Magus Reborn

As soon as Kai heard that Veridia had bad news, he sat down.

Honestly, he wasn’t too surprised.

By this point, he was used to receiving one problem after another—corruption zones, Maleficia, a Sixth-Circle Shadow Mage, Vanderfall nearly collapsing into another civil war.

Bad news had become so common that he no longer felt the need to react strongly before hearing what it was.

He only wanted to know how much he had to deal with it.

In contrast, Francis and his assistants didn’t seem to take it as calmly.

Kai couldn’t blame them. Depending on how large the problem was, their work was about to become worse. They were no longer administering only a fief. They were slowly being forced to administer the whole kingdom, and now Vanderfall’s rebuilding would soon be added on top of that.

Fortunately, Veridia didn’t keep them waiting for long.

She pointed toward her apprentice. “When I left for my advancement, I took Loras with me to make sure no one disturbed me. While I was searching for a proper location, this man wandered into a nearby town to drink and somehow gathered information I believe will be useful to you.”

Loras smiled proudly. “You should thank me with treasures for this.”

“Let me decide that after I hear you out. What did you find?”

“Talk of a war,” Loras said.

Francis frowned at once, his lips nose scrunched upward. “Who is going to war now? No one has even submitted a rumour of another uprising in Lancephil.”

“Not here,” Loras said. “In the Alparca Kingdom.”

Kai’s gaze shifted toward Veridia. “You went to Alparca for your advancement? That is a long way from here.”

“I am fast, and I have my own tricks you know nothing about.”

Kai watched her for a moment. She only lifted her teacup again, looking far too pleased with herself.

“Let my apprentice continue,” she said.

Loras nodded. “Anyway, I was in a town near the border. There were soldiers and blacksmiths there, and from what I heard, they had received new orders for weapons and other materials. A lot of them too, and in a very short time.”

Kai’s expression stayed the same.

“The soldiers were arguing with the blacksmiths in the forges,” Loras continued. “I heard a little there, then learned more at the inn after spending some gold.”

“And?” Kai asked.

“As it turns out, King Aurelian Vael is going to war against Lancephil for killing his son.” Loras shrugged slightly. “At least, that is what I heard. I do not know if it is true.”

Kai looked toward Francis. “Did we not try to have diplomatic talks with the Alparca Kingdom?”

“We did, Your Majesty. They did not want to hear our side, and relations are currently very poor, but we still sent back the body of the late Prince Vhailor. We also asked for forgiveness for what happened during a heated war.”

Kai remembered that well.

Vhailor’s death had been unavoidable at the time, but unavoidable did not mean it came without consequences.

Francis continued, “They never gave us a proper reply. However, the diplomats who met our people promised they would do their best to make sure this ended peacefully. We even offered gold, artifacts, and a golem as compensation to keep the peace intact.”

One of Francis’s assistants, Siton, stepped forward. “Actually, Your Majesty, the talks are still ongoing. We trade with Alparca, and that trade was affected by the war, so there were discussions on how to repair relations.”

Kai sighed. “So they are keeping up the face of diplomacy while preparing for war.”

“That is what it sounds like,” Veridia said.

Kai leaned back in his chair, already feeling the weight of another problem settling onto the pile. Veridia watched him over the rim of her teacup. “You certainly do not lack enemies. I think you have a knack for making them.”

Kai gave her a flat look.

She smiled. “Even if Regina did nothing, you would still have more than enough to deal with.”

“That is not comforting,” Kai said.

“It was not meant to be.”

“Half of those enemies are because of Regina,” he admitted. “And the aftermath of the war she started.”

Loras looked at him blankly. “I thought the war happened because you wanted to become king.”

Kai turned his eyes toward him.

“I would never have wanted the throne if the princes had been even half decent,” Kai said. “And if Regina had not been trying to play kingmaker and control everything from behind the scenes.”

Veridia chuckled at that. “You really are the king who does not want the crown.”

Kai didn’t bother denying it.

Veridia set her teacup down and looked at him more seriously. “So what are you going to do about another person wanting to kill you and your kingdom?”

Kai went silent. That was the question, was it not?

He had already been thinking the same thing, and honestly, there was no good answer. Lancephil could not afford another war right now. The kingdom had just come out of a civil war. It was still dealing with the plague’s aftermath, damaged trade, broken towns, and a court that was only beginning to function properly under Francis’s control.

And Kai had a feeling King Aurelian Vael knew that very well.

It wasn’t difficult to understand. Any neighbouring kingdom watching Lancephil would see the weakness. A country that had gone through a civil war and then been struck by a plague would not have endless resources to throw into another battlefield. Even if Lancephil had Kai, that did not mean the kingdom itself was ready.

They had discussed this possibility before.

Kai, Francis, and the others had known that the dispute with Alparca could still turn bloody. Prince Vhailor’s death had always been a dangerous matter, no matter how justified it had been during the war. But King Aurelian Vael was old, experienced, and supposed to be practical. Kai had expected him to understand that starting another war now would benefit no one.

