Humans were truly astounding creatures.
Their behavior somehow straddled the line between predictable and utterly incomprehensible at the same time.
Thoughts like these had occurred to Zeke continuously over the past few days.
Just like now, as he opened yet another letter. The sender was a councilwoman who had barely spared him a glance in recent months, and when she had, it had been with open disdain.
And yet, here it was.
Best wishes. Hopes for collaboration. She even had the audacity to claim she had secretly admired him for a long time.
Zeke shook his head at the absurdity of it all. Or perhaps shamelessness was the better word.
Still, he couldn't claim surprise at this letter, nor at any of the dozens like it he had received. With the changing of the wind, so too had his standing in the city transformed.
If he were being generous, he might call the months preceding his trial a hazing ritual. Though he had been officially inducted months ago, it had never once felt as if they truly saw him as an equal.
On the contrary, Zeke had always felt as though every last one of his fellow Merchant Lords was waiting for the chance to cut his throat or stab him in the back. As if he were an intruder in their vaunted circle.
That feeling had vanished.
And all it had taken was publicly humiliating them, threatening to burn their businesses to the ground, and striking a secret deal with the ruler of the city. In a sense, though, he understood perfectly why the Lords had changed their tune so drastically.
While he had presented himself as an enemy during the trial, he had also proven something else: he didn't need this city. He didn't need any of them. He would stand on his own, no matter what anyone else decided.
The message had been sent and received.
Ezekiel von Hohenheim was a dangerous man—a beast with claws and fangs, willing to use them against all who barred his path.
That, above all else, seemed to have earned him the respect of the ruling class.
Though he often derided them as cowards, Zeke would never deny that the Merchant Lords possessed an extraordinary sense for power dynamics. They must have felt the shift more keenly than anyone else. The signs had been there for those who paid close enough attention.
The Wraith had freed him from their whims.
The trade contracts guaranteed his supply lines.
And the right to seek refuge in any Alliance nation had severed the final thread binding him to this city. With it, he had cut away his last remaining weakness.
He had to admit, it felt good to finally remove the blade that had hung over his head for so long. If he had known that all it would take was becoming a strategic asset to the Alliance, he would have worked toward that goal long ago.
Better late than never.
With a practiced flick of his wrist, Zeke tossed the letter into the air. It sailed gracefully across the room and landed squarely in the fireplace, where dozens of others already fed the flames.
Naturally, Zeke wasn't arrogant enough to believe he would never again need their help. Nor was he so close-minded as to permanently forsake every Lord who had once stood against him. Petty as he was, he could still set aside grudges if it served his interests.
The reason he burned the letters now was simple.
He didn't lack anything.
His supply lines were secure, his clients eager to buy, and his production moved like clockwork.
Whatever collaboration, deal, or offer they had, Zeke wasn't interested.
Another letter joined the fire, then a third. Until his hand suddenly stilled.
His eyes darted from left to right, a slow smile spreading across his face. Within moments, he retracted his earlier statement. There was something he needed, something he wanted enough to warrant an exception.
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A teacher for his wards.
While he could easily find tutors for most of the children given his wealth and status, four posed greater challenges: Keiran, Kallen, Lue, and Maya.
With the twins, the issue lay in their affinities. Space and Time were the rarest of all, and teachers were not easily found—especially since they were also considered the most difficult affinities to master.
Zeke had reached out to potential candidates, but securing tutors had proven unexpectedly difficult. Renowned figures in those fields never lacked gold, making monetary offers less persuasive.
For Keiran, he had contacted some of Cosmoa's famous academies, but their conditions had been anything but attractive.
For Kallen, he had tried to enlist one of the Seers of Seraven. That had been even less fruitful. Those people were truly elusive, and the promise of money meant nothing to them.
Then came the question of Lue and Maya.
With Lue, he had been the most successful—or more precisely, twice successful. She had affinities for both Metal and Mind, both relatively common, and she already knew exactly which direction she wanted her education to take.
That left Maya. Life and Nature.
For her, Zeke knew exactly who he wanted as a teacher: Cassius Leafless. But tracking down that elusive recluse had proven harder than expected. Zeke had even dispatched the Alexandria to the jungles of Irroch, where he had last encountered him, but the place was already abandoned.
