Joram closed the last scroll and sighed.
It truly had been a revolting task, but he couldn’t deny that the subject had been fascinating in its own way.
Thy myriad methods recorded were incredibly varied in their execution, but all came together to do pretty much the same basic thing. Most of the methods described were terribly inefficient, as was the case with most spells he’d come across so far.
Some were… more efficient than the rest. It was clear to him that those techniques came from organizations that had refined their methods over thousands of years. The complexity in those kinds of seals was the most profound, with the greatest flexibility in their creation.
As much as he hated to admit it, he’d learned a lot more about the Languages of Mana in his overnight study session. So much so that M5 and M6 had made several breakthroughs in their research into the Languages of Mana. For those advanced sealing techniques also incorporated Tier 1 and Tier 2 Mana in their creation.
Joram could feel how close he was to understanding the Languages of Mana. He was very close to understanding the various characters of the Language, as well as the necessary syntax to properly write it out so that Mana could understand him perfectly.
He was sorely tempted to pull M10 and M11 away from their experiments with creating new Psijic Stars to help. But he also needed to get stronger as soon as he could. So, there was that to consider.
He looked at the time and sighed. If they weren’t already awake, everyone would be up soon enough, and he needed to be there to deal with… stuff.
He involuntarily remembered Gabrielle’s and Kassandra’s confession-like declarations of friendship from the evening before. He’d been suspecting that Gabrielle had been crushing on him since their first meeting, but had dismissed it due to his lack of understanding of women. Kassandra, though, had been outright flirtatious.
He’d also dismissed her flirtatiousness due to her being a succubus. That said, he realized that that dismissal was based on a stereotype from his world. Which, really, was unfair to her, but had helped to save his sanity by finding an alternate “reason” for her behaviour.
Heck, even Daleira’s flirting had been dismissed when he’d learned that she had a nymph bloodline in her family.
But having Renna suddenly stutter out that she really like him had been a shock. The nail in his proverbial coffin had been Jae-Eun’s awkward declaration followed by Aya’s murderous intent.
He really didn’t know how he was going to deal with Aya. She bounced from accepting him to wanting to murder him like a hyperactive child playing with a yo-yo. He was certain that he needed to have a sit-down with her to calm her nerves, to explain more than a few things about himself that he could see bothered her.
He sighed at the thought of how draining the day would be on his emotional reserves. Depending on just how taxing each conversation was, he might have to spread it out over a few days. Which would also increase the drain on his emotional reserves.
Firming up, he left the Archive and got to it.
* * * * *
“Aya? Can we speak?”
She turned and regarded Mr Aneath for a moment before nodding. She was done with breakfast anyway, and leaving Jae-Eun with her friends was fine because she’d be with Mr Aneath.
She studied the “young” man as she followed him outside. If she wasn’t mistaken, he’d put on more muscle mass recently. Also, after his shocking match with Princess Hornwood, his gait had slightly changed. Not that it had been bad before or anything. But it was just different now. Fewer flaws.
Aya again reached her senses out to try to get a feel for his cultivation, but once again found nothing but a bit of Qi, what they called Tier 1 Mana here, swirling about where his dantian was.
She was sure that she’d felt a bit of Qi when he was fighting the dragon, though. Well, something that felt a bit like Qi when he was fighting. It had been an odd sensation. Like hearing the fifth echo in a wide canyon; familiar, but not something you could understand any more.
Mr Aneath led them to a small gazebo meant only for two people, a small table separating two chairs the only furniture in it. He pulled a chair out and motioned for her to sit. She considered that for a moment before acquiescing. He then sat across from her and deposited a lined board and two small baskets onto the table from his storage ring.
“Shall we have a game while we talk?” He asked, removing the lids from the small wicker baskets to reveal black stones in one and white stones in the other.
“I did not realize that you played,” she said cautiously.
“I babbled a number of years ago,” he said with a weak smile, then passed her the basket of black stones.
“And how many years ago was that?” She asked pointedly, hoping to get a straight answer out of him.
Before answering, he waved a hand, causing a slight shimmer in the air around the gazebo before it faded.
“I’d rather not have anyone else listen in,” he said by way of explanation when he noticed her raised brow.
“Hmm, I should probably start at the beginning,” he said, looking serious and not a little bit nervous.
She could understand that. Revealing one’s secrets to a person who you knew wasn’t terribly friendly to you wasn’t an easy thing. But, given that Jae-Eun was so taken with him, she was at least willing to listen to what he had to say.
“I’m an outworlder,” he said, then paused.
