“An expedition?” Francis’s nose scrunched up in disapproval.

Kai could feel how he felt by his immediate reaction.

Francis looked between both Kai and Killian, questioning what was going on.

“Yes, Francis. We will head over to the Vasper forest as soon as we’re ready. Lord Arzan suspects mana fiends are there and I want to take a look at it too,” Killian said and looked at him.

Francis shook his head. “Lord Arzan, I don't think you should head on an expedition. You have never been on one and I don't know what mana fiends are, but if they are really dangerous, why not send an envoy of guards to take a look? It's not wise to risk your life when things are finally looking up for the territory.”

“If we don’t go, the whole territory might be in danger. Mana fiends grow at a rapid pace, so whatever time we save, it would benefit us,” he said and noticed Francis opening his mouth to argue again. “I don’t want any more questions or arguments about it. I will be heading on the expedition with Killian.”

His unyielding voice filled the air as he ended the conversation with Francis and looked up at Killian.

“Killian, get the best men we have and leave just enough to protect the city. Explain about mana fiends to everyone and tell them that it will be dangerous, so they mentally prepare themselves. Take three days to get everything prepared. I will be in my room if needed,” He said and looked between the two men.

“Yes, Lord Arzan!” Both said in unison and there were no arguments this time. One good thing about being a noble was the authority it gave.

Kai could understand why so many nobles were so arrogant. There would be no one to go against their command, so they would obviously get an air of superiority.

He was not like them and was only in a hurry because of the nature of the mana fiends.

Kai turned around and excused himself.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw how Killian was explaining everything to Francis.

For a moment, he felt bad for him since from his understanding of him, the old man didn't wish bad on him even after the original Arzan had wasted so much time and not cared about the territory. He probably didn't want something in the way when things were looking up for them with the heat stones.

If he knew the mana fiends and corruption, he would himself give priority to it.

Kai sighed on his way. He wondered if he should work on giving education on corruption, mana fiends and other basic things to everyone once he came back from the expedition as he started walking towards his room.

Though that was for later. For now, he had to focus on the expedition.

If more people had disappeared, then it was very likely that they were dealing with at least a dozen fiends.

Kai didn't know how strong they would be, but he needed to prepare as much as he could.

He reached his room, and closing the door, he walked towards the front of the bed.

He sat on the floor and brought his legs closer, crossing them and straightening his back.

Kai first focused on his breath, inhaling and exhaling the pure mana in the air. The rest of the room fell into a peaceful silence as he consciously started pushing the mana to run in circles around his Mana Heart.

Strengthening his mana circle included making the Mana Heart absorb as much ambient mana as possible until it was ready to advance. Normally, that required a lot of practice for a 1st circle Mage.

It was hard for them to absorb mana and most of them would slip out with only parts of it being absorbed. It was different for Kai who could absorb the ambient mana as easily as breathing.

Though, he preferred to go in a meditative state to do it.

For the next few hours, he kept doing the same thing, taking all the ambient mana from the air when suddenly, he remembered the last incident before he regressed.

The minotaur’s appearance played in his head as if it happened just yesterday.

It was too strong and Kai was barely holding onto his strength. Being a Magus and a 5th circle mage had its own perks, but he was fighting with a fraction of his strength since all the surrounding mana was corrupted.

He was the last Magus alive and now, he had come back to the past, hoping to change the world from the path of destruction it had headed on.

Still, he had never thought he would deal with a mana fiend so early.

He sighed.

The memory of his last days sent shivers down his spine.

The mana fiends here couldn’t be that powerful. With men and his spells, he should be able to deal with them.

Kai opened his eyes. He extended his hand, palm faced upwards. He thought of the spell structure in his mind and developed it, letting his fingertips light a small ball of fire.

A smile danced on his lips.

Arzan seemed to be compatible enough with the element of fire.

Mostly, every Mage would have an array of spells, ranging from wards to explosive spells. They also attempted to have mastery over the elements, mostly starting from one element of their choice which they had an affinity with.

Even when he was ‘Kai’, his main element to use in battle was fire. He was good at controlling it and using it in a variety of ways to control the tide of battle.

This is just perfect, Kai thought.

Arzan seemed to hold the same affinity. He didn't know what other affinities he might have since most Mages would have anywhere from two to three, but he would find out.

The fire at his fingertips danced to their own rhythm. They moved left and right at Kai’s command. He knew he wouldn’t be able to cast stronger spells easily due to the mana cost, but he was content with the current pace.

He shifted the ball of fire from one hand to his other hand, feeling the strong sense of magic that surged within his body.

It felt much better than having an unawakened Mana Heart.

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Suddenly, his stomach rumbled making a noise.

He looked up outside the window and saw that it was already midnight. It seemed like a servant might have come to ask him for dinner, but since Kai hadn't responded, he hadn't bothered.

He withdrew his hands to his sides, calming the fire down and stood up to walk outside.

The torches were still lit up.

He took the stairs and decided to see what was left in the kitchen. A midnight snack would be enough for his stomach.

From a few steps away, he could see half of the kitchen area.

It was an enclosed space but was enough for twenty workers to work without stumbling upon each other.

The flickering light of torches scattered throughout the hall. In the middle of the room, there was a large rough-hewn wooden table for food preparation. On one side of the room, which Kai could easily see, a large hearth dominated.

Kai took a few steps closer to the doorframe but halted in his footsteps as he heard voices.

They were shushed enough to not be heard when he walked through the staircase but they were loud enough to hear through the wall that separated them.

He silently took another step forward and perked up his ears.

“... And the Heat stones were just glistening from afar. Did you notice the crate?” A woman’s excited voice came through.

