Weeks had gone by as Arise recovered from his damage from the previous fight. Arise decided that he would not open his store after he recovered because of the underlying threat the Rhoeia family bestowed upon them. His legs were numbed, a reminder of his encounter with Alexandris. Marred with ugly scars, he covered it up with a thin sheet of cloth.

As he wrapped cloth to his leg, a soft knock rang thorugh the room. It followed by a sweet voice, smooth as honey, it was light. He was not expecting a visitor, so his body flinched.

“Arise...” Hazel began, she swung the door open and entered. “I need to talk to you.”

Not a voice escape Arise’s mouth, he glanced at Hazel and invited her to the room.

A tang of honey-like voice rang through his ears. In constrast to the proposal she’s presenting to Arise. He gave her a chance to explain, much to his unwillingness to his situation.

“Cooperate with us, as an Erudition user- your help could play a huge part to the resistance,” She said, her body jerked in a persuasive manner, a sly woman, he thought.

Arise declined: “No, that’s my answer. Not only illogical, I have no part in the political landscape of this country. I’m endangering myself if I joined you.” His voice was as sour as a tamarind. Joining such conflict could spell trouble for him, not only he hated conflict; a pointless conflict like the resistance is a waste of resource.

Even if there’s two Erudition user in the resistance, the royal army and the duke’s personal lackey was strong on its own right. Lacking any resource whatsoever would guarantee an army’s chance to defeating the former, even with great tactic- many of the royal army were a deviator, with the current power of the resistance; going against the army realistically was like a hoarde of swordmen reckless charge against gunsmen.

“But... If this prolongs... Would that make you a bigger target, Alexandris knew you’re an Erudition user. Father’s interest on you will soar.” Hazel reasoned. While she was not wrong about her reasons, there are other path Arise could treck if the Duke dared to make a move against him.

“I’m going to say three words.” Arise said, he held his three fingers. His face was bitter like a black coffee.

“Go ahead,”

“Lack of Resources.”

“Pardon?”

The scientist covered his face with his palms in dismay. He sighed as he said, “You’re kidding?”

Hazel already confused by Arise’s comment, stood in front of the door. Frozen as she looked for Arise’s elaboration.

“...”

He let out another sigh.

“Listen, even with supreme power, to feed, supply, train and equip an army is far harder than you think. Resources is needed to keep an army going. From what I can see, the army themselves can’t be that far from planning their coup, needing donations from other people, and local produced weapons. That simply won’t do, Lady Hazel.” His voice was stern, like a strict mathematics teacher.

“That means?”

“You’re still naive on how the world works.”

His harsh words rang through her ears. The glare of the morning sun shone through the room, it felt warm. As her eyes focused on the window. She saw a commotion, a carriage passing by.

‘Alexandris... What is he doing here?’

The blond man left his carriage, his perused through the streets as if he was reading a book looking for something, he seemed to order his men to help him look around through the busy crowd of the district. Hazel shook as she observed him through the window; Mel’s house was situated in the upper part of the Calica district. Because of its elevation, the view to the road was quite wide, allowing anyone from the rooms to observe through the window.

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Then, Arise’s words pierced through her mind as she went through her daze. “Lady Hazel!” He said, he frowned as he saw her in a daze. “We’re still conversing, would it be rude to leave your conversation hanging?”

“Ah! Sorry, I did not mean to” Hazel said, she held her head down as she expressed her remorse.

Arise’s brows forrowed by the absurdity of what Hazel proposed. Now, she’s dazing onto somewhere like her head stuck in the clouds. Not sounding rude, he felt like her words may as sweet as her ideals, but her professionality was none existant.

Hazel’s musing continued. He shouldn’t have any idea that we’re in Calica district... I used [Aetheric Conveyance] to warp here, it would be impossible to track me and my activites here... What is he doing here?

Tap tap tap...

Arise’s foot repeatedly tapped through the wooden floor. He waited for Hazel’s answer as he planned for the course of his journey in Tellus.

