic sense told me momentarily when he did.

We walked through his palace, similar to mine but still unique. The Empire had 100 palaces spread out around the main Imperial Palace, each of them a stronghold in itself. It was said that a day was not enough to walk from gate to gate across all palaces.

At the back, three massive greenhouses made with enchanted glass shone under the strong sunlight. Between the three, a rectangular stone building with four chimneys, one on in each corner, all of them sending a stack of smoke for a few meters up before it mysteriously vanished. Leodec followed my gaze and commented.

“I can’t let the smoke cloud the greenhouses, and the soot would dirty the glass. I sometimes need the smoke so I had an [Enchanter] place a cleansing effect above the building. It also prevents the wind from bringing dust from over the walls.”

“Nice setup you have here. What do you usually grow in the greenhouses?”

He loved to talk about his work. Leodec was a bit of an introvert and he definitely shied away from physical contact.

“It depends on the season. They are also enchanted to make whatever is inside grow faster and healthier. Right now I have bushes of Lightning Coriander on the left one, Frost Gensing on the middle one, and Fire Blackcaps on the right.”

He stared at me after explaining that, expecting me to say something.

“Are you making elemental imbuement oils?” I asked and he chortled out of contentment.

“Exactly! Brother Percival, I might make you my apprentice!”

Either he wasn’t the culprit behind the assassination or he was ridiculously good at disguising it. I could sense no falsehood in his offer and he seemed genuinely pleased to have me around.

We entered his workshop and I saw dozens, hundreds of herbs drying in bunches stuck to hooks on the roof, along with neatly clean workbenches and lab equipment. He wove and bobbed his way through the herbs, checking on a few of them and mumbling mental notes to himself.

At the back, he had the bouquets of summer tulsy separated on a long white granite table. A few of these bouquets were already split and the few purple flowers were carefully arranged on a foam block to harvest the pollen. I stopped about five meters away, unwilling to intrude in his workspace.

“What can you tell me about the summer tulsi?” He asked like a teacher inquiring his student.

“That the third bouquet to the left is fake. It’s ordinary basil with just one branch of summer tulsi spread out in front to fool {Appraise} attempts directed at the bouquet. The basil is very good to pass as tulsi but still ordinary.”

Each of these bouquets, if they really came from Fulgen, was worth thirty to fifty gold coins. A bouquet of ordinary basil was ten copper at most. Leodec pounced on the offending merchandising and unwrapped the ribbon holding the herbs together to remove the obscuring branch.

“Damn, that merchant is dead,” He started to laugh. “I need a smoke. Do you smoke, little brother?”

“I indulge in very little. Just some wine here and there.”

“Well, let’s fix this terrible habit.”

Have you ever went to the back of the school lab to get high with your brother? I hadn’t, until that day. Leodec used the finest silk paper to roll a joint with one of his dried herb blends and smoked it. The herbs he burned would make meth heads give up on the synthetic chemical as too dull. Magically-infused, the joint temporarily boosted Mind by something between 5 and 10 at the cost of double the points from both Willpower, Charisma, and Ego. Even though I was in the smoke, I was immune to it as it was a kind of poison.

“So, what do you think? Pretty nice for a mage, right?” He asked.

“Honestly, this is rubbish. Even if it enhances the imagination and MP regeneration, it still makes them lose too much on their self-control and sense of self. I would put it with incendiary jelly and throw it at enemy spellcasters. Downwind from me, if possible.”

He started to laugh and threw the joint down, smashing it with his boot. “You are damn right, brother. I think I’ll make some of these. Tight packed with some fire coral powder to ignite on impact.”

“Yes, that would be a good use but honestly, just a shrapnel bomb would be as efficient.”

Leodec sighed, “Percival, do you wish the throne?” He asked out of the blue.

I didn’t hesitate before shooting with a candid question of my own. “Leodec, did you send [Assassins] into my debutante?”

We spent a good minute staring at each other. Then Leodec sighed. “Was it you who purged the guild? Who did you hire to kill the [Guildmaster]?”

