Epic Of The Demonic Sage

“Ah, thank you, Neta.” Lucius accepted the letter from the servant and checked its contents. He walked inside of the Inanis mansion.

“Is the teacher coming today, Asher?” Kiana asked and straightened up. She glanced at Neta and seemed ready to give orders at once.

Neta’s face turned slightly pale, knowing how Kiana was willing to work him and the other servants, but also stood at the ready.

“The teacher will be arriving soon. Since he’s coming from the Grand Cathedral of Etara, I’m sure that Priest Maleck wanted to let us know beforehand. You can make do with the preparations, although I can imagine that most of the training will be taking place in the library here…”

Lucius had most of his artificer’s equipment in the re education center but with the presence of the Lost as well as the wealth he had gained from the Bergan’s Band, that area was entirely out of the question.

“I’ll do what I can.” Kiana promised and bowed her head. “Please excuse me for a moment, Asher.”

“No worries. I’ll take care of things from here, Neta come with me and be at the ready if I were to need anything.”

“Yes, Young Lord Asher.” Neta bowed. He was honored that he was chosen by Asher to assist him, but it also meant that Kiana wouldn’t be able to give him any orders while he mostly waited outside of the young lord’s door.

‘In the meanwhile, I will need to get my act ready.’ Lucius had done a bit of preparation when he dealt with Priest Maleck and made himself go with the story of Etara the goddess of Knowledge ordaining him as her apostle, but now it made more sense to look over it again and make it more cohesive.

Lucius headed to his room and grabbed his journal.

He wrote in his original language meant and understandable for his eyes only. There were things that he’d keep as a secret, and it was primarily this. He had wondered briefly if he were to instruct anyone in the future, but even Kiana was not exactly prepared for anything.

At the end of the day, Lucius still trusted himself the most.

Even when he had taken a ‘lover’ that was mostly out of the benefits that she provided to him, and Lucius had made his mistakes by not being entirely careful back then.

This time, there was no more room for any lapses in judgment.

‘Apostle of Etara.’

“Neta, come bring me some books.” Lucius called out.

Lucius sent Neta to the library ti get books about the gods and goddess in Grantz Kingdom, and among them was none other than Etara herself.

“I may be seen as the apostle of Etara, but if I make any mistakes in my depiction of her, there’s a chance that it might get out of hand and I’ll be deemed as a heretic.” Lucius murmured. “They are maybe other apostles of the goddess of knowledge, so they could still be able to see through things.”

The chances of that was quite low in Lucius’s opinion as he made sure to keep everything aligned with the premise of Etara as the Goddess of Knowledge, but he needed to acknowledged the possibility of an issue.

“Of course, the Veil of Terror will take care most of it, but I have to be in control still of the story and make it convincing.”

Lucius jotted down on his notebook, making notes with the books that Neta brought for him.

***

The next day, Priest Maleck and an old man went over and visited the Inanis Mansion. Lucius came to meet them with Kiana.

“We pay our respects to the Young Lord of the Inanis Family. May Goddess Etara bless you and her lands.” The old man bowed his head reverentially. “We did not expected to be personally greeted, so it is an honor to meet you. I have come all the way from the Grand Cathedral and decided to come here with Priest Maleck’s invitations, I hope that we have not come here uninvited.”

“No. We were expecting you…”

“Bishop Reynald.”

“An honor to meet you, Bishop Reynald.”

Lucius was mildly surprised since Priest Maleck didn’t specify the teacher, but of course, it made sense that the artificer was someone mature and beyond his years.

He looked to be in sixties, and had a long beard that reached all the way to his waist. He was also bald, something that he must have personally kept shaved if he was able to still grow his beard long.

Other than that, Bishop Reynald was garbed in the vestments of someone in his station and there was a hint of intelligence in his eyes that Lucius expected from those coming from the Church of Etara.

‘So this is the man who will be my teacher. I will be deceiving him, but I hope that his knowledge in regards to artifacts remain untouched.’

Priest Maleck hadn’t properly introduced Lucius as the apostle of Etara yet to the old man, so in the eyes of the man, he was simply but the future young lord of Etara.

“I do not think Goddess Etara stops you from pursuing what you desire and wish.” Lucius replied. Bishop Reynald didn’t hesitate to cite his true reasons for joining the church, and while Lucius was not the most honest man, he appreciated the Bishop.

‘A man who seeks knowledge, a true scholar in every sense as opposed to Priest Maleck here.’ Lucius thought. ‘It reminds me of myself, although in terms of actual knowledge, I’m afraid that mine is more vast than his concentrated studies.’

The vast amount of things that Lucius gathered from the different worlds was a lot, although he didn’t understand everything truly.

“But ah yes, Bishop Reynald… this is Young Lord Asher, also the apostle of Etara herself.”