Chapter 1: Corruption - part 2

Spending the rest of the night, Henri fell asleep sitting in his chair while he wrote one of his purely technical theories he discovered and elaborated, as he likes to do after noticing new things. Generally, if he wrote unwillingly, it was a sign that he would fall asleep soon. In the first paper, it is written the ideas of his "education" program for his first female student. On the second paper, which presumably made him sleepy, are his plans for the future written, and nothing is written except the title, Henri, in fact, is terrible at laying down formal plans if he isn't 100% mentally prepared. Now that he thinks about it more, he apparently will have to work every day... Perhaps he can use this to his advantage so that, at one time or another, he can ask for time off for a specific period, as it is unthinkable for him to have no way to plan some "strategic" trip.

After doing all he had to do in the morning, Henri seeks Reith to unwind some informations. From the words he managed to exchange with the hurried knight, he hears that he tutors the bishop's daughter in the morning and works as a guard in the middle of the night. For his salary, he didn't tell Henri, but it's likely he earns a lot more than he does. Taking advantage of the time he as left in the morning, Henri lefts to go to an artifact shop he spotted earlier. He had once come into it in the past, and the place remains the same, apart from the clear changes in the building and the goods. In there, Henri sees the usual suspicious rings, self-proclaimed magical objects with dubious uses, and even the so-called relics that there is no way to normally know if they work for anything. Henri informs the owner that he will pay up the double the price of any non-fraudulent item, and is presented with those who are supposedly said to be non-fraudulent items. First, a rope supposedly capable of binding spirits, second, a helmet supposedly capable of protecting the mind from spiritual influences, and lastly, a small cube-shaped magical orb.

Despite apparently being conveniently the ideal items for some of his future plans to the point that he wonders if the shop owner can read his mind, Henri confirms to himself that the first and second objects are fraudulent by using some simple perception magic, but their existence alone gave him hints of what he should do. On the other hand, the small orb is true. Magic orbs are direct channelers of spiritual energy. They are not that rare, but they are not very effective either due to their limited use and usually exorbitant price. The materials used to create it are minerals fused through alchemy, and therefore, you never know very well the quality of the product without firstly testing it. Unfortunately, Henri doesn't know of any possible alchemists in this town, and even if he did, he would doubt their efficiency, and the most useful magical orbs are usually the old ones anyway, so it doesn't hurt to place an bet. He already has an ideal orb for research at his grandma's home, but who knows when that will come...

Henri then pays 3 gold for the orb (Managed to change the previously fully doubled total price from 4 to 3 via bargaining) and returns home. his next project is to prepare something to seal low level demons, or more exactly, their power. Henri isn't an alchemist, but he has a pretty good idea of how he's going to do it. First, he asks (or buy) several seals from the bishop, then, he strengthens the efficiency of the seals through his spiritual magic, that is, using spells, and lastly, he calls the demon, holds him against the wall or the floor through the wind, and then conducts a spell to seal the demon's spirit into several parts, straight into the seals. The plan seems perfect, if we are to exclude the question of how Henri will manage to trap him long enough to completely absorb his spirit, and even if he succeeds, he doesn't know a very efficient way to eliminate the demon's spirit, let alone what to do with it. Perhaps his only possible response is to threaten him with bluffs so to force the demon to make an master and servant contract with him.

Having decided that, it is still necessary to have a plan B in case everything does not go according to the plan. The orb will be used for efficient manipulation for the two operations Henri intends to carry out against the demon, but he knows that there is a risk of the orb simply breaking due to too much magic operations happening at the same time. His conclusion is that he might need to enlist the bishop's help, by one way or another. For that, he will use his daughter to help him, which will activate the mark Fleer engraved in him some hours earlier, but that will depend on whether he manages to deceive her.

Having done all the planning, Henri walks to the living room, and asks Andreia to call his student. Eleandor arrives along with the servant. Henri doesn't see much excitement in her, but he figures she's probably curious. They walk together into the garden, where Henri says it will be a better place for him to teach her. He sends servants to prepare two chairs and a table, and after all the preparations are complete, the two sit down.

Henri: "First of all, I would like to know what you mean and think about magic. If you have trouble putting it into words, you can try drawing it." Henri hands her some paper and an ink pen.

Eleandor seems to have trouble knowing what to do first, but then she sketches, crudely, a man levitating an apple by pointing his hands at it.

Henri: "It's not that far from magic, hahaha."

Henri then writes, very large, the word magic, so that Eleandor can match the letters with the words.

Henri: "Wizards are the individuals who manipulate and project elements of nature through what is called mana."

Henri writes the text on the paper, and tells Eleandor to try to read and rewrite right below his text. He spends some time indicating which word that comes out of his mouth is also the same word that's written, and he does this until she has a basic idea of what it's all about.

He starts talking again, slowly so that his student understands, while writing down on a new sheet of paper:

Henri: "Wizards are not the only ones who use nature power to perform magic. We also have alchemists, studious beings capable of fusing materials and creating fusions through magic. On the other hand, there are also witches and sorcerers, both go much beyond from manipulating magic, they are also able to use specific elements to carry out magical experiments and thereby transform potions and objects, such as alchemists do, but without specializing specifically only in that, but also in the occult, the deep connection between all things."

And continues in another paragraph: "Furthermore, for any magic user to actually be able to perform a spell, it is necessary, first, that the being either has contact with spirits so that they can provide him with spiritual power, or that he does a contract with a specific spirit to be able to use, limitedly, the same essence of nature that his spirit uses. In this specific process, there is what we call spiritual exchange: on the one hand, we have the being that provides the spirit with what it generally wants: mana, and on the other, we have the spirit that provides the magician with what he usually wants: spiritual power. In this case, the magician has much more limited capabilities than if he had direct contact with the spirits, as he may be able to materialize only the element by which the spirit that made the contract is compatible."

"And," continues in another paragraph, "besides, the only beings hitherto capable of contacting spirits were the elves... And a few known witches and wizards, but none of them live or have lived on the small continent of Iguadesh, at least as far as I'm aware."

Again he helps her read and understand what is written, and makes her rewrite everything. It's not that difficult, considering the Bishop apparently already taught her some of the basics. She is somewhat able to hear well what he says and the language he uses, but her writing is still pretty much primitive.

The class goes on for a few hours, in the meantime, Henri teaches her the basics of how to get mana, and how to make contracts with spirits. For the first, it is necessary for the individual to concentrate so that the mana particles enter his body and don't flow.out. And in the second, it is necessary for the individual to concentrate again to locate one or more spirits and try to communicate with them, which is usually done with the help of another person. To communicate with spirits, it usually takes several steps, and therefore, it is preferable, in fact, that someone experient helps the person to do this. At the last minute, Henri tries to make her concentrate to try to get mana, but she can't. Even after trying to help her focus, he notices that she just can't absorb the mana, as if something inside her repels it. Henri is surprised by the situation, he knows that certain races are incompatible with mana in some ways, but he didn't expect it to fail without the slightest sign of success. When he was a kid and around her age, he managed it on his own. He then takes advantage of her concentration on something else to try to see if there is something wrong with her spirit, and for that, he puts his head close to hers and uses his psychic clairvoyance to feel the spirit of his student, but before trying, Henri ends up having a bad feeling about it, and tries to make her absorb some of his mana, which ends up failing, because everything is repelled as it tries to approach her.

Henri is intrigued, and considers doing other non-risky experiments. Attempts to conjure a breeze of air against her, only for the spell to be repelled as well as the conjured breeze approaches her body. Henri then comes to the conclusion that, despite not being 100% proven, it is likely that Eleandor is immune to magic in some way or another. He then finish his class with her after a few more attempts, and prepares a written report, which he plans to deliver the next day:

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The 28th of Decimum, (Equivalent of October) 812 CE

I taught Eleandor the basics of basics, and while I was trying to get her to absorb mana, I failed in my goal. Somehow, she's immune not only to her own mana, but to any kind of magic as well.

