5 Ch 5: The First Quest!
Valerius had seen all there was to see in the ethereal and mysterious space inside his mind. He literally had nothing left to do there.
Sure, he had questions. The first was whether he had entered this space with his entire body or just with his consciousness or soul. If it was the latter, then his lifeless body was still back in the real world, and if anyone chanced upon it, they would be shocked to the core and might declare him dead. If it was the former, his disappearance was bound to cause shockwaves!
His second question was whether the flow of time in this mysterious space was equal to the flow of time in Serphendale.
Valerius had a bunch of questions rummaging in his mind, but now wasn't the time to conduct tests to find the answers. He had to be back in his room before the head butler of the Khaleji returned with his medicine, or else there would be no end to his troubles.
If the butler noticed the abnormalities and decided to question him, he wouldn't know how to answer. He couldn't possibly share the truth about his fortuitous encounter, could he? He really couldn't tell anyone about the existence of the mysterious space, as it had now become his most profound secret, even surpassing the secret of his transmigration. From the knowledge of this world that he gained from reading the 'Great Conqueror' novel in his previous life, he knew he must keep this secret from everyone, or else, he'd be in grave danger!
Unfortunately, he didn't know how to leave the ethereal space he was in. As he looked around, he saw that there was nothing in his surroundings that hinted at a way out of the mysterious space.
Recognizing the predicament he was in, a wave of unease washed over Valerius. 'I want to leave the mysterious space. But how the heck can I get myself out of this place?' he pondered, anxiety lacing his thoughts.
To his shock, as soon as this thought crossed his mind, his vision spun and his surroundings blurred, both spiraling into darkness.
His vision cleared up after a moment or two or maybe it could even be a split of a second, and he was greeted by the familiar sight of his lavish room.
He had returned!
'I'm back? But how? Just what led to me leaving the mysterious space?' Valerius pondered, baffled by his sudden return to his room from the mysterious space inside his mind. A few seconds later, a spark of realization lit up his eyes.
'Ah, I got it!' he exclaimed silently in his mind.
To leave the ethereal space, all he needed to do was think about leaving it, and he could enter it by simply closing his eyes and focusing intently on the shimmering, star-like light deep within his consciousness.
He tested the authenticity of his conclusion, and to his satisfaction, everything worked exactly as he anticipated. Conducting the test didn't risk revealing his secret as it took no more than a few seconds to complete.
With the test done, he went to sit down at the edge of the bed. He placed his right leg over his left kneecap as an expression that indicated that he was waiting for someone to arrive appeared on his face.
Minutes ticked by with no sign of the butler. Valerius began to feel nervous. Nervous because he didn't know why the butler who was the most professional man he had ever known was delayed when it came to delivering him his medicine.
'Is it merely a routine delay, or does it signify something more troubling?'
This uncertainty left Valerius in a state of heightened alertness.
"Seriously, didn't he just go away to fetch medicine for me? What's taking him so long?"
His impatience was growing, driven not only by his nervousness but also his desire to complete the very first quest issued by the Quest Book as quickly as possible and see how effective the rewards for completing it would be.
In the end, impatience got the best of him.
He stood up from the bed, intending to leave his room and search for the butler himself in the vast mansion.
Creak~
Before he could reach the door, however, it swung open while making a garish and bone-chilling sound, and in came a man with jet-black hair slicked backwards and deeply unsettling red eyes that mirrored the color of fresh blood.
The intensity of this man's casual gaze was as sharp as a blade, prickling the only onlooker's skin. His gaze made Valerius feel uneasy. He instinctively lowered his eyes, not daring to look at him directly in the face.
As his gaze lowered, it fell on the clothes the intimidating man was wearing.
The man's attire was as eye-catching as his eyes. He was dressed impeccably in a black suit, befitting his status as the head butler of the illustrious House of Khaleji.
In his mind, Valerius compared the head butler of the house of Khaleji to what was written about one of the strongest dragons of Serpehndale in the Great Conquer novel and found they were an exact match.
This seemingly handsome old man in his fifties was the one and only red-eyed dragon of Serphendale.
