As soon as he heard the news from Francis, he waited until the people in the crowd started to clatter.

In the end, when most of them had headed home, and the only ones who were left were families, their friends and the guards, Kai decided to head back.

He was curious about the girl.

She was a strange one, unlike the rest they had rescued. When Kai first saw her, there had been no signs of dead mana on her body.

Her skin wasn’t peeled or damaged like the rest of them. She looked malnourished and not fed well. She probably was kept parched by how she painfully gulped the water when he poured it down her mouth.

But still, she didn’t look as bad as the others.

If she was kept in the same room as the others for weeks, then it didn't make sense for her not even to get a little affected.

“I believe our work here is done, why don’t we go and meet the girl now?” Kai told Francis who seemed to be lost in thought.

He snapped out of his thoughts and nodded at Kai.

They took the carriage and went to the castle.

As Francis strolled down the hallway, he looked at Kai. “She woke up an hour back and we gave her some food. She still looks shaky and uncomfortable, but hasn't tried to escape.”

“What's her name?” He asked as they stopped in front of the room she was kept in.

“I don't know. She refused to say anything.”

With a swift motion, Kai swung open the door. However, the sight that greeted him was far from what he expected.

There she was, the girl they had been seeking, caught red-handed—or rather, bread-handed. Amid her feast, crumbs scattered like confetti around her, her cheeks puffed out with a mouthful of bread.

Caught in the act, the girl froze, her eyes widening in embarrassment as she realised she had been caught devouring the bread.

With a sudden cough, she choked on her mouthful, pieces of bread flying out, landing with a soft thud on the table before her.

Kai couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before him. "Well, I see you've made yourself at home," he remarked, unable to contain his grin as the girl blushed furiously, her embarrassment palpable in the air.

Kai walked further in, his gaze upon the girl as he observed her appearance once again.

Her hair was a striking shade of white and her pale face only added to it, making her look fragile.

She was draped in a cloth that barely concealed her slender form. Her golden eyes glinted with a mixture of fear and confusion as Kai’s presence loomed over her.

Underneath the stare she threw at him, the evidence of her exhaustion and distress was there. There were dark circles under her eyes and scars ran down her entire arm.

Francis darted his eyes in between Kai and the woman and seemed like he wanted to say something. Kai swiftly lifted his hand and halted him.

“Francis, do you mind going outside? I want to talk to her alone.”

“Yes, my lord,” he said before leaving the room.

Once alone, Kai turned back towards the girl and decided to take it slow.

"Hello," he began softly, his voice a reassuring murmur in the room's silence. “My name is Arzan Kellius, I'm a Baron and lord of this city."

Her eyes nervously darted around Kai. She refused to meet his gaze and only offered a curt nod for Kai’s introduction.

He didn't think too much about it and continued.

“It’s alright,” Kai said and stepped forward. “Do you know where you are right now?” he started with a simple question.

The girl shook her head.

From what he had gathered, it was likely that the necromancer captured the girl for far longer than the villagers. Her features were too foreign for the standard blonde hair and brown eyes around these parts.

“This is the city of Veralt. I rule and govern the city. It's located in Lancephil Kingdom,” he said and by the way, the girl looked at him, she didn't seem to have any idea where it was. “I want to ask a few questions from you if you don't mind, but before that, can you tell me your name?”

She looked at him like she was contemplating it. A silence stretched over them before she slowly opened her mouth.

“I'm Amyra,” she said, her accent a bit different than usual, but he was glad to know that she hadn't lost her speech. She also seemed to understand and speak the common tongue.

Kai decided to approach the topic cautiously, his voice steady but laced with concern. “Amyra, I wanted to know more about the necromancer. Can you tell me?"

The girl flinched at the mention of the necromancer, her eyes downcast as she whispered, "He... he hurt me."

Her hands seemed to be shaking and he could clearly sense that whatever she had gone through with the necromancer, it had lasting impacts.

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay. We'll talk about it when you're ready," Kai assured her.

His eyes went to the scars that ran deep on her hands. She followed his gaze and hid the scars by hand.

“I will be able to help you with that,” he said in a hushed tone.

“R-really?” She asked, her golden eyes blinking at him.

“Yes, the scars on your hands. I might be able to heal them. I’m a Mage,” Kai said. He wanted to increase the familiarity between them, but not too much. Just enough for her to trust him. “Do you want me to show you how? It won't hurt.”

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The woman looked up and stared at Kai for a moment. She was questioning his words and looked at him warily as she came to a decision. “O-okay,” she said and removed her hand from the scars.

Kai placed his hand in the air, on top of hers. He didn’t want to touch her knowing it might simply scare her.

In his mind, he drew the spell structure on his palm and started pushing mana. Within a few minutes, the spell worked.

The gentle glow that came from his hand covered Amyra’s and enveloped the wounds. Slowly, the reddened area turned to her normal skin colour.

He let the wound heal a little bit more and withdrew his hand.

“I can go over each one of your scars like this. It might take a bit more time on other scars, but I would heal you completely,” he said and stared at the healed area. “I will just need to make frequent visits. Will that be fine with you?” Kai asked.

Although a Cleric might be able to deal with it too, he wanted to know more about her and the necromancer. And getting to know her during healing seemed like the best way.

“Y-yes,” she mouthed, nodding her head after looking over at her healed sound.