That left him with little more than a dead trail. Still, this was for his sister, and Zeke would not give up so easily. Cassius could be to Maya what Maximilian had been to him—not just a mentor, but someone who foresaw roadblocks before they emerged and prepared accordingly.
All that being said, the letter before him now presented the solution to one of those problems.
Lord Chen, a rather reclusive member of the council, had reached out with an offer Zeke could hardly refuse.
He proposed to introduce a teacher for Kallen—someone even Zeke himself had been unable to reach. It was none other than his own wife, a woman with a high Time affinity who had once been a Seer herself.
That was an offer too valuable to decline.
Even better, Lord Chen's request was modest. Instead of proposing a concrete deal, he merely asked for a vague promise of cooperation, that they keep each other in mind for future dealings.
In other words, Chen was asking for a favor in the future.
It was both something Zeke could easily agree to and, in a way, a great compliment. It meant Chen expected him to grow, to rise further in value and influence.
Zeke had no problem with that. If Chen's future demand turned out to be outrageous, he could simply refuse. But for someone who had done him a favor, he had no qualms about repaying in kind.
Repay silver with gold—that had always been his motto.
Zeke instantly penned a reply to the letter, agreeing to these terms.
Unfortunately, the rest of the letters were all more of the same. Praises, congratulations, and offers of cooperation. His trusty fireplace made quick work of them all.
Zeke stretched, the midday sun bathing his study in brilliant light. In the courtyard below, he spotted four figures. They were young, three girls and one boy.
It was exactly those four he had not yet found personal tutors for: the twins, Maya, and Lue. Well, he had just solved one of those problems. With a snap of his mind, Zeke vanished from his spot in front of the window and reappeared in the courtyard below.
The four children suddenly found their path blocked.
Kallen and Keiran reacted first, their heads lowering in a deep bow. Though Zeke didn't require such gestures, the twins insisted on them.
Lue was startled for an instant, waved, and then, seeing what the twins were doing, clumsily mirrored their bow.
Maya, with the agility of a monkey, clung to his midsection with deadly force.
Zeke looked down, seeing his sister's pouty expression looking back up at him.
"Where were you? You said you were gonna help us with practice."
Zeke carefully peeled her off and placed her beside the other three, who had by now risen from their bows.
"I am here now, am I not?"
Zeke shook his head at his sister's antics. Was he spoiling her too much? Even so, he couldn't help it.
"I have news," he said, hoping to distract her. It worked like a charm. Not just on her—all four children perked up.
"I found a teacher for you, Kallen."
"M-me?" the usually composed girl asked, pointing at herself. As Zeke had discovered, she was extremely vulnerable to acts of genuine kindness. A stark contrast to her icy facade.
"Your new mentor is a former Seer. She will guide you well."
Kallen looked excited for a moment, but then her gaze shifted to the boy beside her, who shared her features. "What about Keiran? Shouldn't he be the priority?"
Zeke studied the boy with the perfect Spatial Affinity. Beyond what the eyes could see, he used all his senses—spatial perception, Mana sense, everything.
Kallen’s words rang true. Despite spending no more than a few minutes each night inside the Mana purifying device, the boy had nearly reached the realm of True Mage.
To be fair, his twin sister wasn't far behind, but her progress came at a much greater cost. She needed nearly twelve hours inside the device each day just to keep up. The sacrifices she made to match her brother's pace were significant.
But the results were undeniable. Even with her low affinity, she had nearly reached the threshold for advancement as well. It was an unprecedented speed for someone with such a weak Core.
Zeke inspected Maya and Lue next. The two, despite having good affinities, were still lagging behind the others. This was simply the difference between those using the Mana Purifying device and those who did not.
Despite the obvious benefits, he was not in a hurry to have his sister or Lue use it. At their level, the biggest challenges weren't to strengthen the Core but to master one’s control of Mana, to learn spell forms, and to practice mental fortitude.
That was something that could not be rushed.
"...I am working on it," he answered belatedly. "But it is not so easy to find suitable teachers."
That was the truth, but not all of it. In his mind, Zeke had already decided on who he wanted to have as a mentor for Keiran. However, he was still waiting for an opportunity to meet that person again.
And even if he did, there was no guarantee he would agree. Maybe Keiran's perfect affinity would be enough to entice them...
Zeke shook his head. Those were thoughts for another day. Now, he needed to make good on the other promise he had made.
"Come, show me what you've learned!"