CHAPTER 179: A CONVERSATION WITH EISEN

"Can I speak to you?" Lucen spoke to Eisen.

"Hm... You’re Lucen Thornehart. What do you want from me?" Eisen spoke; his facial expression was unreadable.

"I just want to talk. Since we’re both finished with today’s matches. Can we talk in a different place? I know a nearby inn here that sells good food. It’s my treat."

Eisen studied him for a moment, as if weighing the intent behind the invitation. Then, after a short pause, he nodded.

"Fine. Lead the way."

***

The two left the waiting area together, drawing a few curious glances from the other students.

A secret conversation between Lucen Thornehart and Eisen Terre was something they were interested in listening to.

Neither of them spoke as they exited the coliseum. The crowd’s cheers echoed faintly in the distance, but between them, there was only quiet.

It wasn’t an awkward silence, more like the stillness between two people who both preferred to think before they spoke.

’Okay, I was able to bring him. Should I have told the others about my plan? They are my bodyguards... But if I brought them, Eisen might get spooked and not respond properly.’

Lucen glanced at Eisen, who was walking just slightly behind him. The young man who was a year older than him had an expressionless face, so it was rather hard to get a read on him.

’Is this guy really a transmigrator or reincarnator like me?... Well, that’s why I need to talk to him. So how am I going to do this?’

As the two continued walking towards the inn, Lucen was thinking about what to say to Eisen to learn if he is or isn’t someone similar to him.

The inn Lucen mentioned was small and quiet, tucked between a blacksmith’s forge and a bakery. The smell of roasted meat and baked bread greeted them as they entered.

Despite the tournament still ongoing, there were already people drinking in the inn. The second they entered, they caught the attention of the people.

A few patrons looked up, recognizing the two competitors, but quickly turned away. No one wanted to risk offending the heir of the Iron Duke by eavesdropping.

The two took a seat, and Lucen ordered food and some drinks. The wooden floor creaked softly under their boots, and the faint hiss of the forge next door blended with laughter from a nearby table.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

Lucen leaned back slightly, waiting for the waitress to leave before speaking.

"I was simply interested in the way you use telekinesis. That was a very creative way to use that basic spell."

"I only did that because I can only use two spells. One is the Earth Wall spell, and the other is telekinesis. The other spell is a defensive spell, so I need to do my best to use telekinesis as the offensive spell."

Lucen had thought about how Eisen would respond, but this response was rather surprising.

"... Is it alright to tell me this?"

"It doesn’t matter anyway, you’ll find out eventually. The reason I use telekinesis differently from others is simply because I only have a few choices."

"If it isn’t too much to ask, can you tell me how many circles in your mana core you have?"

Eisen looked at Lucen for several seconds before shrugging his shoulders. "Quite direct, aren’t you... I guess I can tell you. I’m a first circle mage. I can already guess what you’re going to ask next. How come a first circle mage like me has so much mana? Is that what you were going to ask?"

"..." Eisen was correct; that was indeed Lucen’s next question, so he responded by nodding.

"I have a certain rare constitution that granted me an incredibly large mana supply. Normally, that would be great for a mage, especially for someone who has six circles or higher. Unfortunately, because I got it before understanding the flow of mana, it’s hard for me to control my mana. So doing complicated spells is hard for me, which is why I’m still at the first circle."

Lucen listened closely, his fingers tapping lightly against the table. He nodded thoughtfully. "I guess that makes training mana control harder for you."

"Indeed it has... Still, this massive amount of mana had granted me my own way of fighting, which only someone like me could do."

"I see... Um... Actually, I was also wondering if you have seen any of the toys I have made."

"Toys?... I’m not really interested in those things, since I focus most of my time trying to better my mana control. Still, I did see a few of those unusual toys while walking around the city. You call them yo-yos and spinning tops, right?"

The way Eisen spoke with that expressionless face of his truly made it hard for Lucen to know if he was sincere in his question or not.

’Now that I’m on this topic. What question or move can I make to see if he is a reincarntor or not?’

"Hey, have you ever seen this before?" Lucen used gun creation to create a revolver in front of Eisen. The second the revolver appeared, Eisen looked at it and tilted his head.

"Isn’t that your unique magic? As for the object... I haven’t seen anything like it before." Eisen answered while shaking his head a little.

"Is that so..."

Lucen was focused on Eisen’s eyes as he spoke, since in most novels they did say you could see a person’s very soul in his eyes.

This actually felt like it was real in this world. There were a few enemies that Lucen had defeated, and he could actually see the resolve in their eyes or feel it at least. Sometimes he could also sense a little if someone was lying by looking at their eyes.

’Either this guy is that good of an actor, or he doesn’t really know... I guess he might not be a reincarnator. Just someone with a special skill. Hmm... I guess the reason he’s not in the main story of the game might be because he could not improve from the first circle because of his rare constitution.’

Lucen stared at the quiet Eisen. This person had such good potential.

’Maybe I could figure out a way to help him get to the second circle at least.’ While Lucen was thinking that their food and drinks had arrived.

The plates clattered softly as they were set down. Steam rose from the roasted meat, seasoned with herbs Lucen didn’t recognize.

He noticed Eisen didn’t even glance at the presentation. Eisen simply began eating, as if sustenance were merely another task to complete.

Eisen picked up his fork, dissecting the roasted meat with mechanical precision. Each slice of meat was exactly the same size. ’Is this guy some kind of robot?’ Lucen suddenly thought as he shook his head.

"How about you, Eisen? Do you have a question for me?" Lucen asked while taking a bite of the roasted meat in front of him.

"I don’t really have any questions. I only came here because I thought it would be rude not to accompany a ducal heir. Besides, you did say you’ll pay for my meal. I can’t just pass a free meal that would be illogical." Eisen spoke while continuing to eat with his expressionless face.

Seeing him like that reminded Lucen of his father and brother a little. Still, even though those two had stoic faces, they weren’t as expressionless as Eisen.

Lucen smiled a little. "I guess you do have a point."

Eisen looked up from his plate, his expression unchanged. "I simply prefer efficiency. Emotional exchanges rarely lead to useful outcomes."

Lucen took a sip of his drink, smiling faintly. "You talk a little bit like an alchemist I know."

"I’m guessing you’re talking about the mad alchemist, Robert Duskwell."

"You know him?"

"I know of him. Most mages would know of the mad genius... I don’t know if I’m flattered to be compared to such a genius, or to be insulted that you compared me to a known madman."

Despite saying such things, there was not a single change in Eisen’s expression. Lucen was now starting to wonder if Eisen was really some kind of artificial intelligence.

Lucen chuckled lightly, setting down his fork. "I guess that depends on how you look at him. Robert’s the type who’d blow up a workshop just to test a theory, then call it a success because the explosion confirmed something."

Eisen nodded once. "A valid approach. Results are results."

Lucen blinked and then shook his head. "I think you and Robert would get along quite well."

"That would be a first. Most people don’t find me pleasant company, nor was I someone that other people could get along with."

"Well, that would be what a normal person would say, but Robert isn’t quite normal."

"I guess you aren’t as well, seeing as you’re able to have this conversation with me," Eisen said as he drank the mug of ale on the table.

"Heh, I guess so." Lucen leaned back, his faint smile lingering as he watched Eisen eat in silence.

It was strange. Talking with someone so expressionless should have been awkward, but somehow, it wasn’t. Eisen’s bluntness had its own kind of clarity, sharp, unfiltered, almost refreshing.

Lucen took a slow sip from his cup, the warmth spreading through his chest. For some reason, he felt lighter than when he’d first sat down. Lucen’s suspicion of Eisen had lessened greatly.