"Heat stones? This feels so... warm. I never heard of something like that before." Francis asked, his eyes filled with curiosity as his gaze alternated between the stone and Kai.
His hands were on top of the Heat stone and he continued to feel the increment of temperature.
"It feels good, right," Kai said, smiling.
It had taken a while, but he had finally managed to develop the Heat stone. It wasn’t to the level of a high-quality one he remembered, but it was still good enough for daily use.
Just by the expression on Francis’s face, he could tell that the Heat stones had worked as expected.
"It’s as if the sun is in my hand— in this weather, Lord Arzan! This stone... Where did you find it? Did you make it?" Francis asked, looking at the stone closely and holding it like it was some treasure.
Killian also closely inspected the glinting stone.
Withdrawing his eyes from it, he turned to look at Kai.
"Is this what you were doing with the Syphon stones, Lord Arzan?" He asked, looking at Kai with a strange expression.
"Yes, I have been working on them for the past few days," he said, wondering how to explain it. "Well, what I basically did was take the Syphon stone, and then design its insides so that it would emit heat. It initially does what Syphon stones are supposed to do, and then, the mana it absorbs will be converted to heat, releasing it to the outside."
He finished the explanation and took the stone in his hand.
He hid the parts about him enchanting the stone as it would start another conversation he didn’t want to have with the servants around.
Fortunately, it looked like both Killian and Francis were impressed by the Heat stone and the warmth coming from it.
The latter looked to be contemplating something. His hand was on his chin as he stared at the Heat stone. After a few seconds, he raised his head to look at Kai.
"How many of these will Your Lordship be able to create within a day?" Francis asked and Kai immediately replied.
"Five a day. It took me some time to figure out the particulars. But I believe, in no time I will be able to create twice that within a day," Kai said, as he thought about how long things would take and calculated the amount of mana he had to put in. Since he had gotten the right seals to enchant the stones, he would be able to avoid any mishaps.
"With the heavy winter this year, we can sell these for quite a good amount and with that, we can pay back the debt."
Francis and Killian both nodded at his words. Both their faces were filled with questions, but they seemed to agree with Kai’s assessment of the Heat stone.
"How long do these last?" Killian inquired as he took the stone to his hand.
"They’d last at least a year. Maybe a few weeks past that, but not more than that. So, we can keep the production going and sell them every year."
Francis nodded. "I have a certain amount of price for this, and if this works out, the debt will be gone in no time. In places like Kalaria City and the capital, these would go at record prices. We could even auction them off. I’m pretty sure nobles would pay a good sum to alleviate the cold."
"They would," Kai said. "Syphon stones aren’t hard to get, so we would be able to make a decent profit off them."
"Yes, we sure will."
Francis said with a satisfied look on his face.
"Lord Arzan, how did you even manage to develop something like this?" Killian’s voice came out doubtfully. His stare at Kai was deep and stern. Or maybe it was how he usually looked at people. "The designs on this... They looked like they were seals. I saw an enchanted sword once and they have similar-looking symbols on it."
Francis immediately took note of the seals on the Heat stone as he narrowed his eyes.
"Seals? Do you mean the language of-" Francis started to speak, but stopped as he saw a guard walking towards them.
"Pardon me, Lord Arzan, Knight Killian, and administrator Francis... But there’s an immediate situation that needs your attention," the guard said, bowing to Kai before looking straight at them.
"What is it?" Kai asked immediately.
"A merchant from the Tradeheart merchant company was creating a ruckus wanting to meet you. He was planning to walk to the diner himself, but we kept him in the room on the first floor. He’s waiting for you there."
Both Killian and Francis exchanged looks at each other and stood up. Neither of them was done with their breakfasts, but there were important matters to deal with.
It hadn’t been a week, but it seemed like the merchant had decided to give an early visit.
"Let’s go there, immediately," Killian said and walked out of the hall.
Kai and Francis, both followed him without another word.
I was wondering when they would show up.
Kai sighed as he followed. Francis had gone pale beside him and even Killian didn’t seem like his usual self.
If he hadn’t developed the Heat stone, Kai might have been worried too, but with it in his hands, there was no reason to worry.
They took the stairs to the first floor and the guard showed them the room the merchant was sitting in.
As soon as Kai entered the room, he was met with a bald man with average-looking features who gave him a half-hearted bow.
He wore a red cloak to protect him from the wind and below it, Kai could see a velvet tunic. All of his clothes looked to be made of fine material and intricate patterns.
Either the man was one of the executives in the merchant company or the company was just wealthy enough for even common merchants to be well off.
