Arcane Academy, Eastern Plains

-What a stupid looking chandelier.-

Hell. I am thinking this for the tenth time! The director should stop his

stupid speech and hand out our diploma!

I have way too much time to look around and think about this cursed

world. Right now I am in the Eastern Plains which belong to noone in

particular. It's just deserted region that consists of rocks, sand and

more rocks. No interesting minerals, no people and almost no living

organisms.

So it is the perfect place for the most esteemed magical academy in

this world. It's a multinational institute with the financial backup of

several countries. Everyone is sending their most talented magicians

to this place.

There are five big nations which are mostly at peace with each

other.

First is the Mislow Kingdom to the west. It's a striving country with

good access to all needed resources. Not that there is much that's

needed anyway.... but I will explain that point later. Mislow is feared

for their mind magicians. They are masters of illusion and trickery.

Once they were invaded by one of the other powers and trapped the

biggest enemy army in a self repeating loop of its environment while

marching though a big open field. The whole enemy army started to

walk in circles for weeks until they died of thirst right next to a big

lake. The Mislow military didn't draw a single sword.

Then there is Norfolk in the north. It consists of mountain ranges and

from what I heard they have an everlasting winter up there. They

mostly trade food in exchange for ores and other materials they mine in their mountains. It's a loose conglomerate of tiny nations,

kingdoms and principalities.

They don't have any military power compared to other nations.

That's because they have no real unity. But they are left alone

because of the harsh environment up there. It's much easier to trade

than to subjugate them. Their only central governing power is the

Jarl. He is something like a king, though he has less power.

It's much more likely that any army that's sent to Norfolk would die

of hunger and cold than in a fight. Even though it's true that Norfolk

has a weak military, their territory is huge! You need weeks or

months to march an army from one city to the next. On top come the

mountains which just add to the problems.

The Jamaian Union is to the south. It's another big thriving country

which is the most similar to a democracy in this world. They are

renowned for their fire magicians. It's said that their mightiest arcane

wizard created the Eastern Plains by burning a whole country to

cinders during the last big war.

That was a few hundred years ago, so no way to tell if the story is

true or not.

Then we have the Island Nation of Mist. They are strange people

with long ears and a high build. They are very different from the

humans on the main-continent. They control almost all islands on the

great sea and are very xenophobic people.

Even though they control the trade on the ocean, they don't interact

much with anyone else. Their ships moor in a port to sell and buy

goods and then they disappear on the great Sea again.

Last but not least the is the great Phenex Empire. They completely

control a whole continent which is five weeks to the south by ship.

Admittedly, the Phenex Empire has just the size of a third of the main

continent. They are still bigger than any other nation.

And they are ruled by a supposedly immortal Queen since a few

hundred years.

Now for something that's shared by all nations. They despise technology! Everything has to be done by magic. And therefore,

being able to use magic in this world is equivalent to having power.

People who are able to use a reasonable amount of magic are

nobility by default. Someone without it is a peasant and treated

accordingly.

The big noble families consist only of the most powerful magicians.

Of course it's in the interest of nobility to suppress any technology

and knowledge about science. It keeps the untalented worker class

at bay.

Something which I really despise. Not that I would care for anyone

besides myself. But I love technology and machines. It's my hobby!

Yet I am forbidden from following my interests in this world. It's

infuriating!

If it wouldn't have serious side effects I would slit my throat right

here and now to start my next life. That's because I am someone

who remembers his previous lifes. I am quite old actually. From what

I remember I have lived a few thousand different lives so far.

But there is a problem with reincarnation. If you die too early, you

lose memories. That's not exactly pleasant and it already happened

quite a few times to me already. Sometimes you are just unfortunate

and die as an infant for example. That's the worst case. It blows a

serious hole into your memories. Mostly you lose your oldest

memories. But if you are unlucky you can also lose some recent

ones. And that's really unpleasant!

So I will never commit suicide for a pathetic reason like that. Even if

the reincarnation is really shitty like my current one.

I am the third son of high nobility from the Mislow Kingdom. Even

though I was born into nobility I really hate this world. The biggest

reason is the ban on technology. The second biggest reason is that I

hate my family.

My father and my mother don't give a shit about their children and

see us just as resources. When I was old enough to walk, they

threw me out of the house and locked me up in an educational facility. The people there knew just two things. Training and sleeping!

So I never really learned to know my parents until I was ten.

That was when I was taken back home to be -introduced- to the

people which should be called my family. But what followed were just

brutal and inhumane training lessons. It didn't matter how good I

was. If I managed to achieve something, my father simply made it

harder the next time.

