The next fragment of memory began with the loyal butler of the Hanityuz family trying to give his Young Master a stroke right from the moment he opened his eyes.
Well... they're not the only ones suffering here, right?
- Young Master. I heard everything from the deputy butler Hans. This Ron will do everything in my power, apply all his abilities to make sure that you shine in the capital.
Cale's shoulders began to shake as he left the Earl's estate. He thought about the conversation he had with Ron that morning.
"This will be your first trip outside the lands of Hanityuz, won't it? I am very good at hunting rabbits. I will hunt rabbits for you when we get out into the wild."
Ron's voice, calm and soft, still rang in Cale's ears. He felt like he could still hear it, like in a hallucination, as if it was coming from the morning fog that had descended on the city.
Somehow, everyone's question of why the Young Master constantly thought that Ron was killing someone at night disappeared.
The former butler was looked at with apprehension.
Cale was horrified by the way Ron described tracking and killing the rabbit.
- You have to be careful when handling small animals like rabbits that are easily frightened. Since you don't know when or how it will act, you have to pay attention to the surroundings and kill it in the blink of an eye. Oh, and you still have to remove all the entrails after killing it. I'm very good at that too.
Suddenly, another cold and very ominous voice was heard, making everyone freeze, like those very rabbits.
- True. A frightened rabbit's meat becomes tough. And if you don't remove the giblets, it will taste bitter.
And maybe in the mouth of any other person this would have been really good cooking advice, but this was Bikros.
And while everyone was remembering that they weren't rabbits or even beast-men-rabbits and that they had nothing to be afraid of, the chef was thinking about the wonderful rabbit stew he had made not long ago. It was a divine dish.
Cale had to turn away as Ron mimed tearing the rabbit apart with his hands. The servant was flustered. However, the only thought Cale had already encountered was that Ron was playing with him. Cale was just happy that Ron would be going to the capital with him.
- Ho-ho... Is that so? This servant is happy.
He was truly happy. It was just for a different reason. He had imprinted the image of the frightened Young Master deep in his soul, next to his most precious memories.
"I can use Bikros as my personal chef."
Bikros was actually captivated by the thought of what he could cook in the field as an escort for a noble carriage. He had never been on such a campaign, but Count Hanithuse's field kitchen was as expensive and of the highest quality as it could be.
Ron. Bikros. Cale had already told Hans this morning to take father and son with him. Ron was there, of course.
- Hans, I want to take Bikros as my personal chef for this trip.
- May I ask why him? He is very busy with kitchen number two.
- I don't know. But I can't eat anything except food prepared by Bikros. I'll take him, so you'll have to handle the rest.
Hans was worried, but Ron seemed happy to be able to go with his son.
- Young Master, my son will be very happy. In any case, we will need to go to the capital. I will convey your words to him.
"Father is right," thought Bikros, remembering the wonderful smokehouse in the camp stove.
And while he was indulging in thoughts of beauty, Cale on the screen managed to clean out the bakery counters, rise to the rank of the holy god of buyers and almost reached the tree.
"These children don't have a home?"
Cale arrived much earlier than usual, but his brother and sister were curled up, waiting for him, as if they had been waiting all night on the hilltop. The younger brother seemed to be dozing in the arms of his older sister.
The brother and sister looked at Cale in silence, their hair and clothes looking grey, probably because they had been here on a foggy morning.
The thought of the need to build several shelters for homeless children somehow lazily flew through the Crown Prince's head.
Of course, Cale pretended not to notice.
- Here, take this.
The boy took both bags from Cale's hands. The young man waited for the boy to move away before turning and heading towards the tree.
- When the Young Master leaves for the capital, these children will have a hard time.
Vitira said this with regret. She felt sorry for these guys.
She received discordant nods in response.
But Eruhaben did not agree with her, but remained silent.
The fog made it hard to see. Since this hill was the highest point in Western Town (if you didn't count the Earl's estate, of course), the fog was even thicker here. No one else would be able to see what Cale was doing, or more importantly, what Cale was getting from the tree.