Besides him, two men in leather armour stood, looking like hired warriors. Both of them had swords sheathed in their hilts and were as tall as Killian.
Kai gestured to the merchant to take a seat on the sofa. The two bodyguards stood on each side of them and both of his retainers did the same.
Now, it has saved Kai.
Galvan’s face changed and he barely kept his smile.
"This goes against what we agreed upon, Lord Arzan! You can’t just do that" he said and gritted his teeth.
"I’m just staying within my legal rights. I’m pretty sure you and Tradeheart merchant company take laws very seriously."
Galvan didn’t speak and just nodded. Kai could see his clenched hands beyond his cloak. The man always knew how to put a smile on his face, but was bad at hiding his anger.
"After six months, I would be happy to sign that agreement," he said. "If it comes to that."
Kai stood up, hoping to end the meeting. It was then that one of the towering bodyguards stepped forward. His face was scrunched up in frustration and anger.
"You can’t back out now! Sign the agreement!"
Without even thinking further, the bodyguard started making his way towards Kai. He walked around the round table—but before he could do anything, Killian walked to the front of Kai.
Kai’s vision was blocked by Killian’s large body.
"If you don’t sign this—" the bodyguard’s loud voice filled the air as he started lunging himself forward.
Kai swiftly cast a spell to make the ground slippery beneath the bodyguard, which caused him to lose his footing and stumble. It wasn’t a flashy spell, so he doubted anyone saw it.
"What the...?" The bodyguard’s confused voice came from the floor as he slipped.
His huge body lost its balance and he fell with a thud, looking embarrassed.
Killian glared at Galvan, then the bodyguard.
"If you want to conduct yourself as thugs, the Tradeheart merchant company would be thrown out of the territory and I would personally kill you for attacking Lord Arzan," he said, holding a sword towards him.
"I apologise, Lord Arzan," Galvan quickly said. "He has got quite the temper. This bastard doesn’t know how to behave."
With a frown, he looked at the bodyguard who lifted himself. "I will excuse myself, for now, the kingdom’s laws are something me and Tradeheart merchant company respect and do not plan to cross. I hope to see you again, Lord Arzan."
His frown deepened, but he didn’t dare stay any longer.
Giving a death glare to his bodyguard, he left the room. The towering bodyguards followed the merchant outside.
Once they were gone, Kai took a sigh of relief.
Killian and Francis both took steps forward to walk closer to Kai. The latter’s face was filled with a big question.
"How did Your Lordship know about that?"
Kai looked at Francis and responded, "I found a book on the laws and went through it. I just wanted to find something that’d leverage us."
"I know the basic laws, but something like this was never taught to me," Francis muttered, looking ashamed of himself.
"You should take a look at a few books in the library. You might learn new things."
Kai said and stretched his hands.
"I will, Lord Arzan. With this, we have six months to pay off the debt. I think we would be able to with the Heat stones," he said with a big smile on his face.
On the other hand, Killian seemed to be contemplating something. Looking at Kai, he hesitated before speaking again. "Lord Arzan, I don’t know if I saw it right, but did you cast a spell there?"
"What?" Francis stared at him.
"I felt a rush of mana behind me," he explained, looking at Kai who hadn’t expected that.
It seems like he can sense mana.
Deciding to ask more questions about it later, Kai put his palm head and conjured up a small flame on top of it.
There was no better moment to reveal it.
Smiling, he glanced at the shocked gazes of both of them, "Yes, I’m a Mage."
***
Galvan stormed out of the estate. His expression was a mix of frustration and resentment as he gritted his teeth.
His footsteps echoed through the courtyard as he briskly walked away, leaving the estate behind.
Once at a sufficient distance from the estate, the merchant turned to his imposing bodyguard, a bitter scowl etched across his face.
"This is just infuriating... I can’t believe we had to leave that place without a signed agreement. Those nobles think they can just use their laws to bend everything in their favour," he said, shaking his head. "And you, we aren’t dealing with a normal noble. It’s a Duke’s son here. No matter what, his one drop of blood is still more valuable than your head. From next time, if you do something like that, I will make sure you suffer for it."
The bitterness was layered on every word he said. The bodyguard nodded, keeping his head low. He had just made a fool of himself and knew better than to talk back.
Finally, Galvan dismissively waved his hand. Frowning, he gave one last look at the estate, "Forget this. We’ll play along for now, but after six months, when the extension is over, we’ll get everything as initially planned. Just make sure you keep a close eye on the estate. Those fools won’t know what hit them. Especially that useless Arzan."
He said while getting on his carriage. The bodyguards simply nodded as they followed behind.