“Lord Lacheart?”

Things were not adding up. Aiden put his mind to work, the little that he could salvage from the fact that Vanisi worked for the Order. It had taken a while before Brandis had informed the nobles of him and the others in his past life.

Certainly not this early, he thought.

But Lord Naranoff had said that the king had a habit of sharing secrets with him because of how close they were—or something like that.

Did it mean that the same thing had happened in his past life?

You’ve really got to stop being so hung up on what happened in your past life, he scolded himself. Too many things had changed for him to still be worrying about the events from his past life. He’d already done too much.

He’d already gained the attention of a [Saint], met the Demon of Nel Quan, and gone into the cave. At this point, he could put no hope in the microcosms of whatever had happened in his past life. And that was how it was meant to be.

Worry would only begin when the macrocosms began to change. If wars started earlier than they were supposed to, then that would be a problem. If the king suddenly upped and passed away, that would be a problem.

But, ultimately, the biggest problem was the risk he’d taken in finding out that Vanisi was a spy for the Order.

For one, he couldn’t tell any of the members of the Naranoff family. What were the chances that Nella would believe him. Now that Naranoff knew exactly what he was, how would he start explaining how he knew what the Order was.

Besides, considering how close they are, Nella would rather hang me first than do anything about it.

Aiden frowned as a new thought came to mind. What if she already knows?

If Nella already knew, it wouldn’t be the first time some low level employee of the Order had grown so close to a target that they had ended up spilling the beans.

Whenever the Order found out about such a thing, they usually just cut off the employee. It was as simple as that. Now that Aiden thought about it, it was funny how important spies of the Order never made that mistake.

On the very few occasions that he’d done some spy work, he’d never revealed the truth of what he was. Even when he’d fallen for the princess of some Nomadic tribe.

You can’t really hold yourself to any high esteem on that one, he thought. You were always worried about what would happen the moment you lost the protection of the Order.

It hadn’t been a testament to his dedication or control, just a testament to his fear. Aiden liked to believe the absence of his fear still wouldn’t have a made a difference, though.

“Lord Lacheart?”

This time, Aiden lifted his head at the sound of his name, realizing that while he’d been lost in his own thoughts, his eyes had been fixed on Lord Naranoff’s letter from the king.

“Yes, Lord Naranoff,” he answered.

Lord Naranoff waved his response aside. “You are a savior here to keep my life, and the lives of this entire world safe, I think you have no reason to be calling me Lord at this point. If anything, I should be the one calling you Lord.”

“Perhaps,” Aiden muttered under his breath as he returned the letter to the Lord’s desk not really paying attention.

Lord Naranoff leaned back on his chair and folded his arms. His eyes were on Aiden but something about them seemed half-lost in thought. “How long have you people been around?”

Aiden picked up the letter meant for him and tapped against it with a finger. “A while.”

“Three months?”

The letter from Brandis hadn’t said anything about how long they had been on Nastild, only that they were on Nastild and they were undergoing training.

“A while,” Aiden answered.

Lord Naranoff’s entire attention returned to the conversation. “Secretive,” he said. “That’s a good thing. You noticed that the king said nothing about how long you’ve been around, and you don’t want to give away too much information.”

Aiden would’ve agreed with that if it was true, but he was in no hurry to deny it vocally. He was secretive because he was a secretive person by nature.

Lord Naranoff rubbed his forehead with thumb and forefinger. He suddenly looked very tired. “And I was almost stupid enough to allow a soldier of mine cleave you in half with an axe.”

Aiden raised a brow at the man’s words. Was he watching the same duel everyone else was?

Lord Naranoff sighed, shaking his head at the expression. “I understand that I had no reason to worry now,” he pointed out. “But if I had known this when she’d dropped the challenge I would have—”

“Done nothing,” Aiden said, cutting him off.

Naranoff’s eyes narrowed. “And why would I have done nothing?”

“Because we are a secret for a good reason,” Aiden said. “So how would you explain stopping a duel when the challenger had called upon the gods. From what I noticed, calling upon the gods in the presence of the church is a big deal. I doubt you would’ve been able to do anything about it in a natural way.”

