Arlan was at the apex of his jump when he swung down his instrument of death. There was no hesitation, only confidence in his own actions. The orc commander’s great axe was too heavy to swing upward in time. Arlan was too close for the greataxe, only the blunt shaft made contact with the steel cuirass worn by the young baron. But Arlan had already cleaved down the orc commander’s head.

The force from the shaft sent Arlan flying ten meters away. Although the cuirass took the brunt of the force, another strike would break through it. There was a bruising soreness in his side. Without the armor, his ribcage would’ve been destroyed.

Arlan landed on his feet clutching his sides as the orcs nearby were infuriated at the death of their beloved leader. They charged at Arlan with fury and weapons raised. Arlan couldn’t muster any more strength to fight against so many orcs at once. The tired warrior couldn’t even lift his weapon.

Timing. I hope I was right, or I’ll die here now.

Loud hail could be heard but it was not mother nature. It was the reinforcements from the Duke’s banner. The Duke Louis Reeves was the first to appear, he’d destroyed all the orcs single handedly with swift strikes from his long sword. Arlan’s unit of Knights surrounded him as back up while the rest of the reinforcements began to clash with the platoon of orcs. It was a one sided slaughter in favor of the knights.

Arlan’s vision began to blur as he asked Knight Jocko for a report. Using such essence had taken its toll on his body.

“Mi’lord, we linked up with the Duke’s banner and informed him. We instantly made haste.” said Knight Jocko as he remained vigilant of his surroundings.

“Good-” replied Arlan as he fainted.

The last thing Arlan could hear was that he was now level 8.

Before Arlan could open his eyes, he could feel his body in light pain and was immensely sore. He felt the warmth of his own bed and slowly revealed his own room to his eyes. Two of his four maids, Jeanette and Maria were also in the room standing by his bed. Jeanette shouted at Maria to notify the Duke that his son was awake.

As Maria left, Jeanette asked Arlan, “Young master, are you still in pain?”

“Yes but it isn’t that bad.” replied Arlan.

I’ve been shot and stabbed before. This pain is nothing compared to that.

“Everyone will be pleased to hear of your recovery. Rest easy, young master.” said Jeanette as she bowed and backed away. The young baron still got up despite Jeanette’s protests. The maid helped Arlan change into something more suitable to walk around in.

As he was finished, the door erupted open to reveal the Duke, his uncle Emile, and Emile’s family coming to see him. A familiar feeling swept through Arlan. Something warm and… caring. This was something he felt with his soldiers back on Terra.

“You’re finally awake, my boy!” exclaimed the Duke as he swept Arlan up. Pain and soreness erupted all over Arlan as his adopted father embraced him. Uncle Emile came by and patted his nephew. “Arlan, you are full of surprises.” stated Count Emile.

“We were so worried about you! The Duke brought you back unconscious and we didn’t know what to expect.” said Countess Vivia. The two younger daughters hid behind their mother as a small tear crept down her left eye.

Arlan walked over and embraced the Countess for her love and care for him.

“Thank you everyone. But I knew the Duke would come and I would be alright.” replied Arlan as he bowed.

Arlan exchanged his account of the events the day before with his uncle and father. The castle chefs had brought in meals and tea for the reunion in Arlan’s room. Everyone but the Duke was surprised at Arlan’s accounts of charging into a mob of orcs. Compared to other demi-humans on Althea, orcs were among the most dangerous and vicious. Diplomacy was a rare option with orcs.

The Duke had arrived just in time to wipe out the remaining orcs with the rest of his banner. The orcs were immediately routed and chased down. An investigation by the Midland Army was conducted under the supervision of Count Daxton Reeve. The presence of raider orcs in Northern Midland was strange since the orcs bordered the western regions.

The elves were from a trade company based in Eastern Midland. They were from the great forest regions to the east. A letter from the elves was given to Arlan and it detailed that if he were ever in Eastern Midland, to come see the head office.

This would help greatly if I had the aid of a foreign trade company within Midland.

The Duke and Count Emile believed that the appearance of orcs was no random matter. They believe it was done intentionally by a third party to weaken the Northern Midland hold. Arlan agreed and surmised that it’s the first move by the rebellious houses.

As the trio finished their discussion, everyone had left except his maids. Arlan resumed his rest by reading ministry reports in bed. These reports were left by Count Emile about the orc raids, rise in crime at galdo city, bandit raids and monsters appearing in the region. These contributed to the destabilization of the region. It was a common tactic used to weaken an area before an invasion.

The aroma of sweet lavender tea invaded the room. Maria had brought some tea. Arlan expressed his gratitude as he sipped on the honey infused drink. Then the young baron dismissed the maids so they could get some rest for themselves. Arlan decided it was time to retire as well.

