Edmonte's Story - Kazen II Kad (reading eggs books .TXT) 📗

morning on the second bell of sun rise, so I could do anything for the rest of the day. Thus, I took the opportunity to pay Master Raul a visit – I left the twins with Sir Barth as they continue their own self training.

The place was in shambles. The rundown building that stood there before was leveled to the ground. I tried to search for the entrance to the basement to no avail – there was too much rubble to pint point the entrance! It has not been a few months since I had visited this place, and yet it was already in ruin? There was not even a trace of necromancy at the place nor was there any wandering spirits. The place was truly cleansed. I wondered where Master Raul be and went to ask the people there of his whereabouts. However, I got nothing more than ‘I don’t know’ and ‘stay away’ and an immediate avoidance when I seek the local residence. So I went to a nearby trooper station to inquire.

“Ah, you mean the necromancer who used to live in that area? He died,” the officer there informed me.

“What? When? How? ” I could not hide my anxiety as I demanded the officer to elaborate.

“Let’s see…About a week ago, there was infighting between gang groups that leaves many gang members and a dozen of local residence death. The necromancer was one of those died. We have clerics cleansed the place at once else the other residents would complain of abnormal occurrences around the place. Are you an acquaintance of the necromancer?”

“He was my teacher in the necromancy lore,” I told.

“I see…Sorry, you have my condolences.”

“Anyway, thank you for telling me,” I told the officer there before I walked out of the station.

I did not feel like returning back to the inn so I went walking around the street as I did a lot of thinking. I still could not believe that Master Raul was gone. It was only a month ago that I received a letter from him telling me that was he doing ‘ok’ and now it was already a week since he passed on. Someone could have told me about his demised and when that though struck me, my mind drifted to Master Raul’s other acquaintances, Luciel. My feet quickly went to search for the trooper. I did not get far as I chanced upon him on my way out of the square.

“Ed…,” he began but I cut him short.

“You could have told me,” I accused him. Well, he came to Bedin earlier than me so he should get wind of Master Raul’s demised before me.

“I was planning to tell you when you arrive but I only know about your arrival half an hour ago, and you’re not at the inn when I went to see you,” Luciel retorted.

“You could have send words when you got wind of it,” I said. I was rather saddened by Master Raul’s death that I was not thinking rationally then as I continued to rant my frustration on Luciel. “You know how important Master Raul is to me! You could have sent a courier to find me! I was on my way even to Bedin! I—”

My ranting was cut off when Luciel suddenly pulled me into an embrace. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry so don’t cry, okay?”

“I cried?” I thought when I heard him said that. I touched my cheeks and felt it was wet from tears I was not aware of. I wiped them away but more seemed to flow down. It was like a dam had burst – Well, I did not remember when was the last time I cried. “Crap,” I hissed as I tried without avail in drying out my tears.

“Master?” my butterflies guardians asked with concerned.

“It’s nothing,” I told them.

“Do you want to return to the inn?” Luciel asked, getting the attention back at him. That would be the wisest choice but I did not want to let the others see me like this so I just shook my head. “Okay, let’s got my friend’s place,” he said next and led me along.

I thought we were going to the residential district where most of the local citizen of Bedin lived, yet Luciel took to another part of the Market and Merchants District and we stop just outside a dining house. Nevertheless, it was not just any normal dining house; rather quite a famous one in Bedin called Diner’s Delight. It was a kind of dining place that I rather avoid because I did not want to disrupt the atmosphere of the place with my presence – the general public still not comfortable having necromancer around.

“On second thought, I’ll go back to the inn,” I told Luciel and turned around to leave, only to have my left arm held fast by the trooper.

“Oh, no you don’t. Not as you are. I’m sure you don’t want your apprentices and your guard to see how distress you are,” Luciel reasoned. Indeed. “Come on,” he added as we stepped inside the establishment.

I tried to ignore the gazes that we received when we entered the place. I diverted my eyes out towards the windows while Luciel greeted the bartender, although I could hear most of the conversation between him and the bartender.

“Good afternoon, Seb, you think you have a private room available?”