Lord Naranoff pursed his lips. “That is true. But no matter. You resolved the problem quite aptly, if I do say so myself. If I’m being honest, I was surprised at how easily and brutally you resolved it. That’s no mere feat at your age. I’m more than certain that you were right.”

“About?”

“The bards, Lord Lacheart. They will sing songs of this. You might even get yourself a title at this rate.” Lord Naranoff paused, stroked his jaw. “Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to have you gain a title. As we say on Nastild, you can never have enough titles.”

“And how do you intend on making this happen?” Aiden asked.

Lord Naranoff shrugged. “Well—by the gods, where are my manners. Please have a seat. I cannot believe I’ve kept you standing for so long.”

Aiden was more than happy to oblige. While he was no longer as stressed over the thought of Vanisi being dead despite sparing her life as he knew he should be, he was still a little stressed over it.

If there was anything he needed right now, a seat was definitely it.

“Do you have any titles, Lord Lacheart?” Lord Naranoff asked when Aiden was seated.

“I believe you mean titles given to me by the system, correct?”

“Correct.”

“One or two,” Aiden answered.

Lord Naranoff nodded in understanding. “And would you be willing to show them to me in the event that I may be able to render some useful advice to a savior?”

Aiden’s expression changed as he gave the illusion of thought.

“Unfortunately not,” he answered in the end. “I have been advised against sharing that piece of information.”

“Is that also the reason you did not share your level when you were challenged?”

Aide nodded. “It is. I’ve been told that the less that is known about me the better.”

“A reasonable piece of advice. I would not be surprised if you got that specific piece of information from Sir Valdan. Those who bear the title of [Knight of the Crown] are known to be quite secretive by nature. I assume that he has been the one training you since your arrival.”

“He has been a great teacher.”

“His loyalty to you always baffled me the few times I saw it, especially in the room.” Lord Naranoff sighed in relief. “I will admit that it has been eating at me for a while, even during your duel. Why would a knight like Sir Valdan be so loyal to some random noble bastard. Now it all makes sense.”

Aiden pressed his lips into a thin line. He was surprised to find out that the statement rubbed him the wrong way. There was a part of him that didn’t want Valdan’s loyalty to be because of who he was as a summoned. A part of him wanted that loyalty to be because they were slowly becoming friends.

Don’t be a child, he scolded himself.

Valdan had already told him that he would not leave king Brandis. Not that he wanted the Knight to. There were things that Aiden had to do that a Knight should not be party to.

Even if Valdan did choose to leave king Brandis, Aiden could not allow him. Not in good faith, at least.

“You said something about helping me get a title,” Aiden said, redirecting the conversation. “Are the Lords capable of affecting the system in that way?”

Naranoff bobbed his head from side to side in thought. “Only in the ways allowed them by their king. And even that is quite limited. The titles a monarch can give will be titles that only take effect within the laws and reaches of their kingdom. If I give you a title, it would only be within the laws and reaches of my territory, and it would not be much. I was talking of something different.”

Aiden sat forward. “Like what?”

It was a little annoying playing the guest from another world that knew nothing, but everybody had a part to play. Annoying as it was, this was his part to play.

“How much do you know about titles and how the system works, Lord Lacheart?”

Aiden shook his head. “So little that it will be safe enough to say that I know nothing about it.”

Lord Naranoff’s brows furrowed in disbelief. “Not even how things like skills work?”

“I know that. Sir Valdan has been generous enough in teaching me these simple things. It is the delicate intricacies that I know nothing about.”

“Ah, I see.” Lord Naranoff mused. “Just out of curiosity, how much were you told about the gods?” He paused as if having made a mistake before saying, “Our gods?”

“I wasn’t told much on that,” Aiden answered. “But I read a lot. I have a basic idea on the subject. Ten or eleven gods, if I’m not mistaken, then the lesser gods continue to abound in number.”

