A Bored Lich

"Move out of the way, I can't see." Doevm whispered in the dark. Thomas shuffled a little bit to the side, allowing light through the crack.

"Sorry, there's not much room behind the painting. It's supposed to be a secret after all." Thomas leaned close to Doevm.

Through the crack was the library Doevm saw earlier. Bookshelves lined the walls filled with various colored book spines. The curtains were pulled closed. Ashtehar and Jameson stood shoulder to shoulder in front of something. He leaned closer to Thomas to get a view of a person sitting behind a wooden desk. He looked exactly like the man Thomas was painted with. His big black thick mustache (Bet you were thinking something else) wrapped just under his baggy eyes and was as neat and combed as the hair on his head. He wore a black suit that had not a wrinkle in sight. His straight posture rivaled Jameson's. The only thing he was missing was a top hat and a monocle.

'So this is what a lord looks like when not cowering.' Doevm thought back to how many nobles had tried to best him. They were always dressed in elaborate golden armor that served only to weight them down when they retreated. It was always a source of mild entertainment when they realized the power of a Lich who just wanted to be left alone. Although he had met many unnecessarily extravagant nobles, he didn't get that feeling from this one.

"And what did you find in your search?" Reginald Virility asked. "I hear you brought a kid from my land along with you."

"I did bring a kid," Ashtehar said. "But only because I found him crying and starving in his own house. His parents were gone. I interviewed him for information and in exchange, I promised him I would get him a home. Will you take him in as a servant?"

"Of course. I at least owe you that much." Reginald wrote something down on one of the papers on his desk. "Is there anything else you desire? I feel obligated to give you something for your deed."

Ashtehar shook his head: "I never wanted anything in the first place. It is our organization's goal to find the hero, so we will gladly scour the world for him every year without rest or repayment. I had only hoped I could have found a suitable person who could have been my disciple, however I failed in that as well. I will be back next year." With that, the monk left, but Jameson stayed behind. His hand finally left his dagger when the door closed. Since the monk was gone, Doevm slowly unsealed his mana within his body.

"Jameson," Reginald said, "You can relax now, we're alone."

Jameson sighed and leaned against a bookshelf: "Is it just as awkward for you as it is for me to act all official to each other?"

Reginald laughed: "Yeah, but what are we going to do? Nobles and commoners are different, at least according to the court, so we have to pretend."

Jameson walked to the curtains and opened them. "I know, I know, it's just I feel weird pretending we're not old friends. Now, I feel we should talk about the elephant in the room: What are we going to do with-"

"Come on," Thomas whispered. "The rest of this is boring. I wanted to listen to the war monk. He's so cool but he doesn't talk much."

"You thought that war monk was cool?" Doevm asked. 'I want to keep eavesdropping, but I should probably cement my friendship with this brat. He will bring more long-term benefits. Then again, I have to be friends with a kid for years. I can't act for that long.'

Thomas nodded: "What, do you not?"

"I wouldn't be so sure. War monks are not as cool as you think they are. One day, they might even be our enemies simply because the hero was found. They can be "cool" one day, and the next day your worst enemy. Don't trust them. I'm going to keep listening. You can go if you don't want to listen."

Thomas sighed and huddled next to Doevm again: "I've never played with someone my age. I hoped that it would be a little more interesting than this." They looked through the crack again.

"So what do you think of him?" Reginald asked as he stretched his limbs out.

"You know what I think about him." Jameson sighed. "He deserves to be here. You owe me at least that much. If it wasn't for…" his voice trailed off. "Sorry, that was too much."

Reginald righted himself, "I don't mean Doevm, I mean Ashtehar." He opened his mouth and yawned, "Sorry, it's just I've been stuck in this room all day reading books. I feel like I'm getting fat."

"Do you mean getting more fat?" Jameson raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, but seriously, Ashtehar is dangerous. I need everything you learned about him and everything he told you about the hero. The court is getting a little tense. They know the second that hero shows up, there'll be another year long war. I don't want Thomas in that war. If push comes to shove, I need to get him strong enough to survive it."

