The City Lord was a large muscular man, bulkier than even Alaster. He had a short beard and hair, beginning to show plenty of gray in his black. Leaning against the side of the chair, was a large two-handed sword.

The City Lord himself, however, was sitting casually.

The door closed behind them, and Lord Siphas stepped forward.

“Keylan, this is the man from the reports. This is Alaster.”

The City Lord, Keylan, raised an eyebrow at hearing his name. He was good friends with Elliot Siphas, but they kept to their titles during official business.

“Alaster? The boy you employed a few years ago.”

“Yes.” Elliot confirmed.

Keylan turned his attention to Alaster, glancing at his armor.

“You repelled the attackers off an entire Section?”

“Yes.” Alaster said bluntly. He didn’t care to use any honorifics, they needed his help, and he knew they knew it.

Keylan huffed, “What can you do?”

“A lot. The most similar Class to my own would-be Necromancer. But I am much more than a simple Necromancer.”

In his Seeker Sight, Alaster saw Elliot’s eyes widen in surprise. But the City Lord hid his emotions much better.

“How many can you raise?”

“Over three hundred, at a power capable of working in pairs to kill the average Adept. Then another eighty who can confidently defeat the average Adept. The three hundred require corpses, but the eighty don’t.” Alaster decided to forgo the Summoned Undead. He wanted to keep something up his sleeve, and they were weaker than the Legion. They had their own uses.

This time, the City Lord was unable to keep the corner of his mouth from twitching. Lord Siphas was stunned.

“How close do you have to be to control them?”

“No limit I have found yet. However, they are more effective if I am there to direct them.”

“Hmm, that limits their use.”

“Not really. I can wipe out entire thirty man squads in one go, both at range, or in melee.”

“What weapon do you use?”

“Mostly magic, but I am not bad with a halberd.” To prove his point, the Pact summoned the halberd in his hand.

“The same metal as your armor. An Ability?”

“Bonus.”

“Powerful. Why have you only returned now?”

“Because I heard that the city was under attack. I figured I was powerful enough to make a difference, so here I am.”

“Reports claim you fell out of the sky, why?”

“Because I did. I would prefer not to say why I did, just that it was the best way to get into the city without going through the Tarians first.” Alaster said, rubbing the back of his head.

“I see. Well, the Tarians are unlikely to attack again before tomorrow. So, take the day to rest and greet those you know. Tomorrow should an attack come, which is unlikely, please assist where you can. Perhaps the Bailey defense would be best for your abilities. However, it would be preferable to give you a Section of wall to defend. I will discuss this with the other Commanders.”

“Yes sir!” Alaster said with a mock salute. He then looked above the City Lord, “Hi Iris.”

Hidden among the ceiling supports, crouched Iris. When Alaster first entered the room, he had used Identify to see if there was anyone else in the room. Besides the City Lord and Lord Siphas, there was another, in the ceiling supports. He had kept an eye on that trail of Mana and noticed it twitched slightly anytime the City Lord adjusted.

The City Lord looked up curiously, seeing his daughter hiding above him, and sighed.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Iris, I have told you to stop spying.”

She dropped down, allowing Alaster a good look at her. The years had treated her well. She was gorgeous. There was no doubt she was of Noble blood and upbringing. Her training had also made her fit, even her loose training clothes couldn’t hide that. Alaster admitted that he was attracted to her.

“Then let me help! But I’m sorry I can’t talk; I have to show Alaster around!” She then rushed over to Alaster grabbing his arm and he allowed her to drag him away.

She opened the door and Alaster saluted once again before they left the room.

The two guards and Lukas looked at them curiously, but the City Lord only shook his head. They didn’t stop them.

Iris continued to drag him until they turned the corner of the hallway, where Alaster stood straight, effortlessly pulling out of the young woman’s grip and walking alongside her.

He wanted to talk to her, ask her some questions, but her eyes warned him otherwise.

She led the way through the halls until they finally came across the Estate’s training room. The room had a tall ceiling and was brightly lit by Mage Lights. The center of the room held a pit lined in stone and filled with sand.

As Alaster glanced around, Iris walked over to the racks against the wall, containing blunt wooden training weapons. She grabbed two swords and tossed one at Alaster.

“Let’s see if you remember what Lukas taught you.”