Truthfully, the gods system on Nastild was like the catholic doctrine on heaven. It wasn’t as extensive and detailed, just relative. The catholic church believed in one God, while Nastild believed in twelve. A very limited handful were aware of the thirteenth, which was quite mysterious when you considered the fact that the gods didn’t exist.

Ted definitely believed they existed, Aiden thought. And he’s more agnostic than catholic.

If the gods actually did exist, then the idea of a mysterious thirteenth god actually made sense. But that was unimportant.

As for the lesser gods, there was a new one every now and again. In truth, it wasn’t that there was a new one, there were just so many of them that anyone that claimed that they knew all the lesser gods was either a liar or a truly deep fanatic.

After all, the lesser gods were as bountiful as the saints were in the doctrine of the catholic church. Just trying to remember the catholic litany of saints threatened to give him a headache. It was funny how being a catholic he had learnt it as a child only to find out that the litany didn't even carry half the number of saints the catholic church had.

“It would make sense that the king would not want to teach you about our gods,” Lord Naranoff said. “And I’m definitely not so religious that I would try to convert you… Did you have gods in your world?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“We had religions.”

Lord Naranoff eyeballed his response for a moment before continuing.

“I apologize,” he said after a while. “I do not wish to pry into the details of your world. I know the scriptures well enough to understand why you would not be in a hurry to speak of your world. So I’ll bring the conversation back to the title issue I was talking about.”

Aiden nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you.”

“So, titles.” Lord Naranoff rested his back against his chair. “The way they work on Nastild is that they are given by… let’s call it mana.”

Aiden cocked his head to the side. That was not entirely true. It was a simplification, though. An acceptable one.

Lord Naranoff waved his expression aside. “It’s obviously more complicated than that. But if we are being honest, there are only two types of titles, people given and system given.”

“And how does the people given title work?”

“It is crowd funded, in a manner of speaking. Monarchy is a crowd funded title. If the people accept you as an individual well enough and wish to be ruled by you, the system gives you the title of king or queen.”

Aiden knew of that one. It was the reason why on Nastild you could have a king without a queen or a queen without a king. A king did not rule the kingdom, a monarch did. It was the reason either a prince or a princess could ascend the throne.

For instance, if the king crowned his son to rule next and the people wanted his daughter badly enough, she would become the system sanctioned Queen. While her brother would wear the crown by decree of the king, he would not have the title of monarchy in his interface.

He would not possess the system benefits of becoming a monarch.

If Aiden was not mistaken, kingdoms had been split by wars over things like this. A decreed monarch over a system monarch.

They knew the rightful ruler—whoever was system sanctioned—but there were always those who did not pledge their lives to the system. There were also those who were more than happy to be usurpers.

The system’s crowd-funded method of titles was part of the reason it was difficult to find a tyrannical monarch. If you did not have the title, there were a lot of system sanctioned benefits you lacked.

“Now, the way this form of titles work is a little complicated,” Lord Naranoff went on. “The first thing you need to understand is that everything is mana. It isn’t just the gift that allows you to use skills. It’s the air you breathe in and let out. It is the shit you use to destroy the toilet in your room or desecrate that innocent grass in the middle of the forest…”

Aiden didn’t point out the fact that the stronger you grew in your levels the less waste your body produced. The moment a person hit level hundred, sweat was basically their only excrement and that was because it wasn’t necessarily excrement. It was just the body performing a function to assist in achieving an optimum state.

“But it is not only the tangible,” Lord Naranoff was saying. “Mana is also in your displeasure. Your joy. When you take a woman to bed, mana exists in your actions. Mana is quite literally everything.”

“And this affects titles how?” Aiden asked, caught up in his role in the conversation.

“That’s simple. If mana is also in your emotions, then it stands to reason that it is also in your beliefs. In your wants. A crowd funded title is simply the collective belief of enough people. When enough people accept something about you, and I mean truly accept it, their collective belief settles upon you like a mantle. It protects you.”

“That mantle is the title,” Aiden said.

“Exactly,” Lord Naranoff nodded. “So think of this as the first gift from a Lord of this world. I will use the people to grant you a title.”