Maybe he was annoyed that his third son is more capable than his

first son who should inherit the house. Mother was always indifferent

towards me. But I have to admit that she kept me alive during my

infant stage.

It actually is very bad for a noble house to have multiple capable

heirs. The nations laws are very strict in that regard and are

designed to protect the magical heritage. If there are multiple

capable heirs, the noble house has to be split between them in order

to ensure that both bloodlines are kept alive.

That's something my father doesn't want to happen under any

circumstances. Having a big and powerful noble family split up would

result in two smaller noble houses which aren't under his control any

more.

For short. My family is the worst I can remember through all my

reincarnations.

It was a blessing that I managed to sneak out of the house when I

was twelve. I went directly to a testing faculty which belonged to the

Arcane Academy. There I took a test for the Arcane Academy and

got a sponsorship.

So the brutal training had at least some worth. When the letter from

the Arcane Academy arrived, my father fumed and beat me half to

death. I may have had knowledge above my age but that doesn't

mean that I could put up a fight against someone who was in the

prime of his time.

In any case, it was worth the beating. After my potential was

officially acknowledged by the Academy, my father had no other choice than to let me go. Magic ability equals power in this world.

And hindering his own son in climbing the ladder of power would

have looked very bad for him.

His house would have looked weak. And that's something that

cannot be allowed in a world where all powerful bloodlines are

eyeing each other with daggers behind their backs.

While there are no wars, it is far from peaceful. The climb and fall of

a noble house can be decided by a single weak family member.

A few years have passed since then. And as long as I was protected

by the Arcane Academy, I could live my life in relative freedom.

Though it should be a place that seeks knowledge, the Academy

isn't any different in its pursuit of the status quo. You are allowed to

seek any knowledge that's in line with the general world-view. But

should you be found to dabble in technology or science, you can be

sure to face dire and most likely final consequences.

“Ascathon!”

Someone elbows me into the side. “It's your turn in any second now!

Don't zone out while looking at that creepy chandelier. Seriously!”

“Ahaha... sorry. What would I do without you mom!” I smirk at Kane

who is the only person who is friendly with me. Because of the whole

house splitting issue, it's uncommon for a noble family to sent

someone else besides their first son to the Academy.

Everyone tried to hold their distance from me during my time here.

They don't want to be involved in any trouble by being associated

with me. Kane is the only one who didn't care.

He is the son of a merchant house and filthy rich. He isn't very

talented in magic but his family sent him here with money despite

that. It gives a lot of prestige to have someone graduating from

here.

Kane has short brown hair and dark brown eyes. He could be called

a little chubby if you take just a fast look at him. But I know that he is

just build very sturdy.“Ascathon Arenzien!” The headmaster calls for me and I stand up. I

walk with long measured steps through the rows of chairs with

students. It's a big hall and there are about two hundred graduates.

When I arrive at the podium, the headmaster hands me a certificate,

which acknowledges my successful graduation from the Arcane

Academy.

“You managed to graduate with flying colours. Seven perfect scores

on your seven main fields of study. That's remarkable! By the

Academy's tradition, it will fulfil a wish for a student who managed

five perfect scores. So what do you wish for Ascathon?”

The Headmaster looks at me with inquiring eyes.

I smile at him. That's the moment I was working for. The Academy

should have the power. “I wish to cut all ties with my family. I want a

new family name of my own. Never again I want to be mentioned

together with the house of Arenzien.”

A murmur rises throughout the students and the director screams

them down. “SILENCE!” Then he looks back towards me. “You

realize that you throw away a name with history and power? Life will

be much harder without it. It can also be seen as a serious insult

towards the house of Arenzien.”

“I don't care.” I grab the certificate out of the directors hand and

press my thumb onto it while infusing my mana into it. This

acknowledges the document from my side.

The headmaster waves his hand and another document appears in

it. It starts to glow while he sets up another document. “Then so be

it. The Academy will change your name into....?”

“Ascathon Asceron.”

“Ascathon Asceron. You are a free noble mage from now on. No

family ties. No ties to any other noble household.” He hands the

second document to me and I sign it in the same manner.

I bow slightly and turn around to leave with a grin on my face. This

life belongs to me from now on! Just one thing left to do before I can

start to build up a place for myself.After a few steps I am back at my seat and sit down again.

“The Fuck!? You really did it! I can't believe it! I know you told me

but I still didn't believe it! Fuck! They will kill you! You know that? You

just insulted one of the mightiest families of Mislow! They will send

assassins in scores after you! Fuck!” Kane starts a tirade while

whispering.