"If there was no fog here, how would you explain it?"
The tree meanwhile greeted us as usual.
- More, give me more. Please.
Cale emptied the contents of the bag into the hole, listening to the eerie voice of the soul, filled with resentment, as usual. The darkness inside the hole slowly turned from gray to white. Cale began to smile, that all his efforts were not in vain. But at that moment...
- More! More! More!
In the relative silence of the early foggy morning, the observers did not expect to hear such a loud scream, but instead jumped in place.
Even Ron.What?!"
Cale flinched and stepped back, the voice coming from the soul now a scream.
"Nothing like that was mentioned in the novel."
"Oops...So it is strange after all."
Suspicious….
- More! More! I'll give you a gift if you bring me more. A gift.
A gift. The word made Cale's eyes sparkle. Although he hadn't expected his soul to go crazy, the end was already near.
- Just wait.
Eruhaben couldn't help but sigh.
- You poor bastard, the promise of a gift makes you close your eyes to all the weirdness? Are you stupid or what?
He may have been too hasty in praising the guy's intelligence.
The black branch began to sway, as if nodding in response. It was like a scene from a horror movie. Cale shuddered and began to move back through the fog. He had arrived very early today, there was no sun in sight, but the fog was getting thicker.
"This should be the last batch."
The light inside the hole was as white as the fog that surrounded Cale.
"After I throw in this last bag of bread, the light should become clear."
Cale was filled with anticipation as he dumped the contents of the last bag into the hole at the tree's roots.
Everyone froze. Now they would witness one of the rarest things in the world. Receiving the Ancient Power. And they were waiting for it with impatience.
And finally...
- Ooooooh!
The roar that the tree made, which was different from the sounds it had made before, spilled out onto Cale. This roar that was only audible to Cale did not attract his attention, which was completely focused on the hole that had become transparent. Due to the shadow of the tree, it should have been dark inside, but such a realistic situation did not arise.
It was the Ancient Power.
Everyone held their breath.
The black dragon stared at the screen with wide eyes and seemed afraid to even blink and miss all the most interesting things.
The moment Cale saw the Ancient Power, he heard a voice that was still asking him for more food.
- It was so... So good!
A?
That voice was... Unpleasant.
— This soft texture of bread! I especially liked the third bag of bread you brought. I think even food evolves over time. In my day, there was no such thing as bread. The wheat itself must grow in truly fertile soil! Yes, not all wheat is the same...
... The voice assessed the taste of the bread.
Observers were shocked and tried to understand what was happening there.
Whatever they expected from the Ancient Power, it was not this. And if most of them did not know anything about these powers at all and were simply surprised by her talkativeness, then the prince and the ancient dragon were much more informed. And what they saw now was absolutely not within the concept of the norm.
Ancient power is a relic of the past. A part of the soul without reason, responsible for a certain vector of the former owner's power. They could still believe that she asked for more bread. It seems like part of the test to get it. People should somehow understand how to get it. But she definitely shouldn't be able to give such an analysis of baked goods. And even more so, to single out her favorite.
What the hell is going on?
And then, in the shocked silence of the room, if you don't take into account the background mumbling about the delights of bread in general and each loaf in particular, a curious child's voice rang out:
— Is the bread really that delicious? Hey, Handsome Prince!
- A?
- Did you write down where the Strange Man bought the third bag? The Ancient Power says that it is the most delicious one!
- Nooooo….
Alberu, who didn't immediately realize that the dragon had called him handsome (but when it did, he would be very flattered), responded weakly, shaking his head. He didn't think it was necessary to go into SUCH details.
Bikros remembered that for the third sack, Young Master Cale had gone to the baker Thomas, who had won the baking contest at the harvest festival two years ago only because Bikros had been busy preparing a dinner party at the estate and couldn't participate in the contest himself. And he remembered him because he had been going around shoving the winner's medal in his face for the rest of the year. He really wanted to introduce that jerk's smug face to his favorite rolling pin, but he was above that. So no, as long as he lived, none of his friends would consume the idiot's products.