“Sorry, Young Luc, all private rooms are reserved. How about in the common room?” the bartender suggested.

“Do you see any empty tables around?”

“I don’t think so…”

“Mm…Okay, maybe next time,” Luciel said to the bartender before he turned to me. “Sorry, I guess we find some place else—“

“Hey, you haven’t been visiting me for a while and you want to go without greeting me?” a commanding voice interjected. I turned towards the direction of the voice to a man probably a few years older than Luciel. Nevertheless, he had such an outstanding aura about him.

“Hi, Lucien, it’s not like I purposely trying to avoid you. I’ve been busy and I’m only in Bedin because by current task requires me to be here. Anyway, I just want to have a nice conversation with a friend but since there’s not private room available, we’re going to go somewhere else,” Luciel told.

“Oh, we do have a private room that is if you don’t mind having your conversation at the staff’s private dining room,” Lucien said as pointed to the back.

Luciel was silent for a moment. “Is it okay?”

“Yes.”

“Then, thanks, Luc,” Luciel told the other man as he led us to the kitchen area. However, instead of going to the kitchen as I expected, Luciel took me up the stairs, through the hallway and into an office, probably Lucien’s. “You stay here first while I get us some teas.” Then he disappeared out of the door.

Luciel came back with Lucien a few minutes later with three mugs of warm red teas, of which one they gave to me. I sniffed the aroma of tea and smelt something familiar mixed in. I took a sip and just as quickly spat it out. “Are you trying to drug me?” I exclaimed accusingly toward the trooper who looked baffled by my words. Then, as if realizing something, he turned to Lucien.

“You?” he said simply.

“It’s just a remedy concoction. I think your friend needs it,” Lucien said. “But, it’s suppose to be a tasteless, odorless sleeping concoction, how can you know it?”

“Necromancy deals a lot with herbs and drugs, much like herbalist, and there are some herbs and drugs which bring opposite result when mix together. I can give you a recommendation on any herb and drugs that can works well with red tea,” I told.

“I’ll appreciate that. Well, you look better now than you were half an hour ago,” Lucien commented. I was surprised by the man’s comment, yet I did feel a bit better now than when I first heard about Master Raul’s death.

“Thanks to you and Luciel,” I bowed at each of them.

“No problem. A friend of my younger brother is also my friend,” Lucien said.

“You two are brothers?” I blurted in surprised as I look at one to another. I did not see much resemblance between them.

“We’re not actually brother. It just our name that sound almost similar,” Luciel corrected.

“I see,” I said. Well, ‘Luciel’

and ‘Lucien’

almost sound similar.

The three of us talked some more before I felt that it was time for me to get back to the inn. We bade Lucien farewell and I promised to give him the list of herbs and drugs which could go with different type of solution without changing their properties. Before we parted ways I managed to put in the question about the Lucien’s real identity to the trooper. “So, who or rather what is exactly your friend? He can’t be a regular manager of an eatery. His aura shows that he’s more than he seems and he act normally around a necromancer unlike the other people in the inn,” I said.

“You got that right. Lucien is currently the Liegeman of the Shadow Society,” Luciel said. A chill ran down my spine hearing Luciel’s words. There was no one in Estrey Region who did not hear about the infamous outlaw in the region. I took note not to cross the man whenever possible.

Chapter 8: The 2nd Magus Institute

On the way to the inn, we chanced upon Master Zhou, Sir Anton and Kash. Since I was not actually in the mood yet to return to the inn, I invited them for a drink at a decent tavern where I frequent. I also took the opportunity to ask the elementalist mage the agenda behind meeting the Octagon Council of Estrey Region. Master Zhou seemed surprised when I pointed this out, so I told him that the Governor General Endo required my presence for whatever the discussion with the agent of Magus Association of Soparto Region.

“The association is thinking of setting up a second institute in Estrey Region. We know that there are a lot of potential mages outside Soparto and we realize there are other difficulties which hinder them to come to Islandville for proper magic training, so one of the recommendation propose is to set up a second Magus Association Institute in