It'd been a few days since Ezra realized he was falling back into the same behavior that led to his first demise.
'I'll never let it happen again'
The realization brought about multiple complications.
For starters, what he thought to be a foolproof plan was in fact, riddled with holes.
Soul contracts weren't invincible nor undeniable.
Worse, his soul could only take so much strain before reaching a limit.
As such, numerous thoughts - negative thoughts - came to mind, taking the form of skepticism.
'What'll happen when Fredrick becomes a Grandmaster? Would he rat me out or abandon me?'
The more he thought, the more fearful he became.
So many things could go wrong. Was handing over so many mana stones really the right choice?
But Fredrick's words altered his reasoning.
"I doubt anything remains to confirm where my loyalty lies"
Ezra took a reproach, replaying the memories.
From concocting the potion to meeting Cabrera, along with subsequent events afterwards.
There was none Fredrick wasn't privy to.
It dawned on him.
His stupidity dawned on him.
What would've happened if Fredrick had the slightest bit of bad intent?
Oh sure, he cured Fredrick of his illness and knew he wasn't a knight of Niton, but those were not substantial threats.
Thinking about it, he barely knew anything about Fredrick!
Whereas, Fredrick knew his mother, and knew him better than anyone else. Who could be more terrifying as an enemy?!
His heart pounded with tension abound.
'Calm down Ezra, calm down' he thought, steadying his breath, before heaving a heavy sigh.
He noticed that his betrayal left a shadow deeper than he first thought.
Minutes passed as he calmed himself, empowering his mind while segregating his emotions.
Acting on emotions, especially when they were so volatile, almost always led to the worst of mistakes.
Thankfully, he had enough experience to avoid that pitfall.
Now, he let logic takeover.
Following Fredrick's words, Ezra reevaluated the situation.
He ends with one conclusion.
'I'm a fool'
Seriously? He trusted people who he'd met not up to a month before to deliver a priceless, no, beyond priceless treasure?!
For them to sail turbulent waves to get him treasures while he sat in his comfy castle, weak, nearing useless?!
All because of what exactly? If anything had gone wrong, they'd have been caught with all the mana stones seized, or worse, them absconded with it.
As an extra step to his foolishness, he gave Fredrick his space ring. An object no one else was supposed to know of.
Was there anything that Fredrick didn't know about him at this point?
But then…
He turned to Fredrick, now puzzled.
"Why did you do it? Why did you come back?"
Fredrick sighed…
"It's about time I told you of my origins"
"I hail from the kingdom of Isla, on Hellison, making me a Hellisan and an Islandian. I came from a common background, far more unpleasant than most others. My father was a drunkard, essentially a waste, useless to the core"
The anger in his voice lay apparent, softening afterwards.
"My mother left us when I was only ten years of age, effectively orphaning me and my sister. From then on, I sought a craft on which to survive, and it didn't take me long to find one"
"Thievery"
"Strolling into crowds, I'd gracefully swipe one or two trinkets to feed us. As usual, it didn't take long for my luck to run out, and on that day, we were beaten - both myself and my sister - to death. I woke up the next day, washed up ashore after being thrown into a river. For the longest time, I couldn't move with my bones fractured, staring at the sky. I had survived"
His clenching resounded as he spoke on.
"Unfortunately, the same could not be said for my sister, as her body was never found. I crawled and rolled about for days, barely surviving each day, and soon, I knew, I would die if I didn't find something to do about the situation. Then, through whatever you might call it, I found salvation with a passing person"
He chuckled.
"I soon found myself amongst other orphans, who were being trained into - what would you know? - Thieves. With the possibility of taking revenge, I strived, thrived and eventually triumphed"
A wicked smile hung on his lips, the satisfaction evident.
"Years later, I'm sent to steal an artifact - a regular routine in those days - only this time, things didn't go as usual"
His gaze turned grave.
"Amongst our targets was a beginner Grandmaster, and because of him, every other member of my team died. I barely escaped with a crooked curse. I escaped to Niton, as Hellison was no longer safe. I never forgot my identity as a thief, but I accepted my life as one had ended. I looked for ways to blend in, so I became a knight, practicing until my body became what it is today. The point of all this stands thus. I took on the ambience of a knight, but I am still a thief. And thieves do not swear loyalty"
He locked gazes with Ezra.
"For if they do, it stays as a covenant even more powerful than that of knights. Do you now understand, my Lord?"
Ezra took a deep breath.
"So…to go against the covenant is paramount to denying your identity. Is that it?"
"Precisely so"
"If so, why would you swear loyalty in the first place?"
Fredrick gave a knowing look.
"Would you believe that a five year old could cure a curse beyond the means of those acknowledged as Experts? And as I said before, I had a good feeling"
"Hmm"
Ezra eased himself.
"So, you'll be my knight even as a Grandmaster?"
"As unpleasant as it could be, I am a thief before I'm a Grandmaster. Such is paramount"
Silence permeated as Ezra thought it over.
Truly, there didn't seem to be any other reason why Fredrick hadn't absconded.
Then he wondered.
"Fredrick, what is your true name?"
As a man starting anew, it was only sensible that he took on a new identity.
Fredrick smiled.
"What an odd question. I have long since forgotten my bestowed name. The Thieves order called me Salvador, while I bestowed myself Verrar. So my name, is Salvador Verrar"
Ezra nodded.
"So my lord. Do you trust me now?"
"Yes, I do"
Like so, Ezra's worries melted like snow, though not exactly, as he currently has no clue as to whether his tale was genuine or false.
Still, it was better to have Fredrick at his side until he was powerful enough to ascertain his claims.
And realistically, he needed Fredrick's help more now than ever to actualize his plans.
He removed the mana stones and gave Fredrick two-thirds to suck into his space ring.
He gave him the snake carcass, handing him the responsibility of skinning the snake and refining its blood.
The same with the beast eggs.
He kept one for himself, and handed him the rest, mostly to sell.
Pets would be distractions for his vassals. And frankly, being born from an A-rank beast didn't mean they'd become one.
Same with the tree.
Ezra couldn't plant it in the palace now, could he.
The more they went on, the more Ezra realized how handicapped he was. Specifically because of age.
He could barely do anything himself.
Then, he dropped most of the copper scrolls with mana and weapon techniques within them, keeping a few, about four hundred, for himself and his vassals.
Remember, Cabrera bought five thousand copper scrolls, and the scrolls could only copy one page, sometimes even less.
Meaning that the four hundred scrolls he used couldn't give you more than thirty techniques.
Lastly, he dropped the coins, and Fredrick's jaw dropped.
The majority were gold coins, as Platinum coins weren't in circulation, which was why Cabrera had droves of gold instead of platinum.
The coins started drowning the room so Fredrick sucked them into his space ring hastily.
"While I doubt this amount, added to that in your possession, could ever be depleted, watch over those merchants, many are shrewd and stupid. Evaluate their advice and, if undecided, reach out to me. The last thing we need is mismanagement of funds"
How could he not know the disasters unreliable merchants could summon forth. He'd seen it aplenty once the Era of Calamity settled in.
He knew little of the working of money, but any idea could be evaluated with common sense, and if it couldn't, then it wasn't a good idea.