- Henri

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He doesn't intend to deliver the report today simply because he still intends to test things out with her before letting the Bishop know.

The day then proceeds without any notable incident. Henri planned to put his conspiracy against Lunarius into action, but decides to focus on the Eleandor case first.

...

As soon as the next class approaches, Henri already has everything ready. He tells Eleandor that these will be his last attempts to see if he can sense mana, and if he fails, he will have to rethink his lessons. This alert is both to make her try harder, and to make her concentrate more, which are to make her unaware of the experiments he is going to try with her. As he proceeds with his plans as normal, he goes on to say that, if nothing changes, perhaps she is incompatible with magic. She seems pretty frustrated about this, which is in line with his expectations. He tries several things, ranging from materializing a small stone to fall on top of her, to an attempt to use one of the seals he had taken from Fleer to forcibly transport mana to her body. All fails, and any spell cast and used on, near, or against her is gone before they even touch her.

Hopeless, he tries to advise her while she is still concentrating.

Henri: "Try to feel the particles of mana around you. Open your body to it, and absorb them. Feel your own unconscious open, allow your conscious to absorb them."

While counseling her for some minutes, unexpected results occur: She manages to absorb the mana, but somehow seems to lose control, and bizarrely, not only does a large amount of mana seem to be absorbed, but physical objects also start to be pulled in and absorbed through her body. Henri doesn't understand what exactly is happening, as he seems to feel something coming from her, something he just doesn't understand what exactly is, an indescribable power that seems to be getting out of control. Henri uses his elemental powers to try to access the source of so much power, and finally discovers its location: Her heart.

As if by instinct, he tries to use his spiritual power to get close to so much power, but he feels that he is close to being absorbed as well. In order not to lose his power, he moves away from her, and says that she has already absorbed enough. She listens, and stops concentrating and opens her eyes, and is surprised to see that several objects that were nearby were mostly decomposed and placed agaisnt the floor, including the table and chair where Henri was sitting, they were spelled from her body in the moment she lost concetration.

Henri, thinking back over what just happened, finds himself far more perplexed by what he saw than what actually happened. As he looked at her anatomy by using spiritual magic before, he noticed that her body was quite different from an ordinary human's body. The heart is in the center of the belly, and the nerves seem to be pumping the blood in a conflicted and confused way, and the body's valves don't seem to be taking up their supposed roles. He is very surprised that she is still alive while under that condition.

Henri: "Eleandor, you absorbed mana, but none of it is accumulating in your body. As you might have already noticed, some objects were absorbed by your body. I don't know how, but it seems that you have some strange power inside you... "

Eleandor looks nervous at those words.

Henri: "To verify this power, I intend to run some tests."

Henri then takes a seal and brings it to Eleandor.

Henri: "Try to concentrate on transferring the power that resides in your heart into this seal, try to feel it and expel it to the outside."

She tries, and somehow seems to be succeeding, because Henri is able to feel it, maybe Eleandor was already concerned about such power inside her. Despite being such an abnormal and strange power, everything is eventually transferred to the seal, according to Eleandor's own words. Henri checks and confirms that magic no longer works against the seal. He also tries to pierce the seal with the pen, but it seems to have become indestructible. He tries to tear it off, but the paper feels like rubber bands, it moves, but that force alone does nothing to cause damage.

Henri places the seal on the table, and asks Eleandor to concentrate again and absorb mana, and Henri realizes that she can now do this without any problems, quite easily too.

Perplexed, Henri asks Eleandor if he can transfer the power inside the seal to his body This time it took longer, but Henri can feel the power within him, it can also absorb mana without any problems, so he comes to the conclusion that Eleandor is, for some reason, incompatible with the power, it seems to enter a chaotic in her body, but she is still able to manipulate it wherever it is.

Henri: "Can you still manipulate that power?"

Eleandor: "I'm not sure."

She focuses once more, and confirms that she can feel it inside Henri.

Henri: "Right. I'll see if I can find out something about this power. Until then, I'll continue teaching you magic. Maybe it'll help you manipulate it."

Seeing that he no longer has a chair and a table to go with, and that he has a lot on his mind at the moment, Henri cancels the rest of the class, but not before proceeding with some "homework" for Eleandor.

Henri: "Now that you're finally able to absorb mana, I suggest you try to learn how to release it from your body, as well as circulate it through the body. It's essential that you get used to mana and how it interact with your body."

Henri: "That said, absorbing mana is not an easy thing. The fact that you managed to do it so easily is probably due to the power you possess. Perhaps it alters and moves the nature around you. The fact that you were even able to absorb physical objects means that... This power of yours is something close to my thesis about original power..."

Eleandor: "Original power? What do you mean"

Henri: "I won't explain about it now, since you will need to properly understand it to know about it. When i'm done with my classes and i'm done with my analyses, i'll tell you more, I promise. Now i'll nform your father about everything that happened."

Eleandor: "Is everything going to be okay? Dad has a... strange way of acting. If you tell him about it, he'll surely get you into something dangerous."

Henri: "Strange acting? The Bishop sure is a bit odd, but he's certainly a cautious fellow."

Eleandor: "I've known him since I arrived here, aged 3. Since then, I don't remember exactly who he talked to, but I do remember that he mentioned things like "This girl has potential" or "My plans for the future will shape our path in a better direction"."

Henri: "Hmmm, alright, I'll keep what you told me in mind. Don't forget what i asked you to do."

As he walks back to his room, Henri sees, from the reception room, the knight Rieth talking to people who look like members of the church, at the gate that leads to the manor's courtyard, which is strange, considering that, as far as he heard from the servants, Rieth does not work on Sunday. It makes him wonder if, by any chance, Fleer has a lot of plans he has no intention of telling him. In that case he will have to get information directly from him before he can pass on his report. Of course, it might be safer to run the report and ask questions later, but as long as the information he has might be seen as potencially valuable, he's probably not going to be targeted by any sort of plot.

Henri then goes back to his room and writes a detailed report of what happened today. While Fleer doesn't come, Henri also tries to analyze the mysterious power within him, but to not much avail. The power, although theoretically is with him now, seems to be in some kind of third plane. He cannot access it with his spiritual power no matter how hard he tries, even trough he is somehow aware of it.

One theory that Henri considers possibly true is that spiritual power is just a copy of an greater power, as it alone is not capable of performing unimaginable feats such as those performed by the gods. Henri separated the power of the gods and the power of spiritual beings as divine power and spiritual power. While divine power is the power that comes from a primary and original essence, spiritual power is that which comes from divine power. There is also demonic power, which also somewhat comes from this original essence. The third type of power that comes from this essence is the power of light, used by church members, it's somewhat produced by faith, but it's more like an energy of sorts made via the extrapolation and use of the people's psycho because of their strong faith, Henri doesn't know much about how this power works.

Not wanting to waste any more time thinking about these theories, Henri states that more research and discoveries will be needed to form any conclusions about this mysterious power. Fleer might be able to help him, but first he needs to know if both can trust each other.

As he thought about it, he noticed something approaching behind his. He turns and sees a demonic portal, and Lunarius on top of it.

Lunarius: "Henri, Henri. I didn't think you'd be able to absorb that girl's power into your body, but what do you plan on doing? Wants to fight for it with me? Hehehe."

Henri: "I don't know what you're talking about. I was never your unconditional companion. Perhaps i collaborated with you too much in the past, but I realize now that it wasn't entirely by free will. One of your powers, demons, is to stimulate the strangest, most terrible and bizarre sorts of negative feelings within other living beings, isn't it?"