“Amyra, you can finish your meal peacefully. I will head outside,” he said and stood up.

As she had just woken up, he didn't want to ask any more questions and give her enough time to eat.

Kai gave a slight nod and turned around to walk out of the room.

Before he could completely walk, he heard a small whisper.

“Thank you.”

He left the room with a smile and met Francis outside who seemed to be waiting for him to come out.

“Is she alright, Lord Arzan?” He asked.

“She's scared and needs time to adjust. Send her food regularly and allow her to explore the estate. Think of her as a guest until I heal her.”

“Understood.”

He nodded, mentally logging it as a task to tackle. His serious eyes said it all. They walked through the corridor as they discussed more things.

Francis told him about the success of giving out soup and Kai was happy to know that it was working as expected.

He hadn't expected that recipes he had eaten during his days at the Sorcerer's Tower would help them here. As farmlands were all filled with dead mana and grains were expensive, humans discovered ways to make food out of weeds and common herbs.

It was nothing tasty but would fill you up before you knew it.

Now, it was coming to the city's rescue.

"Francis, I need you to gather more herbs. I will give you a list of stuff that would be easier to find and recipes," Kai instructed. "We need to work on refining the recipes to feed the population."

Francis nodded, "I'll get right on it.”

Kai's gaze softened as he continued, "And, also, I will focus on making more Heat stones. Distribute them to those who are struggling, especially those without jobs. Tell people to share them if necessary. We need to ensure everyone stays warm during these trying times."

Francis nodded. “Consider it done, Lord Arzan.”

***

In Arzan’s room Kai had gotten used to calling his own, he sat in the middle, right where the bloody ritual once was.

His legs were crossed as he circled his mana in a circle, but today, he felt like he was unable to concentrate. It wasn't anything bothering him, but his grasp on his meditation wasn't as good.

With a slow inhale, Kai opened his eyes, the remnants of his meditative state lingering in the quiet of the room.

A restless energy stirred within him, urging him to action.

Looking around, he realised it was late at night and didn't feel like spending the rest few hours meditating before pushing himself to his bed.

Without a second thought, Kai rose from his seated position.

With a long stride, he crossed the room to the open window, the fresh breeze beckoning him outside.

Kai looked down and summoned his magic, weaving it into one of the spells he had used quite a lot in his first test of being a Mage. He felt the familiar rush of power rushing through him as he leaned forward, ready to leap.

It was an introductory spell known as [Feather Fall], commonly included in early Mage training. This was because many Mages attempted flight using wind elemental spells, often risking their lives. Therefore, [Feather Fall] was taught as a vital means of temporary survival.

Without any hesitation, he controlled his leap and slid through the air effortlessly.

The wind whipped past him, tousling his hair as he soared through the window. For a moment, Kai let himself relish the sensation of flight. The adrenaline felt good for the moment.

Especially since he was sitting in the same position for quite a few hours, this seemed just about right.

His flight got slower and slower as he got close to the ground.

As he landed gracefully on the cobblestone streets below, Kai felt a surge of ecstasy. The spell had worked flawlessly, leaving him feeling alive.

I should try out a [Flight] spell once I get to my former strength.

Kai thought to himself with a smile plastered on his face.

Looking around to make sure he didn't come across a patrolling guard, he strolled across the long garden, careful of any suspecting eyes before jumping out of the walls by using another one of his spells.

He turned to the streets and continued to walk through the road he had noticed before. His destination was already decided, being an area around the grasslands.

Killian had told him about it saying that a few monster tribes live there. It was a small talk when they stopped midway going to the funeral.

His eyes were on the street as he walked through the crowd.

He covered his head with the hood that was stitched to his cloak and lowered his gaze. His steps became a bit slower as he continued to walk.

The pavement beneath his feet was worn and cracked. The snow was cleared to the sides of the roads, but he could see how someone could easily trip and fall if they didn’t pay attention to the indents.

As he moved, snippets of conversation spread around him, mingling with the sounds of the surroundings. People spoke in hushed tones.

He stood to the side and kept an open ear to what they were talking about.

"Did you know that it was Lord Arzan who distributed free food? I couldn’t believe it at first, but then…"

"It is true. The Heat stone was also a big help. I had to pay 3 gold coins, but it was so worth it. They are distributed to the more helpless for free, but if you want it fast, you can pay for it. Talking about Lord Arzan, it seems a bit odd that he is suddenly doing all of this."

An older woman chuckled.

“Who cares about what’s odd or what’s even? We’re getting services the city has always needed. It’s about time, and…”

“We should be grateful. I understand.”

The other woman said with a warm tone layered in her voice.

Another smile plastered on Kai’s face as he turned back to walk in the opposite direction.

He continued to walk straight. The air grew cooler, carrying a faint scent of pine and earth.

After leaving the walls by climbing over them, he made his way to the grasslands until he sensed movement up ahead. Scaling over a tree, he saw silhouettes hiding around in a clearing.

I didn't expect to see Trolls. Killian was right.

He looked down at the three monsters.

Their thick, fur-covered bodies stood out against the backdrop of trees and tall grass. These trolls rarely ventured near the dungeon; their tough skin was perfect for the cold winters of the woods.

Peering from his hiding spot, Kai watched as the trolls devoured a wolf they had caught. The scene was primal and chaotic, with grunts and snarls filling the air.

Deciding it was time to test his skills, Kai jumped down from his perch.