Chương 46: Chapter 44: Draeria

"He was… one of the captains?" Seth mouthed in disbelief.

"Yes," Sericar answered.

"Your father was deeply involved in his nation's war. Up until he left with your mother." The merchant stopped for a moment to take a sip from his mug.

"After about a year of meeting in secret, they both decided to flee together. They wanted to find a place to start over, away from the horrors of war… somewhere they could raise the child your mother was carrying." Seth's eyes widened.

"She was already pregnant?" The bearded merchant nodded.

"Yes, but her country had strict rules about soldiers leaving. She actually had to cripple herself—break apart her own aether channels—to earn the right to go. The authorities there want to make sure deserters never become a future threat."

"Is… is that why she died?" Seth asked, his throat tightening.

"Yes," Sericar answered, his voice heavy.

"The aether from her Well had nowhere to go. Eventually, it destroyed her body from the inside."

"They basically made her… kill herself," Seth muttered, clenching his fists as a burning heat began to spread in his chest.

"I'm guessing Vandric told me pain treatment would be useless? That I was wasting my coins?"

"Yes," Sericar admitted, his gaze fixed on the table. He then paused, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as if to steady himself.

"Vandric couldn't tell you the truth. Your mother made all three of us swear not to tell you anything… about their past."

"All three of you?" Seth asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Me, Marcus, and Vandric," the merchant replied.

"The king of your father's country wasn't exactly… kind. There's no way he would have let your father leave alive, so they had to escape through the night and hide. Their journey eventually brought them to the western border of the Wicked Forest in Illumineda Kingdom. There, they built a small house and met Marcus, Vandric, and myself in a nearby village. They stayed for almost a decade, and during that time, we all became friends—especially Marcus and your father."

"Marcus? Friends with someone?" Seth said, picturing the grumpy Alchemist.

"That's hard to believe."

"I know," Sericar answered with a faint smile.

"In the end, with his potions, Vandric's spells, and your father's incredible aether manipulation, they had managed to stop your mother's aether from slowly killing her. My role was quite modest. I only helped by finding them the artifacts and ingredients they needed." Seth leaned back, trying to piece everything together.

"Then why did they leave for Kastal? It sounds like things were working fine?" A shadow crossed Sericar's face, and his gaze drifted down again for a moment.

"The local army started poking around after a few… incidents. On top of that, your mother felt that living in the forest wasn't the best for you. She believed you needed interactions, to see the outside world and really grow as a child." Seth frowned, trying to remember what he could from his childhood. He couldn't recall his parents ever mentioning Marcus, Vandric, or Sericar while the three of them had lived in the forest house. Is he really telling the truth? Or is there more?

I'll have to confirm everything with Marcus during the break next week.

"Why Kastal?" Seth asked.

"Couldn't they go farther?"

"They knew that no matter where they went, local militaries would eventually catch on about them," Sericar explained before pausing for a brief moment.

"So, they chose one of the weakest nations, thinking it would be easier to manage by cutting a deal with their leader. But then… things didn't go as planned."

"Let me guess," Seth hissed through gritted teeth.

"Kastal's king sold him out?" The merchant shook his head.

"No. Your father made a soul contract, something that cannot be broken, with the king. That old man was forced to keep your father's secrets. In return, your father had to stop an imminent rebellion organized by some Houses. Wiping out every force gathered in a Rift. No survivors. No witnesses. No one was ever supposed to leave and reveal who he was… but something went wrong." Seth's jaws almost dropped to the floor. The king?

The paranoid bastard who had bled Kastal's commoners dry with taxes on land, on sales, even on awakenings? The man who had made survival a daily struggle for villages and towns which weren't strong enough to fend for themselves? The one who had been stopping everyone from leaving the country with spears? Seth thought of all the people he'd seen starving in Sunatown and other nearby villages.

He could still see the desperation etched into their faces; it was all because of the king's and the Faertis House's endless greed. And his father had helped that man? Stopped a rebellion that might have changed things? Sure, he'd done it to protect him and his mother—but that didn't make it any easier to swallow. Maybe the next king would've been just as terrible, Seth told himself, trying to somehow make his father's actions seem less… awful.

"My guess?" Sericar continued, seemingly not noticing that Seth was lost in thoughts.

"One of those Houses dug into your father's past and sold him to his old nation because they couldn't beat him." Seth finally forced a long, steadying breath in, the air doing little to calm the storm in his chest. But he had to focus on the immediate threat—his father had faced those Houses. They had seen the man's golden eyes. Seth's secrets could be exposed. He has to know who was involved.

"Do you have any idea which Houses led the rebellion?"

"I have a few suspects in mind," Sericar answered.

"Though, we won't know for sure until the next coup. But Seth, don't blame them for his death. They were only trying to free this country. And your father… Well, he just wanted to protect his family. To offer a peaceful life to you and your mother.

""I know… I don't blame them, " Seth mumbled before looking up.

"I'm guessing the marshal, Marine's grandfather, is one of those few suspects?" The merchant nodded.