Lunarius: "Hahaha, no wonder you refused to negotiate a contract with me for the first time, I've been noticing that you're resisting a lot agaisnt it. Unfortunately, I no longer have enough power to make you obey your own deepest desires, you've indeed somehow became quite strong, and has certainly utilized the power i gave it well."

And continues: "But, hihi, know that I will not be frightened by the possibility of having to take drastic measures you and this power, such as the assholes of my superiors have been too much frightened and occupied with their own bullshits. If you don't give me the girl, know that I will come here myself with an army with me, kekeke."

Henri: "Eh, do whatever you want. If you want to take drastic measures so badly, know that i will also be prepared to take drastic measures... From now on!"

Henri, suddenly, launches Fleer's seals against the demon, and, using his power, uses air pressure to launch and keep him against the wall that was right behind. The demon, reacting, breaks the wall using his demonic aura solelly with the moves of his body, and before he can get out of the building Henri is already close enough to freeze his feet through an anti-demonic ice device he prepared in the spot capable of expanding and freezing things as soon as it touches and connects with anything, altrough the demonic aura is fastly melting it. Lunarius then generates 4 wings on his back, but before he can release a boost to escape of henri's range by breaking the roof, Henri uses his spiritual power to launch Lunarius down through a strong pressure caused by the wind, which is being concentrated from above to low, it is also desestabilizing Lunarius's aura, which makes the ice device Henri made to spread trough his body.

Henri also begins to use his orb to be able to concentrate half of his conscious and spiritual power to extract the demonic power from the demon while also maintaning his two simultaneous magic operations, and Lunarius werdly reacts to this scenario by trying to break the concrete from the floor, which shows he is not able to go against the wind coming from above. Upon realizing the stupidy of his actions, he decides to attack Henri directly, but doesn't seems to know how to go about it since his lower body is already completely freeze. What makes him a low level demon is the fact that he is not able to use his power as a destructive power. Instead, he prefers to use it in hand-to-hand and armed combat, so, while fighting someone, he is able to become extremely agile and his blows deal great damage. Seeing that he is totally restricted, and not able to attack or react to the situation, he decides to abandon his body and escape trough the portal, which closes right after.

Lunarius: "Henri, you bastard, i'll get my payback for thissssss..."

The body Lunarius left behind, without demonic magic to maintain it, quickly starts to decompose, leaving behind only the seals. Despite not being able to exterminate the demon, Henri is satisfied with what he has accomplished. Lunarius lost his body and at least half of his power. If he don't convince someone to come with him on his acclaimed campaign to get the mysterious power, Henri is sure to have bought at least a few years of peace agaisnt this demon. Despite having already contracted with other demons, Lunarius is the demon he has formed the most contracts with and knows the most. The fact that he was able to detect where Henri was and who he was with was due to the fact that some of the demonic energy left which was still in possession of Henri was easily accessible to the demon. While Henri doesn't carry this kind of power inside his body, it's still close enough to him for any demon easily notice, so, if Lunarius try to feel it, even if very far away, he can still notice the power he gave to Henri, since it's freely noticiable to him as long there is nothing obstructing his perception.

But now, he wonders how he will deal with the broken wall, and what he will do with this seal that contains demonic power. Maybe it's time to vent to Fleer...

...

A few hours pass, and eventually the so needed Bishop arrives. Henri manages to get into his room under the pretense of wanting to deliver the report.

Fleer: "Impressive. So she's able to absorb physical matter while concentrating?"

Henri: "Before we discuss this, I would like to say that something important happened a few hours ago, and it involves a demon. I would like to know if I can trust you."

The bishop seems intrigued by these words.

Fleer: Why, you trust me? I see you've been interested my goals. If you're asking this in person after an issue, it means you want to work with me and share information, am I right?"

Henry: "Yes"

Fleer: "Honestly, I took an interest in you because you're clearly someone capable of researching the occult. I planned to get to know you more as the weeks go by, but apparently the results are being more immediate than I expected, and soon, my decisions must be too, after all, we don't want to wind each other up, right?"

Fleer: "Do you know the knight Rieth? It was I who made him a knight. Many years ago, I found him living in the streets, and I realized that he would possess great talent with weapons. Nowadays, he is able to use almost any kind of weapon, and he is also able to ride an horse while at the same time using a bow simultaneously, and is also especially talented with what has always been his weapon of choice, spears and halberds."

Fleer: "And how did i was able to discover such man? I never needed any advice from the gods to see potential talents and the nature of people. When I saw Rieth, he was fighting in the street, hitting other children with a huge stick. I asked to the neighborhood for information about this child, and i was told that he routinely fought with other children because he didn't want to share anything."

Fleer: "And Eleandor... I found her starving around town while traveling by wagon, she stopped at the head of the road and knelt down a bit scared, pointing her hands upwards, and I decided to make room in the wagon to meet her. She didn't know anything, or where she used to live or what had happened to her, but she was able to communicate, and she had great intelligence, that is, the ability to analyze her own situation and show sensible opinions. It was strange coming from a girl that wouldn't know her own name or where she came from or what happened to her, i wondered if she was keeping secrets. I bet even the hottest member of the highest noble house wouldn't be as smart as she was at three years old."

And he continues: "Do you understand what I'm telling you? I'm always looking for people with potentials, and the more I can get them to trust me, the more they will be useful for my plans."

Fleer then gets up from the chair where he was always being and takes a paper stored inside the drawer.

Fleer: "Of course, to trust me, you probably must first know about my plans, after all, you're not dependent on me, in fact, you're probably just here now because you're looking for ways to benefit from our collaboration. But before that, I would like you to tell me what you were going to say, even if it's just a part."

Henri: "Okay, as you've already told me a lot, I have to say something of the same relevance. As you probably deduced in your mind, i can be considered a "black magician" who uses means different from those used by common magicians for their goals. Mages are generally individuals who also tread a path of illness and risk, but they are limited in the amount they have to rely on spirits.While i obviously can't be considered one of the strongest mages right now, I've developed a method for seeking my own independence in these regards. Mages usually use their spiritual powers from contracts to carry out research and perform efficiently, powerful and useful spells. As for me, I obtained a way to use spiritual power unrestrictedly. What do I mean by that? That I obtained the spiritual power to myself without needing to directly rely in mana and contracts."

And continues: "Although i always liked to do my own research, I didn't see any way to surpass the most advanced mages. They all have access to much better materials and with many more possibilities than I would even dream of obtaining. Even more so considering that, ever since our ancestors fled to this vast island, any items of magic carried over have become luxuries, not so much as something wizards usually obtained trough their research, but rather as things they obtained through their ancestors' inheritance or because of their financial powers, which they use to make others impressed, which are their employers and financiers."

Continuing further: "Considering all this, I have decided to go along a path that I have developed. I have devised ways to obtain the power of the spirits, and through them, I can use unqualified magic precisely rather for sheer power than efficiency of use. Perhaps, this means that a more skilled mage would beat me in battle as long he plays his cards right and know my abilites, but I would certainly have carefully planned and prepared before this battle started to not risk myself in a losing, risky engagement."

Fleer: "...Considering what you told me before, this spirit power was what you went after in the Semiur Forest for, right? When I was purifying you, I realized that you still had power to aid me in the process. And the fact that you survived for 2 years there shows that you had enough power to last that long there without needing basic needs."

Henri: "Yes. Before I explain that part, I'd like you to explain your goals to me."

Fleer: "Ah, yes, because I'm the one who needs you the most, right? I can't explain everything to you before trusting you more, but I can confirm that my plans are big, to the point that i plan to take control over the governments of the small continent and march to the living continent after much preparation."

Henri already had an idea of what it would be, but hearing the bishop's plan actually left him a little perplexed for some reasons.

Henri: "Is that why you're looking for the most talent and special individuals you can find?"

