The sun was already setting when Adam and his group returned from the demonic forest. The exploration, which had begun at dawn, had left his body heavy but his mind still alert.
They returned to the mansion with clear news: they had found a mine of mana stones.
"Master, what happened in that dungeon? I lost my connection with you."
Adam was changing clothes after the raid when he looked up. He glanced at Asterin and, despite her indifferent expression, noticed the slight tension in her hands.
"Hmm..."
He placed his hand on his chin, deep in thought. He also wanted the answer to why he had lost his Master-Servant connection with Asterin... Although it was only speculation.
"I think it's because of that crystal sword that damn death knight buried in my chest."
"So, are you saying that the reason our connection was cut off is because of that crystal sword?"
"I don't know."
Adam shrugged. It was just a guess. He glanced sideways and saw Asterin let out a short sigh.
"However, I inherited a fine legacy from a gentleman of the past; his fencing was quite interesting."
Asterin's eyebrow barely arched. Then she brought her hand to her chin, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Tomorrow we'll go to the training ground. I want to see that fencing skill you inherited."
Adam nodded. After all, she had been a queen of knights from a bygone era.
He sighed and opened his status window.
Adam Hall
Novice Knight [EXP: 6/500]
Talent: A
Trait: Fencing (SSS) Hand-to-Hand Combat (D) Tracking (C) Mana Manipulation (B) Magic (SSS)
Strength: 28 +
Stamina: 26 +
Agility: 27 +
Vitality: 30 +
Mana: 65 +
Statistics points: 6
The handling of mana had risen from C to B.
Adam frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that change, even though he had been circulating mana through his body almost nonstop for the past few days.
His gaze dropped to the experience.
[EXP: 6/500]
It hadn't increased any further. Five points came from the dungeon mission; the remaining point came from the daily mission.
"Hmm..."
He did a quick mental calculation to estimate how long it would take him to reach the next level. After thinking about it for a moment, he came to a discouraging conclusion: it would be too slow, and he would be utterly dependent on the system.
If he wanted to become a mid-ranking knight, he would have to look for other alternatives.
Luckily, he already had one in mind.
A miraculous herb known as Mana Dragon Lotus.
Adam remembered well the reason for its name. It was shaped like a lotus, but each petal had small markings that reminded him of dragon scales.
The Mana Dragon Lotus was no ordinary herb.
Its actual value lay not in tempering the body, but in what it offered during training: it facilitated the manipulation of mana for both mages and knights, accelerating progress to the point of nearly doubling it.
That's why its price was absurd.
Growing it was not easy; it required specific land and precise conditions. Very few territories met those requirements.
However, this territory does meet them.
The memory came with a bitter pang. The Kingdom of Kamelot had understood that same potential and, after destroying his family, cultivated vast fields of Mana Dragon Lotus. The result was an army strengthened to the point of becoming one of the continent's great powers.
Adam had no intention of making the same mistake as his enemies.
He would do the same... but first. He would strengthen the soldiers in his house and also the ten slaves he had bought in the city of Calic.
Then he would open a business selling this miraculous herb... but that was something for the future.
However... there was a problem: the Mana Dragon Lotus herb was found in the demonic forest.
Adam sighed and shook his head ironically.
And not only that. As he recalled, that herb was found right in the area infested with ferocious creatures, classified as Aberrations.
Rank III.
Monsters capable of manipulating mana. Intelligent. Lethal to civilians.
A novice knight like him was no match for something like that. When one of those things appeared, it was normal to send an entire group of knights.
And the demonic forest was full of them.
Adam gritted his teeth.
He would have to prepare thoroughly if he wanted to venture into that place.
He sighed again and left the room.
For the next exploration, he would need the knights loyal to his father. To mobilize them, he required Zephyr's permission. He did not intend to hide anything from him; he preferred to handle the arrangements himself.
He soon arrived at the study, located at the top of the mansion.
He knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Zephyr's deep voice echoed from inside.
Adam pushed the door open and entered.
Zephyr sat behind an exquisite wooden desk, surrounded by documents. At his side, the head butler, Alfred, bowed to him.
Zephyr put down his pen and looked up. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Well, this is a surprise. Do you want me to train with you again?"
Adam smiled and shook his head.
"That's not why I'm here, although I'd still love to hit you at least once."
"Kakaka..." Zephyr laughed. "Take a seat and tell me what you need."
He pointed to the furniture next to him.
Adam sat down and got straight to the point.
"Father, I need permission to mobilize the knights."
Zephyr's eyebrow arched before he burst out laughing.
"For the mana stone mine?"
"No," Adam replied. "It's for something much better."
His smile widened.
"There are Mana Dragon Lotus herbs."
Zephyr's expression hardened.
"How do you know that?"
"In the city of Calic, an old man sold me the information. He didn't have the resources to take advantage of it, although a relative of his was very good at gathering data."
Adam lied without hesitation.
"And what do you plan to do with that herb?"
"Grow it. Strengthen our knights."
Zephyr's eyes widened before a big smile spread across his face.
"And you're not going to trade it?"
Adam shook his head.
"First, we have to get strong enough. Then we'll see."
Zephyr was silent for a moment.
"Very well. You have permission to mobilize the knights... on one condition: you will be responsible for extracting the mana stones."
"No problem, Father."
After a little more conversation, Adam left the study.