He turned to the curious dragon and said in a commanding voice:
- I'll bake better bread for you.
The Dragon looked at the darkened face of the Scary Grandfather's son and, remembering the Strange Man's remark that it was better not to argue with the mentally ill, nodded.
- I'll be waiting.
They seem to have gotten distracted.
The storm summoned by the voice rushed towards Cale.
"This wasn't in the novel!"
The spirit, who was bound to the earth due to his dissatisfaction, broke the seal and resolved the issue by appreciating the taste of the bread. Cale began to frown. He only thought of the Ancient Power from "Birth of a Hero". This Indestructible Shield was the only Ancient Power written about in the novel, but no one needed it.
- So it means that the Ancient Power was ownerless.
— Why was it written about at all then?
Locke didn't understand.
"Remember what the God of Death said. The book was more of a guide for a soul that had found itself in an unfamiliar world than a real novel. There was probably some other information that wasn't really related to the plot. For general development, so to speak," Eruhaben replied.
To himself, he thought that perhaps the shield had been described specifically so that he would take it.
Choi Han quietly put a plus sign to Cale's karma for the fact that the absence of the first Ancient Power would not bring harm to its former-future supposed owner, since this owner did not exist at all.
"No wonder no one has mastered it. But then why did the author mention something useful but no one actually uses it?"
And while these thoughts were floating around in Cale's head, the disgusting voice continued to chatter, preventing him from concentrating.
- ...That's why I'm so full! It was so delicious!
Conversation. It seemed her complaint was that she couldn't talk, not that she couldn't eat.
The voice was really annoying.
And he knew a suspicious amount about bread for someone who says that "in his days there was no such thing as bread."
Listening for several minutes to the spirit evaluate all the types of bread that Cale brought her, the young man nodded and tried to tune out the voice.
"Such things were unavailable in ancient times. The people of the Forest of Darkness claimed to be the servants of God, but they gave me only tasteless things.
Now that was very interesting information. Choi Han, Eruhaben and Alberu pricked up their ears. Each for their own reasons. There was no mention in history of people ever living in the Forest of Darkness.
"Please let her finish!"
However, Cale decided to wait a little longer when he heard the spirit mention ancient times.
Phew.
- Naturally, I was expelled from there. They said I was a glutton. No way! Of course, I left with my friends. We planned to get the world back on track.
In the general flow of endless nonsense that this strange Ancient Power was spouting, the last phrase could have been ignored. But it was not so easy to slip past Eruhaben. It seemed very strange to him.
For someone like him who needed the Ancient powers, stories of ancient times were as important as air. However, the story soon ended, and the spirit returned to talking about food and other useless things. Cale quickly tried to interrupt her.
"I don't think I can give up this taste even if I gain fat on my body. It's so unfair that I had to eat dirt and ended up with such a miserable death!"
The more Bikros listened, the more he wanted to return to Western and feed the Ancient Power himself. And not with bread. He had already composed a whole menu in his head. But no one needed to know about it.
- Yes, that was a fantastic and professional assessment. You're a little...
The spirit was interrupted by Kayla.
- You understood my assessment. You are a really good guy! Thank you!
At this point, even innocent Locke and Mary rolled their eyes.
... Cale really couldn't understand what was happening. At least the voice stopped, thanking him. The young man looked at the tree in front of him.
"How interesting."
And there was something to see there.
The eyes of the particularly impressionable individuals (Lok, Mary, Rosalyn, the Black Dragon and (surprisingly) Vitira) literally lit up with delight. The rest reacted a little less violently.
The tree, which everyone called the man-eating tree, was originally black, but now it began to turn lighter. Then it slowly began to be covered with green leaves. The unfolding scene seemed even more mystical because everything around was shrouded in fog.
"How beautiful…" Rosalyn's voice rang out in the stunned silence.
As a mage, she had seen many miracles created with the help of mana. But this was the first time she had seen anything like this.