Fleer: "Yes. I don't see many methods of going on an extremely risky crusade if I don't have special individuals along with me."

Henri: "... Can I wait until tomorrow to decide whether to tell my part of the story or not? By the way, a part of my bedroom wall is broken..."

Fleer: "... Okay, you can get your things and move to the room with the door to the left. But I'm warning you that I might kick you out if you decide not to tell, hahaha. I've already told you all the important side of my story, yours is missing."

Henri leaves the room and tells Andreia that he will be changing rooms. Once there, he decides to reflect on his next decision.

Henri (whispering to himself): "If he wants to go to the mainland... But what safe means will he use for this?... Won't he be leaving the rears free for a "surprise attack? What if..."

Whispering to himself, Henri reflects through multiple perspectives, coming to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, his entire life and all of his decisions, irrational or not, happened just to get him to this point and what it would take with it. Even if Fleer's plan might be irrational in the end, he is determined to go along with it, even under a false identity for security, in case he decides to flee from the bishop and company while not wanting to be identified by his "true" enemies."

...

Henri then wakes up in the morning, and the servants already prepared breakfast. The bishop is no longer at his house, as he tipically leave at dawn and returns at lunchtime. Rieth usually seems to stay at the house all day, with the job of protecting the manor, but sometimes he'll also accompany the Bishop on one thing or another. Whatever it is, Henri plans to leave the house today to gather as much information as possible independently.

His main contacts live in other cities, but in Teodoriel he also has some acquaintances who maybe can give him some information. Stellei, his late father's former lawyer, is a bit of a bitch, but he's sure he'll might get information from him as long as he doesn't give out any information about himself and pays the right amount. There's also a government contractor who gave him some jobs when he was in the area for about a year, but he doesn't want to be recognized by someone who has government connections and he's not very close with.

Might as well try his luck and ask Rieth, but right now he's training with Eleandor. From what he know, training lasts around two to 3 hours. Which means that by 10:00 he should be free. Henri waits for that time to pass while he searches the library for information, and although it shows the bishop's tastes very well, it's clear that he won't find what he's looking for there.

After that, he looks to the yard trough an window where Rieth should be training with Eleandor, and sees him alone, exercising. Henri gives a little squeal and runs downstairs. Rieth continues to exercise until Henri comes close, getting up as soon as Henri watches him, only to practice exercises with just his arms.

Henri: "The bishop told me quite a bit about himself, you, and his own plans yesterday. Although I'm almost certain that I'll join him, I want to analyze the whole situation in this city first. I'd like you to help me, even if I have to owe you a favor."

Rieth continues to exercise, while putting on a straight face, as if this is his way of showing that he's thinking about the matter, or that he's focusing more on the exercise than on thinking.

Rieth: "... Talking about the city, huh? Indeed, Fleer made me learn a lot as soon as he welcomed me into his home. Although I am not 100% committed to his cause, I promised him that I would serve him until the day of his death. He has not given me specific orders on how to deal with you, but my promise to him does not preclude me from helping or harming him in a way that he has not laid down clauses upon, not that i plan to harm him in anyway, of course. If i telling you about the situation in the city will help you bond with him, it probably won't be so bad to act independently. But come on... What do you want to know, exactly?"

Henri: "About the city's archbishop."

Rieth: "Ah, yes... If you're worried about that guy, i can say you don't have to worry too much. The Archbishop is formally a member of the order of Guennes, but judiciously, the members of that order act completely independently from each other. Then what does that mean? That the members spend more time jockeying for political power among themselves, than actually caring about dangers from the outside. Of course, they wouldn't mind teaming up to fight a greater danger, but if the problem is just with one of the members, they will be more willing to try to stab him than help him. Theodoriel's archbishop is curiously unpopular among his fellows, largely because he is honest and charitable at a level far above relatively to the other members, who also don't like to see his lands prospering and his also high popularity among his people."

Henri: "The Bishop plans to remove him from power?"

Rieth: "Yeah, the Bishop first plans to get as much power as possible to issue an ultimatum, if not accepted the Bishop will attempt an assassination attempt on the Archbishop. The natural successor would be the Bishop himself, however, that's what would make him the prime suspect. Fleer plans to falsify evidence incriminating the Archbishop of Fazzer, who is one of the main rivals of the Archbishop of Theodoriel. It is hoped that this accusation will lead the Archbishop of Fazzer to declare war on Fleer or at least to begin making his moves, and it will be from there that we will start the domino effect to dominate the small continent."

Henri: "The plan seems well thought out, with a decent chance of going right, in fact. Can i give it that you gave me information when I go to talk with the Bishop? I plan to propose a reformulation of the plan after hearing everything he has to say himself."

Rieth: "You can. Fleer knows I act independently occasionally, so he is not going to mind me much, altrough he would be disappoited if you don't help. He might not let it clear, but he usually has a lot of expectation for people he knows."

...

At noon, the bishop Fleer is finally at home. After lunch, Henri meets him, just as usual, in his room.

Henri: "Before i tell you my final decision, i will tell my story, as promised."

Fleer: "Now isn't the ideal time for us to talk, but i'm going be able to hear it before leaving the house."

Henri: "Very good. The power I used so to obtain spiritual power was demonic power. I formed contracts with demons to obtain power. My wish was to prove my theory that it would be possible to obtain spiritual power for myself, and to sacrifice human beings to demons and getting some of their powers was the only alternative I thought of."

Fleer: "...So that was it. Since you were afraid to tell this story, it means you probably don't like to remember it, right?"

Henri: "You can say so. By the way, i asked Rieth to fill me in on the informations about the Archbishop, and he decided to fill me in on several of his and yours future plans."

Fleer: "Okay, good thing you got it quicker. If possible, I'd like to spare the Archbishop, but there's also the possibility that I might have to eliminate him, i just don't know how exactly to do that. I'd like to have an somewhat 100% chance of they murder going right, but it doesn't seem like a realistic chance, since the archbishop certainly also has his own means to protect himself. Taking advantage of you talk about demons, I've even considered forming a contract with one to help me with this dilemma, but i've been concerned about possible side effects."

Henri: "Instead of an assassination, why don't you try to get the bishop into a situation that leads exclusively to his death?"

Fleer: "What do you mean?"

Henri: "Send a letter to the Archbishop of Fazzer, informing him that you have decided to betray the Archbishop of Teodoriel, and promise to reveal the weak points to get into the city and the bishop headquarters. He probably won't trust you, but if you treat him cortly and costy, who knows. As soon as the Archbishop dies, immediately ambush the rest of the army outside the headquarters and eliminate the Archbishop of Fazzer. This will create to you an path to the annexation of both cities."

Fleer: "The plan seems interesting, but several points of it are an open question."

Henri: "Indeed, they are an open question, but it's better than sitting around racking you brains over a point that will probably never be resolved and might lead to new issues if done poorly. i mean, to assassinate the archbishop and assume power would be an dangerous move."

Fleer: "Hmmm, but all the same, I still have the impression that hiring a demon would guarantee everything."

Henri: "... How about we do it like this, then? I'll be your demon."

Fleer: "What?"

Henri: "A few years ago, a demon tried to form a contract with me, tried to convince me to kidnap your daughter. I refused, since i didn't have any interest in such. Yesterday, he returned, and threatened me, saying that he would try to invade the city together with other demons. I then battled with him and got half of his power through the seals you gave me."

Fleer: "Which means..."

Henri: "Yes, I have access to demonic powers, and I know how to use them. I am theorically capable of opening portals and modifying my body temporally."

Fleer: "Interesting. If everything you say is true, wouldn't it be better to stick with my plan?"

