Chapter 59 I’m Fine For Now

Ikaris' eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he heard the military man's harsh words. He did not take offense, however, because Toby was telling the truth. He didn't care about Asselin's opinion when he chose his territory. However, he did not like the soldier's tone.

Asselin now felt pressured to choose his territory after Toby's offensive words. On the one hand, he didn't want to give the boy the feeling that he was angry with him, but on the other hand, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't a bit upset.

What to do?

Noticing Toby's victorious smirk, Ikaris snorted and quietly explained to the nobleman,

"No need to fuss. Yes, I chose my territory without asking you. But no, I didn't do it to harm you or undermine our alliance and friendship. You want an unknown territory because you have a taste for adventure, I like to control the variables. From that point on, we already had a problem.

"Now don't put words in my mouth. Toby is right about one thing, if one of us is facing extinction, it is indeed an option to flee to the other. But do you really think I'm the kind of person who would let my people die by running away like a coward?

"So let's talk straight, let's talk numbers. Even if our territories were stuck together, that's still several hundred kilometers apart. Most of the neighboring Lords are already Barons or Counts. Their armies count several hundreds, even thousands of soldiers at the very least. So if one of us was unlucky enough to be invaded in the next few days or weeks, the other one wouldn't be able to do anything anyway.

"However, if the other was able to intervene, there is obviously a way and I'll tell you right now. It's the same as the one we would use to escape. Using the Transportation Portal from your territory to Tartarus Shade costs 1 gold coin, and you'll need another one to reach another territory with the agreement of its Lord. That's 2 gold coins per person. I'm willing to spend a few thousand gold coins to send you help in case of an enemy invasion, so I don't think my selfish choices penalize our alliance at all."

Asselin's eyes lit up as he heeded his reasoning. Using the Portal to send an army was obviously a solution. But in retrospect, it meant that the enemy Lords could also use this kind of method in case of an invasion.

This made it all the more crucial to develop contacts with the other Lords, especially those of House Morgunis. Enrolling in at least one of the four Academies was no longer optional, but an absolute priority.

On the plus side, it ensured that no enemy Lord would attack so easily. They would first make sure they had a thorough understanding of their target's military forces and its allies. This greatly reduced the chance of being invaded upon arrival.

Rid of his guilt, Asselin stopped fretting and unhesitatingly pointed to the territory he wanted much to Toby's disappointment,

"I want this place."

Cleome checked the map and had him reconfirm,

"The Orchard Basin? Are you sure?"

"Certain." The young man nodded his head resolutely.

"Very well. So there you are, the new Lord of Orchard Basin."

The Orchard Basin was an undocumented region that had never had a lord, located in the far north of the Warring Lands. More than 50,000km separated the territory of Asselin from that of Ikaris.

The little information about this region dated back to a very old era and came from the few adventurers who dared to explore it. What had stood out for those rare explorers was the sheer lushness of the basin, with all sorts of unearthly fruit trees. There, treasures like Heart Strawberries abounded and a Lord establishing his fiefdom there would never starve.

Of course, this meant that it was also a paradise for Demonic Beasts and other fabled creatures. The death rate of experienced explorers, most of whom were Sorcerers or higher, was abysmally high and that was why no Lord had dared to settle there until now.

This reality was about to change thanks to Asselin. Yet Ikaris could not help but be pessimistic.

'I hope everything will turn out well for him...' He prayed inwardly for the young nobleman in search of adventure.

In contrast, Toby also felt gloomy. For him, the Orchard Basin sounded like the Barren Bush, only worse. He too urgently wanted to join an academy, but to become stronger as quickly as possible and stop putting up with everything that was happening to him!

For the next hour they waited until their new identity papers and residency permits were ready, then they left the Office of Immigration and Territorial Allocation to receive their welcome pack of resources.

This was the responsibility of the House they chose to be affiliated with, so Anaphiel took them directly to her clan's castle in the Central District.

The fortress was like the city itself, an eyesore of black rock, ramparts, and turrets reaching to the heavens. Best of luck to the one who would ever try to take this castle head on.

After a cursory identity check by a squad of Tartarus Enforcers, they were allowed to pass through the perimeter wall. Anaphiel led them through the gardens and round the castle until they reached a small branch office attached to the attic and warehouse of the fortress.

A middle-aged manager in black robes who oversaw the distribution of the castle's resources recognized Anaphiel and hurried toward her with mild disbelief in his eyes.

He was a rather handsome, athletic man with long salt-and-pepper hair tied into a catogan. He also had a short, coarsely trimmed beard. Like the black-robed beauty he had beautiful emerald eyes drawing attention to himself wherever he went.

"Ana, you... ? "

"New recruits joining our House, Ramiro." She answered meekly, trying her best not to smile. "Including two new Lords. Their backgrounds are clean."

The stern-faced man shook imperceptibly with joy at the news, and as his eyes welled up with tears, Ikaris thought for a second that he was going to start crying. How bad was the situation in House Morgunis really?

After regaining his bearing, the man motioned for them to follow him,

"This way."

He took them to his office and after checking that their papers were in order he ordered other employees to go and prepare their Welcome Packs. While they waited he arranged for hot drinks and pastries to be served to them, much to the delight of the immigrant group except for Ikaris.

Sniffing a fruit muffin, a wince of disgust distorted his face.

'Damn it... As much as I've practiced my I Am Me Spell these past few days, any food other than meat still makes me nauseous.' He wailed inwardly.

Having already done the test in secret, his digestive system did not reject other foods. He had become a Crawling-Thrall not a Crawling and his body remained basically human. However, his tastes had changed irrevocably.

He hoped that one day he would be able to eat something other than meat again without feeling the urge to vomit in the future. For that to happen, he had to continue to practice his magic diligently.

"These pastries are not to your taste, young man?" Ramiro asked with a disgruntled frown as he saw Ikaris stifle a gag.

"Ikaris is a Crawling-Thrall." Anaphiel soberly explained in his place.

The disapproval disappeared from the manager's face and he nodded as if it were completely normal.

"That makes you the twenty-seventh lucid Thrall to join our Warring Lands in the last decade." Ramiro remarked to Ikaris. "Let's hope you stay yourself longer than the others. The end of most of them is tragic..."

The teen shuddered unwittingly at the bleak prognosis, but nonetheless forced himself to bite into the muffin he had been holding until then with a blank stare. He chewed slowly and swallowed heartily.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. For now." Ikaris smiled calmly, but after this "feat" he put the muffin down and did not take a second bite.

Still, Ramiro and Anaphiel were inwardly amazed by his performance. Wasn't his self-control a little too good for a new Thrall? If they learned that the boy in front of them was not even a Novice Sorcerer, their astonishment would have turned to dumbfoundedness.