“Friend? Could you deposit all my money divided by three in three

magical pouches and bring them to me after this event.”

“Of course I can. You should be fast and try to hook up with another

nation though. You aren't safe in Mislow any more! Stop that stupid

grin! Gods, Fuck. I still can't believe that one of my best friends just

committed suicide.” Kane straightens his robe with a concerned

face.

Kane made quite some money with my help during the years at the

Academy. With his family ties and my knowledge, I managed create

quite a fortune. That happened through the selling of new magical

techniques and spells, which I remembered from my earlier

reincarnations.

If you manage to create a completely new spell, you can sell the

knowledge for quite some money. Of course the sum is dependent

on its usefulness. If the spell has considerable military value for

example.... it's easily worth a principality or two.

The time flies by without further big commotions. At the end of the

ceremony I get up and walk outside to get some fresh air. It's easy

to leave the big auditorium in which the ceremony was held.

Just walking outside and down the hallway is enough. The campus

outside is neat and clean like a park. There are many students here

and it is buzzing with life. Considering that the Arcane Academy has

students from all over the world its size is huge. It's actually a small

city with everything you can imagine. From stores to restaurants and

offices.

I fold the acquired papers which document my freedom neatly and

place them inside a holder with other important documents.Ascathon Asceron.... the name has a nice ring to it. And this stupid

world will start to ~fear~ it soon enough!

“Look who we have here. The stupid Arenzien who gave up his

family's protection. What do you intend to do now, idiot?”

My expression drops. I can't help it. That voice is a serious mood

killer. I turn around to the rude person with the name of Celestial

Jasmine. She is the only person who interacted with me on an

almost daily basis besides Kane.

Dark black hair and metal blue eyes. A nice face and good figure. If

she wouldn't poison the air with her words as soon as her cute lips

part I would have a crush on her.

But where my relationship with Kane is one of friendship, Celestial is

my worst enemy. She belongs to a very high social standing within

the Jasmine House from the Mislow Kingdom like me.

As for her problem with me. I have no idea. She never lowered

herself to the point of telling me the reason. Her family has some

issues with mine from what I heard. So it's likely that she was

indoctrinated by her parents to despise everything with the name

Arenzien.

“I don't know what you are talking about. I see nobody with the

name Arenzien here.” I give her a smug grin while I scratch my

chest. Ah, good. I didn't forget to put on my amulet. It's a little

artefact which grants me passive protection against curses.

Carrying around something like this is a risk. But it's worth it.

Celestial cursed me more than once with stomach aches and

diarrhoea until I created the amulet. I am not sure how the nobility

would react towards someone who can create artefacts like my

amulet. Better for them to know nothing about it.

“You still belong to those bastards. The change of your name doesn't

make a difference! Just make sure to hide in the deepest hole you

can find. If I ever catch you outside the protection of the academy

….” She leaves her sentence unfinished with a smug grin and turns

to walk away.That was a murder threat! Not possible to interpret it in any other

way! Haah. Why has this life to be this troublesome. It did nothing

bad in this world. I just belong to a family of assholes.

“ASCATHON!”

*Sigh*... I just tried to wait here and enjoy the sun until Kane arrives

with my money. And why do those idiots who have personal

problems with me always approach from behind?

I turn around again and see my father with my two older brothers.

They are coming my way and mother is with a little sister behind

them. A whole trolley of guards is following them.

Do they want to start a war?

“What do you think you are doing!? Throwing away your family name

like that in public! It's like the name of our house isn't worth a damn!

Do you know what you just did!” The guy who is supposed to be my

father stands in front of me while screaming for everyone to hear.

The ten guards formed a circle around me during the tirade.

“I perfectly understand my situation. I cut my ties with you guys.

Goodbye and have a nice life. I will walk my own path from now on.”

I wave my hand to father who turns red like a tomato. Ah, what a

sight. I waited about twenty years for that moment.

“IF you are that willing to disgrace our family, then you have to be

able to deal with the consequences! Right now you are just some

small noble with no house and no reputation! So I will show you what

our name is capable of! Guards take him! We are going!” Father

gestures into my direction and the guards start to move.

Aaahhh.... so that's what the name of Arenzien is capable of?

Abducting someone in broad daylight against his will to have him

disappear in a dark corner? But I am disappointed. Father always

rambled about the worthlessness of commoners in war.

Yet he sends normal guards against me. I wave my hand at the six

guards who are approaching from behind to attract their attention

towards it and then a flash of light blinds them. Being unable to seeanything they stop. All of them are armed with spears.