Henri: "Despite that your plan virtually guarantee your succession as soon as you eliminate the Archbishop, i need to mind you that your force might get cornered politically in the aftermath, after all, the past enemies of the archbishop are also be going to make proofs and actions against you. I still have a hunch that the battle with the Archbishop of Fazzer will not go as planned in my plan, but since you plan to gain power, you'll need to do it as quickly and fexible as possible before getting cornered. But for my plan to succeed, it is also necessary that you have an army at your disposal."

Fleer: "... Considering all the men I have at my side for me, that would round up to be at least 500. If I go for you, Rieth, and three more reliable men at the helm, it would make for a legitimate army, even more considering that all these men are from Teodoriel's army and are faithful to me.

Henri: "Great, in theory, this means that almost all basic conditions are already there. However, do the walls of this city actually have any weaknesses?"

Fleer: "Not exactly. We could just open the gates by bribing the soldiers on the patrol. If that doesn't work, I hope you manage to get with it using your demonic powers."

Henri: "Of course. I'll bribe them myself, since, by using demonic influence, I'll probably be able to influence their desires and make them do what I want. But when we might start the operations?"

Fleer: "...I an capable of having the army organized within three days. You will then deliver the letter and bribe the guards the next day. It is to be expected that the enemy army will come to attack in an night, and you will guide then to the gate, of course, i'll need you to inform me much before hand so that i can prepare the men."

Henri: "Great."

Fleer: "But how are you going to get from here to there? You claim to have demonic powers, but isn't using that power supposed to affect your body negatively?"

Henri: "Here's the question. I plan to create a temporary body to move around in, and I will manipulate it through a spiritual spectrum. The only danger is that my original body will be completely unconscious, but as long as I form a barrier and a sensor that connect with my surface body, I will be able to quickly teleport back to my body if I see the need through my dual perception."

Fleer: "Right. I'd like to leave Rieth on guard at the manor, but he'll be busy with me now. If you need anything else, let me know during the night. Now I'll be getting ready to retire."

"By the way", he continues, "I ask that you continue teaching Eleandor normally. I don't know if i will be able to protect her forever, and in the future, perhaps, it will become useful for her in another ways than as research object. I brought her in because she's a curious girl, but even though she's merely curious, I know that anyone is capable of making a place for themselves in the world."

Henri: "Something interesting coming from someone about to get involved in violent and harmful intrigues." Says, already getting up and going to the door.

Fleer: "I may see conflict of the worst sorts, but we always have to think of the best way to go about things. When we go to battle with our enemies, whatever they may be, I hope it's not just blood being spilled , and everyone fighting has special motives and means for doing so."

Henri: "Intriguing. I'll think about what you said." Says, retreating through the door.

As he slowly walks to his room, Henri thinks carefully about his next goals. He hopes that by the time the conflicts start, the items he asked for from his grandmother will arrive, but it's only been a few days since he sent the letter. He could use demonic energy to go get what he isninterested in, but using it like that will put him at risk. Both the artificial body and the specter it will create will be entities that he will have to get rid of after use, this is due to the fact that they will be created through negative energy. Negative energy is everything that is capable of artificially producing and creating things through the reproduction of the mind, and not on the basis of what is actually created, it's the sort of power capable of distorting reality form one's selfish wishes. But only negative energy is not able to put all this into process an something real, a great catalyst of creation is needed to put all negative energy into a magical process.

And that's where demons come from. demons have not existed since forever, beings that have the gift of "creation" are their absolute leaders, called by all of them as "lords", but these beings are not gods, but entities that denied the very original essence of the universe to seek to become their own. Henri doesn't know how many of them are out here, but he thinks there's at least one, that's it, the who who started this kind of power, welder of the caotic power of creation. Henri know this because, to perform any demonic magic, magic words are necessary, that is, the spiritual bond that the bearer has with the essence of what he carries.

When you impose demonic energy on your body, it's as if an essence of another being is trying to corrupt you, forcing you to go and fulfill his and yours most abysmal desires combined. Henri would never have the courage or low morals to try to lead a man to his own death, but spiritual corruption is capable of it, through demonic energy. This negative energy generated by the subconcious troughs, together with the demonic essence of an higher being capable of molding and corrupting all things, form the demonic energy, which is capable of transforming any living individual into an slave of his goals and abysmal desires. That's what demons live from, and he knew very well that when he got carried away by his ambitions and feelings when forming contracts with demons, they took his sanity and gave him power, which were what he needed the most to fulfill his ambitions. The sacrifices he performed serve as a beacon, and the sacrifice itself is not what the demons want, but rather the feeling that comes upon the death of these humans and those who brought him to death. It's a much more advantageous mean for demons to obtain power than simply killing individual humans. And the way an individual uses demonic power can also bring these demons more power, since the very power used by humans will somehow eventually return to demons once it's used along with all the negatives feelings generated trough it.

The energy he took from Lunarius is no mere energy that will be returned to him, but rather an amount of the essence the original demonic entity withheld from a secondary source, which was Lunarius. He basically robbed him of a power he had by sealing off the path of power by using spiritual power, and Lunarius himself involuntary helped him with it by cutting himself of his own body and running away.

But demonic power, by itself, does not exist infinitely. Negative energy wears off, and to get more, more negative energy needs to be obtained. And to continue possessing their powers, it is essential that demons obtain it through actual living beings.

Thinking about all this, it means that Henri will have to corrupt other human beings to maintain his access to demonic power, and wars will be a great means for this, but keeping that power as his is not an end in itself, because when he no longer needs it, he will promptly return it to Lunarius by means that provide an advantageous contract for himself. Trying to put it directly into his body in practice will only turn him into a demon, or, more exactly, his body will end up rotten with time, eventually turning into something that can only exist via demonic power itself, alas, it doesn't feel safe having an power which essence is blasted with demonic energy along with you.

Returning to his room, he sees in the clock that he will instruct Eleandor in an hour. Thinking about it, he decides that it's better to talk with her before the class starts. He goes into the garden, tells the servants to prepare two chairs and a table, and tells them to call Eleandor. According to the servants, she is in her room most of the time, in his opinion about it, he has no idea what she does there all the time, and he thinks it's not very healthy for a child not to have contact with others, but he knows that this might be quite common among rich children.

She arrives, and Henri says, "Forgive me for calling you ahead of time, but I'd like to discuss something with you before teaching time. Would you lend me some time to be able to grace your ears?"

Eleandor: "Hmmm, I don't see any problems, but... Will it take long?"

Henri: "No, I just want to have a few words with you."

Henri sits down, and Eleandor sits down too.

Henri: "I have discussed some things with your father, he has honestly told me that he wants to see you well in the future, no matter what happens. I may not be the best person to do this, but I would like to discuss more miscellaneous topics with you as well. You father must've already told you a lot of things, but considering your origins, I think you have the right to hear things from different perceptions. This means that, in addition to teaching to you normally, I also want to talk to you about other things in the world. What do you think? Of course, your father already gave me permission for this."

And continues: "Books are a great way to educate youself about the outside world, but you still don't know how to read, and besides, I would say that just knowing is different from experiencing. Listening to people's personal experience is a great way to feel their experiences firsthand, as long as their stories are narrated correctly.'

Eleandor: "I think I understand what you're saying, but my father said that knowledge is something I must obtain myself... Stories about content and experience have little meaning if it's not merely something for recreation."

Henri: "No. Above anything, there is always recreation. You won't be able to shape your own opinions correctly if you don't know wiser opinions than that of yours, every wise and different opinion generates hints for the path you should follow before deciding upon it yourself."

Eleanor: "So... Are you saying there is a need for talking as recreation?"

Henri: "Yes, that's what i'm talking about... personal experiences are always good, but you might want to rethink them if you've heard of similar experiences. That's how people learn correctly. If I say I've tripped over a rock and hit my nose until it bleeds, this hints to you that it's not okay to trip or slam your nose into something. You don't seem to be very social, but that just means you didn't see any reason to adapt that way. Sometimes you shouldn't if you knows what you are doing, but don't you think it would be better if you could find greater future stability in your life by forming bonds with other people, and by that, forming friendly connections?"

