“Can you hear me?”

“...Yes.”

“Tell me your name.”

“...Avel of Javia.”

“Tell me your real name,” the Level 4 commanded.

The fact that Arsène didn't realize when the man sneaked into their sleeping quarters and put him and the group under a spell showed the difference in power between them. The mind Arte induced the target to be highly susceptible. Arsène was in a vulnerable state, his mind primed to answer any question truthfully.

The purpose of Inspector Insen was clear: to find Tanael.

“...Avel of Javia,” Arsène said slowly with an empty expression.

Pity the hypnotism did not work on Arsène.

“Are you Tanael?”

“...No.”

Arsène lied through his teeth and Insen was none the wiser. In fact, it was harder for Arsène to hold back his laugh rather than enduring the mind-befuddlement, which was as harmful as a light summer breeze because he had Mystic Star Shroud from Aletro.

Insen asked many more questions to Arsène before he moved on to the second victim, Boram. Insen repeated his question and Boram replied truthfully. Unlike Arsène, Boram didn't have a mental defense strong enough to stop the mind Arte of the Level 4. Insen and Fajrin’s skill of the mind was as different as heaven and earth.

And yet Arsène wasn't worried.

Viers had edited Boram’s memories that might compromise Tanael’s identity after the mass return from the Book World. The technique was based on Fajrin the Green Scorpion’s friends that he soul searched. Mind defense was a must if one’s companion could read minds.

There are some priests and priestesses stationed here but it seems it wasn't only for healing and defending the city. The Church guy that tried to hypnotize me is a Level 4, or 5… If I didn't have the Mystic Star Shroud this would be bad. Then again, without it I wouldn't have stayed in the city in the first place. Hmph, they really got the hots for me. Pity you guys aren't my type. Leave me alone you stalkers!

Arsène went through the night as if nothing happened. Insen’s investigation was a bust, unaware that the one he sought was the very first one he investigated. Later that day, he went to a different fort to invade the minds of the other returnees.

***

Arsène caught sight of Boram yawning during their guard time that started in the evening. With the merfolk usually attacking at night and ceasing when morning came, their sleeping time had been adjusted.

“Still sleepy?” Arsène asked.

“Yes, Master. I don't know why but my body feels heavy since I woke up,” Boram rubbed his eyes.

Because of the hypnosis? It didn't work on me so I don't know the side effects… If there's coffee in this world, I would have recommended it. No, I’m sure it or something similar exists. I should keep an eye out.

“Steady yourself, boy. Carelessness on the battlefield will lead to death. My guess is today will be harder than yesterday.”

“Yes, sir.”

While Boram walked ahead, Bruce walked closer to Arsène.

“Don't you think you’re too hard on the boy? He’s, what, ten years old?”

“Twelve,” Arsène said. “He feels weak and inadequate after what happened in the Book World. Comforting words are not what he needs now.”

“What does he need then?” Norman, the oldest of the group, asked.

To realize his place in the food chain, that he is already stronger than most of Level 2, including you guys.

Arsène chose to be diplomatic and did not voice it out loud.

“That’s up to him to find the answer, Norman. At any rate, don't let down your guard. I don't think the merfolk are only at this level.”

“We understand, Avel,” Bruce gave a fist bump to his own chest. “We might not be as strong as you, but don’t sell us short yet.”

Arsène smiled. Bruce and Norman couldn't see it under his helmet but the slight difference in his tone let them guess he smiled.

“How reliable. Glad to hear it.”

Arsène half expected they would get lax or crushed by the difference in power after they witnessed his and Boram’s performance. The fact that they didn't already showed they were above the small fry adventurers out there. Arsène’s evaluation of them rose a bit.

Perhaps there’s value in having a good relationship with them.

***

In the days to come, the attack from the underwater kingdom intensified.

“Retreat! Retreat to the fort!” Bruce shouted after pulling his sword from the head of a crustacean monster. There were too many monsters coming from all sides.

“By the Goddess. How many of them are there?” Sandra cringed at the sight.

“Bruce, Norman is surrounded!” Will pointed out. Norman wasn't fast enough and got bogged down by anemones.

Bruce made a snappy decision with one glance. “...He won't make it. I will go-”

Arsène swooped in from the side. He slashed and diced the anemone monsters and freed Norman from the bindings. He threw something at the ground and a wall of fire emerged to cover their retreat. He lent Norman his shoulder and brought him to the fort’s entrance.

“Avel, nice job-”

“He’s been poisoned, Bruce. He needs a healer.”

Bruce looked surprised and shouldered Norman’s arm from the other side. “Hang in there, buddy. The Church’s healers are the best. Don't go dying on us!”

