Despite several minutes having passed, Zeke wasn't able to restore his inner peace. He felt like he was surrounded by enemies on all sides and he had nobody left to turn to.
With a deep sigh, he finally sat up straight. Laying down hadn't helped calm his mind. He swept his gaze across the deserted room, in search of a distraction. However, he saw nothing that could hold his attention. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted something. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spied a round object at the far end of the room. Whoever had looted the place apparently deigned it worthless.
Zeke focused his mind as he stared straight at the sphere. Slowly, it started to move. It rolled toward him before rising into the air. The object started out a bit wobbly but soon soared through the air in a controlled manner.
With a deft swipe, he snatched the sphere out of the air. The object in his hand was a fist-sized ball. He had never before seen its like, but it was soft and colorfully decorated. It appeared to be some kind of toy for small children.
Zeke tossed it back into the air and had it slowly circle his head. Every time the toy passed in front of his face, he tried to imagine what had led to it being abandoned there. Did its former owner not want it anymore? Had a child lost it and didn't get the time to search for it when they were driven out? Was the ball a mysterious, powerful artifact that had intentionally sought him out in order to help him achieve world domination?
The exercise in creativity finally managed to calm his anxious mind somewhat. But with the calm also came the other thoughts that had been suppressed. His use of [Telekinesis] had inadvertently reminded him of Sophia. She had gifted him the spell book for the technique for his birthday, braving no small risk in doing so.
During their travels through the empire, Zeke had taken some time off every day in order to practice. He had wanted to impress her with his progress the next time they met. It all sounded so silly now, and Zeke felt his heart clench at the thought of how their next meeting would go.
Would they meet as enemies? Would he see her again at all? What about Viola? How did she react when she found out? She probably had no idea of anything that had happened yet. Would she turn against him? What about Markus? Had his friend gotten into trouble as well because of him?
A profound sense of loss washed over Zeke as he once again came face to face with the pain of leaving so many of his closest friends behind. He would probably be sobbing on the floor right now if he hadn't at least managed to bring his family with him. Even though they couldn't help him much with his current predicament, their presence gave him comfort. More than that, it gave him a reason not to surrender to helplessness.
Despite the circumstances, the thoughts of his closest friends still brought a smile to his face. He just hoped that they would be fine. Zeke was worried for Sophia the most. She would probably get in trouble down the line because of him. He wasn't stupid enough to not have realized by now that she had been ordered to get close to him. But the fact that he had been allowed to escape meant that she had kept the dragon's heart as well as anything else she might have found out a secret.
However, this also meant that everything exceptional he did in the future could be seen as a failure on her part. A dreadful realization came to him. Could he even release the meditation research? The empire would know where it had come from. The fallout from this would most likely land on Sophia's slender shoulders.
An unexpected thought sprang up in his mind. It was something Zeke had never thought himself capable of conceiving. However, the moment he acknowledged its existence, it was impossible to get rid of. Like a worm, it burrowed itself deeper into his mind until it had fully taken root in his consciousness.
'Do I even want to release it?'
The idea was so foreign to him that Zeke was left with no other option than to consider this to be foul play. Had the emperor or some other Mind Mage managed to invade his consciousness? Had it been Sophia?
However, the longer he thought about it, the more certain he became that this was his own genuine idea. He had learned that the best way to find out if one was influenced by Mind Magic was to question the motive and rationale behind each thought. In most cases, they would not hold up under close scrutiny. This was the opposite, however. The longer he thought about it, the more reasons he found why releasing his research would be a bad idea.
The reason he had been so eager to teach his technique to the commoners had been rooted in the belief that it would benefit them. He had wanted to give them more power, more say in how things were done. He had been so certain that he would be able to improve their lives by doing so. He wasn't so sure anymore, though.
It was entirely possible that his research would only lead to the swelling of armies on all sides of the conflict. The number of casualties during the coming war could be that much higher because of it. What was even worse was that his research would only be effective on young people. He could already picture a swarm of freshly awakened 14-year-olds being used as cannon fodder by the losing side in a desperate attempt to turn things around.
With a shudder, Zeke shook off the vivid imagery he had inadvertently conjured up. It was a future too grim to even contemplate. During all the time he had spent daydreaming about the rosy future, he had not once considered the potential risks involved. Even with the commoners all being able to advance to the True Mage level. They would still be ants in the eyes of the great families. Just… slightly bigger ants. With a sigh, he stopped this particular train of thought.
"A problem for another day," he murmured.
He had more pressing concerns at the moment. Money was at the very forefront. While studying the legal code, Zeke had stumbled across something that made their situation that much worse. The moment they lost their estate, the von Hohenheim family would also lose all citizens' rights here in Tradespire. It was very likely that they would be turned over to the empire at that point.