“And what title will that be?”

Lord Naranoff’s response was a shrug. “People can be as predictable as they can be unpredictable. What I can guarantee you is that when I’m done, it is going to be a useful title. I just have no idea what use it is going to have.”

“Then, for that, you have my gratitude.”

“No, Lord Lacheart,” Lord Naranoff said. “You have mine. I used to wonder what you could possibly have done to garner my son’s wrath. He has always been a child driven by his own hubris. He gained his arrogance from me, but by the life of me he inherited none of my control. But there was always a starting point to his stupidity. Always a reason. Now I understand why he was against you. At least, I have an idea.”

Aiden fingered the envelope in his hand, the letter from the king to himself. The topic Lord Naranoff was trying to touch upon—whatever it was—was not one he was going to be happy to indulge in.

Unfortunately, the Lord did not need him to continue the conversation.

“There is a belief in our scriptures,” Lord Naranoff said, “that the evil that will emerge from the rising darkness will come from anyone while the hero to save us will not be from this world. There are other criteria that we have been warned to look out for as well. So, before I continue, I will just like to point out that I may be my son’s father, but that does not make me my son.”

“I understand,” Aiden said.

“Good. That said, did you gain a unique skill before gaining your class?”

“Your son was under that misconception.”

“And where you told the reason such a misconception would lead him to his actions?”

“I was.”

Lord Naranoff stood up and Aiden prepared himself. Lord Naranoff had proven himself to be a calm host so far, but you could never be too sure with these things.

Aiden was not classless right now. He had the power to defend himself, and he had no hesitation in doing so. If he was forced to do what he had to do to kill a Lord today, then he would run today. He already knew how to be on the run.

Lord Naranoff bowed at the waist. “I know it might mean little but please accept my apologies on behalf of my son. It is my hope that you do not continue to hold this against him when you become stronger than him.”

“Your son is water under the bridge, Lord Naranoff,” Aiden said, dismissing the apology. “And he’s a grown man, fully responsible for his actions. With all due respect, it is not his father’s place to apologize for him.”

Lord Naranoff stood up straight and adjusted his clothes. “And normally, I would not. But the last thing I would want is for my son’s stupidity to put us in bad terms with a potential [Hero]. Believe me, it is never a good idea.”

“You do not fear the possibility that I might be the evil that rises from the rising darkness?” Aiden asked, curious. “It is very possible that I might be lying about the unique skill and might end up becoming the evil you all fear.”

Lord Naranoff chuckled as he sat down. “Oh, dear boy. I’m terrified. But you do not kill all the first sons born in a specific year simply because one of them would be a monster. That is what allowing your fear to rule you looks like. If you learn nothing from my world, learn this; you are meant to rule your emotions. All of them. Not the other way around.”

Good to know that even in a different world King Herod is viewed as stupid and paranoid.

“Alright,” Lord Naranoff sighed. “The time has come for preparations to be made.”

Aiden’s brows furrowed. “Preparations?”

“Yes, Lord Lacheart. The rising darkness is here. What that means is that I will have to delegate all administrative work in my territory and take up arms once more. I cannot say I am ready for it at my current level. I will have to level up. My children too. My soldiers as well. Oh, yes. That reminds me, I owe you another thanks.”

“What for?”

“The child, Belle. What she did tonight was stupid, but she has the greatest promise amongst her peers. Everyone knows that only great things exist in her future. So, I am glad that you chose mercy over justified wrath. The gods know she did not deserve it.” Lord Naranoff picked up a parchment from one side of his desk and began perusing it. It signaled the conclusion of the conversation. “Once I speak to her once more and show her the errors of her way with some forms of punishment, I’m sure she will be of great help in my preparations.”

Aiden couldn’t help but grimace at the words.

“Lord Naranoff.”

The man raised his head from the parchment. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” Aiden said slowly.

Lord Naranoff’s expression dampened. “Let me guess. In the end, mercy did not prevail.”

Aiden nodded gently.