Mary agreed with her completely.
But she noted to herself that it reminded her of the effect of Dead Mana. But she decided not to voice her thoughts, so as not to incur the logical question of how she knew what it looked like. She was not yet ready to answer it.
- Ooooooh.
This roar was similar to the previous one. Cale knelt down next to the tree and looked into the hole under its trunk. A bright white light was pouring out of it.
Cale stuck his hand into the light and then closed his eyes.
"It seems like it should be like this."
The warm, powerful force that wrapped around his hand brought a smile to his lips. It trembled slightly when he heard the voice again. This time, the voice was clear and warm.
- This will protect you.
Shiiiiiiiine.
For a very short moment, a bright light surrounded Cale. The light was silver in color. Soon, it began to be absorbed by the boy's body. The absorbed light gathered around Cale's heart.
In the fog it looked especially mystically magical, the connoisseurs of beauty noted to themselves. Who knows who exactly.
- Haaaaah!
Cale let out a sharp breath before opening his eyes. It was an indescribable feeling. It was warm, and the sheer power made the young man feel happy.
Albert Crossman listened to the description of this "indescribable" feeling and tried to compare it with his own experience. He really felt something the moment he received his Ancient Power. But he barely remembered it, since he was quite young then. And the power itself was not very noticeable. He just knew that he had it. Maybe he got used to it and doesn't pay attention?
Cale quickly lifted the shirt he was wearing.
"I did it!"
A small silver shield symbol appeared above his heart. It was different from the tattoos. Such a beautiful and intricate shield left its mark above Cale's heart.
But body paintings were not included in the Ancient Forces kit. Both Alberu and Eruhaben knew this. They looked at each other in bewilderment.
The girls, in turn, were delighted with the miniature image of the shield. It looked very beautiful on the skin.
Rosalyn began to think about creating a magical ink that could reproduce something similar.
The shield would prioritize the safety of its owner. Its location was in the heart. This shield would be with Cale until his heart stopped beating.
"How nice".
Cale felt the force pierce his heart. It didn't cause any problems. In fact, it felt like a shield surrounded his heart and was doing its best to protect it.
Such ancient powers left their own unique mark when activated.
Cale quickly used the method that was described in the novel to summon the Ancient Power.
Paaaaat!
An indestructible shield appeared before Cale's eyes.
"He is beautiful!"
This time there was not even a whisper. Everyone was looking at the most beautiful shield of all.
His appearance alone made one feel somehow enlightened. If not spiritual.
It was a silver shield that was large enough to cover Cale's upper body. There were two silver wings on either side of the shield, allowing the shield to move around Cale. The size of the shield could also be controlled.
Cale tried to control the size of the shield, which felt like part of his body. This direct perception was one of the special features of the Ancient Powers. That was why heroes used them, even if they were support powers.
Cale started to smile.
"Twice maximum."
"What twice?"
Cale assessed it from the perspective of Choi Han, the strongest person around him now. The shield should be able to block two attacks from Choi Han.
- What? Me?
Everyone turned to the black-haired swordsman.
They had all heard about how strong he was. Cale Hanitus's cheerful paranoia simply didn't let them forget it. But they hadn't seen his power with their own eyes yet. How much power did you have to have to be measured by the Ancient Power?
Under the appraising glances, the black-haired swordsman quickly turned into a red-faced swordsman.
"This shield's power is greater than I thought. Why didn't the heroes use it in the novel?"
The Indestructible Shield, contrary to its name, was actually capable of being destroyed. However, it did not disappear if broken. If the shield received an attack stronger than it could withstand, it would retain as much of its power as possible to protect the owner's heart before it broke. After a period of time, the shield would regain its power and be ready for use again. The shield's power came from the owner's heart.
The beating of the heart. This heart becomes the power of the shield. The heart strengthens the shield, while the shield protects the heart. So what happens when the heart becomes stronger?
"Then the shield will become even stronger."
There were many ways to strengthen the Ancient Powers. Cale will strengthen this shield on the way to the capital.
