A young man in his mid-twenties entered the study.
Lucien watched him closely.
Tall and handsome with a well-kept figure.
The man bore the unmistakable air of someone who once belonged to nobility. Lucien remembered what his father had once told him that the man was a former noble and more notably, a wielder of the rare Item Box skill.
He now went by the name Kael.
Lucien's father had spoken before about the day Kael awakened the Item Box skill.
His entire household had celebrated. After all, it was rare, prestigious and even life-changing.
Naturally, Kael's father wanted to send him off to study Space Magic believing it was the next logical step.
But Kael refused.
He said there was more potential in using the skill as a merchant than as a mage. He argued that their house was not wealthy enough to afford the dangerous training required for space magic.
His father disagreed violently. Their argument ended with a threat of disownment.
And so Kael ran away.
He abandoned the path of a space magician and chose the uncertain life of a merchant.
But there was another reason he turned away from magic... one that no one but his elder sister knew.
The truth is... Kael was extremely cowardly.
Scared of the risks.
Scared of the unknown.
Even small dangers shook him to the core. He hid it well but the fear never left him.
And learning Space Magic was no ordinary risk.
People had died learning it. Some were lost in space fissures, never to return. Others were severed limb from limb by unstable portals or trapped forever inside solid walls.
The danger was real and Kael's fear was even more so.
To him, being forced to learn Space Magic was a death sentence.
It was a tragedy, really. Because Kael was a genius.
One in a million.
If only he had courage to match his talent, he could've been the hero of his own story.
Now, here he stood before Lucien looking utterly exhausted. His eyes were red and on the verge of tears.
"Young master, I'm so sorry I'm late," he said, bowing deeply.
Lucien said nothing. He simply activated SCAN.
***
Name: Kael (Kaelen Silkhand) ♂
Age: 26 years old
Race: Human
Job: Merchant
Level: 25
Title:
• Former Noble
• Humble Peddler
Skill:
• Item Box
• Negotiation
Magic:
• Household Magic
• Space Magic (Beginner)
Favouravility: 60
Status: sad/fatigued/genuine
***
Lucien's eyes narrowed. Kael wasn't lying and he truly felt remorseful.
Seeing the Job listed on Kael's status, Lucien realized that Kael had made the right choice being a merchant after all. In Lucien's understanding, the Job displayed on one's status wasn't arbitrary as it reflected the path one was most suited for.
And that thought brought an uncomfortable twist in his chest.
If Kael was meant to be a merchant, then what about him? His own Job still marked him as a dropout. Was that truly the life he was best suited for?
The idea frustrated him more than he cared to admit.
But then, something caught Lucien's eye.
Kael had started learning Space Magic.
Quietly.
On his own.
"Merchant," Lucien said at last. "Tell me what happened."
Kael chuckled sheepishly. "Young master, you flatter me hehe. I'm still just a humble peddler, traveling from one territory to another along the kingdom's borders. Everyone even Sebas calls me a merchant but truthfully, I'm not quite there yet."
"But you are. We call that a Traveling Merchant, don't we? Anyway, enough small talk. What happened?"
Kael's eyes lit up at the first half of Lucien's words. A spark of inspiration flickering across his face.
If Lucien had used SCAN on him again, he would've seen a change. Kael had gained a new title: Traveling Merchant, along with the subtle benefits that came with it.
But the glow in Kael's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a more somber expression. His playful demeanor gave way to seriousness as he straightened up.
"That's right… I bring bad news, young master. Please listen carefully."
And with that, Kael began his tale.
...
Two weeks earlier, Kael had arrived in the Coalheart territory to conduct trade.
But then, the lord of the territory summoned him suddenly.
While Kael waited alone in the study, he couldn't help but overhear voices coming from the adjacent room. The Baron was speaking with someone and their conversations are muffled enough to raise suspicion.
As Kael recounted the scene to Lucien, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, mimicking the speaker's tone with eerie accuracy…
"My lord, the plan may be conducted in advance but everything is in place. The execution went perfectly. The Baron and Baroness of Lootwell must be dying by now."
...
Kael paused in the retelling.
"When I heard those words, I was scared out of my wits. All I could think about was rushing to Lootwell territory. You know how much I owe the Baron and Baroness… They helped me when I had nothing. I couldn't just stand by. But that wasn't all. Those bastards weren't done yet…"
His words struck a nerve.
Lucien's eyes burned with fury. So it was true. His parents hadn't died from illness. They were murdered. The only question now was how.
...
Kael continued the impersonation, mimicking the second voice.
"Good. Good. Wait for the daughter to leave for the academy. Then, eliminate the heir. A woman can't inherit. She either marries into my family, or she dies."
...
Lucien clenched his fists. "They dare lay hands on my sister... Looks like I'll have to act."
The shift in Lucien's demeanor startled Kael. The boy he once knew had changed.
...
Kael continued...
Kael's first instinct was to run. He needed to warn the Lootwells. Every second felt like a lifetime. But just as he made his move…
He was caught.