Lord Naranoff shook his head, solemn. He pinched the bridge of his nose like a tired old man who’d just taken off his glasses.

“I cannot say I’m surprised,” he muttered. “The moment the church took her, I assumed that would happen. Although I prayed for it not to.”

“You expected the church to not save her?”

“I expected the church to do what the church always does: follow their doctrines to the letter.”

“But your church teaches about mercy and the forgiveness of sins.”

Lord Naranoff looked up, surprised. “Oh, I see someone has taken the time to learn of our religion.”

“My world believes that religion is important. At least my parents did,” Aiden said. “We were not fanatics, but they believed that you can tell a lot about a person from what they believe or did not believe in. When I found out that this world had a central religion, I figured I might as well learn about it.”

“And how did that affect you?” Lord Naranoff asked. “Coming to another world and learning about a new set of gods. Do you think your gods would be offended if you believed in ours?”

Aiden shrugged. “In my world, we take our gods by faith.”

“How does that work?”

“We believe they exist even though there is no proof of their existence.”

Lord Naranoff grimaced. “That sounds like a difficult thing to do. We at least have the existence of [Saints] in our case. And the church does enough things to let us know that the gods exist. Those who do not believe in them have either never seen a church or a [Saint].”

“To each our cross." Aiden shrugged. "But why did you expect her to die when your church teaches mercy?”

“Because I know the scriptures well enough,” Lord Naranoff answered. “And I assure you that it is not by choice. Now, it is actually no secret amongst those that are old enough, but I was not the one that was supposed to take over my territory. I actually have an older brother. But he chose a different path earlier on in life and ended up becoming a priest. He dedicated himself to the church.”

Aiden couldn’t tell if that was among the pieces of information he’d had about Bandiv in his past life. And since he couldn’t, it was safe to assume that he hadn’t had it.

“Joining the church,” Lord Naranoff went on, “is a decision to give up all worldly possessions. So, he gave up his right to rule over the territories. What I’m trying to say is, having an older brother with a deep love for the church subjects you hear a lot about the scriptures and things related to the church. And there is a verse in the scriptures that taught me more about the church than I would’ve liked to learn.”

“What does it say?” Aiden asked.

Lord Naranoff gave him a soft smile. “Indulge a Lord a moment of teaching, if you don’t mind. Knowledge is best appreciated when learned by oneself. So, rather than tell you what it says, I’ll tell you the verse and you get to find it yourself if you are interested.”

Aiden did his best not to let out a sigh. He wasn’t a child that he needed to waste his time learning such things.

“All I can say for certain is this,” Lord Naranoff continued. “The moment she called upon the gods as witness and called the duel one of honor, she had sealed her fate. Everyone knows that you do not take the name of the gods in vain.”

“The verse, Lord Naranoff,” Aiden said, hoping to push the conversation to its conclusion.

“Book of desertion,” he answered. “Chapter 4 verse 1.”

Aiden nodded, locking the scripture in his memory. If there was one thing he was willing to admit, it was that this had actually piqued his interest.

The book of desertion was a point in Nastild’s scriptures. From what Aiden could remember of it, the book of desertion focused on a part of some holy war when a select group of people had betrayed the church. It was a brutal part of the scripture that the church rarely spoke on.

Aiden rose to his feet then, hoping the conversation was over. “If you don’t mind, Lord Naranoff, I would like to take my leave now.”

“Oh, yes,” Lord Naranoff waved him off politely. “You’ve got a day ahead of you tomorrow. You’ll need to rise early for your trip. I will do my best to see you off as well as offer a gift.”

Aiden paused, already free from his chair. “If you truly wish to offer a gift, I made a request from your [Tailor].”

“You did?”

“Yes. He introduced me to something called a living material that completely held my attention.”

“And you would like said material?” Lord Naranoff asked.

Aiden nodded. “I have already made arrangements for payment. According to him, the order would only be concluded if you permit it.”

“Permitted,” Lord Naranoff said without missing a beat. “And allow me to handle the payment. You will need all the funds you can get for what we believe lies ahead. There is no need to spend it on what can simply be given to you. I believe it will be delivered to the castle.”

