Since a strong foundation led to advantageous results, Asher was on the same page with Mary.
Starting a school that would train kids would produce far-reaching effects, ensuring they reached their full potential after they were selected and advanced.
A scholar could grow into a man of great intelligence and foresight—an asset to a mage and invaluable to a lord.
A footman could become a knight, tougher, more skilled, and way stronger than his peers.
This was a cheat in the system. The reason the Grand Aegis Heavy Infantrymen were classified as heavy infantry and not light infantry like the Frontline Legion was because of their origin.
After dozens of attempts, Asher had finally figured out the system’s pattern. This meant simply recruiting soldiers and transforming them into knights through the transformation towers in the barracks to produce weaker versions of the said profession.
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This meant that even if they reached gold rank, his soldiers would never be as strong as the first, who had been properly cultivated from the start—at least, not right away.
It would take a while—sometimes months, sometimes years—for them to be as good as the knights. But by then, wouldn’t the other soldiers widen the gap even further?!
“I’ll let Kelvin know,” Mary said, smiling blissfully.
‘A school, huh?’
Asher thought over the idea as the carriage climbed the hill and into the stronghold. The creak of its wheels fell into his sensitive ears along with the bustling streets, but he brushed them off and settled deep inside his mind.
A skill he had learnt through meditation.
The ability to detach himself from reality and delve into the subconscious.
In the long run, building the school would make his domain self-reliant. He wouldn’t need to hire them from other domains or wait in hopes that they would come along with the population trooping in or gained from wars.
But to build his roads, he needed a saint architect. Leaving it to the system would consume an absurd amount of money.
But if he asked Kelvin and they had the resources and money, he would gladly let the system handle it—after all, it did the job better than any man.
_____
Not long after they entered the castle, Mary was led to her quarters while Asher went straight to his study.
His eyes lingered on the tome in his grasp as he pressed his palm into the sunken mark, his expression unfazed even after feeling the sharp prick.
Rumble!
The study trembled as a mirror went backward and slid into a hidden compartment, revealing an ancient, dusty staircase that disappeared into the darkness.
With a soft sigh, Asher lit up a torch and walked down the spiral staircase until he reached the bottom.
At the bottom was a squarish room with nothing except for an old short column, hooks that once held swords and dust.
Whew!
He blew away the dust from the top of the pedestal and placed the tome upon it.
Just as he turned to leave, the tome fluttered open on its own, its pages flipping until an empty page, yellowish and worn out like the others, appeared.
Then, stroke after stroke, a name was being written on the page.
Stunned, Asher approached the tome, his eyes wide in shock as he watched his name appear.
Just after that came a record of his wars, his achievements, his temperament, his subordinates, his weapons and even his allies.
Asher’s gaze returned to the title, his eyes narrowing as he processed what he had just overlooked.
“Duke of Ashes, Asher Ashbourne, fifth Duke of House Ashbourne!”
Has this tome lost its senses?!
All this while, he had only now discovered that this tome was actually a relic. And to prove him right, a newly drawn, detailed map of the land beyond the Ash Mountains began to spread across the page.
So this was how the Ashbournes acquired their maps.
After a while, he went back to the study, still confused at the title on the tome.
But just as he sat down, his attention was drawn to the two sealed letters on his desk.
Pristine and white!
His brows came together.
The seal on the first letter was that of the emperor’s!
And only one person could use the emperor’s seal! It was the Second Highness!
Asher opened the seal and unfolded the letter. As he read it, his eyes widened.
_____
Your feats as Count, defender of the wastelands, have spread to every bright and dark corner of the empire. By curing down the rebel lord—Count William Tigris—you have proven yourself more than worthy.
This deed shall by no means go unrewarded. Therefore, I, prince Aaron Nethaneel, rightful ruler of these lands, hereby bestow upon you the title of Duke.
Earned by merit and unwavering loyalty to the empire.
Henceforth, the lands from the Great Dividing Wall and the Wildlands to the extreme ends of the Ash Mountains and beyond are rightfully yours.
Signed. Prince Aaron Nethaneel.
_____
Silence reigned the room for several minutes as Asher reread the letter. Again and again.
He had been thinking of how to deal with Aaron, should he send nobles with land claims to disturb him just like how he used him against Count William? But he got this.
Did prince Aaron understand the worth of House Ashbourne? Or did he simply want a lackey?!
Someone to use at whim?!
“Regardless,” Asher murmured, a smirk forming on his lips. “I should show gratitude. I’ll have Dan forge him a gauntlet made entirely of gold.”
He wasn’t going to hide his capability like before. He couldn’t step onto this stage and back out because of fear.
Besides, if there was one thing he had learned, it was that wars strengthened his army. Soon, his forces would be a terror to the world’s powers.
Asher’s ambitions were growing. He could feel it—a change inside of him, a thirst to consolidate his power and throw away any form of control over him.
Gently folding the letter, he inserted it into the envelope and just then remembered the second one.
“Who sent this?!”
He thought, staring at the unfamiliar seal depicting wings for a long time.
Finally, he opened it.
It was a simple request, someone was asking to go on a hunt with him.
Asher was puzzled, but the moment he saw the name, his heart throbbed.
“Sapphira Cyrene!”
From the context of the letter, she wanted the hunting to be just the two of them.
Click!
The door swung open, and Kelvin stepped in, bowing slightly. “Apologies, my lord. I wasn’t present in the castle when you arrived. Prince Aaron and—!”
“Prepare my horse, I leave for Nimrim tomorrow.”
Kelvin’s eyes widened. “But my lord, your attention is needed at the winter stronghold!”
“So I should ignore Priestess Sapphira’s request to go hunting together? Well then—”
Kelvin stiffened. The moment he heard the name, his tone shifted. “That’s an important matter, my lord. She might be dying as we speak. It’s best if you leave today.”
Asher blinked.
Even he hadn’t expected such a response.