Book 3 Chapter 29 (Patreon)

In the week building up to their departure, Nox invested time in a subject he had neglected for the past month: warding.

Professor Leisel Wyrd still made him uncomfortable and reminded him of the threats of Mind Magic. She wasn’t his first encounter with the arcane school. The practitioners he had met before followed the social decorum of not enchanting other people. Queen Lydya Mercer and Pudge only used their magic on animals. The latter didn’t have the best control and occasionally affected humans, but never on purpose. The others focused more on the illusion side of things, blending light and mind magic.

So, he was terrified when Leisel Wyrd enchanted Nox and got close enough to wrap her legs around him, and he never wanted the same ever to happen again. It wasn’t that he almost betrayed Aria’s trust or let a possibly predatory woman take advantage of him. The feeling of losing control and allowing someone to use him as a puppet haunted him.

Wards were the most surefire method of protecting against such threats. The artisanal field suffered from several limitations. Despite all the literature's claims, Nox was determined to overcome them.

No one had ever successfully constructed a mobile ward. The textbooks failed to explain why with empirical evidence. Requiring static materials and arcane fields felt like the most obvious hypothesis. Nox believed ‘static’ was a relative term.

Clementine Wagner, the former Plaguebringer, had covered her pyramid with wards and they continued to function even though Terrastalia never stopped moving. Air ships also used wards to secure their cargo and warn against fire or similar threats. The arcane patterns and their powers only ever failed when the vessels passed mana storms. So, Nox wondered whether a person’s body and their constant mana field was static enough for a ward.

A simple two part script felt sufficient for the scripting side of things. The first was a ward that regularly scanned its domain for Mind Magic, specifically enchantment spells like Charm or something in the same neighborhood. When it sensed the intrusive magic, it triggered the second set which involved the basic version of Crystallize Essence. Finally, he bordered them with mana absorption and containment runes.

Next, he used Sapna's private workshop to etch everything onto a pendant no bigger than an eyeball. His artificing skills had advanced enough over the past year for such an endeavor. Besides, he treated it more like a ward. The trinket had no active effects. It was merely a detection tool with a one-time defense. He intended it to warn the wearer so they knew to take the appropriate actions afterward.

Sapna's head apprentice liked the idea of the project and helped him refine it. Instead of a sphere, they ended up creating a disc constructed of layered bands. The man also had the idea to make the locket vibrate and lose heat when the ward detected Mind Magic. Not everyone would notice Crystallize Essence activate and flecks of pink essence glass raining on the ground.

Once they finalized the design, Nox got Pudge to help test it. It took a couple of more hours to correct errors in the runework and deal with a few oversights. Finally, he bribed Sapna's employees to work after hours and create a dozen of the amulets. He didn't know whether they would work on someone as skilled and smooth as Liesel Wyrd, but their presence put his mind at ease.

All party members, including Brianna, received one. He also had Aria, Ingrid, and April wear one each. Pudge rejected the gift since he had multiple psychic defense spells. They were essential for his research and protected him from backlash. The rest went to Sapna and Mou to divide as they saw fit.

“I think it only works because the actual warding side of things is reasonably simple,” Sapna told him. “Limiting the domain just to the wearer's head also helped. If it was any bigger or more complex, your material combination wouldn't work. Arcane field sensitivity would plague you, too. Just warn any wearers who regularly use and carry artificed devices to watch out for overload. It shouldn't be an issue since you limited the arcane field to the head, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.”

“Thanks for the insight, Kaki. I'll keep that in mind.”

“I must say, Nox, this is clever work. It's enough to get you the apprentice artificer qualification. If one of my employees or students created something like this, they’d get special attention from me.”

“I’d rather not,” Nox replied.

“Why not?” Sapna frowned.

“Why bother when I have you and your apprentices? I spend time with your apprentices, so they’ll stay in Ratra employ even after you’re gone.” Nox’s answer didn’t seem to satisfy the older woman. She glared at him until he continued. “I’m already stretched thin and barely have time for alchemical research. My warding needs improvement. Then, I have spell weaving and university work. Don’t get me wrong, Kaki. Artificing is fascinating, and I’d love to learn it, but I don’t have time for much besides tinkering right now.”