After a few seconds the first one recovers and blinks while looking at

his comrade. “AAAAAAA!” He starts to scream and rams his spear

into the side of his neighbour.

Another one recovers and storms like a mad bull into another guard

which was forming the circle earlier.

The first retracts his spear and starts to search for another prey.

Then the four guards in front of me change their direction in an

attempt to stop their six hallucinating comrades from killing

themselves. A wild close combat fight is the consequence.

The conclusion is that after a few moments none of the guards is

standing any more. Well. One of them is uninjured, but he is on his

knees and crying like a little kid.

I never broke eye contact with my father during the entire time. I just

felt what was going on behind me by sensing the disturbances in the

mana flow.

Never again old bastard. I am no twelve year old child any more.

Suddenly my second oldest brother raises his hand and a ball of fire

flies towards me. Cheap! A little concentration and a cushion of air

tightens around my hand. With a smack of my hand the fireball is

returned towards its caster who howls up as his left foot is hit and

catches fire.

My oldest brother summons a water ball and stops the fire. Then he

turns towards me and hisses. “I really hope you know what you are

doing!”

“I am defending my rights against a group of people who are weaker

than me.” It's a matter of fact. They are weak compared to me.

Then father raises his hand towards me and I feel something like an

illusion spell forming around me. But it doesn't matter. It's very

similar to a curse, so my amulet starts to act and automatically

shatters the forming bonds of mana.I show him my tongue and the middle finger while his expression

darkens. I don't know why but that gesture is universal to all worlds I

ever lived in. “Hahahaha. The great mind magician. Head of the

Arenzien family failed his magic spell.”

After clapping by hands I start a little provoking dance, but father

just turns around walks away.

“How boring! Is that all the Arenzien can do? Guards, a fireball and a

failed attempt at illusion magic?” I call after my previous family but

they don't let themselves be provoked.

It's for the better. I guess the personal police of the Arcane

Academy is already on its way.

“You are surely trying really hard to get assassinated Ascathon.”

Kane advances towards me from the side with three small pouches.

He arrived earlier, but it looks like he hid in the crowd. “Here is your

money. I hope you use at least half of it to hire an army of capable

guards. I don't want to lose a good friend..... and a treasure box.”

“That's all I am to you in the end?” I grab the pouches and store

them away in my coat.

“What will you do now?” Kane looks after my family with a

distressed face. “They are still your blood relatives you know? Was

it really okay?”

I shrug my shoulders. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. It's

good that it happened here. I had to show them that they need to

start a full blown fight in order to drag me off. A few buildings would

have suffered and that's something father wouldn't be able to sweep

under the carpet. I just wonder how they got here so fast? I guess

they were already waiting for me in order to drag me home.”

Then I start to smile over the whole face. “And for my plans. I will go

and buy my own principality!”

“Hahaha... it should be enough for a small one.” Kane looks at the

dead guards and the crying guy. “So you are trying to tell me that

your father can sweep something like that under the carpet!?” He

waves at the scene. “What did you even do to them?”I shrug. “I just showed them a few truths about themselves. Their

greatest enemy? Their greatest hope? That which they hate the

most? And their greatest fear?”.

Arcane Academy, Eastern Planes

Then I turn towards Kane and hug him. “Goodbye ~mother~! I hope

you will do well. We may not see each other for a while.” Hehehe. I

know he hates that.

“Let go! You are creeping me out idiot!” He pushes me away and

waves his hand and me. “Be sure to send me a letter when you

settle down. I hope to hear from you soon!”

I pat his shoulder without saying a word and turn towards the

opposing side of the plaza. While I walk I start to skip a little. New

life here I come! Even if I get assassinated, so be it! From now on I

will work on doing what I want.

In front of me on the other side of the plaza is a circular portal. It's a

teleportation device which connects important places throughout the

whole world. The fee to use them is expensive. But it would also be

costly to make a long journey by conventional means.

As I reach the Gate I flip a coin towards the magician who is

controlling it. Those devices need constant guidance by a qualified

person. Otherwise you could end up somewhere you don't want to

be. “The Norfolk Capital! And fast! I have an appointment!”

That's not entirely true, but at least the magician starts to wave his

hands at the gate with complicated gestures and some glyphs start

to glow.

Even though technology is despised, some artefacts are tolerated

because of their practicability. And if they can be only used by noble

magicians it's all the better. Something like my amulet which works

for everyone would get me into jail asap.

The Gate glows up and a snowy city comes into view on the other side. I nod towards the magician who is controlling the Gate and

step through.

Cold! Brrr! I cast a protection spell against the cold by mumbling a

few words. Something like that is children’s play.

