“You’ve worked hard,” Calun muttered.

Stacked papers filled the desk in the spacious room, organized into intimidating, but neat, columns.

He walked over to one of the chairs by the desk. There was a soft cry from his shoulder as Calun sat down and placed a silver bracelet on the table.

The person opposite didn’t pick it up, but instead leaned over the table to scratch the neck of the snow leopard on Calun’s shoulder. Venice Ermius laughed softly, smile contrasting with the dark circles under her eyes.

“It’s alright. Aspen has been well behaved, yes?” 

Calun nodded in affirmation.

“That’s good. I was worried about him.” Venice picked up the bracelet and held it up to the window, delicate patterns flashing like the facets of a gemstone. 

Sunlight streamed into the room, and even though it was snowing, the warming weather outside signaled the end of winter and heralded the onset of spring. In a few weeks, the surrounding hamlets would begin plowing the land and preparing the fields for the crops.

“It’s been enchanted with Serenity, though I have yet to test it,” Calun explained. He pulled Aspen, who was pawing at one of the stacks, into his lap. “Please let me know if it works or not.”

This silver accessory was Calun’s first attempt at creating enchanted objects.

The foundation of every country was power, wealth, and human resources, all of which Calun lacked.

If a city’s granary represented it’s prosperity, then in this world, the amount and quality of magical equipment represented a noble family’s prestige. A Duke’s family would have countless artifacts while grassroot houses like Calun’s might not even have one.

If Calun could turn leftover semi-precious materials into artifacts, the benefits would be great.

“My gratitude. My last few nights have been rather restless.” Venice, who was looking through records of taxes and payrolls, slumped down further in her chair.

Klaes and the Viscount had gone out on a hunting trip in the nearby woods, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any work to be done. With the Viscount’s priorities, it was likely that the work had been left untouched, piling up for several weeks.

In addition, several of the city’s long-time clerks had been arrested on grounds of embezzling taxes. Many of the city residents were illiterate, so it wasn’t as if the clerks could be replaced at will. Calun had sent an instructor to the orphanage to teach basic literacy and mathematica, but it would take some time before there were results.

Venice slid on the bracelet and sighed as she shut her eyes. The tension between her brows started to fade as she massaged her temples.

“Are the bandits making trouble again?” Calun asked curiously. Every winter there would be a number of farmers engaging in banditry out of desperation, looting hamlets and the occasional caravan. They were difficult to catch and seldom killed others, so the robbers were mostly left alone.

They were like the scavengers scattered about during the apocalypse, fighting over scraps. They paid no attention to the rules and laws of society and merely focused on finding their next meal.

Venice stamped a paper and placed it on one of the stacks. “It seems they've become more brazen. They caused a fire in one of the nearby villages. I’ll send some more soldiers to patrol the area.”

There was a moment of silence, sunlight filtering into the musty room, the smell of paper and ink strong in the air.

“I wasn't aware you were learned in matters of administration, but you seem to be handling it pretty well.” Venice turned to Calun and spoke casually. “Are you perhaps interested in managing the territory?”

It seemed the efforts he put into the orphanage had already been investigated.

“Not at all. The magical arts are much more fascinating to me.” He shook his head and lied without a change in expression. “I find paperwork to be a bit… mundane.”

“That’s a shame.” Venice’s tone was regretful, but Calun detected a hint of satisfaction in her voice. “Oh well.”

There was an obvious friction in the Ermius family over the issue of inheritance, and without any real power or support, Calun wasn't confident he could triumph over either of his siblings. The treachery and betrayal from those he trusted in his previous life had left a deep impression on him, and instinctively, he wanted to refrain from political squabbles. This body was even more fragile than his previous one. The last thing Calun wanted was to end up stabbed in the back, a victim of aristocratic scheming.

He left the room after confirming there was nothing else Venice needed and headed further down the hallway. Outside, a few clerks were hurrying about in the city hall, messy papers in arm and weary expressions on their faces. As Calun passed by, they gave cautious nods before hurrying off. 

Nowadays, Calun’s schedule was filled from morning to night. He would wake up before dawn and begin engraving enchanted objects. Afternoons were spent in the study, though occasionally he dropped by the orphanage or, like today, the city hall. Then in the evening, he would practice magic.

Magic. It was something unfamiliar to Epsilon.

Though the previous owner’s body was frail, he had a remarkable aptitude for magic. Unfortunately, he only treated it as a hobby and wasn’t able to learn any meaningful spells before Epsilon arrived. At best, he was able to create a few small orbs of light, useless except as a novelty.

In this world, every living organism contained mana, even the smallest of insects. The degree varied greatly, however, and a normal human would have to invest a tremendous amount of time and resources in order to become a real mage.

To put it into perspective, the number of people in Larmes city capable of magic could be counted on a single hand. There was the old priest in charge of the city temple. There was the head steward of the Ermius family who was older than anyone else in the residence. And then, there was Calun. 

Among them all, the only experienced one was the priest, whose skill in healing and purification was quite good. He charged a fee for his services, of course.

Calun hummed, deep in thought. Enchantments and magic, management and trading. There were many things Calun wanted to start doing, but not enough hands to do so. Tomorrow, he would head to the orphanage and see if there were any talents among the children. 

-

As the sun set, a carriage rocked down the street. Aside from the sound of wheels rattling and horseshoes clattering, the stone road was silent, only interrupted by the occasional passerby.

Suddenly, a youth in rags dashed in front of the carriage, startling the horse and coachman. If the coach wagon was any faster, the youth would’ve been injured. The driver shouted in surprise while pulling the carriage to a stop. He got off and started to scold the child, but the boy ignored him. He cried out while kneeling.

“Please help! Lord Ermius, please help my sister!”

The coachman frowned, disgust in his eyes. He grabbed the horse crop, intending to whip the boy to drive him off, but stopped with his arm raised because...

There was a soft creak as the carriage window opened slightly, candlelight spilling out.

The boy instantly became excited and turned towards the cabin. “My Lord! My sister, she’s ill. I-”

“The temple priest can treat her, yes?” A gentle voice interrupted. The sound was warm and mellow, like the summer breeze.

The boy paused, before speaking hesitantly. “The priest, he…”

There was a sound of understanding from the person within. A second later, a single shimmering silver coin flew through the air and landed accurately in front of the boy. He bent down and grabbed it in a flash. He pressed his head against the ground and cried out his thanks.

“Do you know where the orphanage is? You should go there afterwards if you don’t have anywhere else to stay.” After those words, the window closed with a soft click.

The driver didn't hide the distaste on his face, but lowered his arm and returned to his seat. After cracking the whip, the carriage resumed its journey, the sound of clattering echoing down the street.

Leon shouted out his thanks again before dashing off towards the slums, fist held close to his beating chest. In his hand was a silver coin that was worth more than all the coins he had ever held combined. His face was flushed from the cold and his breaths were ragged, but he continued to sprint. Every second was another wasted. Leon gasped for air and put out another burst of speed, bare feet moving as fast as possible.

Up in the sky, the sun had set and moonlight shone upon the northern city of Larmes. No one was paying attention, so no one noticed the hint of scarlet that appeared briefly, blood red and pulsing softly, like a vein on the surface of the moon.