He was currently in his human form hence why nothing about him screamed he was a fierce dragon that could wipe out a mortal village with a single roar, but he was actually really really strong.
Getting on his bad side was the last thing a wizard would want to do as dragons could be very petty.
Valerius, however, understood he didn't need to worry about getting on his bad side. After all, this dragon was his uncle's contracted beast and couldn't attack a member of the Khaleji family without explicit permission. As he was a member of the Khaleji family, this dragon couldn't directly harm him.
Still, Valerius was merely a mortal with the potential to become a wizard, so it was unwise to provoke a dragon without cause. Knowing this, he resolved to be cautious and think twice before speaking in the butler's presence, ensuring he didn't make careless remarks that could offend him and invite unnecessary trouble.
Besides, having lived as a law-abiding citizen back on Earth, he believed it was better to make friends than enemies. His mentality was just like that. Even though the world he lived in had changed, he wasn't going to cause conflicts or make enemies for no good reason. He wasn't a psychopath!
'So this is what it feels like to see a character you've only ever read about in a novel in real life,' Valerius thought, excitement surging within him. The red-eyed dragon was a prominent character in the [Great Conquer] as he had helped in defeating one of the main villains of the novel.
However, in that very moment, the memories of the butler's indifference towards the original owner of his body surfaced in his mind, and Valerius's enthusiasm swiftly diminished.
This sudden influx of memories seemed to be triggered by seeing the butler's face.
The butler's name was Armand, and he knew, as early as three years ago, that Valerius was being ostracized by everyone around him in the House of Khaleji, which was Valerius entire world after the death of his parents, but he never offered the poor boy a helping hand.
His only redeeming point was that he also never took any actions to actively harm him.
Over the years, he neither treated Valerius coldly nor warmly. He strictly adhered to his professional duties and turned a blind eye to Valerius's predicaments.
Valerius thought: Taking no action when you know a child is desperately in need of help does not make you a good guy in my eye. A person like him doesn't deserve my idolization.
Besides, although Armand had always expressed a neutral stance when it came to him, Valerius could tell he secretly disdained him. So he decided to be wary of him.
The butler didn't come empty-handed this time around. There was a small yellow pill in his hand.
Valerius's memory was jolted when he saw the yellow pill.
In the novel, it was called the Nutrition Pill.
The Nutrition Pill was quite common in Serphendale.
It was a must-have for any wizard who was planning to go on an adventure or a mission for it was packed with nutrition and could keep one feeling full for seven whole days. However, it was not recommended to survive only off of it for long periods of time such as a year or two as a person could develop immunity to it without their knowledge.
Armand handed it to Valerius after walking over to him.
"This is called the Nutrition Pill. Take it; it will help you improve your condition."
As this was the first time Valerius was given such a pill, Armand took the time to explain what it was to him.
For a person suffering from malnutrition, the Nutrition Pill worked like a charm in helping them recover from their ailment. Basically, it was extremely beneficial for Valerius as he was suffering from malnutrition. The recovery potion recommended by the healer was good, but it wasn't as good as this pill.
'Why did I get a quest telling me not to digest it?'
Valerius was forced to wonder whether the Quest Book was against him or with him.
'Can I really trust it?'
Just then, Valerius caught a bitter scent in the air. It was so bad his nose crinkled and his eyes watered.
With unshed tears in his eyes, He looked up at the butler and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice "What is this god-awful smell?"
"It's the scent of the pill, young master," the butler said, maintaining a professional tone as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about it, and his demeanor remained unchanged from start to finish.
"But why does it smell so bad?" Valerius questioned.
"Medicines are supposed to be bitter, young master," the butler replied, with not a single change to be found in his tone.
Valerius squinted his eyes thoughtfully.
This pill shouldn't have such a weird smell. He had read about it in the novel, and it came in two different tastes: either it tasted sweet like honey or had no taste at all. But there was no mention of a nutrition pill having a putrid scent.
Something was seriously wrong with it.
Maybe it was spoiled or maybe it was mixed with poisonous substances.