After I get out of this country, I should journey to the neighbouring kingdom, Verona. It shouldn’t be that hard, there’s a chance, either Eishi or Ayase are present there. I need more money to comfortably travel. Good thing the spell [Pocket Bag] allowed me to store small items like money. Now, then... I shall listen to her again.

“So?”

The woman flinched, she looked around smiled awkwardly. “I apologize for my behavior...”

“Right... Well then, that’s my answer. I can’t be bothered to mingle with politics, as stressful as it is.”

Then Arise continued, he held his hand ahead. "I hope you found my answer sufficient.”

Hazel’s lips frowned slightly. She looked away though still conciously looking for Alexandris, then she heard Arise say: “Don’t look like that, I know my answer is not the most polite out there. But you got to remember, don’t include innocent people if you’re inciting a rebellion. Besides, if anything rise to oppose me that directly corralate your resistance, I would join in a jiffy.”

“Jiffy?” She asked, her tone seemed a bit curious.

‘Crap... I used a colloquial term...’

“Eh uh, let me rephrase that, If any opposition ever comes in my way that directly involves your resistance, I would join as fast as possible.”

“I see, then I could still convince you otherwise?”

The scientist’s brow furrow as he looked at Hazel with odd expression. “What are you planning?”

“Well... Knowing your personality, telling you would not achieve anything. I’ll show you.” Hazel’s resolve burns like a raging fire. She loomed Arise as her determination to reel him in like a fish to the resistance grew.

‘...interesting.’

“Well then, indulge me. Where should we go for this?”

“Follow me.”

Hazel grabbed Arise’s hand and dragged him outside the door.

A carriage stopped as Hazel invited him to board.

Arise sighed as he boarded the fancy carriage, followed by the lady.

“If you see it, you’ll change your mind.”

The sun glared its radiance on the noble district of Rhoeia. Arise was hidden in carriage as there was a rule about commoners not allowed in the noble district outside of domestic work.

Hazel looked outside the window with contempt on her face. It was clear that she did not like the concept of noble district as a whole. She saw various people with tattered cloth, lifting goods outside the noble district to be shipped to the capital Lucern. They had an uncomfortable ring around their necks; it was a huge hunk of metal, filled to the brim with aetheric energy as igniology runes were inscribed within the metal, glowing red.

Arise peered through the windows secretly, he asked Hazel what it was. “Those collars, is that what I think it is?”

“If you’re thinking of terribly maiming an individual if they escape or not? Yes, it is exactly what you think it is.” Said Hazel, her voice was shaking as her throat was like sandpaper. “Horrible people, why would anyone think this is a good idea? Forcing people to do what they rich wants because they’re unfortunate.” Her rage seathe beneathe her skin. Swirling uncontrollably like a storm.

Burst collars. That’s what the slave traders used to contain people. A collar riddled with igniology magic ready to set off if the slave did not listen to the master’s whims. Blowing up in a violently manner, resulting in the death of the people who wore the collar. In rare cases, some will survive the explosion.

How terrible, yet it felt natural. Even back on earth, practices like these exist. Owning people like objects, killing them without any repercussion. It was a hard life for the people that were not born priviledged.

Then Arise asked, “Why is this necessary? Isn’t the binding contract enough?”

Hazel shifted her seat and looked at Arise seriously. “I wish that was the case. It used to be like that, but the purist of the spires of the church and other nobles thought using expensive binding contract on mere... ‘slaves’ was just a waste of aetheric energy.”

“How terrible.”

Arise looked down, he felt his skin crawl by the mere thought of it. Yet, to him, it was not enough to convince him to join. Slavery has been the part of human society for millenia, even in present day Earth, such practices are still enforced- albeit slightly different. “Is this the thing you wanted me to see?”

“No, that’s not all of it. Though, slavery has been partially demolished as it was banned in the capital Lucern due to the concern of the crown prince. Here in Rosea, they still hede to the rules of my father. I do not know how my father keeps getting away from this.”

“Then-”

“There’s much worse, you’ll see soon.”