"Yes. And that's exactly why you can't go to that tournament. He might not know your father had a son, but the moment he sees your eyes you could be screwed."

"So, I'm supposed to hide away forever?" Seth retorted, a little frustration rising in his voice." From the marshal, the king, and all the Houses involved?"

"Not forever," Sericar replied, shaking his head before meeting Seth's eyes.

"Just until you're strong enough to protect yourself from those people." Strong enough… to defend myself against the king and Marine's grandfather… two damn Platinums. The thought settled in Seth's chest. Someone like Professor Reat, a once-in-a-generation genius, had taken nearly a decade to reach the peak of Silver Tier. Even with Link, Seth knew both the king and the marshal could die of old age long before he ever had a real chance to surpass him—let alone grow powerful enough to face them. The Apex Predators.

The squad that had killed his father.' Sooner or later, we'll make them pay,' Nightmare said from within the beast-holder.

"I'll go past my Silver potential and become strong enough to tear them apart myself."' Thanks, Nightmare,' Seth answered through their bond before turning back his focus to Sericar.

"What's the name of my father's nation?" The merchant heaved out another sigh, looking at the ceiling for long seconds as if hesitating before finally answering.

"Draeria." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Seth walked out of the adventurers' outpost with his new purple Endless Pouch hanging from his belt. Altogether, it had cost him fifty coppers with both Sericar's and the Enchanter's fees.

If he hadn't 'acquired' those seven iron coins from that Elementalist, Seth would've spent nearly all the money he had earned in the last month with his beast-hunting contracts and he wouldn't have been able to afford even a single Escape scroll. To his surprise, Sericar had sold him the instant spell-scroll for two irons without making any fuss, unlike Celine. All Seth had had to do was promise he'd wait until reaching Iron before Rift Diving for the first time—a promise he had no intention of keeping.'

So,'Nightmare said from within the necklace,' do you think everyone in the Draeria has Link? And that's why your father insisted on keeping it a secret?' Seth pondered for a moment as he walked down the empty street, the cobblestones shining slightly under the moonlight.' I don't think so,'he finally answered.' Otherwise, he would've let me tell at least a few people about it—like Marcus, Vandric or Sericar.'' Maybe he didn't trust them?'' They know about his past. It'd make no sense,' Seth replied with a shrug.

The idea of both his parents being stronger than the king at their peak, who was himself a Platinum Wielder, was hard to swallow. They'd been so powerful, yet here he was, barely keeping up with the academy's top students. Without Nightmare, I'd still be average at best.

How am I supposed to avenge them? The moment Seth arrived at the academy's gate, the yard was eerily quiet, with only a handful of students scattered across the vast, open field. Silence followed him as he navigated through the empty corridors before eventually reaching his room and gently pushing the door open. Careful not to wake up Devus, Seth put his bag down beside his bed and slipped out of his clothes. Settling onto the mattress, he grabbed his new Endless Pouch.

Endless Pouch Artifact Tier: Iron Grade: Epic Effects: - Contains a domain of 60 cubic feet. - Can store enchanted gear, artifacts, beaststones, and resources. - Time conversion 1: 3. Just another reason to reach Iron as soon as possible, Seth thought. It wasn't worth risking to use it before then—not unless he wanted to end up dying like the Iron Thief with the Platinum King's sword in his mother's bedtime story. Yet, the anticipation was more than real.

The time-conversion effect of that thing would slow the aging of beaststones by two-thirds, allowing him to go on longer expeditions during the summer break—or when he finally dropped out of the academy—and stockpile the stones to sell them at the perfect moment. Putting the pouch away, Seth laid his head on the soft pillow. Tomorrow's plan included scouring the library before class for any information about Draeria, meaning the night would be quite short. Thankfully, the moment he shut his eyes, sleep claimed him.

Seth let out a frustrated sigh as he scanned the library's shelves for a third time. He had woken up two hours earlier than usual, hoping to find something useful, but it had been a complete waste of time. Back in Sunatown, the world was simple. Aside from Marcus, Vandric, and Sericar, every townsfolk only knew about Kastal's immediate neighbors: the Bridan Empire and the Illumineda Kingdom. But here, professors had broken that illusion.

In reality, the world was immense, holding hundreds upon hundreds of nations spread across four giant continents separated by oceans that still hadn't been fully explored. And yet, looking around the damn library, he couldn't find a single map with actual names on it, aside from one depicting the East Continent. Not a single word about Draeria. It wasn't surprising, though—the king was probably concealing information as he often did. Ruling by blinding people. Keeping them weak.

With a grunt, Seth decided it would have to wait and gathered his belongings. As he left the library and made his way to his first class, Nightmare woke up in his den.' Found anything?' the direwolf asked, yawning and stretching his legs.' No,'Seth answered drily.' My best bet is to find an elusive way to ask the librarian about it.'' It's not urgent,'Nightmare said.' The priority is to get stronger.'' I know,' Seth muttered with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. The direwolf was right.

