The Undying Magician - Book 3 - Chapter 7 - The Nobles Part I (Patreon)

                                                      Nathan
                                Year 2850 | Month 3 | Day 4

After quickly gathering the useful items in the base, I head outside of it with the two magicians following closely behind me. And what I find is an abandoned base, all of the non-magicians here having fled through the hole I made in the base wall. Including the soldiers.

Interesting. Not my problem though.

“So why is it you want to take down the Barons so much?” I ask the dark magician – otherwise known as Reginald Hunt – as we continue walking through the base. “Because from what I’m aware, the Barons are all Class B magicians. Not really people you should be messing with.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the dark magician’s fist clenching slightly when he answers, “Revenge.”

I glance at him with a raised brow, prompting him to meet my eyes directly and explain, “Most people in the inner ring understand that the Barons are blocking us from leaving this ring. But most of them, including Frost,” my other brow raises at this, “don’t know why they’re doing that.”

“And you do?” I ask before turning my attention to the nature magician, who apparently goes by the name of Katie Elmwood, “Both of you?”

The dark magician looks surprised at that and focuses on Katie, who simply nods her head.

Thought so. She didn’t look surprised by Reginald’s statement at all.

“Just who are you anyways?” Reginald asks the woman, but she just glances at me as if looking for permission.

Hmm, she’s already deferring to me like a subordinate to a superior officer? A little surprising, but I can work with this.

I nod my head, so she looks answers, “I already said my name, Katie Elmwood, but what I didn’t state was that I am the daughter of Duke Elmwood of the Kingdom of the Fallen.”

That has me staring for a moment before Reginald sputters, “What?! Then why the hell are you in the inner ring?!”

“Before you answer that, please give me a better description of the Kingdom of the Fallen,” I state, cutting both of them off.

Katie ignores the man to focus on me as she answers, “Of course, Your Highness.” I raise a brow at that, but she doesn’t elaborate on the random use of an honorary title. “The inner region of the Kingdom of the Fallen is what the nobles on the outer and edge regions like to refer to as the outlands. It’s where the nobles send exile magicians, along with unaffiliated magicians that refuse to bend the knee.”

My eyes widen slightly at that, and I stop walking, only for my attention to turn to Reginald as we he and Katie stop as well, the man continuing her explanation, “After the exiles are sent here and given time to develop on their own with the non-magicians who aren’t exiles that live in this place, the Barons in charge of the outer regions look in to see if any of the magicians sent here have become useful to them, and if they have then to bring them into their service. Or if they have become a threat, to eliminate them entirely.”

“So the Kingdom still stands then?” I ask, genuinely surprised by that. Both of the magicians nod their heads at that, so I follow it up by stating, “Then tell me about the Kingdom.”

Katie answers me before Reginald can speak, “The Kingdom is currently ruled by the two Dukes, along with a single Marchioness, four Counts, five Viscounts, and sixteen Barons. All of which are either those who managed to survive the Kingdom’s original fall or are descended from them.”

Reginald suddenly cuts in, sounding like he doesn’t want to be outdone, the man probably rather displeased that one of the main benefits he was likely planning on giving me was being given by her instead, “Since the noble society is completely crippled, and the nobles themselves don’t always have the actual Class that used to be considered normal for their ranks, it’s mostly just a formality in the Kingdom. In fact, if a higher ranked noble doesn’t have the power to back up their rank, they end up being scorned by the others, and if they do anything wrong, quite possibly killed. It would be much worse though if it weren’t for-”

“My father,” Katie cuts him off, finishing his statement for him to his irritation. “The only Class A magician in the Kingdom.”

A Class A? That could be troublesome.

The Class Bs I might be able to handle. Hopefully. If they don’t come at me with more than two or three at once at least, in which case they’d probably be able to capture me.

Also, I wonder if I should mention this to the skeleton? He might find it… wait a second, his miasma and spells run across the entire continent, so shouldn’t he already know about it?

Never mind then. I won’t tell him.

Might complain to him the next time I see him though.

I narrow my eyes on the two magicians in front of me before asking, “So why exactly should I need the two of you?”

A good question. Because while another healer could be useful, I don’t actually need more magicians. And it’d be benefiting the refugees under me, not myself, at the cost of whatever risks they bring with them.

The two answer at the exact same time.

“Because you’re going to need strong subordinates if you’re going to become King.” “Because the Barons will attack, and I doubt you can defend against several Class B magicians without some help.”

After a moment, both me and Reginald stare at Katie in shock at her words.

“Why the hell would I ever want to become King?” I blurt out, genuinely surprised by her ridiculous statement.

She tilts her head after a moment before answering, “Because you’re His Majesty’s son?” as if it should’ve been obvious.

I stare at her. Reginald stares at her. She stares at me.

“I am not that fucking skeleton’s son!” I shout while palming my new sword that I put sheathed on the other side of my waist from the first. “And there is no fucking way I’m becoming a damned King!”

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