ASHER's POV :

"...Roar..."

"..Ah.." My eyes shot open as a familiar loud roar entered my ears.

"Fuck." I cursed with my eyes half closed. This has become a daily occurance since I became that bastard's assistant. At this point, I have lost count of how many mana beasts have gone mad by the absurdity he calls experiments.

Getting off of the bed, I put on some clothes and exited my room. Alex and I were currently staying in a cavern made by him with...um....earth magic dicathen's use. To be honest, I have always felt curious by the way they wield magic and how diverse it is in its usage. Perhaps a little bit...jealous as they don't have to rely on some deity to awaken. 

Although Alex had told me that I'd be able to use mana in that way very soon, I doubted if he could do that. The reason being he told me himself. Even though most of the alcryan have the potential to awaken their core, their mana channels and veins aren't developed enough to comprehend or utilize mana, the sole reason for the need for ruins. 

To use a ruin's ability, one is solely required to imbue mana into it, eliminating the need to comprehend how the ability actually works or to learn the complex process of casting.

The mana manipulation ability of Alcryan's is not as strong as Dicathen's. However, Alcryan's with a high concentration of Vritra blood are an exception to this rule, They possess robust and sturdy mana veins and channels that are even more potent than Dicathen's, well...this was the case at least with that ugly mage Alex had fought with. As a result, they can efficiently comprehend mana and utilize the power of ruins, providing them with the best of both worlds.

Stepping out of my room, I found myself in a big corridor with rooms aligned on either side. The Design of this place reminded me of the camp we had worked at previously. That was probably one of the reasons I didn't like this place, the other one being it was situated deep inside the beast glades in a certain unexplored dungeon, right behind the boss room, far away from any human settlement.

Alex had deemed me useless until I acquired the ability to wield mana like Dicathen, which according to him would take several months. In the meantime, I was responsible for cooking, cleaning, and laundry. If we were closer to a town or any human settlement, I wouldn't have to do any of that.

The cave we were in before was a lot more to my liking, the nearest town was literally an hour walk away, Saving me a lot of effort. However, we had to relocate here as Alex needed to do experiments that required a lot of mana beasts. Moreover, his parents resided in the nearby town, and it could have caused problems in the future if they had seen me at that time. 

What surprised me the most was that ALEX HAD PARENTS. It was understandable if he only had a mother but FATHER? I swear his face literally screamed FATHERLESS, one of the reasons why I could relate with the guy. 

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I began doing my daily chores. 

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As I walked into the deepest room of the hideout, which also served as Alex's lab, I was greeted with a sight that had become quite familiar to me. Cages filled with mana beasts ranging from E to B class were neatly arranged in one corner of the room.  In the centre of the lab, three rows of experimental tables held various lab equipment that I had stolen from Alcryan on Alex's instructions. On these tables, I also noticed an abundance of mana cores, spanning across all the different classes. There were even a few S-class cores lying around.

When I reached dicathen, Alex advised me to learn about mana manipulation and usage, as well as familiarize myself with the known mana beasts in beast glades. Despite having some knowledge of mana manipulation from my time in the alcryan military, it was not enough to effectively assist him in his experiments. As a junior researcher, I had to learn about the different mana beasts, but we were only taught about a few of them, specifically the ones we had to corrupt. And As his assistant, I needed to comply with his orders. However 

"Motherfu*cker." I cursed as the memory of him dumping almost 50 books in front of me with a smug grin on his face flashed through my mind.

As I ventured further into the laboratory, I found Alex behind one of the tables. His brown silvery hair had grown long enough to reach his shoulders and despite his eyes being shut, I could still discern the telltale signs of exhaustion in the dark circles that surrounded them. In his grasp was a peculiar core, AA class? I guessed, by its intensity of mana.

The noteworthy aspect of the core was the faint pink tinge that had emerged in the core's centre, however, The most surprising thing was that the pigment grew more vibrant with each passing second, gradually taking on a hue similar to that of the solution, and spreading to the core's entire interior.

I was left in utter disbelief when I first laid my eyes on this a few months back. As a junior researcher, I knew for a fact that this phenomenon could only be achieved by injecting the pink liquid provided by the central dominion into a mana beast core. There were even rumours that the solution was concocted by the high sovereign himself. But Alex... h-he was able to accomplish this by merely.... injecting his mana into the core. Although I'm uncertain if the rumours were accurate or not, the creation process of the solution should be one of the top secrets of alcrya as not even our commander had knowledge of it.

I had previously inquired from him about how he did that, but being the jerk he is, he simply dismissed me with the response 'you'll find out eventually'. Despite my curiosity, I refrained from probing further as a diligent assistant.

The more time I spend with Alex, the more I am left dumbfounded by his mysterious nature. Although I was uncertain of his identity, I was convinced that he was anything but ordinary. He infiltrated an Alcryan military base, killed a fucking commander, and Robbed and killed a mage who was likely a prominent figure even in the central dominion. The guy had the ability to create portals that can only be accessed through artifacts - a spellform that I've never seen or even heard of in Alcrya. And yet, Alex could perform it without any spellform. 

Considering his age, I doubted that he had been in contact with magic for very long. The mere thought of what he could accomplish in a few more years made me gulp my saliva.

