Kai walked towards the tree, his spear straight ahead, looking out for anyone who jumped out at him. Sweat slicked his brow from his previous session, but with a cast of a [Refresh] spell, he felt much better.

He got to the trunk of the tree and stared at the branches, trying to make out a figure and the next second, a ball of flames appeared in his left hand.

“Come out right now or you will be burned!” He said, giving out a final warning.

Not even a second later, he felt someone slipping on the branches as a figure fell down, nearly hitting Kai who took a step back. With a loud thud, a man groaned as his back hit the ground.

All anger and tension left Kai as he blinked at the man who rubbed his back. If he was an assassin, he was a clumsy one who would be killed in his first mission by dropping from a rooftop because he had missed a step.

As he wondered if he should cast a binding spell, he blinked his eyes, noticing the familiar features of the man.

Huh?

He was Ansel, the tall man with slightly curvy hair and tanned skin that had accompanied them during their Vermal Larvae encounter. Back then, he had introduced himself as a traveller, but Kai doubted that was the case.

His breath started slowly calming down and his previous guarded expression eased.

But before he could say anything, Ansel dropped into a crouch position, his movements surprising Kai.

Kai stepped forward, the tip of the spear finding its mark against Ansel’s shoulder, just enough to startle and unbalance him. The traveller stumbled back, throwing his hands up in surrender. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

‘“Wait! Lord Arzan. I’m no assassin!”

“You can’t assassinate me even if you try to. What are you doing here, at this hour of the day?” Kai inquired, his voice heavy with authority.

Ansel smiled at his first words and Kai wondered what he was happy about, causing his expression to strain.

“If you don’t answer me immediately, I will call the guards and you can give a visit to the castle cell.”

Kai pushed the tip of the spear closer to his neck. He felt no apparent threat from Ansel, but he had seen enough in his short live to know that humans were good actors.

“No need for such a pointy welcome, Lord Arzan. A friendly spar is all I’m after.”

“A friendly spar?” Kai kept the spear steady. “Trespassing in my training grounds at night hardly screams ‘friendly’ to me.”

Ansel groaned. “Fair enough,” he admitted, his grin fading slightly. “But your doorman wasn’t exactly receptive to my request for a challenge.”

“A challenge?” Kai frowned at his statement. He couldn’t understand why this man was the way he was. “You think you can just walk in here and demand a duel?”

Ansel straightened, his shoulders squaring. “Not a duel,” he said. “Just a chance to test myself against something of your strength. I’ve never faced a Mage before, you see. And when I said that to the guards, they threw me out, snickering.”

“Why don't you go to one of the Towers?”

“I did, but I was thrown out again and some kid cast a spell on me that made me vomit every time I ate for a week,” he said, his face turning grim at the experience. “I still kept close, witnessing their powers from time to time in a few monster-infested areas. But never crossed blades, or spells, with one. ‘Cause none of them seemed approachable.”

Whatever he heard was absurd. Kai couldn't feel anything extraordinary from the man. If there was something, he hid it too well, but if that was the case, he wouldn't be asking Kai for a spar.

Ansel was simply a normal person, albeit one who liked to trespass on a Mage's home at night.

“What if I accidentally hurt you?” Kai asked. “Or worse, kill you?”

Ansel’s usual grin returned, wider this time. “Then,” he said, a confident glint in his eyes. “I would be bested by someone with extraordinary skills.”

Kai sighed. A closed-lip smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Ansel had quite a bold mouth. He noticed it once when they first met, twice, when he wanted to go with them inside the mine, and now.

The third time’s the charm, I guess?

Thinking about his request, finding a decent sparring partner at this hour would be difficult. A part of him wanted to reject, but there was no reason to. Even if it’s a short spar, it’d be an ideal one to end Kai’s practice for the day.

“Alright, alright,” he conceded, lowering the spear slightly. “But are you sure that you want to spar with a Mage? Wouldn’t swordplay be more your style?”

Ansel shook his head. “No, I want to feel it. To see what it’s like to face your powers head-on.”

Taking a deep breath, Kai sheathed his spear and took two steps forward, getting closer to Ansel.

“Just a spar, remember? I’d do non-lethal spells, and we can keep it simple 1st circle magic only.”

