“They can corrupt everything? How so?” Killian asked, his face scrunched up in a frown.

Kai had told him about the mana fiends and how he suspected that they were the root cause of corruption spreading in the forest.

After all, it won't come out of nowhere. Everything has a reason and the mana fiends were often responsible for corruption.

“The corruption can only happen when there’s an area of dead mana around, and mana fiends are basically corrupted beasts that use dead mana,” he paused, seeing that Killian seemed a bit confused. “Think of it like this. Mages use mana from their surroundings. Common people also use mana even if they can't do any spells. These fiends simply use mana that has lost its properties and has toxic energy in it. That's why we call it dead mana.”

Killian nodded this time. He seemed to be dealing with some thoughts as he looked down at the map.

“I have not come across these fiends before, but they seem similar to the weavers.”

“They are,” Kai said. “They both are similar creatures. Although weavers are naturally agile and dangerous, they can also process dead mana. Common people know of them because they often appear in cities. Fiends are much more dangerous, mostly monsters who have been transformed and live in deeper parts of a forest. Wherever they would appear, the area would start to corrupt, becoming a dead mana zone.”

He looked down at the map again, his fingers hovering over the Vasper forest.

“Palman probably came in contact with the dead mana there and got affected,” Kai said

He did his best to explain how the corruption worked since Killian seemed to have no idea of the terms. Going by how he wanted to kill the weaver at first glance, Kai had expected it.

“But, can’t it be that this was simply a demon’s curse? I’ve heard and even witnessed some of those. We had to call bishops from the church to help.” Killian’s gaze stumbled upon Kai.

Kai shook his head immediately. “I talked to the family before they were released. Palman used to go to the church and a god's domain is naturally protected, so a curse would have been noticed by the clerics there. And demonic powers have a certain mana signature. This is certainly not that. He's not a demon’s servant. Not to mention, if Palman was cursed, my healing wouldn’t have helped him at all, only a bishop would be able to help. Though, in most cases, a demonic curse means trading your soul, so most bishops would probably execute,” he said as a matter of fact.

Killian continued to nod, taking the information in. The knowledge of corruption and dead mana was not widespread among common people here.

It obviously was there in certain areas where mana fiends were more likely to be seen, but here, it seems like they had largely lived in peace, barring a few monster attacks and bandits.

Dead mana and the effect it had on people only started to spread and harm the world during the golden era of magic. During that time, wars had created several dead mana zones, leading to the rise of mana fiends. Those beasts have grazed countless towns and cities to their graves since their power had increased by bounds.

It was a whole other part of history that was yet to come.

“Killian, are there any more cases of corruption, or people disappearing after going to the Vasper forest recently?” Kai asked.

If Palman’s corruption came from the forest, it was highly likely that there could be more people who were affected. Some people might even not know that they are being corrupted before they turn into weavers and other Inhumans.

Mana fiends also had habits of capturing people to slowly affect them and make them a part of their community.

“Uh—” Killian looked away for a second to think if he had heard any. “I don’t think there were any cases related to corruption or disappearances, but I will check up on that immediately, my lord. I would have to take a look at the records and ask my subordinates.”

Kai nodded.

“Let me know if there are. Keep an eye on the people who go to the forest frequently. And gather details from the villages around the forest,” he said. If mana fiends were in the forest, it was his duty to kill them.

Killian or the others might have not seen their might, but Kai had fought countless battles against them and lost his close friends to them. He had an oath to make sure the world didn't fall in their grasp again.

“Yes, I will.” Killian gave a brief nod. “I will make arrangements for us to go to the forest. It wouldn’t take long, but I need to make sure that we have everything with us before we go down to explore. We can’t come back halfway,” he said, his eyes stern. For a second, Kai felt like he was actually excited to go on a quest.

“Yes, okay. When can we leave?” Kai questioned.

Before they would leave, Kai knew he had to strengthen his mana heart. He doubted he would be able to advance to the 2nd circle, but he could try to grow more and learn a few things about his new body.

“Give me a week. I will let you know soon, Lord Arzan.”

Killian’s determined voice came out rather promisingly. Kai nodded in return.

***

The courtyard was busy with activity as Kai stood outside with Francis and a few other guards. In front of them, there was a carriage laden with crates of Heat stones inside.

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From the outside, Kai could still feel the warmth permeated by them. They were all the Heat stones Kai had managed to make in the past week or so.

The carriage stood tall and robust, its wooden frame intricately carved with swirling patterns reminiscent of ancient runes, similar to the symbols that were on Arzan’s bedroom hearth. It seemed like a tradition of the wealthy and noble to carve such symbols, one that hadn't carried on in the future.

In front of the carriage, Malden’s focus was on his men. He gave them a few orders to be careful with the Heat stones before moving to stand near Francis and Kai, wanting to make conversation.

His greedy eyes looked back and forth between the crates.

“My Lord, this batch is good enough to sell for a considerable amount in different places. I would be travelling to every big city and it wouldn’t take me long to sell these!” Malden said, looking at Kai with a smile on his face.

His smile was so big that even a court jester's grin would pale in comparison. Kai simply nodded, thinking that no matter what eras, merchants had stayed the same.

