Chapter 2 | No More Poison

Taking a deep breath, Kai stared at the emptied potion vials in his hand.

Unlike the old times, the nobles of the current era preferred to live in the Capital City and would manage their estate while from the capital city.

And once in a few months, they would visit their territories to assess the situation.

Marquis Starcrest had sent his eldest son, Kai, to check up on the territory earlier that year and when he returned, he had contracted the strange illness.

Due to the illness, he was forced to be bedridden and felt a huge amount of weakness. Even getting up from his bed was hard. However, the worst part of this was that he was slowly losing his mana reserves, which in turn affected his state of mind and only made it worse.

The Marquis called upon all the healers and potions makers around the empire to cure his son but they could barely save him.

And hence, the medical potions were here.

But Kai, having travelled back in time, knew a lot more about his current situation and was not anxious and afraid of it.

However, there was only one doubt in his mind.

'I hope it's not too late…'

The illness had severely affected his ability to train with mana and he had lost a great deal of time which put him in the lower strata of the powerhouses within his generation.

And the medical potions, which were supposed to help him recover, were actually slowly eating him from inside, poisoning his very soul and making his body unresponsive to the mana around him.

'I don't want to suffer like my previous life. These medical potions affected my body and impaired my ability to use mana. If I hadn't found the Token of Chaos, my life would have long ended…'

Even without the ability to use the normal mana, Kai had gone on to become one of the strongest magus in the realm.

'But I can't wait for the Token of Chaos. I won't be able to get it for at least a year, my main goal for now is to get my Token of Illusion. And even for that, I need to possess some ability in mana absorption.

'It's unfortunate I can't even try to absorb the mana around me, because the poison will flair up as soon as I do.'

The reason why it was too late before he detected the poison in his body was because the poison would normally remain dormant and would even help him in improving his health. However, as soon as he tried to absorb mana, it would backfire and he would end up in an even weaker state.

Kai blamed this reaction on his mysterious illness in the beginning, but now he was well aware of his situation and even knew the cure.

'I am not a great alchemist, but making the remedy for my illness will not be a problem. The only difficult part is to get my hands on the resources needed to make one. And even if I get them, I need to keep things under the wraps.'

Kai assessed his situation, and thought about the possible ways to get his hands on the resources. He couldn't ask for them directly because it might alert the enemy, so after thinking for a few moments, a young man's face appeared in his mind.

'Ah, yes, how could I forget him…'

The person Kai was thinking of was Averlim Goldwin, the scion of the Goldwin House, the biggest merchants in the Dornian Empire.

But the only issue here was, although Kai was a close friend of this young man in his previous life, as of now, he hadn't met the latter and both of them were strangers to each other.

'Meeting him will be easy, but gaining his trust won't be. Though, I can simply make a transaction with him. I am sure with some of the information I have, I won't need to go as a customer, but as a seller.'

A knowing smile appeared on Kai's face. Having been close friends with Averlim previously, Kai was well aware of some of the personal troubles that the young man was facing, and Kai was also aware of the solutions of those problems.

'So it's decided then, I will take a bath and go out today.'

Just then, Kai recalled Lady Lysandra's words.

'Ah, the Elemental Ascertainment Ceremony, I forgot about that….'

'Wait, did Averlim come for this ceremony too?'

The last time Kai was in this ceremony, there were not many high-profile people who had attended the ceremony, but his step mother had called quite a lot of people to witness his results.

The Goldwin House was not a noble family, yet they carried quite a bit of influence. Though it also meant that they had to keep close ties with all the nobles throughout the kingdom, and the Marquis House of Starcrest was not a small deal among them. It was likely that someone from their family may have attended the ceremony.

'Unfortunately I can't recall if he attended the ceremony or not…'

Kai shook his end and moved towards his wardrobe.

'If he has come, I will meet him. If he has not, I will meet him tomorrow.'

'As for the Elemental Ascertainment ceremony…'

Kai was well aware of his talent, so unlike the previous time, he was not anxious about the results.

'It's just a talent test, the results won't matter once I get my hands on the Tokens.'

With a confident smile, Kai chose the clothes he would be wearing for the event and went to take a bath.

