Arc 1 – Ch.12: Alcazar’s POV (1)
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*Sigh*

I take a sip from my cup of tea as I continue to vacantly stare at my slave whose tending to my garden.

I recently bought her through one of my connections.
A good purchase if I may say so myself.

My name is Alcazar Prestos.
I come from a long family line of merchants.
Every 10 or so generations however, there’s a black sheep born in the family.

That would be me this time around.

From a young age, to my parents' dismay, I was obsessed with learning of all forbidden types of alchemy and magic.

No expense would be spared by my parents, if it meant it would be able to rehabilitate me from my wicked ways.

After ruining one too many social outings, they at last gave up on me.

Word eventually got to me that they adopted a young girl from an orphanage to replace me some time later. Though I do not know her name and I did not care to investigate the matter further, since it’s of no concern to me.

“Fwahaha!” (Alcazar)
How unbecoming of a master alchemist such as myself!
I get excited looking at my herbs that will soon be turned into another heinous poison that will no doubt end up down the throat of some foreign noble.

The amount of money all those corrupt fools keep shelving out for my products brings me glee. As long as nobles are able to persevere in our culture, there will be a market for my creations. And the copious piles of money will never stop rolling in.

“Fwahaha!” (Alcazar)
Not that I enjoy the commerce… I’m an alchemist. Not a merchant.

“Mmm.” (Alcazar)
I take another sip from my favorite tea.

A dark day bird lands in my garden and begins eating the expensive moonflower seeds I painstakingly purchased through various black market connections.

“…” (Alcazar)

“BOY!” (Alcazar)
I call for my pathetic excuse of an “apprentice”.

Though I speak poorly of him, I must admit, the boy has shown an incredible aptitude for one of the few forbidden magics I myself failed to master.

When I was younger I would have countless corrupt nobles lining up their children for an apprenticeship under me. I never bothered with any of them.
The amounts of money they all offered would always be far from adequate.
Only a fool would accept such a terrible deal.

But this one.

My “apprentice” knocks on my door and enters.

“You called Sir Alcazar?” (Kurt)

This one is different.

3 years ago I finally got my hands on a book that I had been yearning for.
It was a book entitled: “The Binding of Souls”.

Since the day that I’ve obtained this book, I have done nothing but obsess over it’s contents. Ceaselessly attempting to master it’s secrets.

But something has become quite apparent.

My old age is catching up to me.

And yet, this is why I began searching for the book in the first place…

I am growing more weary.

I mess up simple instructions that would’ve been rather rudimentary in my younger days.

As such, this boy is my final solution.

His body will become a vessel for my soul.

And whilst his fertile young mind is preoccupied with absorbing all the contents from my lectures about the book of souls…

“Those wretched dark day birds are eating all the moonflower seeds again!” (Alcazar)

“A- apologies sir, I commanded the slave like you asked” (Kurt)

“Well, never mind that- I have a better idea, here are the materials for the next step in our soul binding experiment” (Alcazar)

“!” (Kurt)
Kurt receives the stupidly expensive high grade crystal and scrolls that I just bought last week.

“So you do have plenty of money to spare Sir Alcazar!!” (Kurt)

This boy is always complaining about money. He’s probably sulking again because of the modest accommodations I have provided for him.

*Sigh* (Alcazar)

Does he have any idea how much it costs to pay for the personal to upkeep one those mansions he’s so used to living in?
The rent alone makes me feel faint.

“BOY! Be gone!” (Alcazar)

“Apologies master. I will go bind the soul now.” (Kurt)

Kurt leaves and quietly closes my door behind him.

The expensive materials I just gave my “apprentice” are worth the expense because of a single piece of knowledge that only I am currently aware of.

It’s a piece of information that’s written all the way in the back of my precious book, in the warnings section.

I find the book and flip it back open to my favorite page. I easily find it.
The text is tiny so I squint and bring the book closer to my face.

“Please be careful when binding souls to vessels, this procedure, when performed in excess, will eventually cause your own vessel to become more malleable. This will allow even petty wandering souls and beginner level soul magicians to take over your vessel and replace your soul.”

I quietly read the book aloud to myself in a needlessly menacing tone.

“Put this at the start. What fool wrote this?”
Even though I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve reread this part, I still can’t stop myself from voicing this complaint.

Anyway, similar to my parents attempting to cure me of my passion when I was a child, I now too spare no expense of my vast ill obtained wealth to purchase crystals, scrolls and whatever else my apprentice needs to slowly ruin his vessel.

“Fwahaha!” (Alcazar)

“Oh-” (Alcazar)
I catch myself needlessly laughing out loud again. It’s become a bad habit.
I might finally be going senile…

◇◆◇

My “apprentice” has made frightening progress with his soul binding today…

Perhaps it’s because of the ridiculously expensive materials this time around?

(Did I have some sort of hidden aptitude for teaching I was unaware of?) (Alcazar)

Just last year he was still failing to summon souls from a scroll, yet now, he’s already succeeded in- not only summoning the soul- but binding the soul to an inanimate object as well.

“It worked sir Alcazar!” (Kurt)

“Indeed it did…” (Alcazar)

I’m currently looking at what used to be an ordinary tea kettle that has now become a priceless artifact through the application of forbidden magics.

My tea kettle that I took from the kitchen is giving off a slightly eerie atmosphere now.

“…Can I really not use a more expensive vessel sir?” (Kurt)

The walking talking money drain opens his mouth again…

I already spent a third of the fortune I’ve amassed during my lifetime on just buying the materials for him, does he think I’m seriously going to spend even more on expensive vessels?!

“Be still boy, we have perfectly suitable vessels at home…” (Alcazar)

“…” (Kurt)

“Come boy, let us begin preparations for the next step.” (Alcazar)

I’ve just gotten my hands on a high quality medium sized crystal that should allow my “apprentice” to bind a lesser soul.

This should really move things along…

“Fwu fu fu…” (Alcazar)
I stifle a laugh.

My “apprentice” is staring daggers in my back as we make our way to the classroom.

Fortunately the only aptitude he shows is in magic and not in people skills.
Most people would’ve realised I’m up to no good by now.

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