Whatever the case, it would be harmful to consume it.
'I mustn't consume it.'
Valerius didn't want to eat it to begin with as he wanted to complete the mission issued by the quest book and assigned to him, but after noticing how abnormal the pill was, he became determined to not eat it.
The butler didn't leave even after a few moments passed.
Sensing his presence still in the room, Valerius raised his head and saw the butler standing before his bed and looking downwards, staring at him silently.
"Is there anything else?" Valerius asked.
The butler nodded at his words. He proceeded to say, "You should quickly take the pill and get ready for the spirit vein awakening ceremony. It is set to start in an hour."
The spirit vein awakening ceremony was an ancient and revered ritual in Serphandale. Its primary objective was to awaken the dormant spirit veins present within every person who had them.
Serphians with an Arcane heart have a 100% chance of being born with a set of spirit veins, and each such person possesses at least eight such veins.
But what exactly were these spirit veins?
Well, they were unique vascular structures that a majority of the denizens of Serphandale were born with.
In fact, statistically speaking, the probability of a person being born with spirit veins was significantly higher than the chance of them having an Arcane heart.
Though spirit veins were undeniably special, they were incomparably inferior when placed next to the arcane heart.
Here's the thing: in spirit veins, only a minuscule amount of soul power could be stored.
To put it into perspective, even if a person had all eight of his spirit veins fully awakened and functioning, his reserve of soul power would still pale in comparison to a wizard who had recently gained access to his arcane heart.
The most important fact was that after all eight of the spirit veins were opened, one could attempt to force open the entrance of their arcane heart.
And in Seph, this was the only method for an unawakened wizard to unlock their arcane heart.
The spirit vein awakening ceremony held immense significance to Valerius as he was also an unawakened wizard.
Furthermore, it was necessary for him to attend it.
In the novel, it was mentioned that Valerius failed to awaken even a single one of his 8 spirit veins during the ceremony. This failure led to his tragic expulsion from the prestigious House of Khaleji by the family head himself.
Merely four weeks after this event, he was murdered.
This might mean that whoever wanted to assassinate him wouldn't dare to do it as long as he was part of the Khaleji family. To put it simply, the odds of him staying safe would significantly improve if he maintained his ties with the Khalejis and didn't get disowned by them.
And even if that wasn't the case, the fortified mansion of the Khaleji was not a place where someone could easily execute an assassination without alerting the guards and wizards of the house and being swiftly dealt with as even the maids, the butlers, and even the freaking chef of the house of Khaleji were all wizards!
Thus, Valerius had to stick with the Khalejis until he could move to a better and more secure place, and to do that, he needed to awaken at least one of his spirit veins in the upcoming ceremony. The Khaleji would then not have a reason to kick him out. After all, unawakened wizards couldn't be expelled from the House of Khaleji unless they had no hope of ever becoming wizards.
Such was the rule established by their founder.
Even the current family head couldn't ignore it.
They wouldn't force it either as they didn't want to paint themselves black in the public's eye.
Ahem!
The butler saw that he was lost in thought and cleared his throat, making him snap back to reality.
Valerius looked at the butler, wasn't leaving his room for some reason, so he decided to give him one.
"I am not feeling good today, so can I have my breakfast in my room?" Valerius asked.
If the butler replied with a yes, he would ask him to fetch his breakfast for him. Once the butler would leave to relay the orders, Valerius planned to discreetly dispose of the suspicious pill by flushing it down the toilet.
It was a well-thought-out plan, almost perfect in his mind. However, life has a way of not always adhering to one's expectations.
"Madam emphasized that while breakfast can be postponed, the spirit veins awakening ceremony cannot. She was quite explicit in her instructions for me to escort you to the ceremony site at the earliest. But if you still want it, I can have a servant prepare it for you, and you can eat it on the way to the ceremony site," the butler stated, staring at him as if to ask, 'So what's it going to be?'
Valerius stared back at the butler without uttering a word. The original Valerius might have been easily swayed by the butler's apparent concern and mistaken him for an ally, but the transmigrated Valerius was wiser and could tell the butler was digging a hole for him.
