The Gamer's POV-Chapter 248: To Become a Minor Lord

The Heralds did not chase the cadets into the mists of the marshlands. Yet despite that, the cadets did not slow down until they reached the point where the stony ground gave way to the swampy earth, and the pale gray of the atmosphere dimmed into the greenish tint of the stagnant bog.

Only then did the cadets pull on their reins, forcing their horses to slow down.

Aurora took a look back, and when she was satisfied that they were not being chased, she reached into her haversack and pulled out a whisperglobe. She seemed really anxious and couldn’t wait to check her level.

After sending some mana into the globe, a small round holographic screen shot upward from it.

(Level—>21)

(Grade—>2)

(Evolution Quotient—>125)

When she saw her level and her EXP, which to other people besides Cedric was known as evolution quotient, a large smile grew on her lips.

"I did it," she exclaimed quietly as she stared at the screen with sparkling eyes. She looked really happy, that she ended up losing her composure and pumped her fist in the air.

Behind her, Celeste had taken out the rolled up linen from her ears. She seemed really tired, so she wrapped her arms around Aurora’s waist, after which she rested her head against Aurora’s back and closed her eyes.

Beside them, Cedric stared for a few seconds before looking away from the girls. He didn’t bother taking out the wax from his ears, because quite frankly, putting wax in was easier than taking it out. He also didn’t want to deal with the sound vacuum effect that would come from taking it out, so he decided to just let it be there until after his evolution. After all, during that process where his body was being reconstructed, it would be pushed out on its own.

However, that did not mean that he was deaf. At the moment, he was currently sharing his hearing with Aika who had come out of her dormant form and was now perched on his shoulder as a raven.

Through her ears, the only thing he could hear for the next few hours were the sounds of the sluggish water and their breathing as the horses plodded through the thick, dark mud, taking the three cadets deeper into the bog in silence.

***

The next day, the three cadets finally arrived at the gates of the sunken city.

They had only stopped once on the long ride back to roast some meat and eat, but other than that, they had pushed through the rest of the way without a break.

Now back in the sunken city, they were exhausted and couldn’t wait to finally have a proper sleep as they had not done that once in the past two days.

They rode their horses to the stable in the fortress, and after returning the animals to their stalls, they each gave a small, respectful bow to one another.

With the silent acknowledgement of their shared struggle finished, Aurora turned and left for her own room in the castle.

Cedric, on the other hand, stayed back to escort a tired Celeste to her room. Once they got there, he took out some meat from his inventory and handed it to her with a pouch of water. After handing it to her, she stared up at him, and he stared into her blue eyes for a moment. A few seconds later, he reached out and gently tapped her head, then he muttered.

"You did really great, sister."

He could see that a sudden warmth had rushed to her cheeks from the compliment, and a smile lit up her tired face. Smiling in return, Cedric added, "And I know that you’ll continue to do well, because you are one of the strongest people I know."

He hoped that word of encouragement would be enough for her. He was being supportive because, when advancing to the third grade, one was given a small test by their inner sanctuary to prepare them for their evolution into becoming a minor lord and to help them understand their nature even more.

Most people couldn’t bear it to the end of their test and ended it by forcing themselves to wake up and return to the real world. However, failing to complete the test meant they wouldn’t evolve. From that point on, every time they went to sleep, they would be thrown back by their inner sanctuary into the test again. They could choose to wake up and escape, but the cycle would only repeat night after night until they finally accepted and finished the test.

Only then would they gain the ability to control when they visited their sanctuary. And only then would they finally be able to lord over the beings they saw in their inner sanctuary, granting them their summoning ability.

Now, Cedric didn’t know what she would see, or how long her test would be, but he felt that saying those words might be a big help to her.

Celeste nodded, and a look of determination crossed her face after he spoke. Cedric’s smile widened a bit.

He then exhaled, turned around, and waved a farewell hand as he began walking away.

After a few steps, he let go of his own exhaustion and teleported directly into his chamber.

He appeared by the door, then, as he walked toward the bed, he took off his coat and the newsboy cap he had been wearing, tossing them both into his inventory. After that, he sat on the edge of the straw bed and pulled out a remnant of the meat they had roasted earlier, then he began to eat it slowly.

Aika emerged from her dormant form, then sat cross-legged in front of him on the ground. She took out her own meat and also began slowly eating it. When they were done, Cedric took out a pouch of water and drank half, before extending it to Aika. She took it and drank the entire thing, then threw the empty pouch into the inventory.

They didn’t know when they would be back once they left. It might be a day, two days, or the maximum of three days. Either way, they had to make sure that they had at least eaten enough to sustain their bodies while they were away.

After the quiet meal, Cedric remained seated for a while, looking lost in thought as he mentally prepared himself. Seeing that, Aika stood up after a moment, then cupped his face in her hands, guiding him to look up at her.

"You are strong too, you know. One of the strongest people I have ever met. So try not to end the test before it’s over."

Cedric smiled, then said quietly, "Sure."

He then exhaled and slowly shifted to lie down on the straw bed. Looking up at her, he added, "I’ll see you in the inner sanctuary after the test."

Aika slowly nodded. Within seconds, she dissolved into smoke that flowed back to his arm, reforming the tattoo of a raven.

...Now alone in the quiet of the room and mentally prepared, Cedric closed his eyes and headed off to sleep.