As I pondered about the most influential figures I could imagine, sovereigns came to mind. They seemed god-like and unattainable, far beyond human capabilities. However, upon encountering Alex, who defied all logic, doubts began to surface. I couldn't help but question my beliefs and wonder about the mystery of his existence. Despite my attempts to decipher the truth, I found myself lost in confusion and eventually came to a single conclusion.

Maybe his mother had an...uncanny relationship with a sovereign.

I immediately shook my head at the absurd thought and walked deeper into the lab. To gain Alex's attention, I placed the plate on the table with a little force, as a thud resounded throughout the lab.

As if hearing the sound, Alex opened his eyes and met my gaze with a questioning look. 

I waved my hand towards the plate and said. "Your breakfast, I'm also done with all the chores. Need me to help you with anything." 

A yawn left his mouth as he put the core in his hands on the experimental table. 

"Have you eaten already?" 

"Nah, I've been busy because of all those fu*king chores." My voice must have sounded a little louder than intensional as he raised his eyebrow looking at me.

"Then what do you want, should we hire a fucking nanny to do that. You signed up for it yourself. Get used to it, because you'll be doing it even after you start helping me with my experiments." he said in a commanding tone, then took a bite of the roasted meat in his hands.

"W-What? Aren't we gonna relocate after you're done with your experiments on mana beasts?" I shouted in exclamation.

"We wouldn't have...however I retrieved my father's letter from the nearby adventurers guild yesterday. Apparently, my parents are moving to xyrus city in several months. So I changed our plans a little, We will go and live in xyrus along with them for some time..... at least until the war commences." Alex said shaking his head and the breath I realised I'd been holding back till now released from my lungs.

"And then?" I asked. I've been trying to find out Alex's true motives by asking him repeatedly, but he consistently ignored my question, making me even more eager and impatient.

"Then?"

"I mean what is your....end goal, you know...purpose?." I eagerly asked in an impatient tone.

"Huh? End goal?............"

He put his hand on his chin in a thinking manner. And spoke, after nearly a minute,

"I'm a researcher, Asher, so of course my goal is to research all the things I'm interested in peacefully. What else would my goal be?" Alex spoke plainly, like stating the obvious.

Looking at him, I blinked my eyes a couple of times in surprise, never in my wildest dreams have I though this would be his answer. My mouth opened to say something but closed again as a moment of silence enveloped the room for a couple of minutes. 

I took a deep breath and spoke up once again. "Then...what are your plans for the war, are we really gonna....take part in it?" I added with a barely audible voice, "and you know...risk our...lives?" 

"Huh? Why would it be risking our lives if we engage in the war? Can't we just escape if a push comes to shove. As for the answer to your question, well....yes, I do plan to join the war to DEFEND MY CONTINENT JUST AS ANY OTHER RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN WOULD, and see if I can benefit from it in......anyway." He replied, his voice trailing off a little at the end, making me roll my eyes.

"Hahaha, anyway, even if I use all the cards in my arsenal, do you really think I have enough strength to save this continent from your high sovereign?" Alex asked with a grin.

I didn't rush to answer and thought about it carefully.

"Well....if dicathen had enough strength to rival all the scythes and retainers then probably-

Alex interrupted me before I could complete my sentence.

"No, even if they were to overpower all the scythes and retainer, dicathen's loss in this war is still inevitable." 

I looked at him in confusion, not understanding the meaning of his words. Scythes and retainers are Alcrya's biggest triumph cards in this war, If they are defeated, wouldn't that mean Alcrya's defeat? 

"Asher, let me shed light on your ignorant self as your senior. Listen carefully. Despite the agreement between the Vritra clan and the Asuras of Epheotus, Agrona's intentions are not so straightforward. While no Asuras from either side are allowed to interfere in the ongoing war, it's unlikely that Agrona would simply sit back and let Dicathen win if all the Scythes and retainers are defeated. This is not an ordinary war - your high sovereign has been preparing for this for almost a millennium, and the outcome could significantly impact his chances against the Asuras of Epheotus. Therefore, if Agrona feels that he is about to lose, he may not hesitate to send more powerful individuals to the battlefield, even if it means breaking the agreement." Alex said, in a calm manner, and I felt like he knew I didn't understand many of his words.

My eyes just blinked in confusion at his words. Asura's of epheotus? Agreement? More powerful individuals than the Scythes? Aren't only sovereigns more powerful than Scythes?

Alex just shook his head at my confusion and said, "I will eventually tell you about all these things when the time is right. Don't run your brain full of mud and try to understand them yourself. This world is far more intricate than it appears, and that's precisely why we researchers exist - to uncover its mysteries and expose the genuine truth behind everything."

"Did you just call me brainless?"

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A/N :

Hey everyone! It's the author here. Sorry for being a little late with the chapters lately. As I mentioned earlier, I have exams coming up on the 7th and 22nd of May. But once they're done, I promise to release at least 5 chapters a week and make sure they're even better quality than before. By the way, how are you guys enjoying the story so far? If you like it, please drop a review. And if there's anything you're not happy with, please feel free to let me know in the comments. Don't worry, I'm not going to drop this story. I have lots of exciting plans for its future and it's only going to improve from here on out.