Mercury woke up, he was awake but didn''t quite feel like opening his eyes yet, so he lazed around in bed for a while longer until he remembered what he needed to do today


    "Haa… I don''t have time to laze around do I?"


    His eyes shot open and he sat up in the bed, he was currently sleeping in an inn room, the best in the city, in fact, this was paid out of Evelin''s pocket saying it was the least she could do while she found him some more permanent living quarters, Mercury got the feeling when he had looked at her then that he should just accept her goodwill and so he did


    "Haa…"


    Mercury sighed for the second time today as he got ready to meet a very important person, he was meeting the king of the Ingrid forest today, he was a little nervous, but still, his hands didn''t shake nor were his stomach unwell


    ''It''s almost like I am used to meeting high-ranking people… Maybe something from my last life?''


    Mercury shook his head and focused on getting ready, after massaging his injured right leg he grabbed his cane and walked out of the inn room, after eating a light breakfast he walked out onto the street and saw one of the soldiers that had been escorting Evelin yesterday, he greeted Mercury with a smile


    "Good morning"


    Mercury nodded and greeted him back


    "Yeah, morning… Let''s get going"


    "Sure, after me lord Mercury"


    Mercury nodded and followed beside the soldier, the two of them walked through the streets in silence until the soldier stuck up a conversation


    "So... lady Evelin tells me that you are immortal?"


    Mercury nodded


    "Yeah basically, at least I am as close as you can get to it without paying a hefty price"


    "That''s amazing… As a soldier myself I always wondered what death was like, could you tell me?"


    Mercury nodded before he spoke


    "Well I won''t tell you all the nitty-gritty details, just know that it fucking sucks"


    "I see… Well I didn''t imagine that it was pleasant in the first place, I am Eddy by the way"


    "Nice to meet you Eddy"


    Soon the two of them arrived at the castle in the center of the city and after waiting in the reception area for a bit Mercury was brought into an audience hall where a male elf sat on an elevated throne, beside him the audience room was empty when Mercury entered the elf studied him for a bit before he showed a smile and spoke


    "Welcome Mercury"


    Mercury likewise studied the elf and nodded


    "Your majesty"


    The elf king laughed before he stood up from the throne and walked down the steps, then he was eye level with Mercury and reached out his hand


    "It''s good to finally meet you, Mercury, my name is Tivan"


    Mercury shook hands with Tivan, then Tivan stomped the ground and a table and two chairs popped out of the ground made of the marble floor, Mercury figured he was an earth mage like himself


    "Please sit"


    "Sure"


    Mercury sat down and so did Tivan as he spoke


    "So… Lady Evelin tells me that you want to receive some training?"


    "Yes… You see even though I look like this I am young and inexperienced and was only born about 2 months ago, so I would like to receive training in swordsmanship and blacksmithing"


    Tivan nodded a few times before he asked


    "I can see that swordsmanship is a good thing to learn, but why blacksmithing?"


    Mercury showed a smile


    "Well I happen to be the living god of metal"


    "Ah… Well then in that case I introduce you to an excellent blacksmith and swordsmanship trainer"


    "Thank you Tivan"


    "Don''t thank me yet, you have not heard the price"


    Mercury narrowed his eyes slightly, he had expected this to some degree, and depending on the price he would either agree or leave the city behind, he wasn''t going to become a slave after all


    "Firstly I would like your promise not to commit any crimes while in the city and secondly I would like your promise to protect the city if a crisis arises"


    Mercury was a little surprised, he had exempted a much steeper price than that so he quickly asked


    "Is that all?"


    Tivan showed a smile


    "No, I would like for you to join me a couple of times to drink, you know to deepen our friendship"


    Mercury started blankly at Tivan for a few seconds before he showed a smile and reached his hand across the table


    "To friendship then"


    "Hahaha! Indeed, to friendship!"


    Tivan shook hands with Mercury, form there the two of them talked about some unrelated things for a few minutes before a secretary walked into the audience room and informed Tivan that his next appointment was due


    "Well it appears I am out of time, I look forwards to our next meeting Mercury"


    "Me too Tivan"


    Mercury stood up and before Tivan could lower the table and chairs back into the ground Mercury tapped his cane and did it for him, Tivan nodded and after saying goodbye to Mercury he walked out of the audience room, Mercury sighed and walked out of the audience room too, after walking for a bit he ran into Evelin that bowed to him and asked


    "Did the meeting with Tivan go well?"


    "Yeah it did"


    "That''s good… Do you perhaps have some time now lord Mercury?"


    "Sure… But please stop calling me lord"


    "But---"


    "No but''s!"


    "...Yes Mercury"


    Mercury showed a triumphant smile and nodded before he asked


    "What was it that you needed Evelin?"


    "I have found you a more permanent place to stay and I wanted to know if you had time to visit now?"


    "Okay, lead the way"


    "Yes, lor---"


    "No lord, just Mercury"


    "...Sorry, Mercury"


    Evelin gestured for Mercury to follow her and the two of them walked down the hallways of the castle for a bit before they arrived at the reception hall and walked out that way, on the way out Mercury noticed that people stood up and bowed to Evelin


    ''Oh, right I guess she did tell me that her authority here was second only to the king…''


    Once out of the castle they stepped into a carriage that was packed in front of the entrance, Evelin breathed a sigh once the door was closed and removed her veil revealing her fair complexion, small nose, and long pointed ears, besides that her pupils were entirely white, Mercury narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered


    "Cataract…"


    "Pardon?"


    "Sorry, it just slipped out, I mean your eyes… How much can you see?"


    "Oh… I see much more than you can guess, but yes my eyes are blind, it''s a side effect of the judicator skill that I possess"


    "But I know another judicator that isn''t blind?"


    "How old is she?"


    "She''s in her 30''s"


    "That would be why... She hasn''t reached the higher levels of the skill yet"


    "I see… Then how old… Never mind"


    Evelin showed a slight smile as she spoke


    "I don''t mind that question, ask away if you want"


    Mercury shook his head and spoke plainly


    "All women say that… Though in my experience they all mind, a lot"


    Evelin let out a giggle but didn''t comment further, soon silence descended over the carriage as it drove along the streets of the city until Evelin asked


    "You said yesterday that you wanted some information?"


    "Yes, about judicators"


    "Then you have asked the right person, what do you want to know?"


    "Well, I know that it''s a skill… But what does it do, specify?"


    Evelin thought for a few moments before she spoke


    "Specifically it''s a bestowed skill, do you know what that is?"


    "Nope"


    "A bestowed skill is granted directly from the 33 archangels of Alfan, so it''s a little special in that regard, Then for its actual effects, at the early levels it''s simply able to tell if someone''s lying while in the later levels it evolves to be able to see a person''s aura in exchange it takes away normal sight"


    "So that''s why you''re blind?"


    "Yeah I maxed my judicator skill a few years back, now I see objects and people''s aura"


    "I see… What does my aura look like?"


    "Steady, like a millennium-old rock"


    "... I see"


    Mercury process what he had just learned for a bit before he asked


    "So in essence judicators are judges?"


    "Yeah, that''s basically it, though we possess the authority to judge even kings, once a person is found guilty they are condemned to die in less than a year by fate, or in other cases, at once"


    "I see, then what''s with the veil and general secrecy about your identity?"


    "That''s to prevent corruption and assassination attempts"


    "I see…"


    "Oh we''re here now"


    Evelin put back on her veil and stepped out of the carriage first, Mercury followed after her and saw a two-story house right outside


    "This is the house I have found for you Mercury, do you like it?"


    Mercury nodded


    "Yeah, I do… Let''s take a look inside shall we?"


    "Sure"