Revenge for a son did not justify sending hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths.

Apparently, Kai had been too optimistic. Another thought made his expression darken further.

With everything happening around Lancephil, it was becoming harder to believe this was all coincidence. He had a strong feeling that Alparca was also part of Maleficia's plan.

Maybe not openly. Maybe King Aurelian did not even realise he was being pushed.

But someone was benefiting from Lancephil being surrounded by enemies, and he was starting to see the shape of that hand more clearly.

After all, this felt like the final piece needed to pressure Lancephil from every side.

He even had a feeling that this was why Maleficia had only invested in an assassination attempt in Vanderfall instead of sending a larger force. Maybe they had not expected the spatial beasts to kill him outright. Maybe injuring him would have been enough. If he had been forced to retreat, Marcell could have taken control of Vanderfall and started a war from one side.

Then Alparca could move from the other.

With the corruption zones eating away at Lancephil from within, his forces would have been stretched thin enough to break.

It was a good plan.

Worse, it might have worked if Kai had been occupied with even one of those problems and left the others to his subordinates. Lancephil was stronger than before, but it was not strong enough to fight threats from every direction while still rebuilding itself.

He did wonder who had orchestrated all of it.

Probably Victor.

Kai couldn’t imagine Dravros coming up with something this layered. The man had been dangerous, but not in this way. This felt more patient and far more interested in forcing Kai into bad choices instead of simply trying to overpower him.

Still, knowing who had created the plan wasn’t the most important thing right now. What mattered was how he dealt with it.

Kai looked around the room and saw that everyone was waiting for the same answer. Francis, Siton, Veridia, Loras, and the others all had their eyes on him. Some looked worried. Some looked thoughtful. Veridia looked almost interested, as if she wanted to see what kind of decision he would make.

Kai thought about it for a few moments. No matter how he turned the situation over in his mind, only one answer came to him.

“We will not do anything,” he said.

Francis’s expression grew more concerned than ever. “What do you mean, Lord Arzan? Should we allow Alparca to wage war against us?”

“No,” Kai said. “We cannot allow that. But we also cannot answer this in an official setting.”

Francis’s eyebrows knitted together.

Kai continued, “If we respond openly, it will only escalate the situation. They’re still pretending to negotiate. If we accuse them of preparing for war, they might stop pretending and start moving their forces toward us immediately.”

The room went quiet.

“Do not forget that Alparca has access to ports and the sea,” Kai said. “That gives them options we do not have since our navy is barely a thing. While we waste time in peace talks, they could send groups of Mages by ship, land them near our borders, and strike where we are not prepared.”

Francis’s face tightened as he understood the problem.

Kai leaned back slightly, his thoughts already moving through the possibilities. “If they want to keep wearing the mask of diplomacy, then we let them. For now, we act as if we believe them. We continue the talks, we delay, and we watch.”

Veridia’s smile grew faint. “And quietly prepare.”

“Exactly.”

Francis slowly nodded.

Veridia gave a low grunt. “That is exactly what I believe they will do. Sow chaos everywhere, block your distribution networks, and probably take help from Maleficia. They will need it if they want to face your Enforcers.”

Kai looked at her.

“Mages are a thing of the old now that the Enforcers have come into the scene,” Veridia added.

Kai agreed with her completely.

A part of him still found it strange to see Veridia taking part in the discussion like this. Not long ago, she had been an enemy. Now she was sitting in his council room, offering advice on how to protect Lancephil. But in the end, she had agreed to help him after reaching the sixth circle, and Kai had no reason to waste a powerful ally because of old grudges.

“I do not want to handle two major problems at once,” Kai said. “And Alparca is something I will have to deal with myself.” He turned to Francis. “Send more Watchers into Alparca. We should already be getting rumours of war preparations by now, but I want more than rumours. Have them keep track of troop numbers, weapon orders, Mage movements, ship activity, and anything strange.”

“Strange, Your Majesty?”

“Creatures,” Kai said. “If Maleficia is involved, there may be things that do not belong in a normal army.”

Francis’s eyes widened. “I understand, Your Majesty.”

Kai looked back at Veridia. “Come to my room tomorrow. I will have new spells for you.”

“New spells?”

“Yeah. Spells you will like.”

Her interest sharpened at once. “You know shadow-aspected spells?”

“Not many,” Kai said. “But I know some. I also know spells for your other elements.”

Veridia leaned back, studying him with a look that was far too focused.

Kai continued, “If I am going to make use of you, then I will make sure you are as strong as you can be. Besides, I doubt you have many sixth-circle spells yet.”

Veridia kept quiet. Her silence was enough to tell him he was right. Loras, still standing behind her, cleared his throat. “You should give me some good spells too. I gave you the information, did I not?”

“You can have some gold.”

