115 Soul Engraving
In the capital of the Rodren Empire, the Everlast Merchant staff were carrying various packages.
"Hmm?"
Tom Rogers, an intermediate manager who happened to be inspecting the packages, noticed a person entering the premises.
The newcomer was a woman with a still-youthful appearance, wearing a calm expression as she looked around.
"What brings you here?"
As Tom approached her and spoke, the woman, Amy Cromwell, handed him a business card.
"Hello, I'm Amy Cromwell, the head of Cromwell Merchant Guild. Are you Tom Rogers?"
"Ah, you're Amy. That's great timing. The Lord is about to arrive soon, so I'll escort you inside until then."
Tom's words prompted Amy to clap her hands.
"No need for that. Would it be alright for me to look around a bit?"
"Of course. Let me explain."
"There's no need, really. I don't want to be a bother while you're busy."
"No, not at all! It's no trouble. Please follow me."
With a cheerful smile, Tom guided Amy along.
A few days prior, while looking into purchasing iron ore, Amy stumbled upon valuable information about acquiring shares in a particular mine. This led her to various inquiries, eventually connecting her to the Everlast Guild. Today was the day of her visit, regarding the mine share acquisition deal.
'Why is he being so overly kind? I wonder why,' Amy thought.
Though she couldn't fathom the reason behind Everlast Guild's exceptionally friendly treatment from the moment she introduced herself, she decided not to reveal her suspicions for now.
As Tom explained various matters and recent trends in the Rodren Empire, time seemed to fly by.
"Mr. Rogers, the Lord is arriving."
"Understood. Would you like to come inside now, Amy?"
"Yes."
As Tom led her to the reception room within the upper building, theLord of the Everlast Guild, who had arrived a little earlier, warmly welcomed Amy.
"Ms. Amy Cromwell, welcome to this place."
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
Seated facing each other, the two exchanged greetings and small talk before the unexpected appearance of a new figure caught Amy's attention.
"Are you talking about my brother?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Lord Cromwell has formed an alliance with us. Furthermore, he's the benefactor who cured my daughter's incurable illness."
"I didn't know that."
Amy was aware of Adrias submitting a patent, but she was unaware of the alliance with Everlast Guild. Moreover, she had no idea about them curing their daughter's illness, let alone Adrias being involved.
'I'll have to ask him for details later.'
Due to their busy schedules, Amy had felt they hadn't talked much recently. Thus, she was unaware of the extent of Adrias' assistance.
"Although I don't know how Lord Cromwell feels, personally, I believe I must repay this favor. Considering your capabilities, I propose collaboration. I'm someone who firmly maintains a balance between public and private matters. We've investigated your guild thoroughly, as well."
As the conversation transitioned to discussions with Viscount Hollington, Amy could see that he had already conducted a comprehensive investigation into her guild.
As they delved into business discussions, the topic shifted to the main purpose of Amy's visit: the mine.
"The landowner, Lord Lankrat, is said to release only 45% of the mine's shares. The competition is likely to be fierce."
"The auction itself might be the problem."
"That's right. But since I've known Lord Lankrat for a long time, there shouldn't be any issue with my eligibility to participate. If there's an issue, it's the money."
Understanding Hollington's intention, Amy fell into silence before speaking.
"Can I trust Lord Holington?"
"At least for this occasion, I want to assist Lord Cromwell wholeheartedly, just as he helped treat my daughter's illness, even to the extent of dedicating all my assets if needed. It wasn't the time to discuss pride."
Amy was already contemplating grand plans based on the information she had obtained from Adrias.
If things unfolded as she had imagined, it was a calculation that, within a few years, they might be able to reclaim Cromwell's estate.
'Nevertheless, just in case...'
Amy mentally calculated how much capital she could leverage and how much she could raise through loans against collateral.
Of course, the information she had received was not entirely true; it was mixed with falsehoods. Even if it came from a well-meaning source, she couldn't fully trust it.
"With that amount of money, I might be able to acquire at least a 1% stake. Even 1% would be a significant position for a newcomer to the upper echelon."
"Lord Holington, I have one request."
"Please, go ahead."
"On the day of the auction, will Lord Lankrat also be present?"
"I believe so."
"Is there any chance we could arrange a separate conversation?"
"Oh, that's interesting."
After briefly showing an intrigued expression, Lord Hollington nodded.
"It seems you have your own plans. Very well, I'll speak to Lord Lankrat."
"Thank you."
The conversation ended sooner than expected.
Having arranged a few more meetings in the future, they both stood up.
"Oh, by the way, our daughter happens to be here. May I introduce her?"
"Yes, I'd like to meet her, considering she's my brother's friend."
The two who had gone outside happened to find Lucia lingering near the reception area.
"You were here; that's good. Please, introduce yourself, Miss Amy Cromwell."
Lucia seemed somewhat awkward, hesitating for a moment before lowering her head.
"I am Lucia Everlast. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Lucia. I'm Amy Cromwell. I heard you're close to our brother."
"Well, somewhat..."
Amy sensed something peculiar in Lucia's awkward tone and gestures. It was as if a child hiding out of shyness.