I kept my face impassible. Then I brought out a silk bag with cubes inside. “Here, I got these for you.”

> Deathberry Sugar Cube

>

> Materials: Ripe Deathberries

>

> Value: 17 silver coins

>

> A non-poisonous cube of pure white sugar extracted from deathberries. The secret and exclusivity of its manufacture greatly increase its rarity and value.

He took one of the perfect sugar cubes and stared at the window. “{Detect Poison}! No way!” He then held the sugar cube between two fingers and stared at me. “Bloody bastard. What is this?”

I was torn between scoffing, shrugging, or laughing. After a moment, I decided to just deadpan. “I believe your {Appraise} is good enough to show the System information. The difficulty is less than fifty.”

He was baffled as he didn’t remove his eyes from the cubes. “How? How can anyone craft this thing without dying? Deathberries are almost extinct on this continent. People burn entire forests when a single bush is found. I have some seeds but I didn’t dare cultivate them.”

Even with {Poison Resistance V}, one needed around a hundred-fifty Endurance to survive direct contact with deathberries. Survive as in almost die. Back in the day, {Poison Immunity} was considered only (rare), but nowadays it became (unique) as the gods decreed people (and monsters) should die of poison. And since I was the holder of the (unique) Perk, nobody else handled Deathberries. That’s why the [Guildmaster] quickly recognized Apricot as the [Death Princess].

I shrugged, signaling I wouldn’t answer any of his questions. “They are delicious. We should try it with some Frost Gensing tea.”

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The elemental properties of the plant meant the infusion should be done in freezing water. It also allowed water to stay liquid up to minus twenty Celsius. The root had stronger ice properties and could be used for several ice-themed offensive enchantments and rituals. With [Alchemy], it could be distilled into fire-resistant potions or gear.

He took one cube out and handed it to me. “Here, try one before me.” I nonchalantly popped the cube in my mouth. “The System says it’s non-poisonous. Are you afraid it is a masked description? It is not.”

“Deathberries were used sparingly throughout history,” Leodec reminisced. “King Rudolph III of the Pekothas Kingdom to the south had his army decimated by deathberries unleashed by the elves six thousand years ago. It coincides with the spread of the curse of theriantropy.”

“The were-kin Matriarch’s first advent on the world,” I added.

“The historians in elven history I asked about told me it was all part of the legend of the Old Soul. They overlap.”

I raised an eyebrow and snorted. Leodec misinterpreted my reaction.

“I know. It is too far-fetched. We know about reborn souls with their (capstone) Perks. But someone that is reborn every time with the full power of their previous lives? Can you imagine this? This person would control the world if they really existed.”

“Nonsense. Ruling the world seems like a really boring job. Can you imagine the administrative nightmare? If the Empire is this inefficient with all this bureaucracy and the heavy taxes levied on the people, a worldwide structure would be catastrophically inefficient to the point it would die out.”

He didn’t seem convinced so I continued.

“Imagine a dragon that can grow to enormous size. At the size of a house, he needs to eat a goat a day. At the size of a castle, he needs a hundred goats. At the size of a province, ten thousand goats a day. If the dragon keeps growing, one day it would need so many goats a day to survive that the whole world wouldn’t produce as many goats. This dragon would either die of starvation or destroy the world just because it is too big to exist. Thus, someone with the power attributed to the Old Soul would live their lives quietly and enjoy the world.”

“The Fulgen elves believe the Old Soul accumulated so much power they ascended into godhood and became the Matriarch. Think about it. She is the only new true deity in this world for thousands upon thousands of years. But I like your dragon analogy. Do you think the Empire is too big?”

“Too big for its own good. Have you seen how the common folk toil, brother Leodec? How much of their wealth is taxed? For every hundred grains they harvest, they get to keep less than ten.”

“It is their purpose in life,” he shrugged.