The architecture of the Norfolk capital is very different from the

Arcane Academy. The overall height of the locals is a little higher

than in Mislow but I guess it's okay. The ethnical differences on this

world are very subtle.

The greatest differences can be seen between people of different

noble bloodlines. I don't want to call it inbreeding, but marriages

between closely related families are seen very often. Anything to

keep the heritage pure and attain the strongest magicians.

The houses here are big and made of wood. There are very frilly

and complicated designs on the roofs. I guess it isn't much of a

problem to build a city out of wood up here in the north. The threat

of a big fire isn't that big. There is snow everywhere so water is

close at hand.

I start to walk through the snow and towards a carriage. Well, it's

more like a sledge with skids. It has no wheels. I guess that makes

sense in a country with eternal snow. The gate is located on another

open area inside the city. But there are always carriages waiting

close to them. Only people with money use the Gates.

So it's logical for carriage drivers to wait close to them. After arriving

at the carriage, I jump onto it and pat the shoulder of the sleeping

driver. “The Jarl's Hall! Pronto!”

The sleepy driver nods and swings a whip at the big and sturdy

horses. They are fat monsters with long hair. I doubt that they feel

much of the whip through their fur.

Yet it seems like the driver is working really hard to keep them

going. He is whipping the lazy animals during the entire trip because

they stop as soon as he ceases to motivate them.

After twenty minutes we arrive at a big round building with multiple

floors. The driver stops while panting and with sweat on his forehead. Actually the whole trip seems to have taken a greater toll

on the driver than the animals.

“Not a fun job, is it? Wait here. I will need you later.” I smirk at him

while I press a coin into his waiting hand which is actually enough for

an entire day of working.

He nods without saying a word. It would be hard for him to speak

properly anyway. Well, he has time to catch a breath until I come

back.

I hop from the carriage and walk towards the building.

Then I take a closer look at the big building. It's the first one which is

made of stone. Maybe other people besides the Jarl aren't allowed

to build with stone? The decorations are nice and there are many

fighting scenes with mythical beings on the walls.

As I arrive at the big gates, two guards are blocking my path. “The

Jarl doesn't give audiences at this time.”

I arch my eyebrow. “So when does he give audiences?”

“When he wants to.” The guard snorts at me.

Hah... I see. So they probably have commands to let nobody enter

who isn't known to them? I sigh. “Could you inform the Jarl of my

presence and that I want to offer him something valuable?”

The other guard shakes his head. “We aren't allowed to leave our

posts for minor disturbances.” He gives me a stupid grin. It's clear

that they don't want me here.

Then my eyes fall onto a big golden bell at the wall besides the left

guard. “What's that thing good for?”

The guards grin vanishes. “That's to be used when important people

arrive to call an escort. Don't dare to....”

But I already tipped the bell with telekinesis and a loud *gong* is

heard. So much for that.

One of the guards draws his sword. “What do you think you are doing!?”

“Calling the escort?” I ask them with an innocent expression.

The guard steps forward when the door opens and a guy in very

expensive clothing takes a look outside. His eyes sweep over me for

a second and then he snaps at the guards. “What's wrong? Who

is that? Have you guys forgotten your orders?”

I take the lead before the guards can answer. “My name is Ascathon

Asceron. I came here to see the Jarl. There is something I want to

offer him. I circumvented your guards after they told me about that

bell. There isn't much a commoner could do against a noble

anyway.” I bow a little.

“So you are that Arenzien..... want to plead for protection here? You

are still from Mislow. Why do you think that we want to trouble

ourselves with you.” The expensive guy snorts.

“I see that this information travels faster than I had imagined.” My

smile doesn't waver.

“It's only common sense to watch the graduation ceremony of the

Academy in order to identify future allies and enemies.” The

expensive guy opens the door and waves me in. “And if someone

has a full score, you should at least hear him out.”

I step through and the door falls shut behind me. But not before the

expensive guy threw a final remark at the guards. “And you two

idiots! Don't brag about the bell! Otherwise every roaming magician

will tap it to disturb the Jarl! I will cut your payment today!”

Then the expensive guy leads me inside towards a throne room with

a fat monster on a big stone-throne. He is fed with snacks by

several blonde beauties. Whoa! What a life! I wonder if he can roll

down a mountain if someone manages to carry him up.

There are several guards to the walls and the expensive guy walks

up to the Jarl and whispers something into his ear. Despite being

someone who loses easily to his desires, the Jarl thinks a long time

while looking at me before he starts to speak.“So what does a noble from Mislow want from me?” He waves a

hand and the blond beauties pack up and leave.