“Oh! Yes, I believe I took a peek while they were passing through. Is it true that Lord Arzan makes all of them by himself?” Another woman said.

“Yes, he does!” A third voice said and this time, Kai recognised it.

It was the voice of Claire.

A part of him wanted to listen more to what seemed like maid gossip, but it also seemed rude. So, he stepped forward, revealing himself.

A maid who had her hands on Claire's shoulder as she talked paled, noticing him and nearly fell.

All of them stood up. Their eyes were wide and filled with shock.

“I got hungry, so I came down to eat something,” Kai said and looked in between the ladies.

Some of their mouths were still wide open.

“L-Lord Arzan, please, have a seat at the diner. I will get you something immediately,” A red-haired maid said and walked to get him something.

Kai shook his head immediately. “No, it’s alright.”

His eyes roamed around to find anything that could be a quick meal to fill his stomach. He searched around, and they landed on herbs that were lying on the corner of the vegetable crate.

He recognised what they were.

“I’m just going to make a soup from these verdura herbs,” Kai said and grabbed a bunch from the crate.

“You are going to cook, Lord Arzan?” One maid asked, not believing his words.

“Yes,” he said and looked towards Claire. “Claire, can you help me with the vegetables?” He asked and she immediately nodded, still a bit shocked seeing him in the kitchen.

The rest of the maids stayed where they were, unable to process what was happening in front of their eyes. From how they looked at Kai, he knew that they were not comfortable with him being in the kitchen, or preparing something on his own.

Claire stepped forward and grabbed a few vegetables. The collection of knives beneath the wooden table was quite the sight. She grabbed one and immediately started cutting the fresh vegetables.

Kai grabbed a pot full of water from the corner of the table and started washing the herbs carefully.

“What are you making, Lord Arzan?” Claire’s voice came out loud as her curiosity-filled gaze fell upon him.

“A verdura soup,” he simply said and continued to boil some water.

From the look on Claire’s face, he realised that she had no idea about a soup that could be made from these herbs.

Verdura herbs were common, but they were used more for seasoning rather than making soup. They needed to be used profusely but carefully, as the aroma and the taste were much stronger than using normal herbs. In a way, it was similar to using rosemary, but verdura had its own benefits.

The recipe he was making right now was one his master had taught him.

“Here are the vegetables,” Claire placed them within his reach and walked back to the other maids.

Within ten minutes, the water was boiling, and Kai added a pinch of salt. After that, he continued to add a few more ingredients so the vegetables could soak the taste of them.

He continued adding the vegetables to the boiling pot, and last, he added the herbs. The robust aroma immediately filled the air when he did.

He could sense all the pairs of eyes on him as he continued to ladle the soup. As he continued to do that, he heard shuffles and bowls from behind. The maids were preparing his bowl to eat.

“Get a bowl each for yourself too. I made a lot.” Kai smiled.

“Lord Arzan, that's not required.” Claire and the others waved their hands in denial.

“Just do it. Can't let the soup go to waste.”

They didn't say anything else and put out bowls. As soon as the soup was ready, he turned around.

The maids looked at each other. Their eyes were talking to each other even though their mouths were sealed shut.

The red-haired maid shook her head immediately. “The soup is for you, My Lord. Please, let us serve it to you. We are not even hungry t-to share the soup.”

The rest of the maids only nodded, agreeing with her.

“I insist. Claire, take your bowl and come here,” Kai said and looked at Claire.

He knew she wouldn’t say no or reject his goodwill. She grabbed a bowl that was on the side and walked forward to where he was.

“Bring bowls for others too,” Kai said while grabbing the bowl from her hand and serving the soup with the ladle in his hand.

Claire soon kept a bunch of bowls in front of him.

Kai grabbed one after another and started serving them. The maids who were profusely confused at what was happening, simply walked forward and took the soups in their hands.

They glanced at each other and it didn't seem like they were going to taste it.

“Just drink it,” he said and they nodded.

As soon as Claire took a sip from the soup, her eyes widened. She licked her lips and continued to take more tastes from the bowl.

The rest of the maids had a similar reaction.

“This… This is well-made!” one of the maids said as she wiped her mouth from the back of her hand. “Lord Arzan, would you be able to give us the recipe? We can always make this for dinner.”

Kai nodded, “Sure.”

He finally grabbed his bowl of soup and took a sip himself. The soup was really quite good.

***

The guards were standing in front of the estate's gate with their spears in their hands.

Clad in their armours, some seemed to be excited, but others looked nervous as they stood.

Kai watched them from the back. His eyes looked at them, but they didn't seem to notice him. He raked through the guards to see Palman. Among the twenty people that were lined up, Palman was talking to another guard.

The guard's expression was of a scowl as Palman lowered his head before walking away. He seemed to be apologising and Kai didn't have to guess to know why.

If he could, he wouldn't have included him in the expedition. His face looked normal and although he was a bit paler than most, he would be okay in a week or two. The only reason Kai had included him was because he needed directions to know where exactly he had ventured to find the location of the corruption.

Feroy too was standing in his uniform. He had volunteered himself to go on the expedition, and Killian had approved, telling Kai that he was good at handling a spear.

As he stood in the courtyard, a voice called out to him. Turning back, he saw Killian.

“Lord Arzan, the men are ready to move. All of them are armed and we have additional supplies in the carriage. I believe we will be able to come back in a week,” he said, looking over to the horses and carriage.

“That’s all well. Killian-”

Kai was about to say something when he heard something and stopped.

A masculine voice came from behind.

“Knight Killian.”

Both Kai and Killian turned back, only to see a man in robes coming out of the entrance.

“Mage Actra,” Killian said and Kai widened his eyes.