"I found out while digging through your backgroun—"
Merlin closed his mouth, realizing what he was about to say. Although he had openly apologized for trying to kill Isaac, it was best to not mention he had done a background check.
But he still wanted to ask where Isaac got them from.
’Maybe he got them from those visions? But doesn’t this mean Isaac can really see the future?’ Merlin thought.
While Merlin was still in shock, Isaac faced Vera.
"Take this guy, go to the Royal Patent Office, get the patent for Mana Breathing Technique, then go to the court, get our contract for the split of profits from Mana Breathing Technique, come back, start selling it with the support of Duke Falcon," Isaac said.
"What will you do?" Vera asked.
"I’m going to travel for a few weeks to a year," Isaac said.
"Travel? Haven’t you heard about bandits these days? Travelling has become quite dangerous. Take Strider with you. She will keep you safe," Vera said.
"Got it," Isaac replied.
He didn’t bother refusing, knowing Strider was there to keep him under surveillance. Even if he refused, she would follow.
As for Vera’s safety, she seemed to know Merlin’s true strength—likely told to her by Strider—and believed she would be safe with Merlin.
Isaac and Strider entered the carriage.
He saw Vera through the window, almost pouncing on Merlin, excitedly asking what papers Isaac had given him.
"Where to, sires?" the coachman asked through the small window at the front.
"Yilla Barony," Isaac answered.
"That is a six-week-long trip, sires. We do not go that far," the coachman replied.
Isaac flipped a gold coin through the small open window.
The coachman swiftly caught it, then said with a bright smile. "We were planning to expand our business from today, sires. We are happy to tell you that from today, we will be doing long travels too."
Isaac nodded. He closed the window and drew the curtain.
He took out a Mana Core from the bag and ate it. Mana flooded his body. He closed his eyes and used Mana Breathing Technique.
...
Six Weeks Later.
Isaac stepped out of the carriage and stretched.
His body was stiff. He couldn’t train his Weapon Element in the small space of the carriage; however, he had not wasted his six weeks.
[Poison: Unawakened → First Layer (Beginner)]
In his last life, he had taken seven years to awaken his Poison Element. In the life before that, he had needed twenty years.
This time, he needed only six weeks.
"Goodbye, sires!" the coachman said as he dropped them off and left.
Strider and Isaac looked around.
Yilla Barony was under Wright Ducal House. It was known for its plantation-style agriculture. Just last year, Baron Yilla had started a project called [Silk Farm].
If all went according to the plan, Yilla Barony would start producing silk. Then, the nobles of the kingdom wouldn’t have to depend upon Silk Plains.
Yilla Barony was populated by large farms. Vast fields stretched across the landscape, divided by dirt roads and irrigation channels. There was a huge mansion in the center, belonging to Baron Yilla. The rest of the barony was dotted with small houses belonging to farmers or servants.
Workers could be seen everywhere. Some were tending crops, while others guided livestock between pastures or transported supplies using wooden carts. The entire barony moved with a steady rhythm, as if every person already knew exactly what they needed to do.
The population barely reached one thousand, yet the settlement felt surprisingly busy. Farms surrounded the central manor from every direction, leaving little unused land. From a distance, the barony looked less like a noble territory and more like a giant farm built around a single mansion.
"Why are we here?" Strider asked.
"Vacation." Isaac lied.
He was searching for the Knight of Death.
All four Knights of the Human King were powerhouses. Except the Knight of War—the current headmaster of the academy—there was no information on the others.
It was as if they popped out of thin air just like the Human King.
Isaac had kept his eyes out and used spies to find the origin of all the Knights in his last life. But he never found anything.
There were only small clues, and nothing concrete.
However, he found a big clue in Merlin’s diary.
’The diary said that there is a farmer who looked like the Knight of Death in this barony.’
’He disappeared when the barony was slaughtered one year from now, and later appeared as the Knight of Death.’
’Merlin got this information from the son of another farmer, who survived as he was visiting another town on the day the slaughter of the barony happened.’
It was highly probable the information was wrong.
Photography didn’t exist in this world, and the guy who tipped Merlin had only glimpsed the Knight of Death from a distance.
Moreover, if the Knight of Death was a farmer, he would be Unawakened. How could someone like that reach Death Element’s First Layer (Advanced) in just a few years?
Even Merlin and Isaac needed the knowledge and experience of previous lives to reach First Layer (Advanced) in just a few years.
Only a once in a millennia genius could do that without prior experience.
But there was still a possibility—however small—that the Knight of Death was really here.
Isaac couldn’t ignore that probability.
"Let’s move around a bit," Isaac said.
He walked towards the farms, intending to check everywhere. Strider followed him hurriedly.
The two spent the next hour moving from one field to another. Farmers were busy tending crops, repairing fences, or guiding livestock across dirt paths. Isaac observed every face he came across, occasionally stopping to ask simple questions that sounded completely unrelated to what he was actually searching for.
"Looking for someone?" Strider finally asked after he questioned an elderly farmer about the harvest.
"No."
"You’re a terrible liar."
Isaac ignored her and continued walking.
They visited a wheat field, then a vegetable farm, then a small orchard near the edge of the barony. Everywhere they went, Isaac paid close attention to the workers.
By noon, they had covered nearly half the settlement. The heat was unbearable. The almighty sun looked to be quite angry today. Even the sky chains tied around the sun were faintly visible. That only happened on the hottest days.
Isaac and Strider were sweating heavily.
"Still enjoying your vacation?" Strider asked.
"Very much."
"You’ve spoken to more farmers in three hours than most nobles do in their entire lives."
"That says more about nobles than it does about me."
Strider rolled her eyes.
They continued moving through the barony. At one point, Isaac climbed onto a small hill to get a better view of the surrounding farms. The fields stretched into the distance, separated by narrow dirt roads and irrigation channels.
"How long is the vacation going to be? Aren’t you worried about your attendance in the academy? I heard you could be held back if it’s low," Strider struck up a conversation again. She was someone who couldn’t stand silence.
"I’m the son of a Duke. Nobody has the courage to expel me or hold me back by a grade," Isaac said. He was going to be expelled after he was kicked out from the house, though.
"...You really are a piece of work. It makes sense you are called ’one of the two scums of noble society’," she said.
"Your master is called the same," Isaac shot back. He kept looking around.
"At least she is pretty," Strider replied.
"I’m worried about your eyes if you think I’m not handsome—"
Isaac stopped speaking and stared at the farmer in the far distance.
’He really is here.’