Chapter 26 - Thanks to Minaan

After his conversation with Kyren, Arthur glanced around the thrifty bedroom he had called his own for the past thirteen years. There wasn't much to pack outside of his clothes and weapons. The lack of belongings reminded him of just how little he had interacted with the world of Nithe so far.

He wasn't really the type to get sentimental over such things, but a sense of loss always accompanied significant changes, and Arthur wasn't immune to such effects.

Senna was the first to arrive. She rushed to his side and began looking over his bloodied arm the moment she entered the bedroom. "It needs to be bandaged right away. Have you cleaned it yet?"

Arthur shook his head as he glanced toward the wound. "Not yet. I haven't had time, and I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."

"It's not something you can put off. It'll get infected, and you'll get sick. I'll go and fetch some fresh water and bandages."

The wound had stopped bleeding shortly after leaving Edward's office, so he hadn't paid it much mind, but Senna was right. He really needed to take care of it soon lest he finds himself hauled off to an Ikkoryn clinic against his will due to infection.

Arthur grabbed her hand as she turned to leave. "Wait. I'll send a maid soon. I'm sure you've heard by now, but I've killed Merin, and Elyria would like nothing more than to find a way to get back at me. So I don't want you wandering the manor alone."

"I heard..." Senna paused and looked deeply into his eyes. "I assume you had a good reason to kill her?"

Arthur wanted to tell her the truth about his mother's death but held his tongue. Given how chaotic the day had been, it wasn't a good time for such revelations.

"I did." He replied.

Senna nodded. "Then that's all I need to hear. I know you best after all, so I know you wouldn't kill someone without a good reason."

Arthur felt a bit guilty and opted to change the subject, but another visitor arrived at his door as he opened his mouth to speak.

Fenric bowed after Senna let him inside. "Lord Arthur."

"Good timing." Arthur smiled. "I intend to leave the manor today and stay with the rest of the soldiers until we depart. I wonder if your camp has room for fourteen more?"

Arthur felt it best to leave out the detail regarding his banishment. He worried learning about it might give Fenric cause for concern when the reality of the situation was much less severe than it sounded.

"There is room, but..." Fenric subtly glanced at Senna as if asking whether or not it was safe to speak in front of her.

"She knows everything you do." Arthur assured him.

"I broke my word to you and told your father about today's events. He appeared to already be aware of your abilities and—"

Arthur raised his good hand, stopping Fenric. "—Don't worry about that. It was my fault for suddenly changing the story. Had we stuck to the original story, he would've been none the wiser, and you wouldn't have been put in such a position. I'm sorry, I can't imagine it was enjoyable having my father interrogate you."

Fenric scratched his head awkwardly. "Still, I don't like breaking my word."

"I assure you it's fine. I should be arriving at your camp within a few hours. If you still feel like you wronged me somehow, could you have some space cleared by then?"

"That's not a problem. I can make some room as long as you don't mind being next to a bunch of rowdy commoners."

"I actually prefer it." Arthur laughed. "Good, since that's sorted I should arrive just before sundown. So I'll see you then."

Arthur felt a headache coming on as Fenric left the room. There was just too much to do, and the day was so eventful that he felt infinitely fatigued. Sighing, he headed for the door as Senna double-checked the suitcase, ensuring Arthur had packed everything he needed.

Once he caught a maid in the hallway, he ordered her to bring some fresh water and bandages. Then, after returning to his desk, he began scribbling orders on some parchment for Foster to manage.

Before he left, items such as tents, food, mounts, and carriages needed to be collected. Arthur surely didn't intend to pay for them. He couldn't afford it even if he wanted to, so it would all be taken from the Revan estate.

Foster arrived a short time later, along with Harkon and ten others. The ten personal guards consisted of seven men and three women, all of whom he was unfamiliar with.

Arthur looked them over, and as he imagined, they didn't seem thrilled about their new assignment despite their attempts at hiding their frustration. He'd love to give them a speech to quell their doubts, but it was neither the time nor place for such things.

"You should arm yourselves first, then fulfill these orders." Arthur feigned youthfulness and handed the short stack of parchments to Foster. "There shouldn't be a repeat of Harkon's situation, but if they trouble you, send someone to fetch me, okay?"