She was glad for that, because her mind began to whirl about. His oddities, how he acted, how he spoke, and even how he treated people suddenly made more sense to her.
“I was brought here by accident, along with the woman who’d become my mentor, teacher; the most important person to me…” he said, then continued his story.
She was shocked to learn that they were the same age… spiritually? Intellectually? Either way, he’d cumulatively lived as long as she had. That said, she was sure that she was much more mature than he was, given how easily he’d been scared off the night before.
But now that she knew why he knew so much and why he seemed so strange, she relaxed. At no point in him explaining his origins had she detected any deception from him. She was sure that he wasn’t telling her everything about his time with his mentor, or what she’d taught him. But she could also tell that it was just that: not telling. No intent to deceive, but to keep things private.
That he’d been reincarnated after having been killed after leaving his mountain wasn’t a surprise to her. She’d already suspected such a thing, though she’d initially thought that he had been an old master trying to live out a lascivious life at the Academy. But that last image of him had been somewhat… shattered when he’d run away from the young women confessing their feelings to him last night.
Then he told her how he’d found a legacy left behind for him by his mentor, and that was why he knew so much more than he should for his age. She wondered then, if his mentor was still around, and what she’d do if anyone messed with her disciple.
“… and that leads to my… unusual cultivation,” he said, placing another stone. “I… had an accident when stepping into the Qi Gathering Realm,” he said, looking a bit… rueful. “That said, I’ve always been more powerful with Mental Strength, so when it appeared that I was going to fail, I sort of pulled everything in my dantian into my Knowledge Sea to help stabilize things.”
Aya dropped both the stone she was about to place as well as her jaw as her eyes widened in shock.
“How are you still alive?” She asked, stunned.
“Ah, well, that’s a bit of a story, but I’ll just say that I managed to stabilize things due to my fine-tuned control of Mental Strength,” he replied, obviously not wanting to speak about it.
“Is that why I can’t feel any cultivation from you?” She asked, regaining her wits and picking up the dropped stone.
“Yes. It’s also why I’ve had to studiously pursue body refinement,” he said, nodding. “But that wasn’t the end of it. There was another accident where my Core came into contact with what I call my Knowledge Star, causing near catastrophic results.”
That was when he explained how, to survive the violent surging of the rampaging energies, he’d refined the blood of the dragon and the phoenix he’d collected shortly before dying. The added vitality of those bloodlines had helped him to survive, as well as to stabilize the energy. Which resulted in a new kind of energy.
The very energy that she’d felt coming from him.
“All told, I’m just one ridiculously lucky guy to have survived all that,” he said, shaking his head.
She couldn’t argue with that.
Aya could only shake her head at just how lucky Joram was. From not dying when a mysterious object smashed into his apartment, to meeting his mentor, to everything else that followed…. It was on the level of the most fantastical tales she’d ever read. It was so preposterous that she was having a hard time processing it all.
That many things of his original world paralleled so many things here was also hard to believe. Just how much of a coincidence was it that so many aspects of her own culture were the same as those on his world? Let alone everything else? From the food to the very game they were playing, it was just too much.
Then she got back on track, returning to his explanation of his cultivation.
“So, you’re telling me that not only do you have the strength of a Tier 6 Mentalist, but that you’re also a Heaven Realm practitioner?” She asked dubiously.
For answer, he circulated mana through his body, letting her feel the Heaven Qi in his body.
“I had to create a new way to circulate the Qi, and that new energy, through my body without it killing me after those accidents,” he said, shaking his head at the memory.
“And what equivalent realm would you say that your… new energy is at?” She asked hesitantly, though unsure why she was hesitant about that.
“I would say that it’s at the Peak of Tier 5,” he said, rubbing his chin.
“And that allowed you to beat a dragon at the Peak of the Mystic Realm?” She asked incredulously.
“Well, it’s very potent stuff,” he said with a helpless shrug.
Aya took a moment to go over all that, from his amazing luck to what he’d just claimed.
“How do you expect me to believe all this?” She asked after several minutes of deep thought. “You spin a fanciful tale, but what proof do you have?”
Joram nodded at that, as though expecting her words of doubt, then held out a hand, palm up.
“Then, won’t you come, and see?” He said, a smile softening his face.
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She studied him, taking in every aspect, every subtle tell she knew of. That he appeared completely genuine and honest could have been an act. But what she read in his eyes lowered her guard enough that she reached out and took his hand.
He smiled, then the world changed around them.
No longer were they in the tiny, Small World they were using as a portable shelter, but somewhere else much more impressive.