…

After his bath, Kai wore his noble garb.

As Kai slipped on the garment, the black silk fabric cascaded down his body, its texture like liquid velvet against his skin. The shimmering fabric caught the light, the richness of its black hue enhanced by the glistening threads of gold embroidery that decorated the collar.

His fingers traced over the intricate design, feeling the softness of the thread and the gentle raise of each stitch. The embroidery was a masterpiece in itself, depicting scenes of battles and conquests, a reminder of his family's legacy and their rise to power.

Taking a deep breath, Kai turned around and walked towards the door of his room.

It was already past evening, and the ceremony would begin soon.

As Kai made his way down to the main hall, his eyes darted around the grand room, taking in the sight before him. The space was adorned with intricate tapestries, shimmering chandeliers, and a multitude of candlesticks, casting a warm glow over the faces of the gathered guests. The air was thick with the rich scent of perfumes and oils, mingling with the aroma of delicious food and wine.

The nobles, draped in their most luxurious garments, mingled about the hall, engaging in lively conversation and indulging in the various culinary delights offered by the expertly trained servants. The music of a string quartet filled the air, accompanying the couples that twirled and glided across the dance floor.

When Kai entered, the chatter began to die down, and all eyes turned towards him. It was clear that he was the centre of attention, the young man whose talent was to be assessed that evening. Some guests raised their wine glasses in salute, while others simply gawked in admiration or curiosity.

Kai could feel their eyes upon him, and he could sense the eagerness of some to approach him and offer their congratulations. But he knew the proper etiquette. As the son of the house's master, he needed to first pay his respects to his father and the other esteemed guests on the main stage.

Kai's father stood tall in the centre of the opulent hall, a picture of grace and poise, speaking amicably with the gathered guests.

But as Kai advanced, his attention was caught by a pair of individuals, seated at a table in bold, black and gold attire.

It was Viscount Darkmoore, one of the most respected nobles in the Dornian Empire due to his widely-known amicable and caring nature, and seated beside him was his eldest son, Damian Von Darkmoore, the heir to the House of Darkmoore.

Viscount Darkmoore was someone whom Kai needed to make some good relations with for some of his future plans, but Kai was more stumped by the former's son Damian's presence in front of him.

This was because Damian was supposed to be dead, slain in an ambush over a year ago. It was surprising to see this person alive, but that was it.

Kai took a mental note of this but didn't think too much about this matter.

As if sensing the gaze on him, Damian turned his head and stared at Kai for a moment before giving a slight nod and raising his wine glass in acknowledgement.

Kai replied with a slow nod, and continued to walk forward towards his father.

Staring at his back, Damian narrowed his eyes.

"What are you thinking, son?" Viscount Darkmoore noticed the strange expression on Damian and asked.

"Father, the first son of this house is strange."

"Strange?"

"Yes," Damian turned his head towards his father, "There is something strange about him, but I can't pin point what."

"Oh?" The smile on Viscount's face receded. With a serious expression, he asked, "Then are you sure you want to continue this? There is still some time, and I can stop Lord Magnus from making the announcement."

"No, father, there's no need for that." Damian smiled, "Things should unfold as we have planned, it's the only way for our house to survive for what's to come."

Viscount Darkmoore pursed his lips and moved his gaze towards' Kai back. After a moment, he shook his head, "This kid better be a good person…"

Up ahead, Kai felt the urge to sneeze but controlled himself.

'Who is talking about me behind my back?'

A moment later, he had already reached in front of his father. But just as he was about to greet the latter, Kai's gaze landed on the person standing next to his father.

In the blink of an eye, a sudden and overwhelming urge to kill rushed through his head, he felt a primal rage coursing through his veins, his nails digging so deeply into his palm that blood trickled down his clenched fist. His jaw was set in a fierce grimace, a testament to the fury that raged within him.

The sheer intensity of his reaction was almost alarming, but it was fleeting, lasting only a moment. And yet, in that brief instant, some of the powerful noble magus nearby had already noticed the change in his emotions, including the man in question and Kai's father, Marquis Von Starcrest.

"Kai? What's wrong?" The Marquis inquired with a frown.