Furthermore, she felt Lucia's gaze on her, subtly examining her.
Just as Amy was about to initiate a conversation to break the awkward atmosphere, she was taken aback by Lord Holington's words.
"I'll step aside now. I shouldn't be around while you two have your conversation. You don't need to say anything to me when you leave; just go. See you at our next meeting next week."
"Yes, thank you for today. Goodbye."
As Lord Holington left, an uncomfortable atmosphere settled in once more.
Thinking she needed to say something to break the tension, Amy was just about to speak when Lucia spoke first.
"So, do you meet with Senior Adrias often?"
"Senior? No, not really. He rarely comes home. The last time I saw him was about ten days ago, and before that, he hadn't visited in months. I wish he'd come more often."
"I'm sorry; it's probably because of me. In the past few months, Senior has been very busy with his treatment medication."
As Lucia spoke, she apologized verbally but had a satisfied expression.
Amy, sensing something unusual in her attitude, cautiously asked, "What's my brother like in general? I've never heard any stories about his academy life, so I'm curious."
"Oh! Senior is truly remarkable. Have you heard the news? He conquered the Tower of Modras! People from the outside might not understand, but that's no ordinary feat."
Lucia's demeanor changed drastically when she began talking about Adrias. Initially appearing lethargic and uninterested, she became completely animated when discussing Adrias's achievements.
'Could it be...?'
As Amy briefly calculated, she thought that being the daughter Everlast family wasn't a bad match.
Although it was uncertain, through various part-time jobs, she had learned to read subtle signs. She detected that Lucia had a liking for Adrias.
'Still, brother deserves someone even better. For now, I should consider her as a candidate.'
She was a younger sister who also managed her brother's marriage.
.
.
.
.
Ding!
["Al-Ghurad," the Great Warrior of Vayatra's soul has been imprinted.]
[Permanent stat increase.]
[Obtained the unique trait 'Martial Mastermind.']
Gradually, the indescribable pain began to fade, and the imprinting process finally ended.
[Martial Mastermind
-Unique
-Courage to face any opponent alone
-Increased mana regeneration during combat (0.1% per enemy, up to 1000%)
-200% increased health regeneration during combat
-Constant activation of Martial Prowess (proportional to charisma and mental strength)]
This was insane. As I looked at the status window that had just popped up, chills ran down my spine.
Already a formidable Necromancer in multiple battles, now I had acquired such an overpowered trait that it seemed impossible to lose in a war.
"Hah! Not only did you get an imprinted soul, but you also have spare space. Are you sure you're human?"
I was completely absorbed in the imprinting process and had momentarily forgotten that Eve Millennium was here.
Eve, speaking through Luna's body, was making it quite clear that she wasn't Luna.
"What does it mean that there's spare space?"
"You really are an odd fellow, asking questions right away. Alright, let me explain."
With the body of Al-Ghurad and the magic circle now disappearing, the room was empty.
Eve looked around for a place to sit but decided to simply float horizontally in the air.
"Simply put, an ordinary human can only imprint one soul per person. But you have space left to imprint another soul."
Two soul imprints!
Of course, this required the premise that Luna, or rather Luna and Eve combined, would agree to do it, but it wasn't bad news.
"Has there ever been someone like that before?"
"At least not in my generation. My daughter hasn't seen one either. Maybe if you go back a long way, there might have been one or two."
After saying so, Eve Millennium gazed at me strangely and asked, "You're not from this world, are you?"
Although I hesitated for a moment in response to her question, there was no harm in telling her. There was nothing I could do with that information, and for now, I had to appear cooperative.
"Yes, that's correct."
"Hmm, you're not hiding it at all. In any case, this is interesting."
Perhaps I had made a good impression.
It seems like she's at least not displeased.
"I'd love to continue our conversation, but I should start heading back now. My daughter must be getting impatient."
"Thank you for the Soul imprint."
"No need. Luna wanted to do it, so give your thanks to my daughter."
The mysterious glint in her eyes gradually faded.
It was the precursor to Eve's departure, and there were still many things I wanted to ask, but I decided not to regret it because there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
"Oh, and one last thing."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Please take good care of my daughter. She couldn't live a normal life because of me. If you take good care of her, I might be able to give you another gift."
"Luna is already my friend. You don't have to worry; I won't abandon a friend."
"Hehe, you're good with words. Alright, I'll go for now."
As the light disappeared entirely, Luna, who was still floating in mid-air, said, "Ugh! I wanted to say something too!"
"Luna, thank you. Thanks to you, I gained an incredible ability."
"Hehe! It's nothing for me! We're friends!"
Seeing Luna's high-spirited demeanor, I felt that she had truly returned.
And the combination of her current state and Eve's final request made me feel strangely sentimental.
'What will happen after leaving the Great Forrest, though?'
When I was leaving the academy, I hadn't even thought about it. But now, I decided to think it through step by step. The vacation was still long, and it wasn't a problem I had to decide hastily.
"To the Great Forest, let's go!"
"Yeah!"
For now, let's start by finding the Dragon.