Eleandor: "You say that, but I don't see much point. I'm already having to study and train every day!"

Henri: "Yes, but there are people teaching you, aren't there? The fact that I'm able to talk to you like this shows that there are no pressing concerns in your life, and that you're a pretty smart girl which people puts they expectatives on. But how much of that can also be said in the future? Also, expectations aren't all, you might also need to decide things which are totally independent or others. Your actions in the present are what dictate the path you will take in the future, currently, you are only enjoying the liberty you have while doing what others tell you, and it's all good, however, you'll need eventualy to carve a path in your own life if you don't want others telling all you need to do, and if you aren't doing anything specially recreative that makes all the experience you need to come naturally into you, there might be a need to exchange and obtain informations with others."

Eleandor: "Right, right. But why are you telling me all that? Are you going to gain something?"

Henri feels confronted with such words accusing suspicions coming from a child. While he doesn't see this as unthinkable, it's not the kind of sight he would normally see from someone of her age. Eleandor gives him a sense of being special more than anyone else he has ever seen, at least for an child. Maybe that's what makes him feel ready to try to set an complex course for her. In Henri mind, everyone deserves their lots.

Henri: "It's not about me winning something. How can I put it... I feel like our paths will connect frequently in the future. In other words, I'd like to have you as a friend."

Eleandor: "Friend?"

Henri: "Friend, that is, a person you feel conducive to connecting with. It doesn't mean we're genuine friends, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of us being in the future."

Eleandor: "Genuine friend? Is there that too?"

Henri: "Yeah. It's not a genuine word per se, but I use it to define friendships where people trust each other and support each other in some way or another. The friendship between you and your father, for example, is basically genuine, and that's why I feel entitled to try to meddle in his future, outside of what I was formally charged with."

Eleandor: "Okay... But I would like you to focus on magic classes... I don't want to lose my focus on what I need to learn."

Henri: "Hm, that's how you say it" says Henri with a weak and curious smile. "You can go back to your room if you want, I have something else to do, but please, return later for our course."

Eleandor leaves, and Henri starts flipping through some papers he has brought and placed on the table. At the moment he can't normaly concentrate much on writing things that he don't consider important, but that's ok as long as it's for his next goals, such as having materials to accurately teach the child.

Henri then begins to draw and record details about monsters and living beings he has encountered or seen in books. In one, there is a humanoid creature that resembles a therianthrope, that is, a creature that somewhat resembles a human being but is not. The humanoid has a head with a neck that curves forward, and its hands are disproportionately small with its body, which is wider and taller than an ordinary human being. It is a Tremite, one of the humanoid creatures that lived in tribes in the northern parts of the small continent before the arrival of humans, they did not know how to attack or defend themselves very well, but they were always good at fleeing and hunting on weaker beings than them.

It's questionable how such a being came to be, but what matters is that they always had a good connection with spirits. They are quite hairy with greenish fur, with such hair covering their entire backs and chests, their hands were probably too small just to serve as channels for magic, and even them they weren't very good for physical actions.

They were skilled telepaths and apparently managed to converse from a distance. They were also able to move objects using such strength of mind. That said, why is Henri recording them? In his memory, he remembers that he had already personally met one, he was being used as a useful tool by a black magician he knows, and it was this black magician who told him the tragedy that occurred for that race, which led to the capture of hundreds of Tremites and the tragedy of the Semiur Forest around 80 years ago.

Although most fled to the southern forests, some were captured through tactics and traps. They weren't dumb, but primitive, and their mental sensitivities perhaps made them sensitive to external threats. They got along well with spiritual beings, but viewed physical beings with malicious eyes, as if they were their mere drills for hunting via their powers. While they had a good eye for being suspicious of anything they saw, they thought of themselves as beings guided by all magic, and therefore, it was easy for mages to trick them with spirit illusions.

The Semiur Forest was one such trap point. Mages, creating illusions, made the Tremites think that through the caves in the mountains at the center of the forest they would be passing through a vanishing point that the spirits would pass on to them. The mages then surrounded the place and with the help of soldiers, began capturing tribesmen. It was in this place that the Tremites began to experiment with human weapons, and without much hope of escaping from there or defeating the humans, the furry beings decided to start cursing the entire place so that the spirits would save them. The situation got worse over time, and the more of the Tremites were captured or killed, the more the situation got worse.

Probably, through this, wizards and soldiers began to be possessed by angry spirits, and users of white magic began to be sent to the place to assist them in expeditions. Eventually, the skirmishes moved out of the caves into the mountains above it, and although there were few Tremites left, there was still a lot of interest in capturing them. The situation only began to be reversed when they began to discover Tremites killed by the spirits themselves, this was already a sign that the hateful spirits were expanding without reservations.

Although human casualties were low, it was seen that the trees around the caves began to lose their lives. Since the Tremites were not mere physical beings, they possessed a kind of mental power capable of influencing and distorting the attitudes of spirits, and to this day this mark of corruption remains there. His former companion theorized that the Tremites had an alcoholic soul, that is, they are evasive about their purposes and aim to distort the mindset of astral things for their own fits by using their strange, mental power. Altrough seeing this as pseudoscience, Henri elaborated for himself that the Tremites have some access to the original essence that he studied so much, that is, that the Tremites have the ability to influence the attitudes and actions of spiritual beings, as an affinity they have on this plane due to the characteristics of their powers, coming from the original source that created them, which is the planet, Eyshteer. The clergy sealed the spirits there, as they possess the ability given to them from the sources they learned to control through devotion and positive energy obtained through the prayer of individuals. This allows them to create a mark, like a barrier that extends for many kilometers, capable of trapping beings inside. Of course, the barrier is very sparse and weak, but its purpose from the beginning was just to serve as an indication that the spirits would not leave there. The plan was basically a success, as they weren't really interested in going through the barrier, considering that there is no known way to eliminate spirits, and allowing them to leave would be a disaster, for while it is possible that they would cease to be influenced by the negative mental energy of the Tremites over time, the tendency is that there would always be more of them appearing over time, since they would seek to destroy any living being nearby.

Henri tried to buy the Tremite from his former partner, but changed his mind when he learned of the market price. The Tremites that are still around are sold from captivity for a high price, and their breeding is not very high, considering that their buyers are, for the most part, rich people who want to have lesser beings at home to entertain them with their powers.

Along with this story and many others, Henri intended to teach about the history of these species and his perception of them and their usefulness to Eleandor. His aim with this is to show that, while other living beings have their own biological roles and means of living, they can also be objects of study or articles of luxury, interesting the human society as a whole, even if their utility in the midst of this is not merely for being eaten or anything like that. Henri will also critique how violently obtaining things can lead to unnecessary loss. Apparently, the attitudes of exotic hunters have changed since the first invasions of dangerous territories since they came to the small continent. All the deaths and losses have led hunters to work with what they already have, rather than going on new adventures and expeditions.

There is some coexistence with some therianthropes in the south now, some are mediocrely intelligent to the point of sign communication, and the wolf-human therianthropes have already shown an ability to learn languages. Perhaps this means that in the future they can blend into human society? Maybe yes, maybe not, it will depend on their capacity, and how much the government and the men in power will want to influence and impose any agenda against them.

Henri continues to take notes on several sheets. Although he didn't read them much, his habit was always to record things that didn't stay in his memory for too long. His goal was to pass this custom on to Eleandor. She seems to be much more intelligent naturally than he is, but not everything should be counted on mere chance.

Arriving at study time, he asks a maid to let Eleandor know that he is already there on the dot. A few minutes pass, and she comes.

