A Distant Reverie

Chapter 68

News of Duke Calon's imminent arrival spread like wildfire. Fort Nyak descended into a whirlwind of chaos as soldiers scrambled in preparation of the upcoming siege. Although the duke implied that his attack will begin tomorrow, Kobo wasn't going to be complacent. She stationed scouts on the castle walls to keenly observe the duke's movements.

Meanwhile, she re-visited the hidden room where the Fort Nyak core was found. Reine and Marine accompanied her. Inside the chilled room, Kersen was leaning over the desk. A myriad of tools scattered about the table. The fixer was deep in thought, jotting down notes, analyzing the core's composition, trying to discern its secrets.

Kobo grimaced. The young man was barely older than herself, but he already had gone through so much. The entirety of his upper body was covered in bandages. His face was deformed—the skin of his cheeks drooped to the side, while the rest of his face was burnt to a near unrecognizable degree. Kobo had been told it was the work of the Grandmaster's fire elemental.

Her heart throbbed with guilt. No matter what she did, as long as she rested on this throne, people will continue to suffer and die under her servitude. It was the same for every ruler—anyone who had the unfortunate burden of being a leader. It was just something she had to get used to.

I'll have to think some way to compensate him.

"Kersen, did you find anything new?" she finally found the courage to ask.

"Hm? Oh, Your Highness!" Kersen was slow to react, seemingly engrossed in concentration.

"Sorry to disturb you."

"Not at all!" the fixer said, excitedly flipping through his notes. The side of his right hand was smeared in ink. "From what I could tell, while the core's inner mechanisms are quite complex, the actual operation of it is quite simple. Unlike our modern cores where the shaman is required to weave mana into the desired from, this core operationalizes that on its own."

Sounds awfully convenient. "So, what's the catch?" Kobo asked.

Kersen wore an uncomfortable smile, "The only thing required to activate the core is to pour mana into it at a controlled flow. However, its mana requirements are immense—unlike anything that I've seen before. I think it'll take at least four shamans to operate safely."

"We have two here," Reine said, "If it's just supplying mana, Her Highness could fulfill that role as well. That leaves one more."

"How about Mr. Vesper?" Kersen asked.

Kobo shook her head as she tossed Marine a glance. "I believe his constitution is ill-suited for processing mana."

Marine nodded, "I don't claim to be an expert on the affairs of mana, but from what I've seen, the quantities of mana required to operate a shamanic construct is beyond him."

"And yet he's a mana user despite his disability? What an intriguing man," Reine said, perplexed at the discovery.

"What's the consequence of operating with less than four people?" Kobo turned back towards Kersen.

The fixer frowned, "I'm not sure. I need more time to analyze it, but given how the duke plans to attack tomorrow, that will likely be impossible. All I can say for now is that I strongly recommend against it."

"Well, if it comes down it," Marine proposed with a frightening nonchalance, "I could always try to capture one of the duke's shamans."

Kobo smirked, in awe of the mercenary's audacity.

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"How are you feeling?" Marine asked. She was inside Suisei's room. The young lady was still lying down, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. She held a bundle of ice against her swollen cheeks. Bandages covered her pretty face, still bruised from last night's insanity.