Ansel’s grin widened, as he bobbed his head up and down.

Kai threw the spear that he was practising at him.

Ansel gripped it tightly.

“Ready?” Kai called out and the tanned man nodded.

Before Ansel could properly stand, Kai sent a wind vortex intensified with a whoosh, whipping a gust of air towards him.

He was caught off guard for a split second, and stumbled back a step, his eyes widening in surprise. But without wasting another heartbeat, he lunged forward.

“Umph!” Ansel let out a throaty grunt.

He used the wind’s momentum to propel himself into a spinning attack, Kai sidestepped just in time, the wind of Ansel’s spear blade moving past his ear.

That was close.

Kai briskly bent down, his hand extending as he flicked his wrist, launching another [Wind Gust].

Ansel’s eyes narrowed in concentration.

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Before the gust could approach him, he stepped to the side and lunged forward, with the spear aiming at Kai.

Kai smoothly cast [Ice Slick]. The ground became slick and slippery, patches of it freezing in an instant.

Ansel’s plan to launch himself forward was defeated as he lost his footing, his spear skittering across the grass just out of reach.

As Ansel tried to find his balance, Kai sent a tiny [Fire Bolt] towards his ankle, aiming at the grass beneath it. He immediately jumped up, clutching his toe and stumbled back, away from the flames leaping after him.

With a wave of Kai's hand, the flames died immediately as both of them came to a halt.

“Well played, Lord Arzan,” he said, his eyes looking up in admiration. The usual grin stayed in the place, but it felt a bit different. “I didn't expect a Mage to be sneaky.”

Kai chuckled. He had only used a few spells, and the traveller was already on the floor. It wasn't to say Ansel hadn't fought well.

He was clearly experienced and taught well, but was inept against spells. If he was right, the tanned man had mostly spared against weapons and never encountered a spell, at least not a Mage's one.

“All is fair in a fun spar. In a fight, if you give your opponent too much time, you might regret it later. Wanna go another round?” Kai asked, looking back at the centre of the training grounds.

“I’m all good. I believe I underestimated the magic that people in this land wield. No wonder Mages are so respected.” He shook his head. “The wind tricks were quite refreshing actually. I wouldn't want to fight with you until I have a way to deal with them.”

Kai smiled. “And I underestimated you. Your spear work is decent, especially your form, and the agility— didn’t expect that. It's quite different from the one I have learnt.” Kai said and extended his hand.

The traveller took it up and stood up, shrugging off the dirt in his clothes.

As he did that, Kai again wondered about the origins of the man. He was clearly a foreigner, but his accent was quite usual, meaning he had lived in Lancephil Kingdom for a while.

Before Kai could speak to ask these questions, Ansel suddenly bowed low.

“What are you doing?” Kai asked, withdrawn from his sudden show of respect.

“Lord Arzan,” he said, a hint of desperation in his voice. “I overheard the guards talking about your expedition for the monster nest.”

Kai’s eyes narrowed. What does he want now?

"I know I'm just a stranger," Ansel continued, his voice earnest. "But I can handle myself with a spear, as you've seen. And considering your… fiery arsenal," he added with a grin, "a companion who can dodge a fireball or two might be helpful."

“Yes, you’ve proven your point. But, integrating you wouldn’t be a simple matter.”

Ansel straightened. “I understand, Lord Arzan. New faces can disrupt the established routines, creating friction with the guards.”

Kai nodded. His eyes went to the practice spear that was on the floor.

“But,” Ansel started talking before Kai could reply. “I have experience, years of it, facing monsters far worse than any guard in your keep. Beasts that I barely survived against by dodging under their claws.”

Kai thought for a moment. Ansel’s skill with the spear and the agility is impressive, but facing monsters was a whole different thing.

Questions started arising in Kai’s mind as he tried to find traces of lies in Ansel's face.

“What kind of beasts?”

“Erm. Wait,” Ansel spoke, more for himself than Kai and reached into a hidden pouch at his belt. He pulled out a small, leather bag.

“What’s that?” Kai questioned.

Kai’s curiosity faded as he untied the drawstring and put it out in front of him to gaze.