The Crown Prince, despite the fact that shocking information continued to pour out like from a cornucopia, remembered that he shouldn't just sit there and abruptly reached for the paper. He had to write it down, otherwise he might forget some important detail. And this time it wasn't about where the third bag of bread was bought.
Once that happens, he'll have to make a shield that will last ten, no, at least five minutes when someone of Choi Han's caliber tries to kill him.
The sword master groaned and covered his face with his hands. He was ashamed. Although, logically, he should have been proud of himself.
Ancient Powers, as seen with that "man-eating tree" example, are hard to come by unless you "accidentally run into them." The person who knows the most about these "coincidences" in the first five volumes is probably Cale Hanites. Well, the current Cale Hanites.
Cale couldn't help but smile. He reached out and touched the shield. The feeling was pleasant. However, he didn't feel very good.
"What's happened?"
"...He seems too divine."
Ten very strange looks were directed at the unsuspecting Cale. They didn't see any problem with it.
In fact, it looked like the Sacred Shield that the Knights of God wielded along with their swords in myths.
Of course, the previous owner of the shield was a priestess who was tired of the gods and everything connected with them, and the current owner, Kayle, simply did not like these very gods.
At that moment, a very strange thing happened.
A small clot, the size of a tangerine, broke away from the fog on the ceiling and landed with a loud slap right on Kayle's forehead.
Everyone looked up in shock.
There were no comments.
As if nothing happened at all.
"It doesn't look like I'll have much reason to use it."
He was going to leave all the fighting to the others. A terrorist attack on the capital. Cale might have to use the shield if there was a dangerous situation there. But he would make sure it was small and weak enough that other people couldn't detect it.
Alberu breathed a sigh of relief without realizing it.
From what he said it followed that he was not going to sit on the sidelines and would at least be at the scene of the incident. And that meant more information for them.
Cale returned the shield to his heart and patted the white wood before walking away. The drizzle within the fog blanket settled on Cale's shoulders.
The young man liked the fog, but he didn't like the rain. He wanted to get home quickly. He needed a carriage.
And at that moment there was a sound...
- Meeeeeeeeee!
- Meow!
Cale suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. It was an alley right behind the Earl's estate. He saw two pairs of round golden eyes. Cale frowned.Cale suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. It was an alley right behind the Earl's estate. He saw two pairs of round golden eyes. Cale frowned.
The two kittens looked extremely miserable, soaked in the rain. They continued to meow, approaching the boy. Then they began to rub their cheeks against Cale's legs.
- Ah! The Young Master doesn't like cats!
Cale couldn't help but sigh and tried to get around them. The little kittens followed him. These little ones somehow managed to keep up with Cale even with their little paws.
Eruhaben had a premonition that he knew what was about to happen.
The poor bastard had a soft spot for feeble creatures. Especially strange feeble creatures like the man-eating tree and the evil monster-slayer swordsman. Suspicious cats also fell into this category.
- Young Master, what's going on?
The man who welcomed Cale home was the deputy butler, Hans. Hans' eyes widened in surprise. He seemed to be in shock. Cale clicked his tongue and handed Hans the two lumps he was holding.
- Don't ask stupid questions, just take them.
Hans's eyes were clouded with affection.
- Ooooh... What cute, beautiful kittens!
- Oooooooooooh... How lovely!
The female half of the group seemed to have involuntarily caught a moment of revelation. And they weren't just talking about the kittens. They also found Cale's behavior charming.
Eruhaben's lips twitched into a smile.
The rest just looked at the screen in surprise. Why does he need cats?
This deputy butler really did seem like a terrific candidate for a permanent butler. Cale carefully placed the two kittens into the arms of an extremely excited Hans.
Both kittens, who were in the hands of the deputy butler, continued to look at Cale.
- Young Master, may I take care of these two beautiful babies?
- Do whatever you want.
Hans literally began to glow with joy. Cale walked around the excited Hans, continuing to speak as he went:
- Oh, for your information, they'll calm down if you give them something to eat. They're brother and sister.