Even if he knew exactly where that nation was or how powerful they were, it wouldn't change a thing—at least not for the next several years. Seth crossed two more endless corridors before finally reaching his Aether Manipulation and Sensing classroom. The place was already filling up with students. To his relief, the normal buzz of classroom chatter continued, with no panicked stares or hushed whispers aimed in his direction. It seemed like the Elementalist had yet to tell people about Nightmare.

Probably because he was recovering from his injury outside the academy's ground. Scanning the sea of faces, Seth noticed a glaring absence: Lucius. The last row, usually dominated by the loud noble, was strangely quiet. Missing class? His gaze drifted back upfront and snagged on a familiar figure. William. The Guardian was sitting hunched in the middle rows, his arm heavily bandaged. He looked up, his eyes meeting Seth's, and even from this distance, Seth could practically smell his nervousness.

The young man looked ready to bolt if Seth so much as twitched in his direction. Seth held his gaze for a split second, then looked away. His eyes then landed on Jenna and Elena in the fourth row, and he immediately headed toward them. Over the past three months, he and Jenna had gotten significantly closer. They'd spent countless hours chatting during class and lunch, their conversations mostly revolving around arcane beasts, war, and the life of an adventurer.

Despite her father being the captain of the Surani House guard, the Warrior had no interest in taking over the position—her dream was to explore the world and become one of the most renowned adventurers out there.

"Hey, Seth!" Jenna called out to him with a warm smile.

"How was your hunt?"

"Great," Seth answered, briefly glancing at Elena beside her. Even though he often hung out quite a lot with the noble and studied for last week's semester's exams with her because of their common friend, they still didn't get along. They never seemed to be on the same page on anything. Judging by the way she interacted with the other students, it was evident she didn't despise commoners—but when it came to him, things were… different.

"How about you? How was your weekend with your father?" Jenna's expression shifted, and her smile faded.

"Not great. Even after I told him about you, he still won't let me hunt arcane beasts or register at the Adventurers Guild." Seth took the seat beside her as Elena chimed in.

"He's not wrong," she said.

"Hunting beasts while Copper is too dangerous—Iron beasts are everywhere. If you get ambushed by one, you're done."

"What about him?" Jenna retorted, pointing at Seth.

"He hunts all the time and hasn't died yet." Elena shrugged.

"He's lucky."

"Lucky, uh?" Seth grumbled, taking his Lighter out and dropping his bag beside him.

"When was the last time you had to risk your life to gain attributes?" Both girls' eyes widened, taken aback. Jenna was the first to speak.

"Seth, she didn't mean—""No, that's my fault," Elena interrupted, her expression softening. Her full lips turned into a thin line, and her eyes flickered away from his, almost as if she didn't want to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Don't worry about it," Seth sighed, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. She'd probably intended to poke him like she always did. But between what he'd learned yesterday about his parents' past and that nagging feeling of being powerless, he couldn't take it today.

"Sorry it's been a rough weekend."

"What happened?" Jenna asked, frowning.

"Got ambushed by two of Lucius' friends," Seth answered, keeping everything else to himself.

"And no, before you ask, I didn't kill them."" What?" Elena and Jenna exclaimed at the same time.

"Morning, students." Professor Reat strode into the classroom with his customary tiredness etched into his face. Almost instantly, his gaze moved toward the back of the room, where Lucius and his bootlicking apes were sitting.

"Before we begin," the man said, placing his messenger bag next to his desk, "William Sert, can you stand up, please." The noble nervously rose to his feet and nodded.

"Yes, sir?"

"Think carefully before you answer," Professor Reat said, his face shifting in an instant, now frigid as ice. The room fell silent, and aether began shimmering around him.

"Did you try to kill another student with Roland Seralp yesterday?"

"No, I-I was only trying to—""Don't bother lying," Reat interrupted, his voice dropping an octave.

"Roland is currently in the infirmary, and he has already admitted to everything. He told us about the ambush. About the payment." Professor Reat's voice cut through the rows like a blade.

"So, yes or no. Did you try to kill another student?" The next moment, a dark crystal spear materialized beside the man, hovering by his side and crackling with aether, the tip aimed directly at the young Guardian.

"Ye-yes," William stammered.

"Great. You're expelled." The floating spear vanished, and Professor Reat turned back to the rest of the class.

"This is a military institution. Director Ryehill doesn't put this much effort into the academy so you can kill fellow students over personal grudges."

"But he's just a damned commoner," the Guardian spat, picking up his bag.

"Who cares?" the teacher retorted, spinning to face the noble.

"I was a commoner too. Power and potential matter more to the director than noble blood. My presence here should've made that clear." The Guardian gulped his next comment and shot at Seth a furious glare before storming out of the class. A heavy silence then settled over the room as students exchanged uneasy glances. A noble had just been expelled… because of a commoner.

"Now that this has been taken care of, let's get to the lesson and spark that curiosity of yours before the inter-semester week-break," Professor Reat said, grabbing his aether-enhanced chalk. He then turned to the board and wrote three bold words: Breakthroughs and Revelations.