In the northern reaches of the Eldorian Kingdom, a distance away from the capital, Solmire, the bustling town of Narest lay bare for all eyes. Hawkers and merchants alike whistled and haggled with customers, their voices rising above the industrial din. The air was thick with smoke; nevertheless, life thrummed on for the citizens.
Outside the screeching cacophony of undesirable music, the residents settled in the far south, closer to the gleaming river of Auremile.
Atop a small cliff, an enormous stone house–estate stood proudly, overseeing the bustle of the city. In one of the chambers of the mansion, Reggie was fast asleep with a beautiful woman nestled in his arms. The woman snuggled onto his chest, and that act woke him up.
His eyes flew open, and a slight frown shadowed his features when he felt the weight on his chest. Looking down, he saw the red-haired woman who was peacefully sleeping in his bed.
Scoffing, Reggie got up and picked up his pants, which were discarded carelessly on the floor the previous night. He sauntered to the door that stood across the large room.
Entering the dimly lit study, he sighed and sat behind a mahogany desk. His listless gaze lingered on the documents stacked on the table, and a yawn escaped his mouth. Lazily, he stretched his hands toward the half-full wine bottle that stood at the side and poured himself a glass of crimson wine.
Just then, a knock resounded in the room. It was coming from another door, not the one he came from.
"Come in!"
Right after the approval, a young man clad in black armour—with the insignia of a raven clutching a crown—appeared in the room and dropped to one knee in reverence.
"Greetings, Lord Reggie!"
Reggie waved his hands dismissively as he downed another glass.
"My Lord, the search has turned into a loop of webs," the man reported, his head held low in deference.
"Is that the latest refined way of saying we failed?" Reggie commented sarcastically, his gaze turning icily sharp as he stared at his retainer.
"I apologise for my words, My Lord." The man knelt and pressed his forehead to the ground. "Our search led us to several doctors, My Lord. Most of whose records have been thoroughly erased. They have also vanished from the kingdom."
His words met silence in the room. Reggie leaned back in his chair, a subtle frown marring his tanned face.
"Erased records?"
"Yes, My Lord. Doctor Rex has also vanished from his house, and his records have been erased."
Reggie's frown deepened for a few seconds before a knowing smile broke out on his face.
"The scent of victory."
Reggie sniffed the wine in his hands and threw his head back in satisfaction.
"Do you know how much this costs?"
Reggie swung his chair and turned to face the subordinate; he had a smirk on his face. "You wouldn't know—but let me give you a tip: it can buy twenty High Human scrolls."
Reggie stated calmly, as if it wasn't much, and for the first time since he entered the room, the subordinate trembled. Well, why wouldn't he? Twenty High Human scrolls were so valuable that even if he saved for thirty-six months, he wouldn't be able to buy even half of it.
Reggie noticed this, and a smirk tugged at his thin lips. "Tell me, what would you like to have?"
"Pardon me, My Lord?"
The subordinate inquired carefully, caution and confusion tinged in his voice.
"I am happy with the news…even though it's not full. So tell me what you want."
"A hundred suns, or I should multiply it by two." He teased, a playful smirk hanging on his lips.
The subordinate trembled once more. No one knew whether it was from pure excitement or nervousness, but Reggie didn't care. He was enjoying the spectacle.
'What would he do if I said a thousand suns? Would he faint?'
A sadistic smile crept up on the lean Earl's face, but before he could bring his sadistic thoughts into reality, the subordinate answered.
"My Lord, I…I would like to break through."
The subordinate's firm voice echoed on the stone walls.
Reggie's brows arched in surprise. Honestly, he had been expecting the young man to agree immediately or even ask for something valuable, like a house or anything. But he understood where he was coming from. In a world like theirs, strength triumphed over everything except for a few abnormalities like Minos and…him, who used their mental strength.
"I'm a human. Are you seeking death?"
Reggie's voice turned cold, but he was not that serious; he knew his subordinate simply wanted methods and not the negative way, but he couldn't pass up on making a lower being tremble before him when he was bored to death.
"Apologies, My Lord. I…I didn't mean that."
The subordinate bent even lower as beads of sweat rolled down his face.
This would have looked odd to any passerby who didn't know any of them; after all, a High Human was far stronger than a human, so what would make a High Human tremble before a human?