“Urgh…”

While Bruce and Will helped the weakened Norman to the infirmary, Irene and Arsène stayed, helping to defend the gate. It wasn't over until five Level 3s from the other fort came to help late in the night.

***

“How much longer Sandra!?” Norman was defending using a towering shield of ice.

“Almost there…” Sandra kept concentrating on her spell.

“Hurry it up! We’re getting exposed here,” Will turned his arm into smoke and it elongated. The dagger-wielding hand slit the throat of a merman warrior from his blindside.

“Done!” Sandra opened her eyes. Raising her staff high and striking it down. “Sinking Earth!”

A wide area in front of them caved in, many of the sea invaders fell into the sinkhole.

“Haaaaaa!!”

Since Sandra had poured her all into the Arte, she didn't realize that an arrow of water shot from the bill of a swordfish merfolk was coming towards her.

Arsène struck the water arrow before it pierced Sandra’s head. It lost its form and only specks of water sprinkled over the earth mage.

***

With Duel With Honor Arte, Arsène alleviated his Victa situation somewhat but it wasn't nearly enough to offset the expenditure from the intense battles that occured every night. Sometimes, there wasn't any opportunity to invoke the Arte. They were on a battlefield where the situation was fluid and chaotic, Boram couldn't always protect him. Duel With Honor was a delicate Arte that would break with the slightest mishap from the outside so Arsène couldn't use it if the conditions were not met.

Arsène’s Victa became less as each day passed. That was why he focused on assisting from the third day on, only fighting when necessary. He saved the Rising Fortune’s members from death on two occasions, which allowed Arsène to gain their favor and gratitude.

But the star of the show was Boram of the Aletro Nine Stars.

He had Earthborn Amalgam Profound Codex that centered on raising his physical side. Boram’s ordinary hammer smack was deadly even for a Level 2 merfolk, adding Victa or Artes on top of that made Boram hit like a meteorite. Better body made him possess the stamina of an ox, raking in a lot of kills on the battlefield while using little Victa. It seemed he even defeated some Level 2 merfolk of some renown.

The foundations were already there but the reward of Book World’s Stage 5 was what allowed Boram to achieve the stellar record in the defense of Fort Mercator: Investiture of Soil.

The effect of the gift was simple, Boram now had the ability to absorb energy from the soil below his feet. It empowered him in a mundane but practical way.

By Viers’ estimation, the gift alone doubled Boram’s battle strength and it made Viers very happy.

Boram confessed that he first wanted to pay five hundred thousand shards to become earth 5 affinity. Aletro recommended the Investiture of Soil since he only had seven hundred thousand and it suited him more. White Aletro, who should be hating Viers, didn't jeopardize Boram’s future.

He wasn't at Viers’ own level yet but Boram was slowly becoming a little monster of a Pathseeker.

People showered Boram with praise. Rumor was that Khalmar, who fought at another fort, achieved even more than Boram. People’s evaluation of the Aletro Nine Stars rose even more. Unfortunately, other than Khalmar and Boram, the other seven didn't even show their shadow.

But Boram was just a Level 2. In the grand scale of things, Boram’s effort didn't really matter much since there were Level 4s fighting it out. Both sides seemed to have a consensus for the higher Level Pathseeker to not simply destroy thousands of the opposition’s younglings. That meant this engagement still had rules and had some form of civility. Arsène would have deserted otherwise. Reputation wasn't worth exposing his identity as Viers’ other self.

As the days went by, the situation wasn't getting better. The forces of the underwater invaders far outnumbered them because they were bolstered by sea monsters. Casualties started to rise. The forts held but Arsène eavesdropped that the Sahagins and other amphibious merfolk had raided the area nearby the city and already blockaded it.

In other Fables, the MC often knew the grand scheme of the war such as this, but Arsène was only a Level 2 grunt. Information from the high command didn't trickle down that low. Arsène didn't know the endgame of the Regidana and the merfolk higher-ups. Since it wasn't hopeless yet, he kept fighting. He wouldn't waste Boram in fighting someone else's war.

While Arsène didn't know if the Level 5s had battled or not, he lightly glimpsed at the fight of Commander Goudy with a female merfolk that dressed like a jellyfish. The fight was miles away from the fort but the reverberation was still overwhelming.

They changed the landscape.

So that’s a Domain… the evolution of Level 3’s Unreality Field. Good data for the Grid.

The war’s scale was not as colossal as Stage 5 where there were an obscene number of Aberrants, Tyra Xergs, and various troops but it was more intense; because in the Book World, the Pathseekers’ Level was limited to Level 2 while in this arena, even Tanael in his full strength was only a bigger bug to the top combatants.

So far, the progress was satisfactory.

Until the mandatory disaster arrived.