Status

--- Ivory Tower, Law Enforcement's Headquarters ---

A day later, Arthur had finished writing the mission's report. Even if Karl hadn't died, he was bound to hear from Dorian, who was both a close friend and his leader. At least the official one. Unsurprisingly, Arthur was summoned to the Law Enforcement's Headquarters.

[You have consumed [Frozen Leaf Tea]. Your magic power increases slightly...Your vitality increases slightly]

Arthur smiled.

As always, Dorian's hospitality was top-notch. He knew how to receive people. And receiving people well was part of the noble's basic conduct.

"I heard about Karl...", Dorian spoke his first words after ten minutes of silence, "Did he die peacefully?"

Arthur nodded: "He lost his arm to a mutated Alpha Wolf in the battle. A beast that I personally beheaded. Karl didn't survive the night. Evangeline can heal wounds, but Karl had lost too much blood. His injuries were closed and bandaged, but his old age didn't mix well with his blood shortage. He died during the night"

Dorian sighed: "Karl was not a good man. I never liked him"

Arthur was surprised.

Dorian continued: "However, there were few people who contributed as much to the Law Enforcement Faction as him. He was around back when my own Father studied in the tower. After serving my father, he returned to the Ivory Tower, and continued what my father had begun: the Law Enforcement Faction. He gave up his temporary leadership to me when I began my studies in the Ivory Tower, and supported me ever since, never disobeying my orders. I had told him to observe you and judge if you were worthy of my full support. Although I can't hear his words, the fact that you buried him and didn't even take his magical artefact is enough for me to tell you this"

'He had a magical artefact? Really? And I didn't take it? I am so dumb', Arthur's face turned red from frustration. It was a terrible mistake.

Magical artefacts could be sold for dozens of magic crystals!

This unfortunate mistake, however, caused a funny misunderstanding to occur. It was normal to bury a knight with his sword. And Dorian probably mistook his actions for the same thing, except the man buried was an acolyte, and his 'sword' was the magical artefact.

Dorian opened a box: "Although I can tell you grew stronger from this mission, Karl died and you proved to be an excellent leader. I will officially give you the seat of [Acolyte Head Hunter]. Only Gale Fireheart, an intermediate acolyte, possesses this title in the tower. However, he is far away from the tower as he is tracking a criminal acolyte who massacred a village in a blood ritual. This makes you the second most important man in the Law Enforcement Faction currently"

Arthur gulped.

He had expected a special reward. He had accomplished a mission which no beginner acolyte had done: destroying an orc settlement. Even the Arcane Faction had sent intermediate acolytes to deal with them.

Karl's death left some authority unattributed, and murdering him had been done with careful considerations that some of the authority would return to him.

However...The Acolyte Head Hunter title was not something that he could have expected.

'If he knew that I was the one who killed Karl, and an esteemed member of the Black Widow Brotherhood...', Arthur thought before shaking his head, 'Perhaps not taking the magical artefact out of Karl's body proved to be a good thing in the end'

However, Dorian wasn't finished yet: "Such title can't be worn by anyone. You will have to prove yourself to the tower, and its acolytes. You can't be weak, and you can't stand down to anyone, not even the Arcane Faction. Sometimes, you will be required to hunt criminal acolytes"

Arthur gasped.

As Dorian finished opening the box, Arthur realized Dorian's actions.

It was a magical artefact. And it wasn't any magical artefact. It was a magical artefact made for body refinement acolytes, making it all the more valuable to someone like Arthur.

[Ring of Moonlight - Magical Artefact

Effect : Can be used to cast [Strength Blessing]. Casting the spell will not consume any mana, but it can only be cast once. The ring can be recharged by absorbing a night's worth of moonlight]

[Strength Blessing - Rank 0 Spell

Increase strength by 50% for 30 minutes]

This was an incredible spell that almost doubled Arthur's combat prowess.

After thanking Dorian, Arthur returned to his old room. The room where he lived for years. It seemed foreign.

'To think I lived in such filth and poverty before...', he observed.

*TOC TOC*

'Is it Evangeline? Who would try to talk to me at this hour?', Arthur wondered