Mirthful laughter boomed through the halls; Reggie slapped his thighs in excitement.
"I was just playing with you. Haha."
He stopped to catch his breath before walking toward the shelves that stood opposite the table. He reached his hand into the sections and picked a book with a purple leather cover and tossed it carelessly before the subordinate.
"You're a human, right? This will help." His voice dripped with indifference while a myriad of emotions flickered on the subordinate's face. He was beyond excited.
"Thank you, My Lord. I will forever be in…"
"Shush, it's not needed, you know. I can kill you whenever you try to flip coats, so it doesn't matter whether you promise or not."
Reggie uttered, leaving the room silent; his subordinate gulped before he continued fawning over his newfound treasure.
Reggie turned to the window with a sombre expression. The retreating sun had painted the world a crimson red; smoke billowed in the distance as the people packed up to leave for their homes. A tenebrous cloud settled over the horizon, promising rain.
"People tend to forget the true cultivation of these power systems," he began slowly. "To break through, you don't need to meditate for hours as those scams preach. You merely need to find your…inner demons."
The subordinate had a confused look on his face. Reggie swung his chair and looked at his subordinate.
"The ignorant fools usually think advancing in rank will make them powerful. Of course, it will make them powerful, but they are several miles away from the true essence of these ranks. Advancing the ranks expands your intuition; it gives you willpower. It develops your entire being into a war machine."
"My Lord,... are you trying to say that advancing the ranks would not give you any superpowers but only super strength?"
The subordinate questioned, a note of disbelief in his trembling voice.
"Of course, dummy. These methods only expand your body muscle to enable it to contain more firepower when it is thrown, and your mind expands alongside it to make you a mechanical strategist."
Reggie's eyes narrowed in mild amusement at the question posed to him. This was basic knowledge, so he couldn't understand why his subordinate decided to ask this question.
"What about the snow empire? What…what about our own kingdom?"
The subordinate was in a state of total disbelief. Ever since he was young, folks had sung songs about it; everyone thought that advancing the ranks to become supreme equipped people with supernatural powers. Though he had not seen some for himself, the snow empire was proof. Like how could a whole continent experience snow all year? It didn't make sense.
"Iskaria has always been like that, Olive," Reggie responded, a strange emotion flickering in his gaze when he thought of the snow empire in the North. "Our continent naturally has a stable climate, and it is not any superpower maintaining it. How do you even think of it as such?"
Reggie muttered to himself in disbelief, finally understanding the reason why most people found it difficult to advance the ranks.
"Like, how does pushing oneself to the limits with extreme exercises give superpowers?" Reggie questioned rhetorically. "The minute you step up to high human, you are on your way to becoming a war machine."
The room was enthralled in a grave-like silence after Reggie's words. Olive, his subordinate, was stunned after the revelation and was still trying to process what he had heard. After all, it was not easy to merely change his perception of the world.
Reggie, meanwhile, was lost in thought. After his little lecture with his retainer, he finally realised the immensity of the situation beforehand. Garran had graduated to become a High human, and not any High Human at all, but one with amethyst.
If he could continue with his plans, then he needed to tilt the balance, because currently, the balance was tilted in favour of the Caelharrows. None of the noble houses had produced a genius with amethyst for a long time.
"I gave you the book for a reason." Reggie's expression turned composed, yet intense as he stared at his subordinate, who did not dare raise his head. "I want you to become a High Human in fourteen days, and not any Hjgh Human, but one who is amethyst."
Olive heard Reggie's grave tone ringing in his ears, and his heart skipped a beat. Ten days were too much for someone like him to break through, and Amethyst? What was that?
"My Lord…"
"If you don't, I will skewer you in front of your village."
"Yes, My Lord!" Olive hurriedly responded, his back drenched in sweat. Well, he didn't have a choice now; whether he liked it or not, he had to break through.
"Also, look for the Shadowy Hands. Tell him we have a new target for him. He just has to hurt him."
Reggie threw a pouch of coins on the floor, and Olive picked it up.
"Who should I say it is?" he questioned. He had a feeling that this mission was going to be even more difficult than looking for the King's doctor.
"Garaan Caelharrow, the Crown Prince of Eldoria."