Arthur analyzed the slave woman sitting before him as his carriage made its way back to the military encampment. Despite wearing little more than rags, she had a graceful bearing, creating a strange disconnect in his mind. It was like trying to cover a peacock's feathers with rags; it did little to hide the creature's nobility and pride.

Her name was Ellena, and she claimed to have been nothing more than an aging weaver without a family. It felt far-fetched considering the impression she gave him, but theirs was only a temporary arrangement, so he didn't feel the need to push for more information.

Plenty of people would choose to hide their identity if they risked capture, especially if knowledge of their true identity would result in a far more gruesome fate than pretending to be a commoner. If she belonged to a fallen noble house displaced by the formation of the Holy State of Wacury, then it wouldn't surprise him if she was hiding her identity.

The Theocracy had a love for theatrics, much like the Romans on Earth. Enemies of high standing would be shipped to the capital and paraded around as a trophy of war, suffering countless indecencies before ultimately being burned alive in front of a cheering crowd.

"I don't know much about the Federation of Mutumn. What's it like?" Arthur curiously asked.

"There are plains, mountains, and rivers. Much the same as anywhere else." Ellena replied with a shrug.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the non-answer, and Jeren elaborated. "Mutumn is the Theocracy's eternal enemy. They've been at war since before the Ollerin Empire was founded, but they've been at a standstill for hundreds of years now.

"Only recently did the Theocracy gain ground thanks to the combined forces of the Suwan Diarchy and the Drukhian Kingdom taking part in the crusade. Mutumn would have fallen in time, but Sparnia broke their non-aggression pact with the Drukhian Kingdom and took advantage of the conflict to hit them in the back.

"With their homeland at risk, the kingdom pulled its forces out of the crusade to defend its borders, which resulted in the crusade switching its focus from taking land to defending it. That's how the Holy State of Wacury was formed."

"I learned that much from tutoring. I wanted to know more about their culture." Arthur stated.

"Culture?" Jeren's eyes squinted. "Are they not heathens, lord?"

Ellena gently shook her head and spoke. "We do not worship gods in Mutumn, master. Instead, we pay homage to our ancestors for gifting us life. For that reason, the Theocracy calls us heathens."

Jeren scoffed. "Don't fill the lord's head with nonsense. You make it sound as if the Theocracy is persecuting Mutumn simply for its beliefs. Don't forget that the reason Ollerin exists today is because Mutumn invaded the Theocracy first and razed our ancestor's lands."

Arthur was aware of the history. Mutumn was an extremely aggressive neighbor to the Theocracy, similar to the Mongol's historical relationship with China. They eventually invaded the Theocracy in full force, taking large swathes of land in the process.

Many chose to flee rather than be subject to their conqueror's malevolent will. As a result, a minor nobleman of the Cellan Theocracy named Bellan Ollerin gathered up all he could and fled to the far west by sea, founding the Ollerin Empire.

The Theocracy survived for a time as a vassal until the Federation of Mutumn fractured in a civil war. They took advantage of the infighting and began reclaiming their lost land, leading to today's borders.

Arthur found the Mutumn Civil War particularly fascinating because it resembled the Mongols in China. The civil war was caused by the ruling class embracing a more feudal form of government in line with what they learned from the Theocracy.

As a result, two nations split from Mutumn following the civil war, but only the Wathamiam Khanate still exists today, while the other was destroyed in the creation of the Drukhian kingdom.

"Don't argue." Arthur raised his hand to stop them. "I don't care whose ancestors are responsible for what. I was only curious about what Mutumn was like today."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Arthur let Jeren cool off for a moment before looking at Ellena and continuing. "We'll be going to war. I bought you to serve as a maid during the campaign. However, once it's finished, you'll be freed. You can remain in my service at that time as a freedwoman or leave. The choice will be yours."

Ellena tilted her head, confusion evident in her graceful countenance. "You would free me?"

Arthur sighed helplessly. "You see, I'm a paranoid boy, and I'd rather not have someone who resents me serving me my food. I only bought you because finding a maid willing to enter a warzone was an impossible task due to the time constraints."

"Young master, are you sure? If you're worried about her trying to harm you, you shouldn't. She'd be killed should anything happen to you." Foster declared.

