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Path to Prosperity - B2 Chapter 23
🕑 Added 2024-08-22 10:00:07 +0000 UTC“I don’t know who you are,” The Reeze Duke answered Percy’s doubt. Or didn’t answer it, depending on how you looked at it.
The new intel was a lot to digest, but it was essentially useless to Percy. Not even the Reeze Duke had a clue who Percy was.
“There have been one or two instances of people’s eyes changing to blue as their mana purity increased, but your vibrant azure is known as the Eyes of Purity. This is not about having highly purified mana but pure mana. The current king is probably the best example if you want to see someone else with azure blue eyes,” The Duchess explained, but there was a hint of something Percy couldn’t quite grasp.
He tilted his head and let his thoughts roam, only to be interrupted by a heavy sigh from the left. The Reeze Duke was sighing again. He was tired of thinking about what Percy was and where he came from. That was understandable. Even Percy felt a headache creeping up the back of his head.
“You rescued my daughter and the Imperial prospects.” He initiated the change of topic, “I wish to show you my gratitude for your heroic action. What can I do to repay this debt? Do you need something?”
Percy was still deep in thought, but he was glad about the change of topic.
I do need a lot, but I’m not sure what I can ask for without turning you against me. “Give me all your treasures!” would be among the stupidest things I could request. Am I allowed to request something in the first place? Melissa gave me the Blueflame Hawk Monster Card. However, her motive was different, and she invested in my growth.
“Your daughter gave me an Elite Monster Card before. The Monster Card helped me survive and grow strong enough to rescue your heir. That being said, I do not think I deserve any rewards. If anything, we helped each other in our own unique ways.”
Melissa intercepted before Percy could say anything else or her father could reenter the conversation.
“The Monster Card was my investment. It is completely unrelated to my father’s actions. You still owe me!” She declared, pointing fingers at Percy, who cursed inwardly. It would have been too good if he could sever all debts to the Reeze house in one go. His debt to the Glacia Knight Order had already been paid, after all.
The Duke glanced at his daughter with a tinge of interest, his head tilted momentarily. Melissa stared intently at her father, not budging underneath his intense stare. Her father then nodded slowly.
“I won’t allow my daughter to pay for what I consider my debt. The Monster Card and everything else she retrieved on the Wintermoon estate trip belong to her. So…” The Reeze Duke’s amber eyes studied Percy, “What do you want?”
**
“What do you think?” The Duchess asked her husband after everyone dispersed. The couple returned to the Duke’s office, where the Glacia Knights showed Michael the way to the barracks of the Glacia Knight Order.
The duke looked at his wife with a forced smile, “I think you need to be a little bit more clear, darling. Are you talking about this kid’s eyes, his Ego, the fact that he could use the Staff of Leech twice as many times as our daughter without decimating his soul to dust, or that he denied my request to repay him for saving everyone?”
The middle-aged duke looked weary as the words escaped his lips while the Duchess’ smile widened.
“I am talking about Percy, yes. But while his identity is a mystery – nothing we’ve learned today makes sense – I am more interested in the persona behind Percy. Did you sense his Tier? Melissa was initially reluctant, but she told me about their little Imperiat. The kid tried copying her Inheritance Arts by accident, of course. Ulfhar and Old Liam must have sensed something because they orchestrated everything.”
The duchess lifted her hand to stop her husband from saying anything, “Ulfhar and Old Liam take responsibility for this incident. They didn’t expect Percy to do it, but he copied some of the family’s movement sequences. Of course, without any elemental powers involved, but that may change. Did you hear about his discovery of the Blueflame Hawk’s [Frostbite] Augmentation and that he is already about to reach the Awakened Tier? He is probably stronger than Melissa at this point…and if the information about him is correct, I presume since they come from your knights, Percy has been a poor orphan before he manifested his Ego half a year ago.”
The Duke studied his wife, and it wouldn’t take much for another sigh to escape his lips, but he controlled himself.
“I heard most of it already. The Imperiat is news to me, but I haven’t had the chance to talk to the Glacia Knights alone yet. You seem oddly interested in Percy. What do you want us to do? If he is from the Synther family, a child who has been overseen during the execution, which should not have been the case as everyone was very thorough, Percy will be executed soon. If he isn’t a child of the Synther…he is an anomaly, and I’m not sure how the other nobles will behave if they find out about him. That said, some of them must have already heard about Percy and set their plans into motion.”
“Is that why you told him to stay in the Glacia Knight Order’s barracks for now?” The duchess asked, but her husband laughed in response.
“I was just annoyed he wouldn’t accept anything from me. He can stay in the barracks forever if he doesn’t want to leave. But then again, I doubt this kid will stay here for long. His Ego will pull him to the merchant district or the Merchant Guild. Maybe even both,” The duke shrugged.
“I think we should bind him to our house. His Ego will be of great use. We can prepare Monster Cards, Artifacts, and Armaments of the greatest quality with stashes of gold for him. We will gain special Monster Cards and stronger Artifacts from him while he earns money and rank-ups. That is a win-win situation. The duke I know would never hesitate to pull his weight to lure in Egos with the potential to become the greatest,” The duchess remarked, “What changed?”
“His identity…” The Reeze Duke commented quietly.
“Do you think he is a son of the Synther? I can’t believe that. The royal family must have heard about Percy already. If there was the faintest possibility of him being a Synther, they would have long since sent the Kingsguard to take Percy into custody. But that didn’t happen.”
“You’re right… but maybe that’s the problem. Who exactly is that child?”
**
Percy was glad his meeting with the duke didn’t take long. He answered most questions honestly and didn’t hide too much crucial information.
If he is curious about my identity, I won’t have to start searching for my family or clues leading to them. He can do all the work while I enjoy my life here!
That sounded like a great plan to Percy if not for the unwelcome guest in the room he had been given in the Glacia Knight Order’s barracks.
The outlines of an unknown man hiding in his cozy room's shadows were unraveled through [Hawk Eyes].
If the man hiding in the shadows wasn’t enough to be concerned about his well-being, the dark daggers in the man’s hands certainly were.
I only want some peace. Am I asking for too much?!