Foster nodded. "Yes, young master. If—"

"—Lord, forgive me, but I don't understand. Why are we only being notified about the transfer hours before we depart?" A surly man who stood at the back of the group blurted out.

Arthur looked toward the source of the voice. The surly man was rather short, bald, and looked to be in his thirties. He didn't seem to hide his irritation like the others.

"I'm sorry, I haven't had the time to put your names to faces." Arthur smiled innocently. "You are?"

"My name is Bannon." The surly man replied in a gruff voice.

"Well, Bannon, I was only told late last night, but it was likely due to meddling that you all didn't receive the orders this morning. However, my father's decision is final. I did not choose you or choose to place myself in this situation. He did. You're more than welcome to bring your complaints to him if you choose to do so..."

Arthur paused, realizing he was coming off more temperamental than he intended due to his fatigue and the dull pain pulsing through his body. "Forgive me, it's been a long day, and it will be longer still. I will have more to say tomorrow morning. In the meantime, please do as Foster says."

Foster shot a glare at Bannon before speaking. "Don't worry, young master. I'll take care of it, so just get some rest."

"I wish I could." Arthur shook his head. "Come and find me once everything is prepared. Try and be quick. I'd like to set up camp before sundown."

After Foster and the others left, a maid arrived with water and bandages. Senna cleaned the wound and wrapped it up before helping him get dressed.

Arthur made sure to equip one of his hidden blades under his right sleeve. It would remain a permanent fixture to him from here on out, and once his left arm healed, he intended to equip the other blade. He even planned to sleep with it on else he wouldn't feel safe.

Once dressed, he stopped by Senna's room so she could pack her things before heading to the study and grabbing his research journal and the updated Aetherin dictionary Levin had given him. While there, he snatched a few somewhat outdated maps along with nearly three dozen books on topics ranging from Bernish culture to a mana beast bestiary.

He'd have plenty of time during the war to educate himself on matters he had ignored while researching spells. So he was shameless in his plundering of the study and filled an entire suitcase with books. The Revan family was extremely wealthy, after all. They could afford to replace what was taken.

After leaving the study, he dropped off his plunder in his room before making his way to the family steward's office. Once there, he handed over the bond for twenty thousand Riis and was given twenty small rectangular platinum tokens with the emperor's face on them in return.

The monetary system of the empire was pretty straightforward. Iron coins were worth one-tenth of one Riis, while steel coins were worth half of one Riis. Copper coins were worth one Riis, silver coins were worth ten Riis, and gold coins were a hundred Riis. They were considered the standard coinage that exchanged hands throughout the empire.

However, nobles and wealthy merchants often used the higher denominations of platinum and mithril coins. They were worth a thousand and ten thousand Riis, respectively.

According to his understanding, a loaf of bread could be purchased for three iron coins on average, while a cup of ale would cost up to a steel coin depending on where one went.

Once Arthur returned to his room, he tossed the coin pouch he had received into a small chest filled with gold and silver coins. It was where he stored his allowance, and despite looking like some pirate's treasure, it only contained just under six thousand Riis if he excluded the newly added coin pouch. Looking at it caused him to sigh and hope the war brought him enough loot to cover Helagaust expenses.

Despite taking his time in the study picking out books, Foster likely wouldn't be finished for another hour, so Arthur decided to rewrite the mana soul spell while he waited. He already had a general understanding of how to implement the change from a human-based mana gathering system to one closer to a mana beast.

The more he contemplated it, the more ingenious it seemed. Not only was it far simpler to implement due to the nature of physical mana cores growing without the need for cultivation, but if he used it on a human's corpse, it would likely result in their ethereal mana core manifesting physically instead.

That meant they would keep the cultivation level they had while they were still alive. Of course, this was all still theoretical, but the fact that Kyren couldn't cultivate made Arthur believe that the bridge between an ethereal mana core and a physical body remained with the body after death.

Still, according to everything Arthur knew about the afterlife, it was improbable that his spell would result in anything other than a puppet since he knew from experience that the spirit leaves the body instantaneously after death.

He'd still need to design an artificial spirit or find a way to gather spirits like Kyren and implant them within the puppet for it to act independently of him.

Nevertheless, his goal of immortality and an undead army took a great stride, thanks to his run-in with the abyssals. Arthur chuckled to himself as he filled in a new page of his research journal and sarcastically thought that maybe Minaan wasn't such an evil god after all.

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