"What use would her death be to me if I was already dead?" Arthur shot back.

"That..." Foster searched for a response. "Would she not consider her life before attempting to harm you?"

Arthur shook his head. "It's impossible to know what's in someone's heart. Besides, I'll need to hire new servants once the war's over. There's no reason to keep someone around who doesn't want to be there."

Arthur had considered the decision carefully. It wasn't so much out of fear or kindness as it simply lessened the odds of trouble. The people with direct access to him in the future should only be those he trusted, and it was impossible to trust someone who was forced to serve him.

With that same reasoning, he offered the guards an opportunity to break their contracts a year after the war concluded. Of course, he could probably find some other use for Ellena after the war without risks, but he didn't feel the need to.

She cost seven hundred Riis, which was cheaper than hiring a maid for a few years. That was without accounting for the increased price due to the danger of serving in a warzone.

Ellena gracefully bowed her head. "My new master is wise beyond his years. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to earn my freedom."

The rest of the carriage ride was quiet and uneventful. Once back at Fenric's camp, Arthur introduced Ellena to Senna before rushing to his bedroom with Kyren.

"Are you religious?" Arthur quietly asked Kyren.

Kyren's face scrunched up. "What the shit is this about? You looking to become a priest, kid?"

Arthur laughed. "No, I'm just curious about your experiences with the gods of this world."

"Which gods? Sparnia doesn't discriminate against religions like you, Ollerinian bastards. Even Minaan worship is allowed as long as they don't break dominion law sacrificing innocent folk."

"Have you ever encountered one before?"

"Have I ever met a god?" Kyren repeated the question with a mocking tone. "Course not. The gods only care about saints and heroes—people who define an age with their own hands. Do I look like a saint or a hero to you, kid?"

Kyren's response aligned with Arthur's understanding of the gods on Nithe. "What about the heads of each religion? Do they have contact with the gods?"

Kyren scoffed. "Every priest or monk will claim to hear the voice of their gods, but the fact of the matter is only Minaan actively interferes with the world. Whether or not those priests are full of shit? I have no idea. Now, what's this all about, kid?"

"When I froze in front of the carriage earlier, I'm pretty sure I met a god. For everyone else, it appeared like I had just stopped moving, but for me, I was standing in front of a being that seemed to radiate pure aether. I've never met a living ninth circle mage, but I can't imagine a human being powerful enough to mess with time the way he did."

"Wait..." Kyren's face scrunched up even further than before. "You mean to tell me a god visited you? Gods don't just stop by to say hello. Did it order you to do something?"

"I have no idea if he really was a god, but I can't justify calling him anything else..." Arthur felt a chill thinking back on it and shook his head. "He didn't tell me to do anything. He didn't so much talk to me as much as he spoke, and I just so happened to be there to witness it. He seemed to find me strange and referred to me as 'a boy with a broken soul'."

Kyren's brow rose. "A broken soul? Wouldn't you be dead if your soul was broken?"

"I have no idea. However, according to my father, my mother was poisoned by something called 'soul severing poison' a short time before my birth. After learning that, I assumed it was the catalyst for my rebirth, but now I'm wondering if it did more than allow me to retain my memories."

Like many teenagers discovering themselves, Arthur had spent some time reading about different religions and some of the more occult beliefs during his first life. He had an understanding of the connection between mind, body, and soul, however shallow it might be.

He believed that the soul linked the ethereal mind to the physical body and allowed people to interact with the world. However, if his soul was genuinely broken like the stranger had claimed, then he had no idea what effect that would have on him.

Arthur believed his damaged soul was probably why he could see Kyren, but besides that, he hadn't experienced any other side effects. So he wasn't sure whether to feel worried about it or not. It certainly had to be a rare occurrence for a god who seemed to have witnessed eons to find it interesting.

"What are you gonna do?" Kyren asked.

Arthur grumbled at his fate. "What can I do? The mana soul spell might have the word 'soul' in its name, but it's merely an imitation that allows me to exert my will upon something. I have no idea how a real soul works or how to fix one—or if it even needs to be fixed at all."

"It may just be an imitation, but it's the closest anyone's come to creating a soul that I've heard about. You'll figure it out, kid." Kyren confidently declared.