Chương 141: Chapter 136. Foundation

Rayne had no idea when exactly he had fallen asleep. After speaking with Casper, he had somehow managed to find Dean downstairs, and the man had led him toward one of the rooms on the upper floor that Kesh had apparently already taken for the both of them. There had been one empty bed waiting for him. At first, Rayne had honestly thought about immediately starting the book Casper had given him.

The godless ruins sounded important enough that he should probably understand what he was being sent into as quickly as possible. But after everything that had happened that day, he simply didn't have the energy for it anymore. The trial, the prince, the verdict, Atticus, the godless ruins… everything had piled together into one exhausting mess inside his head. So instead of opening the book, he had simply laid down on the bed, and before he even properly realized it, sleep had taken him.

When Rayne finally woke up again, the room was dark. For a moment, he stayed still on the bed while staring at the wooden ceiling before realizing it was already deep into the night. Moonlight entered faintly through the nearby window, barely lighting the room enough for him to make out shapes. Kesh was asleep on the other bed nearby. The man snored loudly without a care in the world, looking completely relaxed. Honestly, Rayne almost envied him for that.

After sitting there quietly for a few minutes, he eventually got up. He wasn't tired anymore. His mind felt far too restless to return to sleep, so he left the room quietly without waking Kesh and wandered downstairs. The longhouse had mostly calmed by now. Only a few soldiers still sat awake drinking or talking quietly amongst themselves. Eventually, Rayne found his way into the kitchen area and rummaged around until he managed to find some leftover bread and cold meat.

It wasn't anything special, but after eating, he felt slightly better. Still not tired, he eventually wandered back upstairs and found an empty balcony overlooking part of the street outside. The night air was cold, but not unpleasant. Rayne sat down quietly near the railing with the thick book about the godless ruins resting in his lap while he looked up toward the moon hanging above Valers. For a long time, he didn't even open the book. There was still too much on his mind.

And strangely enough, it wasn't even the trial anymore. Instead, his thoughts kept returning toward Atticus and House Arkala. More specifically, the fact that he apparently still had family alive in this world. It honestly shouldn't have surprised him this much. The Fraysers had once been a ducal house. Houses like that formed ties everywhere through marriage and alliances over generations. Having cousins and distant relatives was completely normal.

Still, hearing that Atticus was technically his cousin had felt strange. Especially after the man had nearly beaten him bloody earlier that day. Casper had told him more after revealing the connection between them. Apparently, House Arkala had been deeply involved in the downfall of the Fraysers themselves. From what she explained, Rayne's father had trusted them once. And in return, House Arkala had sold the Fraysers out to King Xander before the rebellion could fully begin.

In exchange, they had been rewarded heavily afterward. Their rise from viscounts to counts had apparently started from there. That was also one of the main reasons Atticus now served under First Prince Melakar directly. House Arkala had attached themselves firmly to the prince's faction, hoping to rise even higher in status once Melakar eventually became king. Casper even said that Atticus himself was ambitious enough to possibly aim for control of the whole Crown's Hand someday. Honestly, Rayne could believe it.

The man certainly had the brutality for it. Still, Rayne doubted Atticus had ever personally met him before today. Yet despite that, the man had clearly hated him from the moment he realized who Rayne was. Or perhaps not him specifically. Maybe Atticus simply hated the last remaining Frayser. That honestly sounded more likely. But more than any of that, one other piece of information Casper had casually mentioned kept circling inside Rayne's mind.

After the rebellion was crushed, House Arkala had apparently inherited many of the old Frayser estates. Including the family estate inside Valers itself. According to Casper, Atticus currently lived there. That alone immediately made Rayne think back toward the quest he had in his status, only because of one piece of knowledge he registered from his memories. William Frayser had apparently spent years inside Valers secretly planning the rebellion from the capital itself before things finally collapsed.