She looked around, taking everything in in a matter of moments. They were now standing in a decorative garden with tables paired with chairs here and there. Her eyes widened further when the plants she was seeing registered. Each and every one of them was a medicinal plant, from the herbs to the flowers to even the trees.
Aya saw the two tall castles in the style of her homeland, what he called “Japanese”, standing in the distance. There was a sprawling manor off to her left, with many miles of gardens, vineyards, and orchards spread out in front of her.
“This is the Realm, what you call a Small World, that I told you about,” he said, gesturing around them. “Come, I’ll show you more of the proof you want to see,” he said, then started walking, still holding her hand.
She was so overwhelmed by what she was seeing that she didn’t bother taking her hand back as he led her about.
He first showed her the impressive wine-making facilities. The equipment there was enough to make her gape. From there he brought her to his “workshop” and showed her the various “technological” devices that had come over with him when he’d first arrived.
Next came the absurdly high-quality books in a language that she’d never seen before. Then the food. Then his collection of “movies” that were also in a language she didn’t recognize.
At the end of the tour, she was feeling as though the very foundations of what she knew had been shaken. She looked at Joram in a new light. No more was he some unknown master hiding his true nature in the Academy, but was instead so much more than that.
“This is why you’re so good with crafting?” She asked, motioning vaguely towards his workshop as they sat at a small table with tea cooling in their cups.
“Hmm, yes. It seems that the fundamentals I learned where I came from apply reasonably well to crafting here,” he said with a nod.
“I can see why you asked Jae-Eun not to share your insights,” she said, her thoughts going back to the conversation they’d had on their first outing as questers.
“Yes, but it was mostly because I don’t want to attract too much attention,” he said, shrugging.
“You’re doing a wonderful job of that,” she said, taking out her frustrations on him.
“Yeah, I kinda suck at holding back sometimes,” he said, not at all apologetically. “I just feel that staying true to yourself is the best course of action.”
“Does that include seducing many young women?” She asked, now feeling as though she needed to understand where he was coming from.
“No, I just enjoy teaching,” he said, shaking his head. “As you may have noticed, I tend to treat everyone the same. I don’t care about noble lineages or humble stations in life. Everyone is a person. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect until they prove that they deserve otherwise. Even then, there is a bottom line to things.
“I’m sure Alicia explained to you why she’s gathering the young women on the Goddess Ranking. The study group originally formed to help us all get a better foundation. To empower us all, but more importantly, so that they could stand out for their accomplishments rather than their beauty. I agreed with her, that’s why I agreed to the study sessions with them.
“That the people here react to basic human decency and compassion- to the kindness that everyone fundamentally deserves to be treated with- with such strong feelings was beyond my expectations. It is also more than a little bit sad,” he said, looking just that: sad.
She took a moment to take all that in and process it. Such sentiments weren’t entirely foreign to her, but to have someone live their life like that was beyond rare and into the realms of myth. Like those ancient sages who’d ascended after achieving enlightenment after a long life of perfecting and living their philosophies.
“So, what are your intentions? What are your intentions towards those young women who’ve fallen for you?” She asked when she came back to the moment.
Joram took a moment to think that over, possibly to go over how he felt about that.
“As you might know, or have guessed, I suck at dealing with feelings, or expressing them,” he said, looking up into the boughs of the Thunder Persimmon Tree they were sitting under. “As I said, I like them all. I would also like to consider them all friends.
“They’re all incredibly beautiful,” he said, then seemed to pick up on her slight frown even though he wasn’t looking. “Not just them, but you, too. Even Jezira, even though she’s kind of a jerk willing to throw me under the… cart to keep Kassandra away. She’s also quite stunning,” he said, then cleared his throat.
She couldn’t help but feel oddly gratified that he also included her in his praises of the study group’s beauty. She didn’t know how that made her feel, so she filed that away for later so that she could pay attention to what he was saying.
“The point is, anyone would be over the moons to have so many beautiful women around them. That some of them are even interested in me romantically is beyond a doubt flattering. But at the same time, terrifying,” he said, once again shaking his head.
She couldn’t blame him. Having just one of those young women interested in pursuing him romantically would have been dangerous, especially one of the nobility. That more than one was expressing such interest would have not only their families up in arms, but the desperate young men of the Academy as well.
Is that why the Belladonna was sent? Did one of their families catch wind of things and thus decided to remove the problem at the root?