If he agreed with his suggestion and had breakfast prepared for him, he would be contradicting the headmistress of the House of Khaleji.
And what was the punishment for that?
It was being beaten a few dozen times with a thick wooden stick.
Now, he had a weak constitution, and on top of that, he was still sick; if he received such a beating, he would certainly be crippled.
'The dragon is a snake in disguise. He's more reptilian than that famous man.'
Val cursed the butler internally.
Outwardly, he gracefully waved off the butler's suggestion.
"No, it's fine. I believe I can go without breakfast for a day."
"As you wish, young master," The butler nodded solemnly,
"Okay, you can go."
Valerius tried a more direct approach since his previous method had proven unsuccessful. He straightforwardly asked the butler to leave his room.
To his surprise and growing irritation, the butler remained motionless, his piercing gaze fixed on Valerius. He was showing no intention of heeding his young master's request.
This blatant act of disregard was unlike anything Valerius had encountered from the butler before.
The butler had never helped him, but he had also never disobeyed him as he was in the end a Khaleji. This was the first time he had been so disrespectful to him.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Valerius asked in a heavy tone.
"Madam instructed me to make sure that you ingest the pill with my own eyes. I can't leave without completing her orders," the butler replied.
"I see," Valerius murmured, his brow furrowing in thought.
He felt cornered. There was simply no way to deceive the astute butler, who, being a dragon, possessed senses far superior to any human. He was left with no choice but to consume the pill. After all, if he refused to eat it, it would mean denying the concern the headmistress of the family had shown him and being unfilial, and he would be punished for such disobedience.
Then he might miss the awakening ceremony altogether.
"Young master, do you not want to take the medicine that Madam had so thoughtfully prepared for you?" the butler suddenly asked.
Valerius shook his head, "No, I will eat it right away."
In the quest, it was mentioned he must not digest it.
Perhaps, Valerius thought, if he puked it out before the digestion of the pill took place in his stomach, the quest wouldn't be considered a failure, right?
It was a risky gambit, but it was worth a shot.
Valerius shot a discreet, resentful glare at the butler. He then promptly popped the tiny yellow pill with a putrid smell into his mouth, letting it roll down his throat.
And after that, he opened his mouth to show the butler that he wasn't acting but had really swallowed the pill.
Not seeing the pill in his mouth, the butler thought he had gone ahead and really ate it.
"My duties here are now complete. I will be going to make preparations for our departure and ready the carriage. Kindly ensure your presence by the secondary entrance before 7 a.m.," the butler instructed.
The House of Khaleji had two distinct entrances: the main entrance and the secondary entrance.
The main entrance was exclusively reserved for the Khaleji family and their esteemed guests.
In contrast, the secondary entrance was designated for the staff and servants of the family.
Valerius had been forbidden from using the main entrance and had been relegated to using the secondary entrance after his 13th birthday when he showed no signs of naturally awakening his arcane heart.
They truly didn't put him in his eyes. If he survived and became successful in the future, he would treat them like dirt too!
"Okay," Valerius replied. "Do excuse yourself, Sir Armand."
The butler went away, leaving him alone in the room.
Val could hear the muffled footsteps of the butler receding in the distance, and as soon as he was certain that the coast was clear, he leapt from the plush confines of his bed and, with a sense of urgency, made a beeline for the bathroom, his heart racing in his chest.
Pushing open the bathroom door with a little more force than necessary, he quickly stepped inside, closing and locking it behind him before walking over to the toilet.
He fingered his throat until he triggered his gag reflexes. He bent over the toilet and retched violently, his body convulsing violently as he puked his guts out, and the pill was expelled in the process.
He then flushed it all down the toilet with a push of the button. As a result, the evidence that could be used to punish him was now gone, lost to the labyrinth of the mansion's plumbing.
He stood up straight to freshen up.
Just then, a monotone voice echoed inside his head.
"You have completed the 'Deceive the Deceiver' quest. You have been rewarded with the status screen, and the treasury of the subspace has also been unlocked for you."
"Great," Valerius smiled.
