Magus Reborn

77. The capital

The dusk settled after their long day, but something inside him said the night would be longer. He leaned against the plush interior of the carriage, glued to the passing tableau.

They passed a few roads, took a few turns and were finally at the mouth of the capital of Lancephil Kingdom, Hermil.

A steady stream of carriages choked the streets, each one a microcosm of its own. Opulent coaches emblazoned with noble heraldry glided past, their occupants shrouded in haughty indifference—carts laden with overflowing sacks of vegetables and boisterous vendors hawking their wares created movement and noise.

A guard stood at the intersection, his bored expression momentarily breaking into a flicker of respect as he saw Kai’s sigil in the front.

The guards had been notified of their arrival and how the sigil looked from their letters that were shared back and forth, or simply the guard didn’t care much since the exterior of the carriage and the entourage was proof of their identity.

But soon, the guard walked closer and Killian briefly exchanged words with him.

With a curt nod, he gestured them towards a less congested route, "Head straight down, Baron Kellius. The Royal palace lies at the end."

He saw Killian nod at that and started moving forward.

As the carriage rolled, he remembered what he had learnt about the capital’s districts— the grand artisan district, a playground for the wealthy and creative, the stoic noble district, home to the city’s elite, the bustling central district, the heart of commerce, churches and trade, and the infamous lower district, a warren of poverty and desperation otherwise known as the slums.

It was a planned city, and he was curious whether he could use anything from it for Veralt. Kai had mostly lived in the Sorcerer’s Tower and most of the cities in the world in his era were desolate, a lot of people even moved underground to survive the fiends.

There was nothing planned and even if there were places of civilization, they were mostly broken and barely working. He had only learned of the great cities of the past, even a few where only Mages lived, making it a heavenly place for those seeking knowledge and strength.

If he was right, Hermil itself would be one of the early places where Mages would gather in huge numbers in the first golden era of magic. There was still over a century to it.

As their carriage weaved through the throngs of people, Kai observed the diverse faces that streamed by on the streets.

Well-dressed men and women with an air of self-importance brushed shoulders with labourers whose faces bore the marks of hard work.

Compared to other places, there were also more non-humans here. He caught more than a few different races walking by, a few hiding their identity with robes and others displaying it freely.

Elves with their pointed ears, dwarves with gruff voices, nagas with their tall frames and slit pupils, trying to blend in with the others. He was surprised to see a few of them as he was seeing them for the first time.

A lot of them had grown extinct by his time, especially the ones with low populations as dead mana had simply turned them into monsters.

Occasionally, he would sense mana from a few figures walking by, clearly hinting at their connection with either one of the noble families or the Archine Tower.

Actra was the only Mage he had seen after regressing till a month or so back, now he was in a city full of them.

A pang of concern flickered in Kai’s chest.

Despite the undeniable vibrancy, there was a subtle tension beneath the surface. The smiles on the faces of the wealthy seemed strained, a hint of worry clinging to their eyes.

The common folk, while diverse, looked burdened. Even the festive street vendors seemed to peddle their wares with a touch of desperation.

The words Malden had told him about Veralt doing better than a lot of places echoed in his mind.

On top of famines and growing prices, he was sure that Hermil wasn’t an easy place to live financially, given that it was the capital.

With those thoughts, the carriage rolled towards the artisan district and he took sight of one of the arenas around the capital.

At least till the time he got enough strength to not care about them at all.

He shrugged the thoughts in his mind and started walking towards where Killian was moving along with the rest of the guards.

***

Kai sported a tailored tunic woven from deep blue silk, its edges embroidered with silver thread that shimmered. A soft leather belt cinched his waist, and a matching cloak hung gracefully over his shoulders.

He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. With the exercises he was doing and his surge in power, he had been looking better and better. It wasn’t something he particularly cared about, but appearances always helped.

A sharp rap on the door startled him from his thoughts about the day. "Lord Arzan," came Killian’s muffled voice. "Are you ready to depart?"

"Almost," Kai called back, slipping the vial of the potion out of his tunic. He uncorked the vial and downed the cool liquid in one swift gulp. A surge of energy coursed through his veins, his senses tingling with heightened awareness. He picked up a sealed envelope from the table.

With a final smoothing of his cloak, Kai opened the door. Killian stood there, his face a neutral mask as usual. But after a good night’s sleep, the knight looked a bit relaxed— maybe the tiniest bit. "We are ready to go," he announced. "The Mages who will escort us await in the carriage bay."

"Excellent, lead the way."

The walk to the carriage bay was a blur of opulent hallways and stern-faced guards. As they reached the stable, two Mages clad in the distinctive crimson robes of the Archine Tower stood beside a sleek black carriage. Their expressions were unreadable, but Kai sensed a nervous tension emanating from them.

"Lord Arzan," Klan bowed curtly. "We are at your service."

Kai offered them a nod, his smile unwavering. "Shall we proceed, then?"

He climbed into the carriage, Killian following suit. The archine Mages settled into a separate carriage behind them, a silent black shadow trailing their path. As the carriage rolled out of the palace gates and into the bustling city streets, Killian spoke, his voice laced with unease.

"I don’t know what to expect, Lord Arzan," he confessed. "From what I’ve gathered within the palace walls, investigations conducted by the Archine Tower rarely go well for the accused. They have a reputation for deflecting blame, for twisting narratives. I heard they can be worse than even nobles and it was hard to find a sane person among the power-hungry lot. They’ve already rejected the notion of Actra turning into a monster. They’ll likely try to pin it all on you."

Kai leaned back in his seat, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Let them try," he said coolly. "I’ve come prepared."

"Still, Lord Arzan. You are young and you haven’t been of age for long," he said. "Now that you’re a noble and a Mage, every word of yours weighs a lot, and you need to be careful. The Archine Tower will try its best to blame you for Actra’s death. They would try to get you to say what they want and try to end the matter."

"I know. They want a scapegoat and I’m perfect for it. Fits all their boxes, but I have got a plan, Killian."

Killian furrowed his brow and glanced back. "But shouldn’t you try to gather some support within the nobility? Surely some connections would hold more weight during the investigation."

Kai shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Support? Among nobles? Killian, I have no friends in these gilded halls. My own brother can’t be trusted. Besides," he continued, "compliance wouldn’t help. They’d just send more Mages to harass me, and frankly, I’m not eager to deal with their ilk. Moreover, I have an advantage."

"Advantage?" Killian echoed, intrigued by the shift in Kai’s demeanour.

"Exactly," Kai replied, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. "These Archine Tower mages are probably used to getting their way, used to bend others to their will. I saw it with those two in the back when they appeared in our estate– arrogance masked by a thin veneer of courtesy."

"True, but perhaps the higher-ranking Mages are different," Killian cautioned.

"Perhaps," Kai conceded, "but even then, they likely see me as a greenhorn, a liar who can be easily bullied into submission. That, Killian, is exactly the underestimation I need."

A slow smile spread across Killian’s face. He began to see the gears turning in Kai’s mind, the cunning plan taking shape. "So, you’re going to flip the script?"

Kai’s grin widened. "Precisely. They didn’t call me here to be investigated. I came here to investigate them. Do they want a scapegoat? I’ll give them a target— the corrupt practices within the very walls of the Archine Tower."