“Anyways. I’ll not actively pursue any of them. But if they express their interest in me, I’ll not turn them away. They’re each, even Jae-Eun, special people. They have it in them to become what this world needs. So, if they decide that they want more than just ‘friendship’, I’ll oblige them. But I’ll also continue teaching them, for that is what we all need.”
She wasn’t pleased with him including Jae-Eun in there, but understood that her princess was exceptionally willful. Nothing good would come of trying to keep her away from Joram. Nor, did she think, would it serve anything other than to alienate her from her ward.
“What if I told you that I was interested in you romantically,” she asked suddenly, now wanting to see what he’d say.
“I’d first be flattered that such a beautiful and accomplished person as you would think of me that way,” he said, an odd grin on his face. “Then I’d probably run because you’re kind of scary when you get angry,” he said, very much looking anywhere but at her.
Despite herself, she smiled at that. Not because of his compliments, well, mostly. No, it was because that wasn’t the first time that she’d been told something like that by a man.
“I’m glad that you have some self-awareness,” she said, nodding. “But don’t you think that your attitude is somewhat self gratifying? Does that mean that you’ll take in any young woman, who proves to be a talented beauty, who throws themselves at you?”
“Ah, no,” he said, turning his head to once again look at her. “You wouldn’t believe the people Alicia and I rejected when we decided to open up a few more spots in the study group,” he said with a little shudder. “That was scary.”
Taking her raised eyebrow as a prompt to explain, he told her of the very… cringeworthy interviews he’d had. Which answered that question for her quite neatly.
“Well, I’m glad that you’re not just some playboy,” she said, nodding to herself and getting an indignant look from Joram. “I will still keep an eye on you, though, as I don’t want anything inappropriate to happen between you and Jae-Eun,” she said, giving him a firm look.
“Ah, no worries there,” he said, raising his hands defensively. “I’m pretty sure that I’ll have my hands full sorting things out for the foreseeable future,” he said, eyes wide.
“No innuendo intended?” She asked, raising her eyebrow again.
The look of panic on his face was worth it.
From there, their conversation veered away from that topic and bounced around for a while. She was glad that she’d agreed to come with him to his “Realm”. It was a strange place, but very peaceful. In fact, she felt that it would be a wonderful place to get away from the worries of the world and relax in.
Well, maybe if there are more onsen here, she mused, thinking of just how relaxing the one in his “safe haven” had been. Then she thought of the flavoured milk and almost drooled.
Well, maybe he isn’t such a bad person after all. Maybe even worthy of getting to know better, she thought, not at all thinking about how getting to know him better might lead to easier access to such luxuries.
* * * * *
She couldn’t help but fidget a bit as she sat across from Mr Aneath in the small gazebo he’d led her to. That she was alone with him, even in such a wide and open space, still made her nervous. She’d seen what he could do, and knew that she wouldn’t stand a chance if he decided to act.
Jezira looked down at the Go board, then back up at Mr Aneath.
“I don’t play,” she said meekly as he was opening the small wicker baskets of stones.
“Ah, then I’ll not worry about it,” he said, then waved a hand and stored the board and baskets away again.
A moment later, Ren Wentian stepped out of the mansion with a heavily laden tray in hand. He quickly served them, left the tray in the middle of the table, then left again.
“So, what do you wish to speak of, Mr Aneath?” She asked after sipping her delicious tea.
“I would like to clear the air, as it were,” he said, then took a sip of tea before continuing. “I would like to know why you would presume to insult me in my own home. Why you would think it was a good idea to try to push Kassandra away from me. And what makes you think that removing Kassandra from the study group would be good for her? Please, explain,” he said, fixing her with a stare that felt like it came from a dangerous beast rather than a young man.
Given how he’d fled from the gathering last night, she hadn’t expected him to rally so fast, let alone take the initiative to take her aside to speak with her. Because of that, she hadn’t been prepared for this conversation.
What should she say? That she was jealous of her princess’s time? That she thought that he was too dangerous to be around? That she had also been assigned to the princess to make sure that she didn’t get involved with anyone while she was at the Academy? That her Royal Father was more likely to skin Mr Aneath alive than to approve of him?
Those thoughts quickly ran across her mind, then were summarily dismissed as being too open with the young man that she knew almost nothing about. If the Emperor discovered that his daughter had fallen for a human, and a commoner at that, never mind that the Princess wouldn’t even be his first wife, she was sure that things would go terribly for him in the future.
She looked down at his folded hands and saw one of the rings that he’d made, though his gem was a dazzling emerald. Thinking about the rings, and how her Princess now wore one on her wedding finger, she prepared herself to comfort her Princess in the near future; a prospect that Jezira was likely to enjoy even though her Princess’s heart would be broken.