Loras’s smile faltered.

“My Watchers would have brought me the information soon enough anyway,” Kai said. “You only saved me a little time.”

“That is still valuable,” Loras said.

“It is,” Kai replied. “That is why I said gold.”

Loras scowled at that, clearly unconvinced.

At least the man was no longer looking at Kai as if he wanted another failed attempt at killing him. Either Veridia had disciplined him properly, or Loras had mellowed out after living in Veralt for a while. The city did have a good atmosphere, and Kai supposed that could have an effect on some people.

Soon, Kai turned toward the door. “I will be on my way now. If there are any other movements, notify me immediately. Also, tell me when Elias returns, and keep daily communication with Vanderfall.”

Francis nodded at once. “I will do so, Your Majesty.”

Kai was about to leave when another thought flashed through his mind. He paused near the door and looked back. “Also, find out any information you can about shadow beasts.”

“Shadow beasts? They are rare.” Veridia asked.

“I know. But Maleficia apparently has the support of some of them. Specifically, small creatures that can slip in and out of reality and leave no trace behind.”

Francis tilted his head. “You want us to identify them?”

“Yes,” Kai said. “Find out what they are, where they come from, where they live, and whether there is any known way to track or counter them. I should have brought some corpses but I'm sure you can bring some over by drones.”

“I will do so,” Francis said.

This time, his voice didn’t sound as certain as before.

Kai didn’t care too much. Francis might not have confidence in this specific matter yet, but the old man was extremely capable. If there was information to find, he would find it. If there was none, then at least Kai would know the creatures were even more troublesome than he had thought.

With that settled, Kai left.

Getting to his room didn’t take long. Fortunately, no one stopped him on the way. A few servants and guards bowed when they saw him, but none tried to speak. Kai appreciated that more than they probably knew.

He did want to visit Amara.

They had not had a proper conversation in a while, and with everything happening, he knew that was not ideal. But speaking with her would take time. It would not be a quick exchange, and he did not want to sit with her while half his mind was already on other things.

Amara would understand once he explained it to her later. At least, Kai hoped she would.

Honestly, for whatever reason, he was surprised he was not already planning to head straight for Alparca.

A part of him wanted to.

It would be simple in one sense. Fly there, find out whether King Aurelian was truly preparing for war, and put enough fear into the man that he reconsidered. But Kai knew that would be the exact kind of reaction his enemies might expect from him. If he rushed toward every problem the moment it appeared, they could keep dragging him from one side of the kingdom to the other until something finally broke behind him.

So he forced himself to go to his room instead.

For once, he needed to stop, think, and choose his next move carefully.

There was also too much else to do. His first priority was still the corruption zones, and beyond that, improving his mana hands until they became flexible enough for what he needed. Once he achieved that, it would be time to enter the corruption zones properly and purge them one by one.

Kai had a feeling Victor might be waiting for him there.

If not there, then he had no idea when the man would choose to attack. That was the problem with enemies like him. A straightforward opponent could be prepared for, but Victor wasn't like that.

And Kai knew the Shadow Mage would not be the last person he had to deal with among Maleficia’s leadership.

He had killed Regina, Selenia, and Dravros so far, but there were still others. The man who had attacked and almost destroyed the Elder Tree was still out there. Beyond him and Victor, there might be more names Kai had not even heard yet.

There was no way to know for sure. What he did know was that sooner or later, they would come for him at the same time.

Kai was becoming too much of a problem for them to ignore. The only reason they had not fully focused on him before was probably because they had been busy with other plans, and because they had underestimated him until now. That would not last.

Victor certainly didn’t seem like the kind of person who wanted a simple, direct battle. He was the scheming type.

Against someone like that, and against whatever other leaders Maleficia still had, there was only one real answer Kai could rely on.

He needed to become stronger.

So despite his worries, he did not leave his room after entering it. He closed the door, sat on his bed, and let his awareness sink inward until he entered his master’s room inside his soul.

It was calming when he did that.

There, he began working on the mana hands again.

He needed them to be faster, smoother, and more flexible. Not just tools for grabbing and crushing, but extensions of his will that could shape, defend, attack, and act without slowing him down. If he was going to fight beings like Victor, he could not afford to have any part of his magic feel clumsy.

At the same time, another thought sat in the back of his mind. The seventh circle.

Reaching it wouldn’t be easy—heck, it wasn’t supposed to be easy.

Even the sixth circle was considered almost impossible for most Mages, and the seventh was beyond anything this world properly understood. But Malefic wasn’t an enemy he could face with ordinary strength.

If the dragon truly woke, then all of Kai’s plans, armies, Enforcers, allies, and kingdoms would mean very little unless he had the power to stand in front of it.

So while he trained his mana hands, Kai also began searching through everything he knew, trying to find a path forward. He needed a way to reach the seventh circle as soon as possible.

Because against Malefic, anything less might not be enough.

***

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