Chương 72: Prepare for a...

Silence returned to the room. Adolin slowly ate his food and drank his wine without a care in the world. It wasn't him who was about to get scolded by the Count. He glanced at both men, but they were simply staring at each other. Wasn't it time for the scolding to start? He shrugged and continued eating. A few minutes later, he felt Eduard's gaze on him, but he didn't react. As more time passed, Eduard's stare grew heavier, but no one said anything, so Adolin continued eating, even after he was already full.

He simply slowed his chewing, making each bite last as long as possible. He knew Eduard wanted him gone from the room, but until someone said it aloud, he wasn't going anywhere. He would normally avoid such awkward situations, but since Eduard was clearly feeling worse than he was, Adolin had no intention of leaving. His stomach started hurting after a few more minutes of stuffing himself.

"Adolin," the Count said.

"Could you leave us? I have something to discuss with my son." Adolin moved his gaze away from the food and looked toward the Count. The man wore a serious expression, yet there was a slight smirk on his face. Adolin wasn't sure how both were possible at once. Since the man had asked nicely, he decided to leave. He nodded and headed toward the door. Once he reached it, he glanced toward Eduard.

"Have fun." He wanted to stay and listen in on the scolding, but the Count had treated him well enough that it wouldn't be appropriate to stay, or use a spell to listen in. There was also the issue with Eduard. He wasn't certain whether the man would say anything about Adolin while he was inside, and if Adolin wanted to talk to the Count about the alliance, he needed him to be informed first. He could have spoken to Count about it himself, but he didn't like talking about himself.

So this was the best option he could see. Tristan stood just outside the door, alongside three other knights who were usually around Eduard, with guards spread everywhere. The entire mansion was filled with guards, knights, and mages. His own guards were stationed outside the mansion. It was probably for the best to learn at least their names, so he headed toward the mansion's exit. Tristan followed silently behind him. The entrance of the mansion was flooded with guards as well.

There were far more than when they had arrived earlier. News about the Count had spread fast, and every guard on the estate—at least the ones who had already been questioned, Adolin guessed—was staying close to their Lord. His own men were a bit farther away, just beside the garden, some sitting, others standing around a bench. He moved toward them as he studied them. The mage was there, as well as the second knight and six soldiers. Six soldiers were missing.

As he got closer, those sitting stood up, and everyone turned toward him.

"Lord," they said. He still wasn't accustomed to the respect everyone here gave him. The only explanation he could think of for their behavior was what happened when he threatened Eduard after first arriving at the estate. He didn't like it, but he didn't dislike it either. He had hated that kind of treatment in his old life, but in this one, it made things easier. So maybe he kind of liked it? The thought felt strange, so he cut it off. It didn't really change anything. He glanced at the men.

"Where are the others?" The other knight—the one whose name he still didn't know—stepped forward.

"I sent them to gather reports." Adolin nodded. That sounded... useful. And it probably was. With everything happening on the estate, keeping up with it was the smart choice. They were also expecting an attack on the estate, which would come... he had no clue when. So he should probably inform himself on that as well. It really was hard without a butler or without Aylinth. Getting things done that he wouldn't think of on his own was hard.

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"Well, we didn't really get the chance to know each other... with everything going on," Adolin said.

"Sir Elliot," the knight introduced himself before stepping back. Next, the mage stepped forward.

"Name's Saer. My specialty is fire magic." The mage was a tier or two above Revel. He was strong. Well, he had more mana at least, but a mage's true strength lay in the spells they could cast. Adolin needed to see the man in action, his spells and control, before he could judge him properly. Adolin nodded as everyone introduced themselves one by one. There was Taff, Brom, and Averit. He spent some time with them, but he was exhausted and wanted some time alone, maybe even a nap, so he dismissed them.

"Send someone to give me the reports when you have them." Just as he was about to head back to his room, he noticed everyone turn. His gaze followed theirs, and he spotted a soldier running toward Eduard's mansion.

"A courier," someone said. He was carrying a letter and was out of breath, but he didn't stop. The guards at the door let him in as soon as he showed them the letter. He looked at Tristan. The knight didn't need any further prompting and immediately started running toward the mansion.

"Is it beginning?" he heard one of the soldiers say from behind him. Was it? It was far too soon for his liking. That wouldn't leave him enough time to talk with the Count and leave. He cursed inwardly and started walking toward the mansion as well. Everyone around him was talking about the same thing, except for a few who were trying to figure out what was happening. Most of those were part of the estate's staff. He suspected the order to evacuate would be given soon, and he would be able to leave with the staff.

Nicholas was still nowhere to be seen, which he found odd. He went back inside the building. Tristan was standing in front of the door leading to the dining area where the Count and Eduard were, and he wasn't being let in. Adolin stopped beside him. The guards eyed him with apologetic looks. They were probably hoping he would get the hint and leave. He could give them a few more minutes to discuss things in private. If he still wasn't called by then, he would just walk in himself.

Since there was a chance he would get caught up in the mess, it was time to check his status and assign the attribute points he had gained. He had used a lot of spells, including some high-tier ones. He moved to an empty corner of the hall and leaned against the wall.

"Status," he muttered. [New Skill Detected: Mind Cleansing.] [Skill Tier: 9] [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.]... [New Skill Detected: Teleport.] [Skill Tier: 10+] [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.]... [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.]... [New Skill Detected: Isolate Space.] [Skill Tier: 11] [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.] [Level Increased.] He stared at the screen for some time. Those were a lot of levels. Far more than he had expected.

Isolate Space alone had given him four levels. The same went for Mind Cleansing. Was that because it was a mind spell? He really wanted a manual explaining how the blessing worked. Isolate Space made sense since it was a Tier 11 spell, but what about the others? Then there was the plus sign next to Teleport. What did that even mean? He really needed to find a library and spend some quality time reading. It was the best way to learn about the world and the blessing. Maybe asking others was another option.

But how was he supposed to ask questions that everyone in the world probably already knew? If he had lived Dareth's life, asking them wouldn't have been a problem. But everyone had already made up stories about who he was, and there wasn't much he could do to change that. He had to admit, he was a little curious about what kind of crazy stories they had made up about him. The door opened, and the courier stepped outside. Everyone flooded toward him, Tristan included.

Adolin watched them for a few moments, but no one called for him, so he returned his focus to the blessing. [Status:] Name: Dareth Wood Race: Human Mana: 1127/1680 Level: 47 Class: Convenience Mage [Attributes:] Strength: 58 Agility: 59 Endurance: 60 Intelligence: 168 Constitution: 58 Attribute Points Available: 20 He was three levels away from receiving the Class Skill, and he had to admit, he had been unusually active in using new spells recently. He was using new spells for everything.

Which was something he should have done from the moment he woke up in this new world. Though it hadn't been as simple back then. He had been a completely different man. The Demon Continent had followed him even into this world. Slowly, he was shedding its influence. It was far from gone, but with time, he hoped it would be. Tristan was done with the courier and was moving toward him. So Adolin put all of his attribute points into Intelligence and focused on the knight. He stopped in front of him.

"The courier reported that every single one of the scouts is dead." Adolin frowned.

"What did the Count say?"

"To prepare for a siege." Well, shit.