“How were you even assigned to Kassandra in the first place?” Mr Aneath suddenly asked, a puzzled look on his face.
“What do you mean?” She asked, startled by the question.
“I mean, didn’t they have any personality screening tests for the position? How’d someone like you pass?”
Jezira’s heart nearly stopped when she heard his question. She quickly reviewed his expressions while she’d been thinking, and nearly choked. Lining up what she’d been thinking, and the changes of his expressions, she could only surmise that he’d somehow been reading her thoughts.
She began circulating her mana through her body, getting ready to fight for her life, then he spoke again.
“Don’t even try,” he said, raising an open hand. “If I thought you presented even a moderate threat to me, I wouldn’t have bothered having tea with you,” he said, his eyes going cold at the end.
“What are you planning,” she asked as a trickle of sweat made its way down her back.
He sighed then, looking tired.
“I just spent the night reading over every text I could about slavery seals. If I really wanted to do something nefarious, I’d have already done it,” he said, shaking his head.
Jezira gulped at that. She didn’t just take his words at face value, but also took in his body language. It didn’t reassure her.
“What do you want?” She asked quietly, afraid that her voice would tremble too much if she spoke louder.
“Guard her. Make sure she’s safe. But please, don’t meddle in her personal life. I don’t care who her father is, or what he’ll think of how she spends her time. She’s a grown woman, a very capable one at that.
“If she wants to leave the study group, then let her. If she wants to stay, let her. If she decides to yield to the wants of her family, then let her. If she decides to be her own person, let her. If you can’t do that, for one reason or another, request a replacement who can.
“Stifling her growth in any way isn’t something that I’ll allow; she has too much potential for that,” he said, his gaze weighing heavily upon her.
Jezira took a sip of tea to wet her throat before she spoke.
“Do you have any idea how terrifying her Royal Father can be?” She asked in all seriousness.
“I’ve read a book,” he said dryly, irking her.
“He is at the Peak of Tier 6, a half-step away from Tier 7. Not only that, but there are rumours that other Tier 7 existences back the throne. Will you be able to defy them all?” She asked, getting heated.
Mr Aneath regarded her for a moment before replying in his same nonchalant tone that nonetheless carried a great deal of confidence in it.
“I’m not too far away from being a 7th Tier Mentalist, you know.”
Jezira nearly dropped her teacup in her shock. Her mind wanted to deny his words, but the memory of him slaying the dragon the night before silenced any denials that came to mind. The impossibility of it went away when another thought occurred to her.
“Yes, I am,” he said, confirming that he was indeed reading her thoughts, which sent more sweat trickling down her body. “But, don’t tell anyone else. Or I might get mad.”
She gulped then, trying very hard not to show just how rattled she was. That a Reincarnator had taken an interest in her Princess was something that most people would celebrate, given how high they tended to rise. But she still didn’t really know who Mr Aneath was. Was he a good person? Was he a villain waiting to ravage the young women of the study group?
Would he be a threat to the Empire if they angered him?
“Yes, I would,” he said, once again scaring her. “I tend to take things personally when people try to mess with me, my family, or my friends. On the other hand, if people treat me with sincerity, I tend to reciprocate.”
Thoughts of a Tier 7 Mentalist tearing through the Empire, slaughtering anyone who’d offended him ran through her head. She thought of her hot-headed Emperor and the cunning concubines and shuddered. If any of them caught wind of her Princess’s romantic interest, anything could happen.
Then she remembered the Belladonna and nearly wet herself. If the Belladonna had been sent by someone from the Empire, what would happen to them? Would the imperial family be exterminated, the nobility annihilated?
But then his last words came back to her, what he’d said about sincerity. That then brought to mind his words on friendship from the night before. Of how sincere he’d been when speaking, of how she’d doubted his words, and sincerity.
But did someone who was personally powerful enough to rule his own kingdom need to fool them? Could he not just take what he wanted? Who among them could stop him if he chose to do something?
Was he really as good a person as he came off as? Was there really a young man such as him in the world who hadn’t been corrupted by his personal power? Would he really treat others well if they were sincere with him, and not take advantage of them?
Could her Princess really be with the person she’d chosen? Did Jezira not have to worry about the Emperor sending someone to erase his perceived problems? Would Mr Aneath really be able to keep Kassandra safe from the machinations of the Empire’s schemers?
Jezira took a deep breath, then a long draw of tea before looking Mr Aneath in the eye and speaking.
“Can I be your friend, too?”