Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"It is good to see you once again, Apostle Asher." Bishop Reynald bowed more lowly once he and Lucius arrived in the library.

"Indeed. Thank you for coming here, Bishop Reynald. Shall we proceed with the lessons?" Lucius asked.

"Of course." Bishop Reynald had some servants bring up some things.

It became clear that if Lucius had actually turned down Bishop Reynald's visit, then all of the equipment that the Bishop brought would have to be returned to the place where he was currently staying at.

And while Lucius did not have much concern for Bishop Reynald's feelings as he was already feverish due to the belief of Asher as an Apostle of Etara, he thought it would be a waste to make the man return.

"Today we shall be looking into the basic equipment used by Artificers. I hope that you will be able to differentiate them, and I will also be explaining about what each one does. If there are further questions, please do not hesitate to ask me right away, Apostle Asher." Bishop Reynald said.

"I will."

"Thank you." Bishop Reynald was fervent about Apostle Asher, but when it came to the matters of teaching and introducing him to the equipment used by Artificers, his lessons were excellent.

'Blinded by fervor and deceit, it does not actually change much on how he proceeds with the lesson. It truly was a good choice that he was the one given to me.' Lucius thought.

It was something more of a passing thought for Lucius before he found himself paying full attention to Bishop Reynald's teachings.

'Hmm… all of these are mostly familiar to me. They don't actually differ that much from other magical equipment that I've used before and observed from others in my past world.' Lucius thought.

Whenever Bishop Reynald allowed Asher to try one of the equipment to get a feel for it, the man would find himself astounded by how easily Asher picked it up.

"By far, you truly are one of the most… No, the brilliant of them all. Which is to be expected from Etara's chosen apostle." Bishop Reynald said in awe.

***

"Ah, lessons are over, Young Lord Asher?" Viscountess Blackshield had a sword in her hand this time. There was a smile on her face as opposite of her, one of the guards sat on the floor and stared at her in awe.

"Yes, and it seems you have also been conducting yours as well." Lucius noted.

Captain Donald and the others were watching Viscountess Blackshield spar with the rest of the guards.

"I am having fun and just giving a few pointers." Viscountess Blackshield shrugged easily.

"You've been very helpful, Viscountess. I think you underestimate your guidance." Lucius said.

"Well, I am up for a spar with you, Young Lord Asher. Would you care to go for one?"

"It seems like a good chance to do so." Lucius nodded. "Would anyone care to give me a sword?"

"Have mine, Young Lord Asher!"

***

The next few days passed by with Bishop Reynald's lessons in the morning and with Asher watching and sometimes joining Viscountess sparring with the rest of the guards.

'My earlier assessment seemed to be accurate. There are no signs of Viscountess Blackshield wishing to return home. Will she be staying long here? I haven't exactly gotten the chance to make her into a useful ally, though we shared a 'near death' experience together.' Lucius thought.

"Viscountess?"

"Yes, Young Lord Asher?"

"Nothing. Nevermind, Viscountess."

"You've already gotten my attention, Young Lord Asher. It is quite impolite of you to leave me curious."

"I simply find myself wondering when Baron Hugh is coming." Lucius said.

"Oh. Yes, I remember that he is coming with his family. Hmm, there might be some delays. He is not so easily able to leave Etara's Cross such as me." Viscountess Blackshield said. "Are you looking forward to seeing new people and have grown weary of my presence?"

"I was hoping that you did not misinterpret my statement, Viscountess Blackshield."

"Haha, I simply mean to tease. I would like to see them myself." Viscountess Blackshield admitted. "They are good people. "

"Of course."

"Will you be making anything soon under Bishop Reynald's lessons, Young Lord Asher?" Viscountess Blackshield asked.

"Not yet, our lessons are still mostly theoretical, but I am looking forward to it."

"Hmm, I suppose the next thing to ask is for what purpose? Is this a hobby of yours or something…"

"Knowledge as a pursuit of itself can be said to be a worthy goal in of itself, but for me, I wish to utilize it. That is what I wish to do. Commercial and perhaps even scholarly methods."

"You never fail to impress, Young Lord Asher. Now keep your guard up!" Viscountess Blackshield dashed forward.

***

It was a peaceful time for Lucius as he mostly concentrated on the schedule given before him.

Soon enough, a week passed entirely and Lucius found himself in a good learning experience.

'Of course, this is a good pace, and while my information about the magical equipment from my past world has greatly contributed to my current understanding, there are also still some things that I learned from Bishop Reynald. But now I find myself ready to work with something more practical though. Perhaps I ought to let the Bishop know?'

"Ah, Apostle Asher." Bishop Reynald greeted him. "Today, we shall finally be moving into practical work. I will be demonstrating one of the most basic of artifacts. Do you know what is one of the most produced ones?"

"Hmm… I suppose to those who can afford it, it should be practical. Something like the lamp that we have here right now." Lucius nodded to one of the lights.

"Excellent deduction, Apostle Asher. Today we shall be making a simple lamp artifact. And it only needs a simple rune crystal from an E-rank rune beast."

"Hmm, you must be speaking of the Lamp Light Bug, Bishop Reynald. If I recall, it has the gift called Illumination."

"That is correct."