Permanently reduced health?

A shiver ran across his body when he examined his stats.

Attributes:

Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Constitution: 4 Intelligence: 11 Wisdom: 15 Energy: 1

Health: 39/39

Stamina: 50/50

Ki: 10/10

The medicine didn’t affect the other stats apart from his health. In most cases, injuries should drop his health and go back to full when he healed. He could think of two ways for a person’s health to permanently decrease; through an irreversible injury or due to old age.

The second one’s impossible —he paused before making the conclusion— is it though?

The world he had lived in differed from the current one in many ways. He couldn’t generalize the situation and use the same logic he always used. If he arrived at the wrong conclusion, it could lead to disastrous consequences. His frustration at the lack of knowledge hit new peaks.

Initially, according to the schedule, he would train in the morning while attending etiquette, history, politics, and similar classes in the evening. It would’ve given him basic information he desperately sought, but for some reason, his parents changed the plan and tossed him into the one-month training camp. He didn’t even know about it before hearing Maur’s speech. It cost him a month’s worth of knowledge, something he decided to rectify as soon as possible.

For the moment, every explanation he had for the decrease in health were mere speculations. They failed to provide a concrete answer and led to more questions. So many of them swirled inside his head, he didn’t know which ones to focus on. While they were all relevant, one question dwarfed them all. Is it deliberate?

Out of the corner of his eyes, he scrutinized Amos’ expression and paid more attention to the discussion happening between the adults.

“When is the delegation set to arrive?” Amos asked.

“They haven’t decided on a date, but they should be here sometime within the year.” Alaya’s eyes flickered towards the grand priest, and she said in a mock calm voice. “Someone leaked the news to the public and there’s been a general outcry to deny their arrival.”

“Is that so?” Amos’ thoughtful face gave nothing away. “Do you want the church to pacify them?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m sure I can manage.”

Amos graciously accepted the refusal. “If you ever need my help, please feel free to call for me. Everyone in the world is entitled to the Everlasting One’s grace, and my sole purpose is to make sure it reaches the people.”

“A noble endeavor. I hope you find success on your path.” Alaya said.

Alan didn’t believe a word out of the doctor’s mouth, and he was sure Alaya was the same. The subtle exchanges amongst them underlined the friction between the two factions. It wasn’t sufficient proof, but it raised his suspicion towards Amos and begged the question of why his mother allowed the grand priest to treat him. Maybe he could use it to his advantage and prevent the doctor from examining him. Even if the side-effect from the potion was unintended, he had to find a way to avoid it, and getting rid of Amos in the same plan was a double bonus. He became engrossed in the conversation and tried to obtain more clues.

“I heard the delegation insisted on having the diplomatic meeting at Pedro city.” Amos’ eyes flicked towards Lily. “The party’s made up of people who aren’t known for their patience. You should make your preparations.”

Kayden smiled. “Of course. With so many ‘important’ guests arriving, I’ve tightened the security in the city. It’ll reduce the risk of any unexpected accidents.”

Is that supposed to be subtle? Alan thought. Looks like the arriving guests won’t be friendly, and if I understood it right, Lily is somehow involved.

He watched the person in question sitting by the fountain and paying no attention to the conversation. She wasn’t completely chipper, but her mood had improved, and she busied herself with the flowers present in the water.

Shaking his head, he shifted his attention back to the adults. They tirelessly discussed the same topic without mentioning anything concrete. He didn’t hear a single word about the medicine he was forced to swallow or its effects.

With his frustration nearing its limits, he decided to interrupt. “Mother!”

It finally put an end to their conversation. Alaya smiled at him. “Are you bored?”

“Yes! Can we go somewhere?” He didn’t want to blame Amos right in front of him. If the doctor wasn’t present to defend himself, Alan’s claims could atleast make Alaya pay more attention to his words.

“Not right now. Why don’t you go and play with Lily? I’ll join you after I finish the discussion with the grand priest. ”

He wanted to complain, but it would come off as a childish tantrum. Stupid five-year-old body. In a way, it both helped him and chained him.

He didn’t kick up a fuss and mutely nodded before walking away alongside Lily. The answers would have to wait for a few hours, but the next time he met Alaya, he decided to pester her until she replied to his questions.

Gazing at the retreating backs of her children, Alaya sighed. Ever since the assassination attempt, Alan acted like a completely different person. He was more mature, careful in everything he did, and never acted thoughtlessly. Even during the fight, he meticulously planned his moves and carried them out. She tried to take the changes in stride, but Alan’s actions made it difficult. While she welcomed some developments, the other changes were too radical. It felt like watching a stranger in her son’s body.

The dejected expression confused Amos. “Is there something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Amos followed her gaze and watched the retreating children. “Have you told him the truth?”

Alaya froze. The question brought all of her fears to the forefront, and she could no longer keep up her facade. Telling Alan the truth was something she dreaded everyday.

Kayden placed his arm on her shoulder and consoled her, but it did nothing to reduce the pain in her heart.

Amos understood the message her silence conveyed. “Don’t take too long. He’s got to make a decision.”

“I know.”

The silence that followed stretched for a long time before Amos broke it. “I think we’ve addressed most of the important issues. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” Using his right hand, he created a small circle at the center of his chest. “May the Everlasting One’s blessing bring prosperity and happiness to the kingdom.”