She dashed forward, swinging her sword at his head. She was extremely fast, but Alaster was able to back up a step, countering with a quick thrust, which she sidestepped.

Without hesitation, she charged forward with another powerful swing, but it was a feint. Before Alaster was able to block it, she dropped into a slide, easily ducking under his sword and ending behind him. She thrust forward with a triumphant grin, but the dulled point of her sword was deflected by his own.

She flipped backward, avoiding his own swing.

He grinned at her, but her own grin was gone.

‘She is good.’ Sedall commented.

‘But inexperienced.’ Belgroth finished.

‘She hasn’t fought many threatening battles.’ Sedall agreed.

‘Then let’s show her how a true battle is fought.’

Once again, she charged forward with another swing at his head. But, instead of backing up once more, Alaster stepped forward, into her guard. Panicked, she tried to turn her swing into a thrust, but Alaster caught her wrist and threw her over his shoulder.

She landed heavily, her sword falling to the soft sand several feet away. Alaster appeared over her, looking down at her with a grin.

“Feel better princess?”

She threw sand in his eyes and attempted to tackle him to the ground. But he simply sidestepped using [Seeker Sight] and tripped her. She fell to the ground again.

Alaster wiped his eyes clear and offered a hand to Iris, which she hesitantly took.

“How are you so much stronger than me? I’m the older one!” Iris pouted.

Alaster found himself stunned by her eyes; she would certainly have a lot of suitors. And not all of them would be seeking her influence or riches.

“Because while you have been safely sparring with trainers and a Healer on standby. I have been fighting to the death with more Monsters than I can count, many of whom I had no business fighting, let alone killing.”

“It’s been three years, and you are already an Expert!”

“You are very skilled. You just need more experience in actual fights. Once you have that, I’m sure you will be much more powerful than most Adepts.” Alaster said, leaning against the wall.

Iris sat across from him, “Don’t patronize me. I heard you tell my father about your Abilities. How can you summon that many Minions and still be that proficient in close quarters?”

“I was fighting by myself almost the entire time. I was forced to learn.”

“You are a one-man army with your Minions!”

Alaster smiled wide, “No, I can summon an army, I am a one-man army myself!”

She punched his shoulder with a laugh.

Her smile dimmed and she hesitated.

“Ask.” Alaster prompted her.

“Did you rescue your sister?”

Alaster’s smile died entirely.

“How did you find out?”

“Isabella isn’t as oblivious as you might think. She heard you talk about it with her father.”

“So, everyone knows?”

“No. Only Alice and I do. And I assume Uncle Elliot told my father.”

Alaster sighed, “No, not yet. Despite my power, I am still limited. It’s not like I can destroy that Tarian army myself. I will need to be careful and plan everything. But I have found someone that, while he can’t help me directly save my sister, can teach me what I need to save her myself.

I was actually on my way to him when I learned about the siege, and here I am.”

“So once the siege is over, you are leaving again?” Iris said quietly.

“Yes. But not as long. I don’t know how long the training will be. But when it’s done, and I am ready, I will return here before rescuing my sister. I will want to secure a place to take my sister to, and Onigas seems like a perfect place. It’s also the only place I really know anyone.”

“So, you are planning on living here?” Isis said with hope.

“Maybe. It depends entirely on how the situation with my sister turns out. All this time, I still don’t know anything about her. All I know, is that she is safe and comfortable.”

“How do you know that?”

Alaster hesitated, wondering how to best explain it, “I have met people who could discern that, but can’t really explain anything more. They could only feel her own emotions and through that, they could tell that she was safe and comfortable. But besides that, I don’t know much.”

“Then where will you begin your search?” She leaned back, resting on her palms. Unfortunately, it also emphasized her chest.

Alaster paid close attention to his gaze, ensuring that it remained on her face.

“Hasal. It’s the city that oversaw my village. The people who took my sister used a teleportation scroll, but they only could have gotten there so quickly if they had been there in Hasal when my village Alderman reported my sister’s Special Constitution.

I doubt she is still there. But it’s the only link I have.”

“What about starting in your village? Surely, they will have valuable information.”

“I’ll take a quick look, but I doubt it.”

He knew that they couldn’t have fought back against the Knights that came for him as a child. He knew that in his mind, but he couldn’t help but be resentful.

At that moment, the doors burst open, and two young girls ran out screaming and tackled Alaster.