The Coalhearts had far too many talents under their employ and Kael still had no idea how the Baron managed to recruit so many skill-users.
One of them stood out in particular. A burly man was confirmed to be of a Tier 6 Talent. He intercepted Kael before he could even reach the exit. His presence alone was enough to stop him.
"Now that you've heard us," the Baron sneered, "why not join us, peddler? Sell your wares elsewhere. Let the Lootwells rot. I'll back you when we take over."
"I'm an honest peddler," Kael replied. "Please don't drag me into this."
Kael tried to keep his composure as he turned toward the exit, hoping to slip away.
But then… a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder.
It was the burly man. His grip was like iron. Kael struggled instinctively but it was useless. The man didn't even flinch.
Before he could speak a word in protest, the Baron gave the order.
And... Kael was thrown into a cell.
With no way out, despair crept in. Days passed in a haze of helplessness. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw the faces of the Baron and Baroness of Lootwell.
Their kindness.
Their warmth.
He couldn't abandon them.
With trembling hands, Kael reached into his Item Box… and pulled out a book.
It was a book on Beginner Space Magic, untouched since the day he left his household.
Kael stared at it for a long moment before setting his jaw with quiet resolve. Then he opened it… and began to read.
Even with his innate talent, it took him over a week to grasp the fundamentals of spatial theory. The concepts were dense and the risks are terrifying. But Kael pushed through, page by page, night after night.
Eventually, he reached the section on Leap, a basic spatial displacement spell. It was the simplest among dangerous arts yet even this spell carried the weight of fatal consequences.
And still, Kael decided to try it.
It was a reckless choice. Even with guidance, Space Magic was known to be perilous. Without a master, it was like walking a tightrope blindfolded over a bottomless pit.
One wrong calculation and the caster could vanish into a space fissure… or worse, reappear inside a wall.
That was why learning Space Magic was so expensive. Not just for the rare materials or the complexity, but for the masters themselves, those who could intervene when something inevitably went wrong.
But Kael had no one.
Only a book.
A prison cell.
And a cause worth risking his life for.
And when he finally cast the spell... it worked.
Perfectly.
Timing it with the guards' shift change, Kael vanished from his cell just as the new watch took their posts.
He made his way back to his carriage and quickly stored his goods safely in his Item Box.
Without hesitation, he stole a horse and rode hard towards the Lootwell territory.
...
By the time Kael finished his story, he was breathless.
"You've been through so much…" Lucien said softly. His heart ached at the thought of his parents. They'd be proud of Kael.
But it's all too late.
Kael lowered his head. Silent tears streamed down his face.
The room fell quiet, both men lost in their memories.
"I have more bad news," Kael said at last. "The Coalhearts… they're sending their talents here. Including that Tier 6 brute."
"I see," Lucien said calmly. "Then I'll prepare a counterattack."
Kael blinked in surprise. He had expected despair. Instead, he saw resolve.
"I'm grateful, Kael. Without your warning, they might've caught us unprepared."
Kael smiled. It was the least he could do.
"Oh, right! I brought the supplies. I also heard how they sabotaged your farms. Those Coalhearts really do have black hearts."
"Hah, fitting name, isn't it? But don't worry, we found a fix. Come walk with me and Sebas."
•••
The trio arrived at the farm.
Lucien asked the farmers if everything he instructed had been done.
The results were astounding.
The ashen, dead soil was beginning to bloom.
It was clear that the Nutrients Sac had worked wonders. The once ashen, lifeless soil was beginning to regain its fertility.
After spreading the Sac across the fields and thoroughly mixing it into the earth, nutrients started to flow back into the ground.
The transformation was astonishingly fast and everyone could see the miraculous change unfolding before their eyes.
Even Kael was stunned.
He knew how Soilwyrms could ruin land... but this? This was a miracle. He sensed a business opportunity... though he kept quiet out of respect.
The farmers rejoiced at the miraculous turnaround.
"Do you have vegetable seeds?" Lucien asked.
"Uh, I do... but they grow slowly."
"That's fine. Let's try something."
Kael handed him a few seeds.
Lucien scattered them on the ground. The farmers watched in confusion.
"Sebastian, could you help me crush this?" Lucien said and Sebas immediately understood.
Without hesitation, Sebas crushed the Soil Crystal and handed the powder back to Lucien.
"It's ready, young master. And by the way, I'm Sebas," he added with a grin.
Their easy rapport brought a smile to the faces of everyone watching.
Lucien sprinkled a pinch over the seeds.
Everyone was confused once again.
And then... the seeds sprouted.
Right before their eyes, the plants grew rapidly, inch by inch.
They didn't fully mature but it was more growth than any had ever seen.
Lucien frowned slightly. "Still not ready to harvest, huh. Guess it's not that potent."
But everyone else was speechless.
Even magic couldn't do this.
There was no known magic for accelerating plant growth andyet Lucien had done it.
It wasn't just a solution.
It was a miracle.
Looks like their lord's a little crazy... the good kind of crazy.
You made life flourish where there was none.
Reward: Title: Miracle Lord (Loyalty of all subjects +20)