**********

Walking down the corridor, Alan thought about the three things he had to figure out. The most important one was to figure out if Amos deliberately targeted him. Afterward, he had to understand what the medicine did and why he had to take it. If it was due to his recently acquired scars, Alisha would’ve mentioned it. Finally, he had to figure out if the sealed holy element could counteract the effects of the medicine.

A tap on his shoulder brought his attention to the pouting Lily. “Why’re you sulking when I’m the one who lost?”

Her cute expression made Alan want to tease her. “I tried thinking of any way you could’ve won but came up blank. You’re a bit too weak Lily.”

“Hey!” She tried to swat him, but Alan dodged. “You won a single time. Why’re you acting so high and mighty?”

Sticking tongue out, he mocked her. “A single win still counts as a victory. Your count is zero little sis.”

“How did I end up being the little sister when I was born before you!?”

Laughing unconcernedly, he let the troubles fade to the back of his mind. He moved towards the empty ground while bickering with the Lily the entire way. When he neared the vast open space in front of the castle, the floating lights caught his attention, and a thought came to his mind. “Lily, do you want to play with those?”

“Didn’t mom forbid us from touching them?” she asked.

He rolled his eyes. Alaya forbid her from doing many things, but it never stopped her. Of all the times caution could’ve struck her mind, it had to be right at that instant. “It’s fine. We’ll play with it for a few minutes and put it back.”

That was all it took to convince her. “Okay!”

He pointed at a table that was atleast half a foot taller than them. “Help me drag it under the light.”

It wasn’t too heavy, and they managed to finish the task without any help. It silently slid on the smooth marble floor, but their actions didn’t go unnoticed. The soldiers stood by without interfering while the maids rushed towards them. “Lady Lily, please stop causing trouble!”

Alan wanted to laugh. No matter who caused the problem, the blame always fell on Lily. Her notoriety for causing trouble was widespread. Ignoring their shouts, Alan grabbed the edge of the table and got on top of it.

Lily watched the maids getting closer. “Quick! They’re coming.”

Grabbing the light, he jumped down the table and scampered into the grounds with his sister. His short legs couldn’t outpace the maids, but their clunky dress slowed them, allowing him to stay ahead. The chase lasted for a long while before they let up. “If you don’t return the sun lamp, the duchess is going to hear about this!”

Alan ignored the warning and put some distance between them.

Lily looked more hesitant. “Do you think they’ll complain to mom? I think we should put it back.”

“There’s no way our actions will stay hidden, and we’re going to get scolded either way. Let’s have some fun before putting it back.” Without paying any attention to her reaction, he glanced at the octahedron-shaped object. Even without any apparent power source, the warm object gave off a soft orange glow.

Apart from the rune carved into the glass surface, he didn’t notice anything that could explain its function. He traced his finger over the complex shape and tried to find something that could shed some light on its purpose.

“What’re you doing here?”

Alan yelped and looked up, seeing the faces of Adrianna and Kora. Their unexpected presence came as a shock. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Catching a glimpse of his face, they flinched and automatically moved back. Their reaction didn’t bother Alan as he considered them to be nothing more than acquaintances. The same couldn’t be said about Lily. She glared at them and lashed out. “This is the Ross family estate. Unless you have permission, you can’t be here.”

“We’re here on the Duke’s order,” Adrianna answered.

“Stop lying. Dad wouldn’t waste his time on people like you.”

“Dad?” Adrianna glanced between Lily and Alan. Even with the marks ruining his face, only a fool wouldn’t identify them as twins. Her eyes widened as she made the connection. “You’re Alan Ross!?”

“Yeah.”

She dropped into an awkward curtsy. “I’m Adrianna Belcroft, daughter of Baron Tean Belcroft.”

Adrianna being a part of nobility came as a minor surprise to Alan. He thought the people in the training camp were all commoners.

“No need to be so formal. We’re all friends here.”

She got up and turned towards the shell shocked Kora, who hadn’t uttered a word since she arrived. “Stop staring and say something.”

“Uhh… Alan, you’re still wearing your nightgown.”

Only then did he remember he hadn’t changed his clothes ever since Lily dragged him out of bed. Still, she broke the silence in a truly unique way.

Remembering what he wanted to do, he shifted his attention back to the sun lamp. “We were about to examine this thing. Do you want to join us?”

“What’s there to examine about them?”

“I want to see what’s inside.” It was the reason he took it. Waiting for his parent’s permission for everything was tiring. They rarely took his words seriously, so he decided to take matter into his hands. Before breaking it, he paused. There was one thing he forgot to take into account. “Is this thing dangerous?”

Kora scoffed. “Of course not. Tens of lamps break down and are replaced every month.”

Getting the confirmation, he put it on the ground and applied force. It was surprisingly durable and withstood his efforts to break it. “Is it always this strong?”

“Yeah. It’s meant to withstand a lot of punishment.”

After repeated failures, he picked it up and stealthily used [Shadow Claws]. Black shadows covered his nails, and they pierced through the glass with surprising ease.

Unexpectedly, a notification appeared.

[Mana detected]

[Starting a main quest]