"100,000 gold, huh?" Zeke thought out loud.
A year ago, this would have been more money than he could realistically conceive. It was enough gold to buy a castle in the empire. He would probably still have enough left over to buy the surrounding villages as well. Now, however, he had to earn this amount in a measly five weeks, with his life at stake, no less.
Instead of the despair that had gripped him earlier, a silent chuckle escaped his lips. His voice built until it had turned into full-on laughter. The sound proved walls reflected the merry sound back at him, making him laugh even harder.
"You think you have me cornered!? Screw you all!" Zeke yelled. "I will not be stopped by this! Watch me, old man!"
Minutes passed with Zeke yelling all sorts of obscenities and boasts. He was giving voice to all his frustrations, holding nothing back. Minutes later, a heavily breathing Zeke finally slumped against the wall. He had to take a break in order to catch his breath. With the back of his hand, he wiped a few unshed tears from his eyes.
Having caught his breath, Zeke felt a lot better after releasing his pent-up stress. With his head clear, it was finally time to strategize. Zeke had found great success with betting during the tournament, but that had been a special case. His in depth knowledge of the other contestants combined with the Trinity project had given him a competitive edge back then. Those were not things he could count on here.
When after several minutes, Zeke still had not come up with anything, he tried a new approach. He stopped his pacing and made his way toward the door. Maybe a bit of fresh air would help him come up with something. Zeke was not stupid enough to leave the estate grounds, but he still dare to wander the lavish grounds surrounding the mansion.
The well-tended gardens were a stark reminder that there had been over 100 people working here until last week. Zeke wondered if he would be able to find those people. Would they even want to work for the family at this point again?
He soon reached the edge of the property. The city was shaped like a pyramid, meaning that he could oversee any of the lower levels from where he stood. The bustling metropolis stretched out beneath him. Zeke felt like a king looking down at his subjects from up here.
The symbolism of this architectural style was not lost on him. In this city, your financial success literally determined who you could 'look down on'. Of course, the opposite was true as well.
Zeke turned around and looked at the two layers that were above his current position. The opulent palaces he could see above made even his estate look shabby in comparison. Zeke realized that this was likely intentional. This was probably the reason the people here were so full of ambition and callousness. All their lives, they would be forced to gaze upon all the luxuries they couldn't even dream of possessing.
Growing up in Feldstadt, Zeke had never thought himself poor. Even though they had been mere farmers, his family had never lacked anything. Everyone lived in the same houses, ate the same food, and wore the same clothes. People generally treated each other with kindness. The absence of true luxury meant that there was very little to get envious about.
Zeke's gaze traveled to the very top of the mountain, toward the heart of the city. He tried to imagine how he might have turned out if he had been born here instead. His gaze fell upon the tower at the very top of the mountain. It seemed like a heavenly beacon, luring in unsuspecting fools with the promise of riches and prosperity.
There were so many flying vessels in the air surrounding the tower. They appeared like a swarm of flies to Zeke. Compared to the lower districts, it seemed that the rich and powerful preferred to travel on these tiny airships.
No wonder Zeke had also been intrigued after first laying eyes on one. They were not only fast and comfortable but also served to show off your wealth and status. Each of them was worth a fortune. Zeke had seen a receipt for one of them in Gilderoys pile of documents. The craft had been sold for a whopping 13,000 gold. He would only have to sell a couple of them in order to pay off his debt.
The realization hit Zeke like a thunderbolt. He only had to sell a couple of them to pay off his debt, didn't he? Was… Was this a feasible plan? It might actually work. Granted, Zeke didn't know how these ships were built yet, but he had expansive archives on metalworking and engineering in his mind's library. On top of that, he was sure that Tradespire had libraries and schools that he could visit.
The outline of a plan started to form in Zeke's mind. Didn't he always want to learn more about engineering? Ever since the day he had seen the ancient marvels buried in the underground empire, he had dreamed of doing so. The empire had been a barren place when it came to magical engineering, but now he was at the source.
It would be an outright crime not to make full use of the situation! With a growing sense of anticipation, Zeke's eyes followed the many dots traveling through the air far out in the distance. Finally, he had found a direction. Only now did he realize how much his strained and anxious mind had wanted a concrete goal to chase. Idea after idea streamed into his mind without him even trying.
A smile finally spread across his face, as a plan had more or less solidified in his mind. He had no time to waste, but it should still be possible if he played his cards right. Zeke got up from his perch on the lawn. A series of satisfying cracks could be heard as he stretched his back and rolled his shoulders. After the last bit of stiffness had left his body, Zeke put his hands on his hips as he observed the city below.
"Time to get started," he announced with a smile.