“I want to buy a principality from you.”

The ridiculous proposal silences the room for a few long seconds.

“BWAHAHAhahahAHAHAHAR. Who do you think you are! Why

should I sell my property to a foreign noble!” The Jarl snaps.

“I am a very powerful magician who cut his ties with his past. And I

want a place where I have my peace and can be alone. You happen

to have many such places. So I came to you with the money to buy

one of them.” I grab one of the magical pouches out of my coat and

toss it towards the expensive guy.

Then I draw a map out of my folder with documents and unfold it to

show it towards the Jarl. “I want this place. The mountain valley

which is located close to the great Sea. And the whole area with the

mountains around it. I want full reign there. In fact, I want to be left

alone as much as possible. I would even pay taxes for that.”

The expensive guy tilts the pouch and a flood of platinum coins starts

to pour out of the pocket dimension. They are the hardest currency

that's available in this world. It doesn't stop until a sizeable pile of

them is on the desk besides the Jarl.

“One thousand platinum coins in exchange for full rights over that

area.” I wave the map at the expensive guy who comes towards me

and grabs the map from my hands to give it to the Jarl.

The Jarl arches his eyebrow at the map. “Even if I could sell you the

property of my people. What do you want with that place? There are

less than a hundred thousand inhabitants in the whole area and just a

few small run down villages. The whole area would need two

lifetimes to pay that much money in taxes.”

“But it's huge and the only access to those valleys is by the river

from the great Sea or a few mountain passes. Perfect for someone

who wants to be alone. And less people to govern means less

trouble! If you are still concerned about selling your country to an

outsider, I will make a bet with you.” I produce another document from my folder.

The Jarl gives me an inquiring look.

“We will sign this buying contract. I get full rights and the area

belongs to me. But in case of the death of my noble house,

everything I own will go back into your possession. It's a really nice

bet for you. Think about the hordes of assassins which will be after

me soon enough. My old family will send them, the enemies of my

family will send some of their own. And those who want to harm you

will send their assassins too!” I take a long breath.

“Why should my enemies send assassins for you?” The Jarl looks a

little perplexed now.

“Think about the situation! How will it look if you sell that area to me?

Wouldn't it look like I am your ally? You would never sell that much

land to someone you don't trust. Even if it's worthless. You can only

win in this bet! And even if I manage to survive and establish a

thriving household, there is more money than you could ever hope to

get from that land within your lifetime.” I wave both of my hands at

the pile of money.

The Jarl tries to change his position but fails miserably. “You are a

devious one. You forget to mention that I would have to pretend that

you are my ally too. I wouldn't be able to talk bad about the one

whom I sold my country's land. Otherwise people would start to ask

questions.”

“Of course I would always ~honour~ my new homeland and the Jarl!

Someone should never bite his benefactor.” I bow deeply with a

smile.

The fat Jarl looks at me for several seconds. “I know that you have

something in mind with that land. Don't think of me as an idiot just

because I am fat! I just can't hold back while eating. You probably

thought about a way to use it to great benefit. And you throw me

these peanuts in the hope to snatch something valuable from under

my nose!” The Jarl waves his hand at the pile of coins and my face

crumbles a little. But just a little.“But you know what? As long as it's worthless to me I may as well

sell it to someone who can use it to great benefit? Who knows.

Maybe your future taxes will be more than what I collect now from

that land.” A contract appears in the hands of the Jarl.

The expensive guy takes the contract and brings it to me. Then he

points towards the door and two guards grab me from both sides to

pull me outside.

“Thanks for the audience!” I call out while the guards drag me away.

After leaving the throne room I hear the Jarl's voice who is calling

after me.

“Don't die too soon! I want to get an idea how to use that area

at least!”

A minute later the guards have me at the front door again and I am

thrown outside in a high arc. Fortunately the landing is soft because

of the high snow. It still hurt my dignity though.

The two guardians at the Gate watch me with malicious-joy.

I ignore it and take my first look at the document which I got from

the Jarl. It's a letter of attorney which makes me the owner of the

area which I specified. In addition it's a certificate of nobility for

Norfolk which gives me all rights and responsibilities over the

specified area...... including paying taxes.

“~Strike!~”

By jumping up and screaming I surprise the guards at the gates.

Then I kneel down and grab a little snow from the ground to form a

snowball.

I swore to myself that I will do whatever I want in this life! And that's

something that just came to my mind! Nobody points a sword at me!

*Patsch*

A skilful throw and the guard who drew the blade against me earlieris hit directly in the face. I turn and run while I hear the hard

wheezing of heavy armoured men behind me.

