Chapter 18: First Subordinate

"Huh?"

"You heard me, I've been given permission to take something from the royal treasury"

"So, you're going to use that chance to get me the Amethyst plant?"

"Well, I'm going to steal it actually"

"What did you just say?" Fredrick looked like he lost his mind at this moment.

"I'm stealing your cure from the treasury, and I need your help to do it"

Fredrick seemed like he would shout at any moment, so Ezra hastily explained.

"I'm not asking you to infiltrate the royal treasury, but to get me out of the palace"

Fredrick calmed down after hearing that, but his thoughts were still in turmoil. Who had he offended to be hit with more surprises in the span of a day than in the last ten years?

Did this boy want him to have a heart attack?!

"What do you mean by that?"

"I need you to file a report saying that you would like for me to enter the city while you ensure my safety to bring out my potential" Ezra said.

"How many guilds or clans are you associated with? And also, how many loyal people do you have under you?"

Ezra shoots a barrage of questions to Fredrick.

"For the first thing, I can definitely do that, though, whether or not it's approved is out of my hands"

"Leave that part to me"

"I have a few guilds I could contact, but no clans"

"That's good enough"

"As for loyal people, as a former trainer, I naturally have students. Also, do they have to be Knights?" Fredrick asked.

"No, even commoners work fine, their loyalty and competence is all I need"

An astonished look appeared on Fredrick's face, which Ezra naturally saw.

"What's the matter?" Ezra asked.

"Well, it's nothing, but you're the only noble I know who doesn't speak about commoners in a condescending manner"

"I guess I'm special then. Hahaha, it feels weird to say that about myself"

"Hmm, so why are you asking these sorts of questions?"

"Well firstly, you're my subordinate from now on"

"Second, I need you to use your connections to find me some people. It will better if it's made a secret between you and other party"

"Thirdly, well-" *Deep Breath*

"I can see the future" Ezra said while staring at Fredrick, wondering how he would react.

Yet, the scream he was expecting never came. Or any sound for that matter.

Sir Fredrick didn't show any reaction, only holding his chin in a thoughtful expression.

"So that's why you know about the Elixir?" Fredrick asked.

"Yes, something like that" Ezra answered.

"In it I saw a lot of things, but the most important was the arrival of otherworld monsters to our world, wiping out half of the human race. But the future isn't set in stone, and I want to change it"

"Sir Fredrick, would you pledge your allegiance as my knight?" I said.

Just like before, Sir Fredrick didn't say a word for a whole minute, his mind in turmoil trying to interpret the meaning of my words.

He finally looked at me with a piercing gaze, which was child's play in my opinion.

"Why should I believe you?"

"That's very simple though, you don't have to. As long as I cure you, just follow me while trusting me and the answers will naturally come" I said.

"Ok, but...why me?" he asked, and I wasn't about to lie to him.

"It's the same reason why you haven't been able to cure yourself of that curse" I said cryptically.

He looked, wondering what I meant before his eyes suddenly shone a dangerous light.

The reason I chose him was because other powerhouses would rather kill me or try to monopolize what I knew.

But Sir Fredrick was a man of good character and he was far easier to get rid of if he ever tried to betray me.

After what happened in my past life, I definitely wasn't trusting anyone all the way. Maybe 80% trust while the rest was doubt.

Sir Fredrick suddenly knelt before me, and said...

"I, Sir Fredrick, pledge my allegiance to serve prince Ezra till the end of my days"

"Hmm, I didn't expect you to be so decisive?" I answered surprised.

"I don't know what impression my lord has of me, but I'm not one to scheme" he said as if reading my mind.

"Hmmm, I hope so, and it seems like you are already calling me Lord"

"Yes, it is only appropriate that I do so"

"It's fine, besides, we can't have those three witches finding out about this or they'll try something else" I told him.

"So we act like teacher and student in front of others, is that what you're saying?" he asked, already understanding what I meant.

"I like you even more now. Anyhow, write the letter about escorting me outside. I'll write one to my mother to make sure it goes smoothly"

"But aren't we outside already?" he asked bewildered.