The ancient dragon's lips curled even more. Yes. His guess was correct.
The rest looked ahead in surprise.
- What?
Both kittens shuddered and continued to tremble as their golden eyes looked at Cale.
- Sorry?
At this point, while Hans stood there in confusion, Cale returned to Hans. He then lowered his head and sniffed the kittens.
He had been thinking about it for the past few days, but how could he know for sure?
The silver kitten smelled faintly of the medicinal herbs he had given the girl. When he had picked up both kittens earlier, he had also smelled the beef and creamed pasta he had given them that morning.
"Do you mean to say that these are the same children?" Vitira asked barely audibly.
This convinced Cale that he was right. The events of the last few days were finally determined in Cale's mind.
- Did you think I wouldn't notice?
The kitten's golden eyes continued to tremble. Cale looked at the siblings he had been feeding for the past few days and smiled widely.
Clap-clap.
- Why does he look so...villainous?
Nobody knew the answer to this question.
Even under the rough touch, the little kittens could only stare at Cale. The boy thought of the moment when he first met Choi Han. The injured silver kitten was growling, and the ginger kitten was next to him.
"The silver kitten must be the older sister with grey hair, and the younger brother must be the ginger kitten."
Cale had a bright smile on his face. He looked at the kittens and began to speak:
- ... We'll talk later.
The brother and sister apparently turned out to be beastmen, they avoided his gaze, and Hans answered embarrassedly:
- ...Are you talking to me?
- No.
- Ha-ha-ha-ha….
Rosalyn couldn't help but laugh. Vitira chuckled after her.
After waiting for the girls to calm down, Eruhaben thoughtfully addressed everyone:
— Am I the only one who finds suspicious this man's ability to notice rather subtle and inconspicuous details in a world that is completely alien and little known to him?
This made everyone think. Indeed. Anyone else would have passed by the cats and not even looked at them.
Well, okay, the first time at the city wall he kind of passed by. But otherwise it's really interesting.
Vitira was the first to share her theory:
- This world is new to him. Maybe he is much more attentive to details precisely because these things are new to him? I live far away in the ocean and am very rarely on land. For example, I pay a lot of attention to unfamiliar things.
The dragon nodded his head thoughtfully while the others looked at her with questions in their eyes.
She thought a little more and blurted out:
- Well, for example, I live in the north. Our children make a lot of snowmen. I pass them every day and don't pay attention to them. I'm used to them. But if suddenly there's a marble statue among the snowmen, of course I'll stop and start looking at it. Or you. You're used to stone houses. And if there's a house made of ice among them, you'll be interested in what it is, right? And so is he. Everything here is foreign to him, he's interested in it, so he notices things that an ordinary person would miss.
It sounded logical.
It didn't explain everything, but...
They left it as a working theory.
Meanwhile, Cale managed to talk with the butler's assistant Hans and even get to the tea shop.
Ding!
The distinct ringing of a bell rang out in the deserted store, welcoming Cale.
- There's probably no one here because of the rain.
- Welcome, young master.
Bylos. Bastard son of the head of the Merchant Guild, Flynn. He greeted Cale as if they had known each other for a long time. Cale sat down in front of the counter and looked at Bylos.
- I promised to come back. I had to keep my promise.
- Of course. Promises must always be kept. Should I prepare a book and tea, like last time?
- Yes, three cups of tea, please.
"Three?"
— What kind of tea should I make?
Cale ordered three types of tea and set the time after which Bilos was to renew his tea, after which he went up to the third floor.
Drip-drip, drip-drip.
The rain was getting heavier. Tsk. Cale clicked his tongue and went to sit in the same spot near the window on the third floor before looking outside.
A deserted bookstore in the pouring rain? A wonderful setting for an interesting conversation.
— It's raining quite heavily, isn't it?
Bylos came and sat down opposite him, placing a cup of tea in front of the young man. Cale watched him carefully.
"Choi Han, Bikros, Ron, and finally Bilos."