“it shouldn’t be. A person at birth is absolutely equal to any other, save minor body features. Under the System, even gender doesn’t matter. Circumstances around birth help shape the person’s future but they are not set in stone. If given the opportunity, ordinary people can do great things. But not here in the Empire. Here, nobody will ever rise to greatness, they are stuck to their station. And the vast majority suffers. The Empire kills so many people every day because they can’t support a growing population. In fact, the population is shrinking. The kingdoms we conquer are sucked of their lifeblood. The Empire is a social vampire.”

Leodec chuckled, “I would love to see you tell that to father.”

“Let’s go there now. I think we can still enter the court session if we hurry,” I retorted. “But before we go, I need to talk to Sir Myers. The guild [Assassins] revealed he was there to hire the guys who invaded my debutante.”

Leodec lost all mirth. “He didn’t. Whoever revealed it is lying.”

“I doubt it. Summon him here and let me ask him.”

He was losing his temper, “He’ll tell you he didn’t. Even if he did.”

I went to put a hand on his shoulder but he flinched and dodged. “I have ways to make him say the truth. Without torture.” A quick clean death is not torture. And if he’s innocent I can revive him.

Leodec narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t buying my BS. “How?”

“I put him in a state very similar to death,” I said. It was so similar to death it was an actual death. “Then I ask him some questions, then I revert what I did and he goes away uninjured. I can also interrogate him with {Royal Geas} but that can get painful if he tries to lie. The other method hurts just as much as a bee sting.”

“You picked {Royal Geas}. Interesting choice. That means you unlocked Ego, but your Class shouldn’t grant that. Let’s use the Geas. If Myers is involved I want to know.”

We went back to his Palace. Leodec slowed down and went behind me, to use the opportunity to place a {Death Contract} on me. He gasped and withdrew it right away.

“Where did you get this sugar, brother?”

“It’s from Windemere. In Auvanini,” I replied without stopping or looking behind me.

“Who did you get it from?” He became apprehensive. “How could someone process deathberries and separate the poison?”

“To craft this in this epoch, you need a score of 500 in [Alchemy],” I reported. Back in the day, it was different but with the Proficiency revamp, things changed.

I could see perfectly behind me with {Perfect Awareness}. Leodec was fiddling with a dagger underneath his apron. I got only a glimpse of it but it was the same dagger the Guildmaster had.

“Do you know who made these sugar cubes?”

“Yes.”

We reached the Palace. The guards opened the doors for us. Leodec ordered a servant to fetch Sir Myers and bring him to the throne room. The location of the throne room was exactly the same in all palaces, as were the places usually open to the public when the [Emperor] worked from one of the ancillary Palaces. We moved to the throne room at a leisure pace and Sir Myers was already there by the time we entered.

The knight was surprised to see me. He exchanged a glance with Leodec and some sort of non-verbal facial expression communication happened.

“Sir Myers, my brother Percival has some questions for you. You will answer with only the truth. Should you lie, I’ll be forced to leave your fate in his hands. Brother, you may start.”

Leodec moved five paces to the side and stood facing Myers with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“Sir Myers,” I started. “I’m placing a {Royal Geas} on you. {You will answer all questions fully and truthfully, without resorting to silence, under the penalty of death.}”

He didn’t resist. The Geas settled and I started.

“Did you know the late [Assassin Guildmaster]?”

Leodec’s scowl deepened. He glanced at me, then back to Myers.

“I knew him, Your Highness. We trained together.”

“When was the last time you met with him?”

“Five days ago, the day before your debutante ball.”

“Do you have [Assassin] or a related Class as one of your Paths?”

He fell down screaming in agonizing pain.

“Answer the question, Myers!” Leodec urged.

“I do. I have [Royal Assassin] as one of my paths,” the panting knight answered as he got back on his feet.

“Good. Did you hire [Assassins] to kill me in my debutante? Why did you do that?”

“Gah!” He fell down again, this time clutching his hands over his heart as he gritted his teeth and endured the Geas damage. “I… can’t tell.”

