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Join the ServerAfter gazing for a long while at the flag representing the Candirac Empire, Ketia swirled his cloak and strode away from the tower’s summit.
As night descended, and the moon hung high in the sky, Ketia, having thoroughly surveyed the entire small fortress, pushed open the door to Deboli’s office.
Deboli, who had been feigning sleep in his office chair, frowned at the disturbance.
“Who’s that blind fool, not properly guarding their post in the dead of night, but instead coming to me?”
“…I am that blind fool.”
The slightly familiar voice prompted Deboli to open his eyes.
Upon seeing who it was, he immediately rose from his chair.
“Oh, Colonel Ketia, why are you here in the middle of the night, instead of sleeping in the room I prepared for you? What brings you this leisure?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ketia gazed at the fawning Deboli and spoke in a soft tone, “Nothing in particular. I simply wished to inform you that I will be taking the prisoners back to report early tomorrow morning.”
“Oh? Won’t you stay a few more days? After all, it’s not often one gets to leave the Imperial Capital for a stroll.”
Sensing a misstep in his words, Deboli quickly corrected himself, “No, I mean, now that you’ve finally escaped the backstabbing people and affairs of the court, why not stay a few days to enjoy some peace and quiet?”
“There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, Colonel Deboli. To prevent His Majesty from worrying and causing any oversight in imperial affairs, it would be best for me to return with the prisoners sooner rather than later.”
A faint smile touched Ketia’s lips as his piercing gaze met Deboli’s.
“…Understood! I will make all the necessary preparations.”
Deboli bowed slightly, his voice solemn.
Ketia nodded, then turned to depart.
Seeing Ketia about to leave, Deboli gritted his teeth, pondered for a moment, and then extended his hand.
“Please wait, Colonel Ketia.”
“Colonel Deboli, is there something else?”
Pausing, Ketia tilted his head slightly, his query tinged with mild confusion.
“Colonel Ketia, there is a matter I wish to entrust to you!”
Stepping before Ketia, Deboli bowed thirty degrees.
Gazing at the bowed man before him, Ketia’s expression showed a hint of bewilderment.
“Colonel Deboli, what is the meaning of this?”
“I… I wish to implore you to speak a few good words on behalf of my younger brother before His Majesty!”
He was a frontier general, and without exceptional achievements, he might remain in this borderland until his dying day.
He was unwilling to accept such a fate; he yearned to ascend, to escape being confined to one place until death.
Yet, lacking any ability or merit that could catch the eye of His Majesty or even higher-ranking officers, he simply could not climb.
Now, with a highly favored figure by His Majesty’s side appearing here, he intended to seize this opportunity.
Although the chances were slim, he knew he had to act to avoid any future regrets.
“…”
Ketia fell silent, understanding the man’s thoughts.
The room descended into quietude.
As a gentle breeze wafted in from the window, Ketia broke the subtle silence.
“I understand, Colonel Deboli. Regarding the matter of speaking a few good words to His Majesty, I will assist you, especially since you contributed significantly to the apprehension of the criminals.”
Upon hearing Ketia’s promise, Deboli’s eyes gleamed with hope.
“Then, if there is nothing further, I shall take my leave.”
“Please wait a moment!”
Emerging from his excitement, Deboli walked to his desk and retrieved a small, fist-sized, dust-covered box from beneath it.
Blowing the dust from the box, Deboli respectfully presented it.
“Colonel Ketia, please accept this humble gift as a token of my gratitude.”
Ketia observed the box Deboli offered with both hands, paused for a moment, then accepted it.
Upon opening the box and seeing its contents, his expression momentarily faltered.
Inside the box lay a purplish-gold ore, about the thickness of a thumb.
The moment the box opened, faint, invisible elemental particles began to flicker erratically around the ore.
“This is…”
“Colonel Ketia, my younger brother unearthed this three months ago from a pit not far from the garrison.”
Deboli answered truthfully, and seeing Ketia about to inquire about the pit’s location, he quickly added, “Colonel Ketia, that pit vanished like a phantom the moment I retrieved this stone.”
Hearing Deboli’s words, Ketia closed his slightly agape mouth, simultaneously closing the box in his hand to prevent the mana particles from contacting it.
“Regarding this ore…”
“Only the two of us know!”
The two men exchanged a long gaze before Ketia nodded and departed.
After Ketia’s departure, Deboli could barely contain his excitement.
“This is… excellent! I have a chance to rise! Ha, ha ha ha!”
Deboli’s joyous laughter echoed through the closed room.
****
In a guest room somewhere within the fortress, Ketia sat cross-legged on the bed, a small box resting before him.
Opening the box once more, the mana particles, previously scattered throughout the world, began to gather upon the ore’s surface.
Gazing at the purplish-gold ore nestled within the box, Ketia’s expression was complex.
Mana ore, a special mineral found on the continent of Canradi, capable of enhancing one’s mana capacity.
If a person’s mana capacity were likened to a bottle of water, then the magic they could unleash would only be of a conventional level.
To expand this capacity and cast more advanced techniques, one either had to undergo systematic meditation and cultivation or seek out mana ore for extraction.
The quickest way to expand one’s capacity was to find a piece of mana ore for extraction and fusion.
Mana ore was categorized into three grades: gold, platinum, and purplish-gold.
Among these, purplish-gold mana ore was the most precious on the continent.
‘I never imagined Deboli would hand over something so precious just for a promotion…’
Closing the lid, Ketia’s gaze shifted from shock to calm. ‘Hah, speak a few good words? Deboli, you likely don’t know that His Majesty despises it most when people try to pull strings like this, do you? And you, you actually dared not to report possessing this ore, when simply handing it directly to His Majesty would have been far better than asking me to put in a good word for you.’
A few cold laughs escaped him as Ketia placed the box into his mana space.
‘Well, since I’ve already accepted your gift, it would be a disservice to you if I didn’t speak a few good words on your behalf before His Majesty.’
With a scoff, Ketia rose from the bed.
He approached an iron rack and began to remove the armor he wore.
After wiping away the minuscule dust from his plate armor, Ketia returned to the bed and lay down.
****
The morning sunlight streamed in through the window, causing Ketia, bathed in its glow, to slightly frown.
Opening his eyes, he gazed at the ceiling for a moment before rising from the bed.
He walked to the iron rack and took down his plate armor and helmet.
Once fully armored, Ketia exited the room.
“Colonel Ketia, I trust you slept well?”
Deboli, who had been waiting eagerly by Ketia’s door since early morning, greeted him with effusive cheerfulness the moment he emerged.
In response, Ketia offered a smiling face. “Thanks to you, I slept quite well.”
“That’s good, that’s good!”
Seeing Ketia so pleased, Deboli, assuming it was due to the ore, nodded profusely.
“By the way, where are the prisoners? Are they ready?”
Glancing at Deboli, Ketia veiled the pity in his eyes and inquired.
“Oh, that? I prepared everything well in advance! Follow me.”
With that, Deboli led the way.
Outside the fortress, a prisoner carriage stood ready.
Inside the carriage, three shackled prisoners sat huddled.
“Excellent.”
Observing the carriage and the tightly bound prisoners, Ketia gave a slight nod.
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