Inside the bag, there was a collection of trophies. Not the kind given to soldiers for their bravery, but the kind hunters collect as an achievement. Talon-like claw, several blackened teeth, a smooth, skull-like fragment polished to a disturbing gleam.

Staring at Ansel, Kai had one question. “Why?”

“Our clan,” he started explaining. “We believe in taking a piece of the enemy with us. A reminder of the battles we fought, the victories won. A way to make sure that they are never truly forgotten.”

“What clan?”

“Clan Torum of Ashari.”

Hearing that name, Kai blinked and tried to sense something out of Ansel again, but it was clear the man was normal.

Thinking back to the clans in the desert, practices such as these were traditions that went a long way.

The clans held a certain undeniable respect for the fallen enemy and it meant to carry a part of them with him as a reminder of the tough battle and what they had overcome.

He paused to study Ansel for a long moment. Several questions passed through his mind.

He wanted to attempt to take on the monster nest with the guards. But was it worth the risk with their current numbers? Would Ansel be worth it? How much can a single man contribute? But again, this man knew how to fight.

Moreover, Kai was curious to know more about the clans even if it was general information and not their techniques that might help Killian and the others.

Kai nodded slowly. Breaking the silence, he said, “Report to Killian tomorrow, first light. He’ll handle the logistics. ”

Ansel grinned widely and bowed again.

Without another worth, he grasped the low-hanging branch from before and hoisted himself back into the tree with a swift movement. A moment later, a rustle of leaves and a soft thud signalled that Ansel had descended on the other side of the wall.

Tightening night security wouldn’t be a bad idea after all. Kai thought to himself, grabbing the spear from the floor.

***

Actra leaned his back in the leather armchair. He sat hunched over a massive tome. The symbols drawn in it and the cursive writing had his sole attention as he read through the “Analysis of specialised elements of mana volume 3” by the Savant level Mage Sanglo Rason.

It was a book he had been trying to finish these days, hoping to finally make a breakthrough with a few spells. But from time to time, his eyes would linger on a letter sitting on a desk beside him.

He ignored it with full concentration and focused on his book.

As he turned a page with a thin strand of mana, a knock on the heavy door shattered the silence.

Actra sighed, placing a heavy bookmark on the page and shouted, “Enter.”

The door creaked open, revealing a young guard who gave a short bow.

“Mage Actra,” he started, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m here to make a report about Lord Arzan.”

“Speak clearly, what is it?” Actra asked.

The guard cleared his throat. “Lord Arzan had cleared the bandits who were under Grekk the pulverizer recently. The city is celebrating it these days. The bandits were chained in the town square as a punishment…”

The guard started going into a detailed account of witnessing everything that happened with the mines. He also included the information about Erasmus and the Tradeheart Merchant Company, and what had happened with them.

All of them were still in the cells in the estate, waiting to be sent to the capital for a trial.

Once that was over, he moved to the mines and talked about the monster nest.

“And this nest,” Actra interjected. His hand placed on his chin, as he subtly leaned forward. “What is it exactly? What kind of monsters are there?”

“They say that there’s a vein of Atheum inside. And that the monsters are called Vermal larvae. They’re strongly attracted to the mana stones, and the rumour that’s spreading is if we don’t do something about it, they will break out and start to attack the villages that are close to the mines. I don’t know the information in detail, like about the expedition that Lord Arzan is planning. I believe only Knight Killian and Administrator Francis would be privy to it.”

Actra’s gaze narrowed at the last words.

If anything, the estate’s resident Mage should know about this information. He wasn't even being asked about the monsters, so it meant that Arzan wasn't trusting him with anything and treating him like he didn't exist.

Actra shook his head as his eyes went to the letter on the desk.

The parchment had its seal broken, wide opened, a little crunched by how Actra had been reading it in the morning.

Frowning, he waved his hand in dismissal. The guard nodded and left the room immediately.

Once he was all alone, his hand went to the paper again, his eyes skimming over the letters.

It was a long letter, consisting of more than a few things, but the main crux of it was simple.

“Keep a close eye on Arzan and report back. Find out his level of strength even if it means stepping on a few boundaries,” Actra muttered, his face straining as he kept looking at it for a long time.