“Answer my brother, dammit! Why did you do that behind my back, Myers?” Leodec shouted, red with anger.

If they were roleplaying this, I would be impressed. I didn’t care if Myers answered me right now or posthumously. But answer he would.

“Percival, I have nothing to do with this. I swear, brother. I just want to work with my herbs.”

“Sir Myers, I postpone the need to answer the last two questions. New question. Why did the Guildmaster have a dagger that is enchanted to not cause bleeding?”

It was a huge discrepancy between what an [Assassin] wanted to do and what the dagger did. It healed and reinforced blood vessels as it cut the flesh, creating a clean cut that bled not a single drop. Leodec didn’t like my question and instinctively moved his hand to check if his identical dagger was there.

If I had to guess, it had something to do with his acidic blood. The modification was triggered by a regimen of alchemical concoctions that granted him a lot of benefits. I didn’t find any sample of the thing he used but the changes were permanent. It had to have some drawback and I was inclined to believe the acidic blood was it but something was amiss.

“I don’t know. All I know about that dagger was that his master gifted it to him.”

I looked at Leodec. He looked away, a little ashamed about something.

“Now, answer my previous questions. One at a time. Did you hire [Assassins] to kill me in my debutante?”

“Yes, I did. I lied to the Guildmaster and told him it was under Leodec’s orders, but my liege is innocent.”

“Who ordered you to do it?”

He drew his sword and dropped it as the Geas struck with full power. He really didn’t want to answer.

Leodec moved and drew his dagger as he went. It was indeed identical to the one I looted from the Guildmaster. He stabbed Myers through the ear, then pulled the dagger back. A bit of brain fluid leaked but it was crystal clear. Not a single drop of blood came out as Myers fell to the ground lifeless. Spotless clean, the dagger had not a single iota of grime, flesh, bone, or anything else on it. It wasn’t even damp.

“It was our father who ordered it. He summoned Myers to the main palace a week ago. I’m sorry, my brother.”

I stared at Leodec as I collected Myers’ soul. He was strong-willed but my Attributes were ridiculous. I purified him and took a silk doll from storage. I bound his soul to the doll right in front of Leodec although he only saw that I did some magic to the doll. Into the item box it went.

Still staring at Leodec, I placed a {Death Contract} on him.

“Level five,” Leodec remarked. “You are a person of impressive capabilities for someone so young, my brother. I must ask, are you a reborn soul?” He closed his eyes. “Are you going to kill me now?”

I shook my head without dropping my guard. I had a neutral stance but every muscle of my body was ready to burst into action. “Nah. It would make a mess when you dissolved your own body and then a hole in the middle of the throne room. I prefer clean kills.”

“You’re a reborn soul. That is obvious. Father must have suspected that too. That’s why he sent the [Assassins] after you, and you aced his test. Now you confirmed that suspicion with flying colors. Everyone heard how the bolts bounced without breaking your skin.”

I took a stem with two deathberries, exactly like the cherry emoji. Then I popped them in my mouth, a gormandizing groan echoing in the throne room as pure berry sweetness with a hint of sourness exploded in my mouth. Still chewing, I asked, “Now tell me why I should let you live.”

Leodec closed his eyes. “I will serve you, Old Soul. Or should I say, King Locksley’s reincarnation?”

I guffawed and clapped my hands, “Bravo! Right on both counts.”

“I truly have no ambition to one day rise and sit on the throne. I just want to learn more about herbs and alchemy. I have to play the game or our other brothers would eat me alive.”

“They would need a lot of limestone to deal with your acidic blood. Why did you do that?”

“An experiment gone wrong.”

“Tell you what. Renounce your rights of succession and pledge fealty to me. I’ll help you find a fix for that blood problem. I will have to place a Geas on you too.”

“I accept.”

That moved me up a step, the thirty-sixth in the line of succession. With Leodec as my sworn subject and what I had to share regarding herbs to keep his interest on me, I wouldn't need {Royal Geas}. It wouldn't work on him anyway since he was a Royal.