The next few days, Arlan resumed his training and education with his father and uncle. Arlan learned more about the geography and economies of each region while resuming combat training with his father. The encounter with the orcs had strengthened Arlan’s core to a third tier white and was ready to advance into the next tier.

Normally, most adventurers, soldiers, mages or knights could only peak at the third tier. Arlan was ready to advance at a young age. The Duke noticed this after measuring his son’s core with the red gemstone. “Arlan, my son, it’s time you advance your tier. Go to the center of the room.” ordered the Duke.

“Yes, father.” obeyed Arlan.

“Advancing your core can come in two ways, one is to await an advancement overtime naturally or to absorb an extracted monster core.”

“Absorbing monster cores? Excuse my ignorance, father. I wasn’t aware it was possible.”

“It is a known method but monster cores are rare enough to come by. Killing a monster almost never yields a monster core. It is a rare occasion to obtain one after killing a monster. The higher tier cores are even more expensive and rare.”

“I do not believe such an asset should be used on me.”

“Nonsense. You represent House Reeve and you’re my son. Fate has left a burden on your shoulders, you are to face those burdens with everything I can provide. Midland needs you at your best.”

“I see.”

Norman appeared with a red pillow and a small hand sized orb. It was the size of a walnut. The orb’s color was mystical white with it a current of sparkles inside. Arlan could feel the intensity of at least a fourth tier monster.

“Hold this gryphon core in both your hands and intensify your essence and retract your essence at your peak. This should acclimate the essence together as one and absorb it into your core. Your body should be able to withstand this process.” stated the Duke.

Arlan nodded and began to push his essence into his hands. The orb reacted to the essence being melded together. It shined even brighter and the swirls rotated even faster. The young baron retracted his essence back into his core and he could feel sharp pains throughout his body as an extra influx of essence was flowing back through the lanes. A cry of pain was let out by Arlan, it was like tiny needles being flown through his veins.

Norman, Jeanette and Maria were about to rush to Arlan’s side but the Duke lifted his hands to stop. “Any interruption will permanently hurt Arlan. Do not interfere. He’s a strong boy, he can handle it.”

As the final bits of essence slowed down, Arlan resumed to a natural breathing pattern while profusely sweating into his clothes. He was almost at the point of collapsing. What felt like an eternity was only a mere half minute of pain and intensity. The young baron had access to forty percent of his capacity now.

“Arlan, place your hand on the red gem. Let us measure your core.” ordered the Duke as Arlan followed suit. Everyone in the room let out a gasp. The gem reflected a fourth tier white core.

The monster core was supposed to push Arlan into fourth tier red but pushed even further. Arlan’s essence from before benefited even more from the monster core. Arlan was now almost as strong as his adopted father. The young baron began to waver and felt weak to the knees.

“You never cease to amaze me, my boy.” said the Duke as he signaled for the maids to take his son to his room. As Arlan was being carried to his room, he could hear a familiar female voice in his head. It was the system voice.

“You are now level 9. [Mana Manipulation] acquired. [Titan Strike] acquired. [Automatic Parry] acquired.” rang the system voice.

Jeanette and Maria brought Arlan back to his bed and began nursing him. Arlan was only used to this kind of treatment with field medics and nurses back on Terra.

Due to the strain on the body, monster cores could only be safely used once a year. Since they were incredibly expensive and rare, most waited out naturally to advance their tier.

Arlan felt incredibly fatigued and mentally exhausted from absorbing the gryphon core. But that didn’t stop him from finishing his readings assigned by his Uncle Emile. The young baron read late into the night until he fell prey to slumber. Maria shifted the documents back to Arlan’s desk and tucked him in.

The next day, Arlan met with JD in the military district in southeast Galdo. Trent, Eren and a group of thirty recruits were there as well. The barracks where the recruits trained also housed a courtyard. The trainees would live here, eat here and train here until they graduated into footmen.

The Duke wanted Arlan to form his own banner and originally insisted on transferring veterans from the Duke’s banner. Arlan told the Duke he’d be able to form his own fighting force just fine. After seeing Arlan’s abilities to lead the Heracul Knights, the Duke had no reason to disagree.

A banner was typically led by an officer or noblemen. They could range from twenty men to a thousand. It was based on the officer’s rank or position. Banners could come together to form armies. This was how wars were organized on Althea by humans. Though a similar system was set up by demi-humans.

JD had assembled his platoon in formation. They were all at attention. JD was assigned as the platoon sergeant. This promotion was a mix of JD’s own talents and his familiarity with the young baron.

A short Midland Army Officer approached them from the corner of the barracks. His presence changed the entire atmosphere. Some recruits adjusted their posture in response. JD, Trent and Eren knew exactly who it was.