Henri: "Hello again, Eleandor. Forgive me for being rude, but could I call you by an nickname of Eleandora? Honestly, this name sounds nicer when more objectively feminine."

Eleandor: "Hmm, you're my professor, so I guess it doesn't matter, but what does something more objective feminine mean? What would something objectively male mean then?"

Henri: "The point is, I found the word Eleandora objectively more feminine. If I were to choose Eleandor or Eleandora for my daughter's name, it would be Eleandora, it will contain the "a" that appears frequently in the names of those of female gender"

Eleandor: "I think you've a point... How do you get that kind of argument out?"

Henri: "Take it out? Hahahaha, I don't take it out, arguments are mere objects of expression, a way of giving reason to what we think and believe. If today I elaborate arguments as I am doing now, it's because either I've questioned myself a lot, to the point of finding the best and most effective means of expressing myself with reason, or i simply think i'm right about something. But I think we're getting a little out of the point of the class now. Can you tell me what we studied yesterday?"

Eleandor: "You were teaching me how to absorb mana, and I learned..."

Henri then starts teaching about theory, methods and makes Eleandor try out some small magical theories in practice as well as write and read texts. Henri's goal was to make her learn in the most efficient way in the shortest amount of time, considering that she was capable enough of learning complicated theory. In the last two hours of studying, he teaches her about other things, much of which he wrote down on paper and gave her to read and copy, like a bit of history, about human beings, about other species and about nature.

Finishing his studies with the girl, he reassures her of tasks she must do herself, and then helps the maids carry the table and chairs back to their places, more as a form of self-discipline through helping in some tasks. Until many years ago Henri lived completely on his own, his current situation allows him to focus on other things, but he does not feel comfortable if he feels that he is receiving more than he is giving, he can only have his mind feeling completely focused if he does not have any weight on conscience.

Now that it's dusk, Henri thinks about how he's going to get his items from home. his grandmother's house, in which he left everything he as, isn't so absurdly far away, but it's at least 500 kilometers away. The company that dropped off the letter must have already left with his letter since Monday, along with other letters and parcels, and by that point, it must have reached the addressee. Henri feels that it will take less than a month for his items to arrive, and he doesn't feel comfortable knowing that he won't have all of his preparations for battle, alas, who knows what might happen in the future... This problems is certainly generated by an past miscalculation.

Soon, he will ask Fleer for extra resources in order to get what he needs. At night, his boss arrives, and, by managing to communicate with him as usual, in his room, he goes straight to the point:

Henri: "Can't you pay me in advance for the war effort? I need to prepare."

Fleer: "That's fine, i figured you would ask for it. I'll pay you 40 gold coins for now. Of course, I'll probably pay you more after the war, but I need to organize my accounts so that I can pay all my subordinates properly."

Henri: "Thanks. By the way, may I have some news on what you've been up to?"

Fleer: "Well, this afternoon I spent a great deal of time discussing plans and nonsense with some of my fellows, but when asked if they have availability for the events that will probably take place in a few days, they say they will be ready for it any time. "

Henri: "These soldiers of yours are supervised by command members inside who prepare and train them, yes?"

Fleer: "Exactly. Most of my men were individuals I put in there through my financial power. They are loyal to me because they depend on me for their careers. However, I can't tell them too much, considering i don't know with who exactly they hang out with, and there are a lot of people in there that I don't control and who have their allegiances to the archbishop or the order. The loyalty of all these individuals is never completely transparent, but it's not hard to get information from those who obey someone, i only need a price."

Henri: "Don't the men who patrol the gates and guard the guards have loyalties?"

Fleer: "They do, but they are part of a private company that obeys the Archbishop. While the city's army is made up of private companies funded by the order and financed by men like myself, the companies that do the policing of the city and the gates are funded with tax money. This means that no one within these companies actually owes allegiance to anyone besides, theorically, the archbishop."

Henri: "But if your plan is to oppose the order, doesn't that mean that many men in the order's private companies will firmly oppose you?"

Fleer: "Yes, they will, but the question is how much i will be capable of controlling the men who finance these companies. If I can't control them, there is still the possibility that I will need to eliminate them so to became a financier in their place, but that strategy must always be at second hand, after all, that won't give me the loyalty of these men, only the commitment that they will obey me with reservations, alas, it will be easier for the order to suspect me if they ever feel like it."

Henri: "Thanks for letting me know about this. My last question is about who gonna control the 5 companies of 100 men on the day of battle."

Fleer: "Hmm, I expect you and Rieth to each command a company, but i also have trusted and high-talented men that I've left outside the city just to protect them from any "chance". You saw them when you were leaving Semiur, they are Terin, Erigg and Lyin. Three young men of potential I've known for over a decade. You might think they're isolated, but the fact that they hold such useless jobs at the moment only magnifies their usefulness. Usually, they were only supposed to get 2 years of service in that place, but i extended it by 1 year so they can get tasks i assigned. This yielded an unexpected benefit, considering i was the first to find out about you. I had heard that you asked for a bishop to be present, so this served as an extra pretext for me to come by myself."

And continues: "Who in fact mostly fulfills the administrative and commonplace roles of the city is the clergy, who, in this city, are divided between the divine ministry of Eyshteer, the administrative ministry of graces of Eyshteer, and the ministry of defense and military guidance of Eyshteer. And why is Eyshteer mentioned so simply in everything? Simple, the clergy need to say that they are god-oriented in everything so that they can have legitimacy. This does not deceive very smart people who know a lot, but it serves as a great cover for acting like corruption and bad decisions doesn't exist. It makes even anti-state attitudes easily erasable, at least when they come from within. Some people have tried to come after you here, but it's not hard to silence them by using my authority."

And ends: "Anyway, I would like to inform and with you more, however, I need to prepare some things, and I also have things to discuss with Rieth."

Henri then gives his greetings and leaves the room. The Bishop seems much more collaborative than he was a few days ago. With that in mind, it's easy to judge men who have power, but something that many don't know is that such men are always with many goals and means, and are routinely influenced by those around them. Not only that, it is also difficult to find individuals to trust and hold accountable. Henri thinks he can enjoy the Bishop's trust as long as he himself has a big role to play in his plans, but on the other hand, he doesn't know when their plans might start to divide. The Bishop seems quite ambitious, and Henri could like it to stay that way.

Henri returns to his room, and quickly rethinks his plans and if anything has changed or will need to change. Things seems to be getting promising, but everything can end up scorched if he's not careful. You don't know what might be waiting for you in a few days, everything can change if it's not carefully planned. With that in mind, Henri will start his preparations tomorrow, buy everything he needs to buy, and do everything he needs to do.

After having dinner, he finds someone knocking on his door: Rieth. Opening it, he see the knight in more casual clothes, altrough he still wear his white mask. Henri is quite curious about his face, but it's not like anything he might be hiding is any of his business.

Rieth: "Hello Henri. I don't know if you usually sleep at this time, but I wanted to hear a few things from you, can I come in?"

Henri feels a bit of pressure in those words even if Rieth seems to be selecting his words, maybe it's because Henri still doesn't know what he is capable, but the otherwise is also true. The two enter, and Henri sits down in a chair. Rieth, however, casually sits on the floor, at least he is not going to wander while talking or doing exercises like last time...

Rieth: "The Bishop informed me that you and I will be taking command roles in an eventual battle. A part of the strategy was planned by you, right? But how long do you know how to plan men?"

Henri: "I have never commanded armies, but I have commanded people in many things. In my perception, the characteristics of a commander are that he must give the impression of someone capable of planning and commanding, he must know how to treat his men and how to be familiar with them, and he must also secure his competencies and keep them in line with his objectives as commander."

