“Congratulations on becoming a true Transcendent, Lord Nox” said Arcturus Harkes, emphasizing his new title.

“Your excellency” replied Seifer politely.

“Your performance in the Tournament was most impressive”

“Thank you, your excellency” said Seifer, faking a proud smile.

“Tell me, how do you plan on reaching the third step?” asked Arcturus.

“I must admit that I don’t really know” lied Seifer, having no intentions of sharing his plans with Arcturus. The way he had been involved in sending both Marcus and Annalise away before approaching him all of a sudden invoked suspicion in his heart.

“You are an exceptional talent, I’m sure you would reach the third step with incredible speed” said Arcturus.

“Thank you, Lord Harkes, I certainly hope so” said Seifer.

“To be honest, I approached you because I have an offer for you. Do you know of Obsidian swamps?” asked Arcturus.

“I have only heard that they are extremely dangerous due to the highly acidic fluid in them.” replied Seifer, intrigued despite himself.

“Indeed, you would need a vessel made out of pure Draconian Steel to resist the harsh acidity. But risk and reward go hand in hand, it is only in Obsidian swamps that the Obsidian Lotus grows.” said Arcturus.

“An Obsidian lotus can raise your spirit level by a huge margin. But to use it in this way, it needs to be dissolved in the same acid from which it grew in exactly the right way” he continued.

“My son and his team will be venturing into an Obsidian swamp but of course, they would need a skilled Potioneer to actually prepare the Obsidian Lotuses. I would like to offer you the job, you would be given the lion’s share as the most important party” finished Arcturus with a kind smile.

“Why me, Lord Harkes? I’m sure you would find better qualified potioneers than myself for such a mission.” said Seifer, his suspicion growing.

“I admit that you are not the perfect candidate but I believe you will become a very powerful Transcendent one day. I am simply doing you a favor in hopes that one day it is repaid” said Arcturus.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Seifer smiled widely, as though flattered by Arcturus’ words. Inwardly, he was even more apprehensive. The practice of helping out weaker transcendent in hopes that their goodwill would be useful someday was quite common but not like this.

Finding an Obsidian swamp was beyond difficult and the fact that Arcturus’ would hire an underqualified Potioneer, taking vast profits away from his son was not just a mere favor.

“I’m honored, Lord Harkes. I apologize for the inconvenience but I will need some time to think about this” said Seifer, perfectly playing the part of the flattered yet nervous youth.

“Consider it well but try not to keep me waiting for too long” said Arcturus, he did a good job of hiding his annoyance but Seifer’s keen eyes had caught the brief flash of anger.

What is he plotting? thought Seifer as he watched Arcturus walk away. He was almost certain the man was up to something. He had to find out what it was, lest he end up dead for Arcturus’ benefit.

Hopefully, Arcturus did not place too much value on him and would leave him alone if he just refused to go to the mission. But without knowing exactly what he wanted, Seifer had no way to be sure.

If Arcturus stood to gain huge benefits from whatever he was planning, then even if he declined to join the mission Arcturus would come after him in some other way.

The Lord Harkes had planned this well, not only did he have Markus and Annalise sent away for half a year, they were on a mission that didn’t allow any contact between them and Seifer.

He was on his own for this since the trial of solitude had yet to end. If Seifer was truly in danger, Markus and Annalise would have stepped in but the rest of the family would let him die for the Trial.

Instead of panicking about his potential death, Seifer just sighed in annoyance. All his carefully laid schemes to reach the third step had gone up in smoke because of Arcturus.

Now, his focus had shifted to surviving the next six months. Already, the beginnings of a plan were brewing in the back of Seifer’s mind.

If Arcturus has much to gain, he is certainly having me followed. Inside my quarters, the powerful bloodline spells of House Nox will protect me but outside, all my movements might be reported to Arcturus. But I can use this to my advantage thought Seifer.

This mission was being led by Arcturus’ son, Orion Harkes. Based on what he had seen in his last life, Arcturus used Orion to handle all his dirty work for him. And so, it was very likely that Arcturus would use Orion to get to Seifer as well.

Orion was heavily involved with the Ceres War Guild and on most evenings, he would come to the Golden Dragon Bar with his friends from the Guild.

Seifer had been to the Golden Dragon Bar several times in his last life. It was very popular amongst Second and Third Step Transcendents due to its high level spells that prevented spying, allowing you to discuss confidential information.

That night, Seifer would to go to the Golden Dragon so that this information would reach Arcturus’ ears. At that point, he would ask Orion to approach him at the Golden Dragon to try and convince him to join the mission.

That would be Seifer’s opportunity to learn more about Arcturus’ plot. Of course, Orion was no fool, he would be careful not to reveal the true nature of the mission but Seifer had a way around that.

I suppose I have a letter to write