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Name: Faust
Rank: Fledgling
Soul Core: Tempered (4/300)
Negative Essence: 9716
Relics: —
Attribute: Natural
Ability: Spirit of Absence
Boon: [Ryan of Earth]
Limitation: Absence of mind and soul.
Ability Description: Being the sole inheritor of the distant world that rejected all essence, you are the prince of absence. Rejoice, for before you, a Fledgling, an Overlord, an Eternal, or a Primordial are all equals.
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Last time Faust had checked his runes with the help of Helena after saturating his core, the negative essence thing was not there. So it must have come in between since that battle and today.
The only change he could think of was the dark flame.
’Is it the stolen essence by the constructs?’
How much was 9716? Runes never showed essence in numbers. All emanations just naturally sensed the essence flowing from their core and used it on instinct.
Where even was it? Faust didn’t feel any different physically. Still, he poked his biceps.
’Nah.. Nothing magical in here.’
That night at the dinner table, his parents and siblings drilled into him, over and over, how to stay safe outside, how to be around men who served him, basic rules for facing nobles, etc.
The Duke did not say it out loud, but he answered Zisel’s question about why he was letting Faust go so early in roundabout ways. It was supposed to be his reward for saving the lives of lords and soldiers. Faust had heard from Lord Velentine several times now how any other man in his position would have been knighted for that feat.
Being a knight was every boy’s dream in this world. Augustine had been knighted at the age of 14 after he accompanied Jonos on one of the border skirmishes with the empire. He killed three men that day, one of whom was an infuser of similar rank.
Zisel was trained to fight as well and could easily hold herself against any knight, but she never showed interest in dueling or killing. She liked studying and researching Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Magical pharmacology, Runic tools based on such studies, and special formations, spells, etc.
Faust was very interested in that stuff too and had read everything about it, but without essence, he could not understand or experience most of it. He could do that with another channeler’s help, but most of his ideas were too dangerous to risk lives.
Plus, people here did not understand how his memory was so sharp; if he started concocting stuff that only a half-decade-old student of witchcraft could do, his reputation would plummet even further. They would question his origin. People fear what they don’t understand after all.
In the early morning of the third day, Faust mounted his horse, said his farewells, and rode southeast with his retinue.
As his father commanded surrounded by five knights, twenty soldiers, Hartwin, and six servants, including Koren. 33 people in total.
He was ordered to return home every full moon or at least once a month if possible. The plan was to stay near the coastal region and hunt any creatures that walked inland from the sea. They were to visit the five major castles ruled by different families, spend some time fighting alongside them, and any settlement that came in between.
Kill as many soul beasts as possible to get his core from tempered to perfected. Then return to Cindros. That was the gist of it.
It could take from six months to a year or more, depending on how effective direct hunting was compared to second-hand cores.
"Master Faust, Castle Lumry is the closest and safest. From there we could travel all five towns of Penthos Shield." Sir Galahad suggested.
The fifth knight Faust chose to accompany him. The fifty-year-old, gray-bearded knight was one of the few he had good relations with. Of course, no matter how good these people were to him, they would all report back to the Duke every single detail about him regardless.
"Castle Lumry it is then." He replied.
Most of these people had never talked to him. He barely knew them, but they knew everything about him.
"Considering your special situation, we may have to hunt for more than a year, Faust. You are prepared for it, right?" Hartwin asked.
For a boy of twelve, the farewell was relatively laid back. It would indeed look like he wasn’t taking it seriously, or that he was too eager to realize it. Faust turned towards the guy, then spared a glance at everyone around him.
Comfortable in his dark armor, Faust nodded lightly. Then addressed everyone,
"We will make for Castle Lumry at a comfortable pace, hunt soul beasts we come across, and try to reach the nearest villages before nightfall. We will stay at the town for a week or two, then move on further south-east. We will try to come back to Cindros every twenty days. If any of you wish to skip the next trip, have someone else take your place."
Faust laid out clearly what to expect from this expedition. It was better to have a clear plan at least so they wouldn’t ask questions continuously or offer endless suggestions.
The group stared at him for a moment, but he ignored their gazes and yawned comfortably.
Dame Naima chuckled at that. "How far south-east do you wish to go, young Faust?"
She was the armored infuser who accompanied his parents and the Archon in his room the day his runes were first revealed.
"Depends on how productive the hunt goes. I do wish to visit the borderlands. I hear Malakai ruins are pretty this time of the year."
The smile instantly disappeared from Dame Naima’s face. Malakai ruins were a haunted place so terrifying that even the most dangerous of pirates avoided it.
The whole group held their breath, not a single sound from them.
Faust picked up the pace to a trot, laughing loudly. Only after a few seconds did the group relax, smiling and chuckling as they followed behind.
"Pride take me! That kid is unbelievable." Lady Birhi shook her head disapprovingly.
"Brat is a bully, I tell you!" The parrot on Hartwin’s shoulder exclaimed.
"Hah! It was a jest.." A soldier was so nervous he had to remind himself.
"Hahahaa..." Sir Galahad just laughed heartily.