Rieth: "Yes, a commander's efforts, in addition to his individual ability to create tactics, is also how much he can make his men obey him and do exactly what he has in mind in battle. For that, he must be an example, someone capable of showing himself to others as an ideal individual, prone and wise to command and without weaknesses. Someone without these qualities might lead himself and his men to their demises even if they are the most refined army."

And continues: "Perhaps you already know the means, and how planning, orders and organizations work, but Fleer's men don't know you, and neither do you know absolute anything about them. At the moment, despite seeing that you are going to become an temporary commander of 100 men, i see you as easily replaceable by others. Even if Fleer somehow favors you, you must possess merit as someone who will make a difference in battle. Wars in these regions are practically non-existent, most of the past wars are over and there are barely any veterans around, but I know very well that this will change from now on, and natural selection will take care of who should be doing what, those who are incapable of doing their designed roles might as well drop them before finding themselves in a hell hole of troubles. Nobles were generaly supposed to be the most capables of that, but even them failed to fight against the powers and strategies of the church."

And he concludes: "So, Henri, I ask you: are you, without doubts, prepared to command these men and be an ideal commander?"

Henri is baffled by the question. He knows that experience and knowledge are enough to be able to do anything, however, if he wants to show his usefulness, and expand his limits from now on, maybe he needs to think more outside the box.

Henri: "Hmm, I... I've never seen myself as an ideal human being, nor someone very capable of controlling the way others see me, but I pretty much have my point of view of what I see and think many see an ideal commander: One which is able to communicate, influence and prepare his men perfectly to lead them to victory while honoring themselves. Discipline is important, but imposing too much discipline can scare anyone away, especially those who are serving mostly for money and influence rather than ideals or any form of patriotism, which is basically non-existent in our private battalions, they might be leal to Fleer, but who knows until when."

And he continues: "I think the root of the answer to this question is already there. Asking if I am or think of myself as an ideal commander is useless until i test my limits myself. I want you to take me to Fleer's men tomorrow, I assure you that I will at least make some of my competences visible as a future commander, the men needs to know i'm not going to be a pushover and that my role in the battle itself will also be big."

Rieth: "Okay... I guess I can take you in the afternoon, but what are you going exactly to discuss with them?"

Henri: "I want to make clear my occupation within the Fleer's hierarchy, and how I intend to help them as soldiers and individuals."

Rieth: "Hmm, I'd pay to see what you'll say. See you tomorrow."

Henri then decides that tomorrow, in fact, will be the day of preparations. He will be fully occupied, but somewhat feels little anxiety. If he feels any urge, it will be to see how effective the results of such an important day will be. After all Henri was "a man who whitened the heavens, and was interested in the mundane, but even so, he did not live for himself. Such a feat could, in part, be explained by the fact that he lived for experiments in general, and not for his own glory. He could become famous using pseudonyms, but he would never want to have his real name targeted by gold diggers, it was his only way of living, an anonymous in essence, glancing at everything that can be observed, and seeking to interfere as little as possible in a way that does not alter what could be observed occurring spontaneously and dynamically, regardless of his wishes". Any action Henri would take was not a means to something else, but an end in itself. That end was to alter reality to the point that any action with unknown consequences can have expected results in Henri's eyes, and what intrigued Henri was not how much it would change his reality, but how much his actions would alter reality and show him new ideas and realities. Maybe that makes him the most ambitious of men, even if he doesn't really aim for anything besides satisfying his deepest wishes.

Whatever he became, he would know that he would remain the same Henri as always, an being who seeks his own desires and lives trough the horrors of existence even if alone, and these are the seeds that can lead to his corruption. Even the most gentle person might turn to the worst person if the conditions are right, and whatever is going to happen next, only the gods may know.

End of Chapter 1

Extras:

i will use the endless space left in the end to spare some informations for you guys. It's not like they are not going to be mentioned in the real story, but it might be helpeful for you to learn of it earlier so you might know a bit of how the world they are on works. The sole reason why none of these were mentioned detailed is cuz i don't want to interrupt the narrative, but they are far from being non-factor in the character's decisions.

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I will be explaining more in deph about it in future chaps, but the region where Henri is in, the Northern parts of the Iguadesh great isle, are culturaly similiar to 1600s French, with a bit of medieval and feudal touch on it, also, their technology overally is developed and almost equivalent to it, but the lack of polulation and production makes it so that a lot of things are not properly maintained even trough there a lot of books, and the church and it's arbitrary rules also doesn't help, and since the money is mainly in the hands of the elite, it's not rare that they might scheme with cunning merchants to make monopolies for themselves.

So, don't get surprised if some tech of 1600s and 1700s starts to show up in some of the next chaps, there is a lot of context that will be explain.

Magic technology is a diferent thing, mostly of it was produced and sold by elves in the past, nowdays, it became an rare thing to find any of it, and the fact they are so scarce make it so that they pile in the hand of collectors, rich people and rulers, who also give them to their courtly magicians, but low quality ones can still be found in several places with the right price.

Henri had to offer the double price to get his hands on a small rune, and if he ever wants more, he'd need to make even fairly deals to the merchants and those who might want to sell it, since they wants excuses to put in very high prices.

Lastly, as far you might notice, the church as a state is not very strong, they might impose their will to rule upon society and control It's people, but internal conflicts weaken them all the time. I will work it more later in the chaps about Henri, since it will be something important in this part of the story's schemes.

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Henri and Rieth are a bit more "friendly" than it might seems, i didn't add the reasons of this cuz of narrative reasons, but Rieth started to work Eleandor more after getting word that Henri was also going to teach her. Usually, he would only make her do some light physical exercise, never getting why he actually needs to teach some little girl about matters related to "fighting and survival" (As fleer described) and so didn't had much idea about what to do with her, but since Henri started to teach her magic, Rieth started to teach her more complex matters while also giving her his own words about how magic works and might be used.

Why he really came to that? He talked a lot with Henri after his first meeting with Eleandor, and after hearing from his mouth that "The swordmanship or anything of the sort that you are teaching her is simply going to make her too tired to properly learn with my classes, and so it would be nice by you to focus more in theorical than pratical" he started to make his wishes reality while properly teaching her about the matters Fleer demanded from him, maybe it's some sort of rivalry, or maybe he simply noticed he needs to be more productive so to not lose relevance under Fleer, who knows.

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Henri's freezing device: Basically, it's an paper containing some seal with water, Henri was easily able to throw and move it around by using the wind, and Lunarius wasn't capable of using his power to stop it just like when Henri had thrown the other papers at him, not due to incompetence, but due to the fact that Lunarius was quite desesperate. Henri prepared it before-hand since an demon's body has no water, however, he needs to prepare the magic symbol in the spot while constantly spreading it among the enemy's body while freezing it by cooling down the weather to very low levels.

In my universe, freezing magic is most of time a constituition of controlling the weather and using the water for it, there are other ways to do it, but they often requisite more concentration and power, so, for Henri, using water and spreading the freezing effect with magic was more pratical.

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Lastly, the demon hardly have any corporal sense, they create their bodies mostly as a "cloth" for theirs spirits. Everything that can be correlated to senses, like hearing and talking, they do by using demonic power. Basically, when they want to talk, they are able to make the sounds came from any place given the range of their powers, so when Lunarius "talks" with Henri in his head, he is not exactly talking with him directly trough his brain, but rather, he is just expressing himself trough sounds inside Henri's hears. Since they don't known any human language, they basically use an "algorithm" where they express themselves and use demonic power so that the one hearing him is capable of understanding what he is saying. Almost the same thing happens when they are hearing: they pick up any nearby noises via their demonic power and translate words by using an translation algorithm they are capable of coming up with. This means that they are capable or hearing any sort of noise as long they can "feel" it with their power, and if they want to have a private talk only with one person, they can whisper it directly trough his hears even if a bit far away.

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