And if that was true, then wasn't it possible he had left something behind explaining the quest line more? Or anything useful to him? Rayne slowly frowned while staring at the moon overhead as he went deeper in his thoughts. Most official documents and records related to the Fraysers had probably been seized by the crown long ago. Anything important should already be locked away somewhere deep within royal archives. But he really doubted it would have anything regarding the lineage quest.

Otherwise, he surely would have died long back. He was sure that the lineage quest was passed through the bloodline itself, and the late Duke William Frayser should have possessed the exact same quest Rayne now carried. Otherwise, there was no reason for the rebellion in the first place? From everything Rayne knew, the Fraysers had never openly acted dissatisfied with the crown before their fall. There were no major conflicts, no open hostility. Nothing.

Yet somehow, William Frayser had still decided to risk destroying his entire house in rebellion against the kingdom. Which meant either the man had been insane or it was truly due to the lineage quest he had. How far might he have been to completing it? Probably at the last stage, but he had failed, and now Rayne was left with it and no information to guide him and tell him why he had to rise in the ranks and become a monarch. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Though, something inside Rayne had changed after everything that happened today. He still didn't know whether he truly wanted to become a monarch one day or not. The very thought still sounded absurd whenever he properly considered it. But one thing had become painfully clear to him now. He needed more power. Not just strength. Power. Until now, Rayne had spent most of his time inside the army where usefulness actually mattered.

Even if many soldiers hated him for his bloodline, people like Captain Edran, Casper Commander Evans, and others had still valued what he could do on the battlefield. That usefulness had protected him, but Valers was different. Here, his achievements barely mattered compared to his name. To most nobles in the capital, Rayne wasn't a soldier who had survived impossible battles. He was simply the bastard descendant of a traitorous house.

And honestly, after today, Rayne doubted there would be serious consequences if someone powerful decided to kill him openly. The trial itself had proven enough of that. Duke Hellar clearly wanted him dead. Atticus had openly enjoyed beating him. Even the Crimson Guard treated him like some animal that could be dragged through the streets. And there had been little Rayne could do about any of it. His strength simply didn't matter when standing before people far more powerful and influential than him.

As the thought settled deeper into his mind, Rayne slowly realized that more than strength itself, he wanted position. A kind of authority. Enough that people like Duke Hellar or Atticus would think twice before laying a hand on him again. During the first weeks after waking up in this world, Rayne had often considered running away from Valeria completely. Even knowing the risks of that, the idea had still crossed his mind many times. But now things felt different.

Without even realizing it properly, he had already settled himself into this place. The army, the warband, the constant fighting… somehow it had all slowly become normal to him. And now, instead of wanting to flee, Rayne found himself wanting to rise. Both within the army and beyond it. If only so nobody could ever casually decide his fate again. As those thoughts moved through his mind, Rayne felt mana slowly swirl through his body almost instinctively.

The familiar sensation spread warmth through his chest and limbs, carrying with it a strange confidence. He could do it. Even if he had absolutely no idea how yet. Rayne already knew he would continue growing stronger by being in the army itself. Fighting monsters, completing quests, surviving battles—those things would naturally increase his strength with [Skill Stealer] aiding him. But political power was another matter entirely. Especially for someone like him. He wasn't even truly a commoner.

In the eyes of most nobles and the crown, a forsaken, one with his bloodline, stood even lower than that. Still, Rayne believed there was always a path forward somewhere. He simply needed to find it. Then another thought entered his mind, colder than the rest.

"I also need to take revenge on Atticus," Rayne muttered quietly to himself. The words disappeared into the cold night air, but he meant them completely. There was no way he intended to simply let the events of today go. Atticus might be a noble. He might belong to the first prince's personal guard. None of that mattered much to Rayne. He only remembered the boots, the punches, and the enjoyment on the man's face while doing it. Rayne wanted to return every single blow someday.