He had dealt with similar kinds in his previous life.

“I believe you will do the work just fine, Malden,” Francis said and continued to look at more crates being loaded onto the carriage.

Malden nodded, “That I will, that I will!” He turned around and walked towards the guards.

"We've got a good batch here, lads. These heat stones will fetch us a tidy sum in the city. Make sure you don't break them while carrying them. They are crystals in the end," Malden said, eyeing the crates with satisfaction. For his excitement, he continued to say the same thing over and over to the guards, gaining more attention.

The guards nodded in agreement, looking a bit lost for words at his over-enthusiasm.

They were accompanying him for security. Both for himself and the Heat stones.

Kai knew he couldn't be too trusting with a merchant, so he had told Killian to prepare a few guards for the journey. It was additional assurance for him.

Malden didn't object to it since the more guards, the better for him. With bandits roaming around and even monster attacks, one could never have enough security.

As Malden was trying to make conversation with the guards, Kai felt good thinking of all the work he had done. It hadn't been easy since he hardly was an enchanter, but it had worked out well in the end.

With the amount of Heat stones they had, they could easily provide warmth for two villages in total.

The loading continued further. The guards moved with ease with the crates, keeping one on top of the other, not wanting to do any harm to the Heat stones.

Malden walked back towards Kai and Francis.

“Are you going to Rivenshore first?” Francis asked, looking over to him.

“Yes, I've already had discussions with traders in the City of Rivenshore and you know, it has a sizable population hit hard by the cold," he replied. "It's a city under the influence of the noble house Veridian and I know them quite well. With their backing, I'm certain we'll sell all the heat stones in no time."

He continued, a sly gleam in his eye, "And that's not all. I've reserved a few special batches for the other lower nobles in Rivenshore. They always appreciate the finer things, and these heat stones will make quite an impression."

The twinkle in his eye was clearly not unnoticeable.

Kai nodded his head in approval. "Keep us updated. Send letters every week, Malden. We need to know how things progress. Oh, and don't try to do anything crafty. I have put a mark on you. I will know where you will be at all moments."

“A mark, my lord?”

“One to track you. You do know I'm a Mage, Malden,” he lied, patting Malden's shoulders as he paled.

It was an act to ensure the proper safety of his stones since he couldn't trust him wholly. He had already revealed himself to Malden as a Mage, so the merchant was more respectful than usual.

“I will make sure there are no complaints!”

He said and moved to stand a few steps away.

As soon as the conversation ended, he couldn’t help but notice that the only way of communication was to send and receive letters. He recalled there had been a technology to get messages fast that was famous for a small period of time, but with wars, it had gotten lost.

It resulted in the world moving back to letters by merchants. Sometimes, trained beasts also flew across cities to deliver things, but these methods seemed too inefficient to Kai.

With a quick thought, he promised himself that he would develop a better method this time once he became a Magus again.

Malden gave a confident nod as the loading ended. The guards got on a carriage behind the ones with the crates and Malden bid goodbye to Kai and Francis before making his exit.

As the carriage rumbled away, Kai heard Francis sigh.

“What is it?” he questioned as he saw Francis had his eyebrows knitted. For some reason, he looked nervous. His hands were in front of him and he was fidgeting.

Francis voiced his concern, "Well, Lord Arzan… If I may?”

Kai nodded. He couldn’t help the feeling that Francis was still walking on eggshells around him. He had barely said anything throughout the time they had been standing together.

“What is it, Francis?” he asked again.

“Heat stones are too valuable to be guarded by just a few guards. If someone knows the worth of those crates, they can easily take the guards down and keep it to their own benefit. We wouldn’t be able to do anything after they are muggled. Why isn't Knight Killian going with them? Isn’t it always better to be safe than sorry?" His concerns came in a rush as he looked at him.

“It’s alright, Francis. Nothing like that would happen. The guards are well-trained, and Malden knows what he is doing. Killian needs to go somewhere with me, therefore, he can’t guard the Heat stones.”

Francis raised an eyebrow. "Where does Killian need to go?"

Right when Kai was about to answer his question, quick steps rang out from behind. Both Kai and Francis turned around to see Killian with his brows furrowed in a tight-knit, his gaze intense.

He looked at Kai. “You were right, Lord Arzan. There had been a few disappearances in some villages. And from what I gathered, all of them seem to be around the forest.”

“Why hasn't anyone done anything about it? Won't the villages have their own guards protecting them?”

He partially had an idea why they hadn’t tried doing anything, but he wanted to know clearly what was the reason behind it.

Killian shook his head. "It's the cold season. Many try to hunt monsters for their pelts and fur, and some end up getting killed. Plus, even guards don't want to venture deep into the forest in this cold. It's a mess."

Kai thought about the situation, taking a few seconds. He looked between Killian and Francis. The latter interjected, “What is going on, Lord Arzan?”

Kai responded thoughtfully, “Well, Francis, Killian is going on an expedition with me. There seem to be dangerous monsters known as mana fiends in the Vasper forest and if we don't do anything, they will try to corrupt everyone in the territory.”