Jameson stood straight up again, "There's a pattern in the resurrections. There are certain signs that warn of the hero's reincarnation. The first one has already happened, the lights in the northern sky flashed blue and green. That means he's been born, but that sign happened four years ago. The second sign will be an earthquake that everyone will be able to feel. That means it is time for the test. Go seek out the hero. The earthquake hasn't happened yet, but Ashtehar was determined to take the hero in as his apprentice. His whole sect is. I didn't get much more than that. While he openly preached and was very...'passionate' about his beliefs, he knew when to shut up."

"What a dick." Reginald wrote down the contents of Jameson's report.

"What's a dick?" Thomas asked.

"The thing dangling between your legs." Doevm replied. He forgot he was talking to a child since Thomas's vocabulary was already so well developed.

"I'll need more men to serve as guards," Reginald said as he wrote a set of numbers down, most likely payments. "When the war comes, there'll be a draft and every noble house is required to donate troops. You have ten years to recruit men, good ones. I want them all ready when Thomas comes of age. If the war starts before then, great. I don't care if I lose money on this. I cannot lose him like Emma."

"Understood." Jameson bowed and left.

"You don't have to bow to me," Reginald muttrered. His posture straightened back up. If one were to look at him now, they would think he came straight out of painting. He stared at his papers, thinking about what to do next. "Doevm's just around Thomas's age, but he's a commoner. I'll need to separate them. Nobles and their traditions, how I hate them so." he thought aloud and crossed some things out.

"Doevm." Thomas said. "Why did he say that? You're not a bad person."

A couple of magic circles appeared on Doevm's fingers. He held out his glowing hand and tapped Thomas on the head, who fell asleep. "Not according to some people." He leaned in close. "Sleep and forget me in the morning. It won't do us both any good if we become friends and you're too young to understand prejudice. Forget about talking to me." Since adults were stronger than kids, Doevm couldn't use magic on them. Thomas, however, was a weak kid. Even though Doevm had only a little mana, his control over that was perfect.

He sealed his magic as soon as he finished the spell. While Ashtehar had left, there were still other mages in the mansion. They could sense his mana, no matter how weak it was, if they got too close to him. Thomas slept while Doevm ran back to the front of the library.

"Where were you?" Jameson demanded. "I thought you were told to stay right there. You were told one thing and you couldn't follow it."

"I'm sorry," Doevm bowed his head. "But I didn't want to get eaten." The guards snickered, but Jameson's glare shut them up.

"Get eaten? Were you talking with Thomas?" Doevm nodded. "Good, never do that again. You're a servant from now on for the Virility household. Nobles and commoners are different people. You have to hang out with your own kind. Come, I'll show you to your quarters."

"I serve the Virility household?" Doevm put his hands to his cheeks like it was some shocking revelation. "What happened. Oh my goddess." then he said the final blow, "I have to tell my mommy and daddy about this." Jameson stopped and looked at Doevm with eyes full of sadness and regret.

"Listen, I need to tell you something," he began. "And you're not going to like it, but you need to know. It's important to know that we'll take care of you from now on. You won't be alone. This morning in the rose fields..." Jameson told Doevm everything. Rena had accidentally gotten pricked and was found dead. His dad was gone, and no one could find them. After, Doevm put on the most legendary acting performance he had ever done. Tears, snot, cries, even a little drool, he let everything out both physically and mentally. Then when he asked for some peace and quiet afterwards, Jameson hugged him and left him alone in Doevm's own servant's quarters.

Calling it quarters was an exaggeration. It was more of a broom closet that could only fit a few brooms. There was a single pillow, a blanket, and a brown stain in the corner of the wooden space. There was enough room for an adult to lay down and stand up. He sat down and relaxed.

'Humans are so complex, but now that I've been in their society, I can adapt. Screw being a fighter, at this rate I should become an actor.' He smiled and leaned back. 'No, I'm a terrible liar. The more I talk, the faster the truth will come out. It's only a matter of time until I'm exposed, but now I need to get ready for the war. I can assume I was reborn at the same time as the hero.'

'The earthquake is coming. It will happen when the hero reaches fourteen years of age, the same age to be drafted. That means I have ten years to train. I'll start by observing the guards, copying their techniques, and eventually prove my worth to join them. Jameson looked to pity me, so he'll take my side. Thomas might become a threat if he tries to play with me again, so I'll need to distance myself from him. Everything is set. All I need to do is get strong enough to fight in the war. I need to develop life essence by fighting in it. After, I need to get into the academy and learn everything I can get my hands on.'

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