The carriage driver who brought me earlier sees the armoured men

behind me and starts to whip his horses. He has good instincts and

knows when it's better to be somewhere else.

I get a grip on the carriage by a hairs breath and let myself being

pulled with it. The heavy breathing guards behind me give up their

pursuit and can just listen to my laughter while I disappear in the

streets of the Norfolk Capital.

“MWAHAHAHAHAHA!”.

Norfolk Capital

I am on the carriage again. I could count my negotiations with the

Jarl as a complete success. His letter gives me more than I

bargained for. Originally I thought that he would sell me the land just

with a very complicated contract.

Instead he gave me complete rights as a noble of Norfolk on a whim.

Of course it's just for as long as I remain in control of those lands

but it still allows me to act in the way I wished for.

That brings me to my last business in this city. I tap the shoulder of

the driver. “Who are the best mercenaries in Norfolk?”

The driver tilts his head while thinking for a second. “The official

version goes with the Polar Cutters. They have the most men and

are involved in almost all businesses regarding mercenaries.”

I shake my head. “But I don't care about people who are good in

selling their reputation. I want to know who are the ~best~.”

The driver smiles. “If it's unofficial then you need most likely the

Icewolfs. They have the best warriors. But there aren't many of

them. And they are very picky with their contracts.”

After nodding, I gesture the driver forward. “Icewolfs it is.”

The driver nods and the whipping starts again. Aaahh.... I have to

introduce a real method of transportation to this world. The sun is

already setting and it starts to darken around us while the driver

whips the horses in a steady pace.

Half an hour later we arrive at a run down building with a big shield

over the entrance. “Den's Icewolfs” I read aloud.

The driver nods while I get off of the carriage. “Den is the leader. I will wait here?”

I nod and enter the wooden house. Inside I get almost overwhelmed

by smoke and the smell of beer. Several big and burly men are

drinking and laughing on multiple tables. It looks like I ended up in a

tavern.

With a smirk I head towards the bar. “I want something strong!”

“Only for members of the house small one.” The barkeeper

continues to polish one of his glasses.

“And how about an employer?” I sit down on a bar stool and smack

my second pouch onto the bar.

The burly barkeeper finally decides to give me a beer. “I am Den.

And I don't take contracts from young upstart nobles.”

I grab the bottle and take a sip of the beer which tastes awful. It

probably showed on my face because Den snorts at me and

continues to polish his glass.

“I am young and I am an upstart. But I have money! And I want to

live. I am here because I heard that you guys are quality over

quantity.”

“Then you heard right. But my statement still stands. We don't work

for pushovers!” Den shoves the pouch back towards me.

I take it and store it away again. “Then who tells me that you guys

aren't the pushovers here?”

“Drink up and leave before I throw you out. The Icewolfs aren't

working for high and mighty nobles. Solve your problems yourself

with your spells.” Den answers with despise in his voice.

I shake my head. “I doubt that some weak commoners would be

able to throw the high and mighty Ascathon out of their house.”

Den grabs me by the collar and I crush my bottle on his head in

response. He doesn't even blink as he pulls me over to his side of

the bar with one arm.

The next thing I know is that the world is turning wildly around me

and with a hard impact I find myself between the remnants of a

broken table. Hadn't I buffed myself by infusing mana into my body I

wouldn't be able to get back to my knees so fast.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The group of burly men around me starts to scream and cheer.

Den is already in front of me when I look up and his foot places itself

perfectly on my chin. I feel the impact even though I strengthened

myself.

Being lifted to my feet by the impact, I try to steady myself. The

burly men start to form a tight circle around us and Den starts to

shower me with a series of kicks and punches. Den is clearly using

mana to enhance himself.

When I finally manage a counter-attack Den evades and I hit one of

his followers instead. After taking the blow directly to his chin, the

burly man falls to the ground like a felled tree.

The room becomes silent.

“Ups. I may have put a little too much force into that one.” I scratch

my cheek. “Maybe I should really find some other mercenaries. I

need some really good people. Someone who can be hit

unconscious by a weak magician like me isn't what I need.”

Den points a finger at me. “Get that self righteous bastard! We will

show him what the Icewolfs are made of!”

Then I am grabbed by a horde of burly men who move much faster

than I had them imagined to be able to.

…..

…...

…....

“So have you learned you lesson now?” Den stands with crossed

hands in front of me.

I am bound to a chair with my hands behind my back. They took their time to give me a proper beating. My face feels like mush and

must be twice the size as normal.

“Ii...th thhink... th...so...”