Afterall, we were in Sir Fredrick's cottage, which was outside the castle.

Both new and old training grounds were also situated outside the castle, but were situated directly beside it.

Sir Fredrick told me the old training ground was abandoned because they planned to renovate it into a farm.

"I need to visit the city"

"Ok" he answered and I smiled, he had already stopped calling me lord.

While the elixir has already done its job, I hadn't actually moved since then, but I was about to do so.

*Crack* *Crack*...

My bones cracked into place, like a machine being turned on, as I moved my legs to the ground, before getting off the bed and standing straight.

*Yawn*

Guess I was actually far more tired than I thought.

After a few stretches, I closed my eyes and concentrated on using mana to observe my innards.

I found it to be better than I expected.

'The poison tempered my muscles, which were purified when I drank the mana recovery potion, which should increase my mana capacity by a substantial amount'

'I should have a decent amount of poison resistance or maybe even developed an immunity, though that might be asking for too much'

'I should also have that attribute' I thought as I picked up the knife Fredrick held to my throat from the floor and gave myself a small cut on my thumb.

A black and red drop of blood fell on the wooden floor and then...

*Sizzle*

The wood was melting from the poison's potency.

'I actually got it, blood poison'

It was an ability used by almost every member of a fairly Mid-ranking clan known as 'poison souls', and its uses were numerous.

A deep smile formed on Ezra's lips as he confirmed it, but it was something to be expected.

After all, the rosewood snake was typically found in dense forests with an average rank of D, and sometimes C.

Beasts, or simply monsters as some liked to call them, were ranked from Rank F to S, with C and B rank beasts having power equal to that of an Expert rank Knight.

But it seems this one was either D or C rank considering the potency of its poison.

As he felt the changes in his body, he found himself amazed by the effectiveness of the Elixir, or rather, by the one who gave him the recipe as a gift.

'I have to bring him to my side' Ezra affirmed to himself.

His ears heard things more clearly.

His eyes could see further.

His bones had been tempered with the poison's searing heat and the mana reinforced it.

'To think my meridians enlarged enough to take me to four star Intermediate Knight'

His skin had been cleaned of impurities and imbued with poison, making it poison resistant.

Though the most notable was his body's affinity with mana.

Unlike before, he could move mana throughout his body easily.

'I can temporarily amplify any part of my body' he thought, while concentrating mana in different parts in his body, from the fists to the feet, to the entirety of his legs, which gained a dimmed blue glow.

He felt the activities in those parts being enhanced and wanted to test his improved body to measure his new limits.

That would have to wait for a later time, as he converged mana into his skull and concentrated it in his eyes.

He wanted to see if he could get even a semblance of a skill he used in his past-life.

As his silver-black eyes glowed intensely, Ezra's eyes went through a transformation.

Instead of the view of a wooden cottage, he saw interwoven strands of mana connected in different ways.

He looked at his own body only to see not skin, bone or blood, but mana moving akin to a body of water, with a vibrant cerulean color, flowing through his body.

A deep smile formed on Ezra's face at this moment.

Although it wasn't as good as the one he used, it could be called a lesser version of it.

An ability named 'Mana Eyes'.

He went on to study the pros and cons for fifteen minutes before...

"Ugh!" Ezra cried out as he canceled the skill, with sweat visible on his forehead.

Nevertheless, his grin never faded.

'It uses up a decent amount of mana, so I'll have to regulate its usage, but it's definitely worth it' Ezra thought, as he found himself smiling after getting his old skill back, well a lesser version, but it still had a variety of uses.

For one, he could see mana react when a skill was about to be used or a technique was about to be executed. With this he could predict the movement of the target.

He could see how vibrant mana was in a person, which allowed him to see how talented, gifted or dangerous someone was, depending on who he used it on.

His perception of mana also allowed him better control over it.

Ezra clenched his fist in joy of how much he had grown, and how much he could still grow.

Now, he would begin the preparations for his revenge.

But first, he had to write a letter to his mother, who must have been worried sick by now.