“Fair enough.” She sighed. “I just want to pass down everything I have learned and developed to someone of the bloodline.”

“You’re barely in your sixties, Kaki,” Nox stated. “Mou’s children might take an interest in artificing.”

“Or yours. Do you think the lovely Lady Edelweiss will want to delay having children once the pair of you are hitched?”

“I certainly hope so, but it's unlikely. Every delve puts her on edge. She worries the Singhs or Cabals might someday come for me. So, she wants an heir sorted as soon as possible.”

“I get the impression she wants to get done with motherhood while in her twenties, too.” Sapna grinned. “I bet she can’t wait to get married.”

“Aria is neither a delver nor war mage. Her only concern is the barony and my empire’s—eventually our—security and continuation. Descendants are one way to secure that.”

“What about you?” Sapna asked. “Do you want children?”

Nox pondered the subject for several minutes before giving her an answer. “I do, but I worry it will make me hesitant to continue toward my ultimate goal. The thought of leaving the Galleria and everything I have built to risk my life in an archon dungeon is hard enough. It will be even more difficult if there are children involved. I know Aria will give any offspring we have a lovely childhood and life. But if I die in a dungeon and she remarries, there is always a chance of them going through everything I had to endure.”

“You can always ensure through the banking guild and trusts that everything you build stays with the Ratra name,” Sapna said. “Aria might not be happy about it, but I’d advise you to draw up paperwork to protect yourself and your children’s finances in case the marriage falls apart or you die young.” The older woman showed a rare moment of tenderness, placing a hand on Nox’s. “It's not an easy thing to deal with and is fairly time-consuming. If you’d like, I can sort things out for you.”

“It sounds like too much trouble. I’ll take care of it myself once—”

“I’ll have a few draft wills and prenuptial agreements ready for you to read once you return from your voyage,” she interrupted. “I might not have been in this city for long, but I’ve made a few decent contacts. You can read through them, decide whether they need any tweaks or expansion, then present them to Aria.”

“Thank you, Kaki. That would be great.”

“Don’t worry too much about how the lovely Lady Edelweiss will react,” Sapna said. “She is an intelligent woman and loves you. Aria knows what kind of childhood you had and understands how difficult it was for you. I’m sure she’ll see why you need to do this.”

“I hope so, too.”

Concerns regarding the topic had lingered on Nox’s mind since the engagement, but he had no one to discuss it with. Sapna was no substitute for Kris. He saw her more as a family than a mentor, but there was no one he currently trusted more for sage advice.

It was no secret that Aria wanted children. Nox thought he didn’t for the longest time, but working with the city’s urchins and taking in Ingrid had stirred something inside of him. He wanted to be a father but didn’t want it to come at the cost of giving up his ultimate goal. Nox didn’t just worry about his child going through hardships because of an evil stepfamily. Growing up without a decent father figure wasn’t easy. He had to figure out and learn several little things in life.

Mou always tried to ensure that Nox didn’t feel deprived of a mother. However, her husband never showed any interest in being Nox’s father. He was a lovely man who always treated him well, but he always maintained strict boundaries, behaving more like a friend or fun-loving uncle.

The thought of leaving trusts and wills that ensured no second husbands, step, or half siblings could affect any future children’s economic futures gave him some solace. Nox didn’t know whether it was a backward way of thinking, but he only wanted his descendants, Ratras, or people he chose to benefit from his work. Despite the state of their current relationship, Nox still hadn’t forgiven Queen Lydia Mercer for all that happened following his father’s demise.

The Trade Empire’s current leader always went above and beyond whenever they met to make up for her past mistakes. Nox smiled and played happy families for the business’ sake, but it didn’t feel like enough. He was sure Queen Mercer had lost a good deal of his inheritance or the Gedges had consumed and destroyed. The building housing the old Ratra’s Knightly Brews and his stake in the alchemical baths probably paled in comparison. Nox was sure he’d eventually build more wealth and intellectual and physical property than he was to inherit.

Nox trusted Aria and was sure she loved him. However, all secondhand accounts said that Lydia Mercer was madly in love with Pallav Ratra. Yet she prioritized the Trade Empire’s growth and prosperity over their child’s happiness and well-being. Time and loss changed people. The same could happen to Aria. After all, the barony and its welfare were her greatest priority.