“Can we throw him out now, boss?” One of the burly men turns

towards Den.

“Take his money first!” Another calls out.

“Thh .. Thh.. … iefff”

“What did you call us?” Another one shoots a deadly glance into my

direction.

“Thh... hh... thhhug....”

“He doesn't learn it boss! Should we continue the beating?” -Thief

“I don't know. My hands are sore. That guy has unbelievable

endurance. It's like hitting rock. Look. All my knuckles are swollen

and bloody.” -Thug

“They aren't just swollen Tony. I think they are broken. Your hands

look strange.” -Thief

“Oh really? Hmm. Yeah, you might be right.” Tony starts to set the

broken bones in his hand with unpleasant crunching sounds.

“You always amaze me! Try to find a doctor and lift that curse to feel

no pain. It's dangerous I tell ya.” Den shakes his head at Tony.

“But so far it was a really helpful curse.” Tony continues to set his

bones while all burly men look with pity at him.

I better keep my mouth shut. Just trying to speak already hurts like

hell. To imagine that this guy kept hitting me despite my use of

stone-skin is quite remarkable. The other mercenaries just took a

few blows at me and stopped.

Aaaah.... I should have tried the quantity over quality approach. It

looks like the Icewolfs have a deep grudge against nobles.

*Crush*

A window is broken and someone jumps into the big room. At the

same moment the door flies open and several hooded figures storm

into the room. Whoho... are those assassins? They are fast! The

day didn't even come to its end and they are already starting the first

try.

“mmh.... rom..m... rope!”

Unbind me you burly men! I need my hands free! There are about

ten assassins who are staring at the burly men.

“There he is!”

One of the hooded figures throws a knife at me but it gets blocked

by one of the burly men. F... Fast! Are they on drugs? How can a

muscle monster like that move so fast.

“Stop that! And you will pay for that window!” Den screams at the

hooded figures and everything begins to move!

All hooded figures start to throw fireballs at us while the burly men

begin to move. A few of them change into grotesque hairy

humanoids with fur and sharp teeth! Werewolf!

The werewolf-curse is very old and was used during a past war to

create common soldiers which are able to stand up against

magicians. It grants high resistance against all kinds of magic while

enhancing the body.

A downside is the bad smell and the hairy body. On top comes that

many people aren't able to control the curse and turn into rabid

animals.

Den grabs me together with the chair and carries me outside while

the whole building starts to catch fire. His men are tearing the

assassins apart in the meantime. A hundred werewolfs against ten

assassins can't be called a fair fight.

Once outside I get thrown to the ground while Den watches in horror

as his guild goes up into flames. Slowly his men start to leave the

building. Some are gnawing at the parts of dead assassins.

Then I get grabbed and pulled upright while a hundred angry

werewolfs are looking at me like I would be the next meal. “Look at

that! Our hideout! Who do you think will pay for that! And which

bastard is after you! Can't they wait for you to be alone and slice

your throat in a dark alley!”

“mhm.. I... hire...”

Den shakes me like a doll. “Hire? Us? Didn't you just see what we

are?” He snaps the ropes which bound me to the chair like nothing to

prove his point and starts another round of shaking.

“Ffine....perffect....hire... aalll....”

The burly men around me start to laugh and Den shakes his head. “I

can't take this any more. Is this guy really serious?” He grabs a

small vial out his pocket and throws it into my lap.

A high grade healing potion! Thank the gods! I unplug it and down

the content. A few seconds later I feel my jaw snap into the right

position which makes speaking much easier.

“I will hire all of you as bodyguards. I don't care if you are werewolfs

or not. Actually I ~love~ it! That's a wonderful bonus!” I grin at Den.

At least as much as it is possible in my state.

“Just who is after you to be that desperate?” Den crosses his arms.

“Just the whole House of Arenzien. And maybe the House of

Jasmine.... And the enemies of the Jarl. Did I forget someone?

Hmm. Those should be the most important ones for the moment.” I

scratch my cheek while grinning at Den.

Den covers his face with his hands and sighs. “How long do you think

you can pay us? We aren't exactly cheap you know? Being a

werewolf and immortal doesn't exactly cause us troubles with money

you know?”

I grab the pouch out of my coat and pour a few coins into my open

palm. Then I hold the coins and the pouch towards Den.

“Like I said. I hire all of you. For as long as I live. Are a thousand platinum coins enough for a hundred immortal werewolfs? I don't

plan to live forever you know? It should be enough if you keep me

alive until I die of old age.”

That night I acquired a hundred big, burly, hairy ~watchdogs~ to

guard my property.