“Ye—” Aiden caught himself before he completed the word. “Perhaps not. From what I have learnt. The moment I return, I will be sent off with Sir Valdan and a group to a certain location, and I might be there for a while. It would be nice to have it sent to the town north of Elstrire. It is a small town and the only one without a name from what I have learnt.”

“Elstrire,” Lord Naranoff mused. “That is under Lord Garron’s command.”

“Oh,” Aiden muttered. “If it will be a problem, then I don’t mind receiving it at the palace once I return.”

“Nonsense,” Lord Naranoff scoffed. “I will have it delivered to this town near Elstrire as you have requested. It will be no problem.”

Aiden bowed gratefully. “Thank you, Lord Naranoff.”

Now, all he had to do was contemplate on the success of this specific endeavor. Based on the way things were going, it was very possible that he wasn’t going to get the order in the end. But it didn’t mean that he was just going to abandon the chance of getting it.

Aiden took his leave and was at the door when Lord Naranoff spoke again.

“And Lord Lacheart.”

“Yes,” he answered, looking back.

“Thank you for dealing with the poachers in my territory,” Lord Naranoff said sincerely. “And while it did not turn out the way you wanted it to. Thank you for showing Belle mercy. You are the rightful owner of her axe. Never forget that.”

Aiden nodded. “And thank you for the title you intend on giving me. And the order from your [Tailor].”

With that, he left the office.

True to her words, Vanisi had waited for him outside. She stood patiently, as any trained maid would, and met him with a smile when he came out.

“How was your conversation with the Lord?” she asked politely.

“Not as long as I thought it would be,” he answered.

Vanisi chuckled knowingly, her seductive nightwear still as tempting as it had been before he’d entered the office. “I told you he does not like to waste time. Where to next?”

There was a deeper question in her voice, an invitation.

Aiden remembered her proposition to him; her invitation to spend the next few hours before daybreak together.

A tumble in the sheets certainly didn’t sound like a bad idea. The gods knew he wanted it.

“Is there a holy book anywhere nearby?” he found himself asking. “Lord Naranoff has given me a task that I am to fulfil by the morning. I would need the holy book to fulfil it.”

Vanisi pouted in dismay but schooled the expression very quickly. “There is one in the chapel. I will get it for you at once, just after escorting you back to your chambers.”

“Thank you.”

The walk back was done in silence. Vanisi’s disapproval of how the events were proceeding was clear in how she assumed complete professionalism as they walked.

Aiden almost wanted to talk to her, to bring back that conversationalist personality she liked to have around him.

The very thought worried him.

I swear I need friends, he thought with a groan. One month of no real friends except Valdan and you’re already trying to talk up a girl that’s gone silent on you when that’s what you’ve been begging for.

True to her words, Vanisi left him at the door to his room. She returned a few minutes later with a holy book. It was covered in black leather with the simple inscription ‘Holy Book’ on it.

The moment he took it from her, she bowed and left him.

Aiden watched her go for a moment. His time had started ticking now. If she was smart, she would do a little investigation to confirm his claim that a lord had come to him saying a secret code only a member of the Order should know.

She would inevitably come to the conclusion that such a thing did not happen. By the time she did, he would be gone. Then she would report what had happened to whatever chain of command she answered to.

Such a situation would certainly go up the chain of command. And just like that, in a matter of time, Aiden would’ve stupidly put himself under the attention of the Order.

He had plans of working with the Order at some point in this life, but right now was too soon. He wasn’t powerful enough to work with them. If he ran into the Order at this time, he would end up working for them. And that was a situation that he could not allow.

He was going to engage with them on his own terms.

Before closing his eyes and going to sleep, Aiden found the scripture Lord Naranoff had spoken of. The man had been right, anyone who remembered this part of the scriptures would not be surprised by the actions of the church that had allowed Belle's death.

The first verse of the chapter literally began with the most ominous of words for a church that preached mercy.

It read…

Not all who seek forgiveness are deserving of it.