At the very least, it was a good goal to hold onto while he remained trapped in Valers. With that thought in his head, he shifted on the balcony and finally picked up the thick book he had brought with him. The cover simply read: Lost Sanctum of the Sage. Slowly and curiously, he opened the first page, and from that moment he kept reading. Hours passed quietly while the city outside slowly darkened further before eventually beginning to brighten again with the first rays of dawn.

Through it all, he kept flipped pages and reading the history, danger and importance of Sage City and the godless ruins. And the more he read, the more one thought settled into his being. That he was completely fucked.

Prince Caelan looked at the dissatisfied figure of Viscount Aldric seated across from him with a faint smile on his face before lowering his fork calmly toward the plate between them. The rich brown meat resting there came from a horned lesser drake, a creature whose flesh was famous for improving vitality and mana circulation when prepared correctly. The smell alone filled the study pleasantly. Yet despite that, Viscount Aldric still hadn't touched his portion.

Instead, the man simply kept staring at him with obvious frustration in his eyes. Finally, Caelan cut another piece of meat before speaking casually.

"You know, it's going to get cold if you keep staring at me instead of eating." His lips curled slightly with amusement.

"And I don't think I'm considered the handsome one amongst my brothers." Viscount Aldric visibly bit back whatever expression he truly wanted to show. Openly frowning at a prince was dangerous no matter how close they were politically, so instead he quietly picked up his fork and knife before speaking in a restrained tone.

"You know why I'm silent, Your Highness." Caelan hummed lightly but continued eating.

"What you did today is going to send tremors through the noble circles," Aldric continued.

"We've only just begun properly building your faction, and now every noble house in the capital is going to talk about how you openly supported the Frayser bastard." Caelan simply shrugged at that.

"They'll join us once they realize doing so benefits them," he replied calmly.

"Right now, what we need is a foundation for the faction itself." He leaned slightly back in his chair.

"And for that, what I did today was necessary." Viscount Aldric finally took a bite from his meal, though he still looked unconvinced. His eyes briefly drifted toward the large study windows overlooking part of the royal castle before he spoke again.

"Can a forsaken truly become the foundation of anything?" Caelan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he calmly took another sip from the glass beside him.

"He also brings Commander Evans with him," the prince said finally.

"And that man can absolutely become part of the foundation." Viscount Aldric shook his head slightly.

"But you aren't focusing on the commander. You're focusing on Rayne Frayser." He paused briefly before adding carefully, "And there's no guarantee Evans values that bastard enough to fully join your side because of him." The viscount hesitated for a moment before continuing anyway.

"Especially since the last reports suggested Commander Evans would meet with your brother soon." At the mention of his brother, Caelan's eyes narrowed faintly. The shift was small, but enough to make the viscount stop eating, immediately realizing he had overstepped. Though, the tension disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. Caelan leaned back into his chair again before speaking calmly.

"What I did today ensured the boy stays alive. Don't forget that despite everything else, he still carries the bloodline of a duke." His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

"And he's already shown talent as a spellsword." The prince's gaze slowly shifted toward the sunlight entering through the study windows.

"The next few months will tell us whether he can become what I believe he might." Viscount Aldric nodded slowly, though uncertainty still remained clear on his face.

"And what if he dies inside the godless ruins?" he asked quietly. Caelan simply shrugged.

"Then he wasn't worth the investment. But why always assume failure? Why not imagine the possibility that everything goes correctly instead?" The viscount sighed faintly.

"Because you're the one who taught me to always prepare for failures first, Your Highness." That actually made Caelan smile. He always appreciated people who listened carefully to his words.

"He hasn't failed yet," the prince said calmly.

"In fact, he hasn't even properly begun. And I intend to give him a small push to make sure he doesn't fail." Viscount Aldric immediately went slightly pale.

"What exactly are you planning to do, Your Highness?" Caelan didn't reply at first, instead finishing the last piece of meat on his plate. Then he turned his gaze toward the bright sky beyond the study windows.

"I'm going to the godless ruins too."

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