Chapter 8
"Sorry, there's not much room behind the painting. It's supposed to be a secret after all." Thomas leaned close to Doevm and stared through as well.
Through the crack, was the library Doevm saw earlier. Bookshelves lined the walls filled with various colored book spines. The curtains were pulled closed. Ashtehar and Jameson stood shoulder to shoulder in front of something. Doevm leaned closer to Thomas to get a view of a man sitting behind a wooden desk. He looked exactly like the man Thomas was painted with. His big black thick mustache (Bet you were thinking something else) wrapped just under his baggy eyes and was as neat and combed as the hair on his head. He wore a black suit that had not a wrinkle in sight. His straight posture rivaled Jameson's. The only thing he was missing was a top hat and a monocle.
'So this is what a lord looks like in front of others.' Doevm thought back to how many n.o.bles had tried to best him. It was always a source of mild entertainment when they realized the power of a Lich who just wanted to be left alone.
"And what did you find in your search?" Reginald asked. "I hear you brought a kid from my land along with you."
"I did bring a kid," Ashtehar said, "But only because I found him crying and starving in his own house. His parents were gone. I interviewed him for information and in exchange, I promised him I would get him a home. Will you take him in as a servant?"
"Of course, I at least owe you that much." Reginald wrote something down on one of the papers on his desk. "Is there anything else you desire? I feel obligated to give you something for your deed."
Ashtehar shook his head: "I never wanted anything in the first place. It is our organization's goal to find the hero, so we will gladly scour the world for him every year without rest or repayment. I had only hoped I could have found a suitable person who could have been my disciple, however I failed in that as well. I will be back next year." with that, the monk left, but Jameson stayed behind. His hand finally left his dagger when the door closed. Since the monk was gone, Doevm slowly unsealed his mana within his body.
"Jameson," Reginald said, "You can relax now, we're alone."
Jameson sighed and leaned against a bookshelf: "Is it just as awkward for you as it is for me to act all official to each other?"
Reginald laughed: "Yeah, but what are we going to do? n.o.bles and commoners are different, at least according to the court, so we have to pretend."
"I know, I know, it's just I feel weird pretending we're not old friends."
"Come on," Thomas whispered, "The rest of this is boring. I wanted to listen to the war monk. He's so awesome, but he doesn't talk much."
"You thought that war monk was awesome?" Doevm asked.
Thomas nodded: "What, do you not?"
"I wouldn't be so sure. War monks are not as cool as you think they are. One day, they might even be our enemies simply because the hero was found. They can be "awesome" one day,
"I've never played with someone my age. I hoped that it would be a little more interesting than this." they looked through the crack again.
"So what do you think of him?" Reginald asked as he stretched his limbs out.
"He's a good kid," Jameson said, "It's a shame what happened to his parents, but he deserves a second chance. I'll look after him if you're unsure."
Reginald laughed, "I don't mean Doevm, I mean Ashtehar." He opened his mouth and yawned, "Sorry, it's just I've been stuck in this room all day reading books. I feel like I'm getting fat."
"Getting fat?" Jameson raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, but seriously, Ashtehar is dangerous. I need everything you learned about him and everything he told you about the hero. The court is getting a little tense. They know the second that hero shows up, there'll be another year long war. I don't want Thomas in that war. And if push comes to shove, I need to get him strong enough to survive it."
Jameson stood straight up again, "There's a pattern in the resurrections. There are certain signs that warn of the hero's reincarnation. The first one has already happened, the lights in the northern sky flashed blue and green. That means he's been born, but that sign happened two years ago. The second sign will be an earthquake that everyone will be able to feel. That means it is time to test go seek out the hero. The earthquake hasn't happened yet, but Ashtehar was determined to take the hero in as his apprentice. His whole sect is. I didn't get much more than that. While he openly preached and was very...pa.s.sionate, about his beliefs, he knew when to shut up."
"What a d.i.c.k." Reginald wrote the contents of Jameson's report down.
"What's a d.i.c.k?" Thomas asked.
"The thing dangling between your legs." Doevm replied. He forgot he was talking to a child since Thomas's vocabulary was already so well developed.
"I'll need more men to serve as guards. When the war comes, there'll be a draft and every n.o.ble house is required to donate troops. You have ten years to recruit men, good ones."
"Understood." Jameson bowed and left.
"You don't have to bow to me." Reginald muttered and looked down at his papers. His posture straightened back up. If one were to look at him now, they would think he came straight out of painting. He stared at his papers, thinking about what to do next. "Doevm's just around Thomas's age, but he's a commoner. I'll need to separate them. n.o.bles and their traditions, how I hate them so." he thought aloud and crossed some things out.
"Doevm." Thomas said. "Why did he say that? You're not a bad person."
A couple of magic circles appeared on Doevm's fingers. He held out his glowing hand and tapped Thomas on the head, who fell down asleep. "Not according to some people." he leaned in close. "Sleep, and forget me in the morning. It won't do us both any good if we become friends, and you're too young to understand prejudice. Forget about talking to me." Since adults were stronger than kids, Doevm couldn't use magic on them. Thomas, however, was a weak kid. Even though Doevm had only a little mana, his control over that was perfect.
Doevm sealed his magic as soon as he finished the spell. While Ashtehar had left, there were still other mages in the mansion. They could sense his mana. While unsealing his mana took five or ten minutes, sealing it took less than a second. Thomas slept and Doevm ran back to where Jameson was.
"Where were you?" Jameson demanded. "I thought you were told to stay right there. You were told one thing and you couldn't follow it."
"I'm sorry," Doevm bowed his head. "But I didn't want to get eaten." the guards snickered, but Jameson's glare shut them up.
"Get eaten? Were you talking with Thomas?" Doevm nodded. "Good, never do that again. You're a servant from now on for the Virility household. n.o.bles and commoners are different people. You have to hang out with your own kind. Come, I'll show you to your quarters."
"I serve the Virility household?" Doevm put his hands to his cheeks like it was some shocking revelation. "What happened. Oh my G.o.ddess." then he said the final blow, "I have to tell my parents about this." Jameson stopped, looked at Doevm with the most pity any man has looked at Doevm with, then pulled him along.
"Listen, I need to tell you something." he began. "And you're not going to like it but you need to know. It's important to know that we'll take care of you from now on. You won't be alone. This morning in the rose fields..." Jameson told Doevm everything. Rena had accidentally gotten p.r.i.c.ked and was found dead. His dad was gone and no one could find them. After, Doevm put on the most legendary acting performance he had ever done. Tears, snot, cries, even a little drool, he let everything out both physically and mentally. Then when he asked for some peace and quiet afterwards, Jameson hugged him and left him alone in Doevm's own servant's quarters.
Calling it quarters was an exaggeration. It was more of a broom closet that could only fit a few brooms. There was a single pillow, a blanket, and a brown stain in the corner of the wooden s.p.a.ce. There was enough room for an adult to lay down and stand up. Doevm sat down and relaxed.
'Humans are so complex, but now that I've been in their society, I can adapt. Screw being a fighter, at this rate I should become an actor.' he smiled and leaned back. 'but now I need to get ready for the war. I can a.s.sume I was reborn at the same time as the hero.
'The earthquake is coming, but will happen when the hero reaches fourteen years of age, the same age to be drafted. That means I have twelve years to train. I'll start by observing the guards, copying their techniques, and eventually prove my worth to join them. Jameson looked to pity me, so he'll take my side. Thomas might become a threat if he tries to play with me again so I'll need to distance myself from him. Everything is set. All I need to do is get strong enough to fight in the war. I need to develop life essence by fighting in it. This life is the same as my previous life. To succeed, others must fall.'