Chapter 7: Sudden Change

The sight of the big man rushing towards a small and slim guy would have scared someone out of their wits, but Ace wasn't intimated or afraid. He simply stood there without flinching.

The rushing knight was Cavell. Without any signs of exhaustion, Cavell stopped and bowed in one knee in front of Ace.

"Young master,"

Gazing at his kneeling figure, Ace asked, "Is everything taken care of?"

Cavell shook his head and narrated, "Not yet, young master. The deceased were already blessed by the priest and priestess from the church. Firefighters had also drenched off the blood from the manor. The only thing left is for the maids to finish cleaning up the stains and disposing of the damaged objects."

"How about the Lizard corpses?" Ace inquired. The church didn't ask about the corpses because it wasn't in their jurisdiction to take it. Also, since the Lizards were slain in his manor, as per the noble code of conduct and warriors honor, it belonged to him.

"People from Chimera Association came half an hour ago, young master. They requested on taking the corpses from you in a lawful way. I said that you're currently staying in the cathedral." Cavell muttered without a change in tone. On the other hand, Ace cheered inwardly when he heard that name. He already planned on contacting this organization.

"Send someone to inform them, they probably haven't reached the cathedral by now. Tell them that I'm willing to give corpses in a condition." Ace said as he looked at the corpses lined up and wrapped in black cloth outside the manor. Several people dressed in blue as were setting up a structure that looked similar to a tent.

"Yes, young master." Cavell bowed without a change in expression. But inwardly, he was still perplexed by the sudden change of his young master that he took care since birth. He was shockingly surprised when he saw the state of the Lizards in the room. But he confirmed that the young man in front of him had killed them.

Also, unlike before, the young master seemed different; he seemed to exclude an aura of confidence and authority unlike the meek and mellow he always had. Cavell raised his head and gazed at his master with a hidden proud smile, he then left with haste.

When Cavell left, Ace walked towards the entrance on the manor. Along the way, he saw several people cleaning the stains of the floor and walls. When seeing him, they would instantly drop what they were doing and bow to him. Despite being known as weak and meek, no one actually had the guts to disrespect a noble like him; that is if they didn't mind being burned at stake or whipped to death.

Nodding slightly, he strode in the longs hallways. After a minute of walking around in the massive manor, he stood outside a blue double door. He twisted the knob and opened it. The room was large–with pillars and massive paintings on the sides–it looked not much different from his bedroom: a massive chandelier, water-filled walls, and much smaller fountain. With the blue colouring, it looked like an aquarium, but this was actually just his supposed office.

He had already grown numb of these grandiose display of wealth. He knew he was rich, so he simply accepted and lived with it. Closing the door behind him, he walked towards a massive table in the room's end and sat on the chair made of luxurious wood with intricate designs. He then looked at the stacked paper on the sides and grabbed one.

Recalling the memory of Castileo, he knew this papers were reports on the matters in Cion. With Castileo being a mage, he expectedly spent his time studying various spells instead of governing—which was supposed to be his responsibility—and developing the town.

Being the only son of the Marquis Trio whose territory spans several kilometers of land. He was expected to inherit the title of Marquee. But five years ago, the law that allows women to inherit titles was approved, but if his sister is deemed unworthy, she would be married off to another noble family. This why the reason why his sister wanted to get rid of him.

'The world of magic is beyond mere mortals...' Being a mage is more appealing to Castileo than simply ruling a tiny piece of land inside a vast continent. So, he mostly ignored the matters of Cion to become one. From what Ace knew, Castileo eagerly wanted to prove himself and have his name known throughout the continent.

Though thankful for the magic that saved his life, Ace threw the 'Character's' ideals to the back of his mind.

'Sorry, but I don't have time for your grand dreams. My days are counted.'

Ace scanned through the unfamiliar letters, but as he had the memories of Castileo, reading the unfamiliar language was easy.

'Construction of Railways... Fundings... Investment request...' This was mostly what the papers were about, but a particular report caught his eye.

Apparently, the town of Cion—situated between the massive Bone Forest and Clearwater Lake— was going to be turned into a porting town for easier access of goods coming from the other side of Clearwater Lake, but for unknown reason, the workers working on the construction of railways in the Bone Forest went missing without a trace despite being accompanied by a number of mages.

'There's still not enough evidences to connect it to the Necromancer... I'll send some people to investigate,' He voiced in his head.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Without putting down the paper, Ace muttered, "Come in."

The door opened and Cavell entered inside, with wide eyes, he saw the papers his master was reading. Now, he was definitely certain something had changed in his master. Before, his master wouldn't even read the papers and simply read some books with complicated patterns and diagrams he didn't understand.

"Y-Young M-Master, wha-" He wanted to ask but was interrupted at before he could voice it out.

"Don't ask." Ace muttered as his gaze was still lingering on the reports. Cavell heard this and closed his mouth without uttering a single word.

'Castileo' shifted his gaze to the standing Cavell and uttered, "Cavell,"

"Yes, young master?" Cavell responded.

"You swore with your heart at mother's grave that day. You promised in her grave to serve me until death, you even tied your mana heart to that Oath." He calmly gazed at the Knight that had a questioning expression.

"W-Why are you..." Cavell was stumped at that statement. He didn't know why his young master would bring that up. From what he recall, his young master seemed to avoid discussing the subject. But now, his young master was taking initiative to talk about it.

"Cavell, I trust you. The same how my mother trusted you." 'Castileo' stated.

"Young Master... I-I, thank you..." Still overwhelmed by the sudden change of his young master, Cavell dropped to his knees. His eyes began to water. He remembered that day with every bit of his being. The day he swore to protect the human in front of him, even with the cost of his life.

"Now... do you trust me, Cavell?"

"YES, YOUNG MASTER!" The bowing knight said vehemently.

A barely visible smirk surfaced on 'Castileo's' lips when he heard that. But the smirk vanished when he felt a bit strange inside him. The influence was there again, as if telling him to stop.

Pausing for a moment, he commanded the knight, "Good. Stand up." The knight complied and stood straight.

"Cavell, I want you to gather all of manpower in town that is under my control," 'Castileo' stated while looking at Cavell in the eye.

He continued, "The Trion knights, especially. Use any means to gather them."

Cavell stared wide eyes at 'Castileo' and asked respectfully, "Is the young master perhaps..."

"No. It's not for the the fight of succession." He stated. The knight release a small sigh in relief as it heard that.

'Castileo' put the paper he was holding and rose from his seat. "There's a major threat possibly lurking in Cion that could destroy this town."

Cavell's eyes widened in surprise.

'Castileo' then gazed at him with serious expression. "I want you to weed out EVERY gang, illegal activities, cults, and shady individuals in the town, no matter what size. Obtain all the information about their latest activities and,"

"If they resist, kill them."

Shock filled the Knight's face as he heard that command. He was certain: The mellow and meek young master was no more. The young master had changed!

Cavell kneeled and voiced with a determined tone: "I shall carry out the master's wishes in every word."

"Good." 'Castileo' nodded.

'It'll start for real.' Ace smirked.