Rebirth of the Ruined Noble

"Never underestimate the folks in the Yalindor Region," Professor Joshua cautioned, regaining his composure.

"People in Yalindor are known for their kindness, and it's important to show appreciation, but don't confuse that kindness for weakness. You'll come to understand this soon enough..."

With these mysterious words, Professor Joshua wrapped up his briefing, leaving the group feeling uneasy.

His initial reaction upon hearing the name "Yalindor" had been suspicious, and he had divulged very little about the place. Left with few answers, the group decided to waste no time and set forth for Yalindor.

Yalindor lay nestled in the southern expanse of the Eastern Continent, deep within the sprawling expanse known as the Great Forest of Titans. Their journey to Yalindor would commence at the forest's entrance, where a guide from the Yalindor region awaited to lead them through its verdant depths.

However, the group's initial destination wasn't the heart of the forest. Their first stop was the capital of the Mauryan Kingdom, accessible through the academy's portal network. From there, they would traverse through another portal to reach Jura, a city renowned for its opulence, ruled by one of the influential Marquises. Jura lay along the path to their ultimate destination, the Iron Forge Barony, a place where the group planned to rest briefly since it was the home of Elric. However, the group's initial destination wasn't the heart of the forest. Their first stop was the capital of the Mauryan Kingdom, accessible through the academy's portal network. From there, they would traverse through another portal to reach Jura, a city renowned for its opulence, ruled by one of the influential Marquises. Jura lay along the path to their ultimate destination, the Iron Forge Barony, a place where the group planned to rest briefly since it was the home of Elric. Notably, the Iron Forge Barony had gained fame for its exceptional craftsmanship and weapon manufacturing, making it an ideal stop for first-year students like Eren and Ezio, who were in need of proper equipment.

Once they had secured their gear, their journey would continue into the depths of the Great Forest of Titans, where their meeting with a representative from the Yalindor region awaited them.

"Isn't this too long of a journey….? Are you sure we can come back to the academy before graduating to the 2nd year?"

Eren voiced his concerns, a trace of uncertainty coloring his words.

Just from their plan alone the one side trip will take more than two weeks as there were no portals between the city of Jura and the Ironforge Barony, not to mention their extended journey to the great forest of titans.

And as if that wasn't enough, the mission clearly mentioned that they can not come back without completing the mission, which made the time needed to complete it more unpredictable.

With the first years still half a year away from advancing to the second year and the seniors from graduation, Eren's sarcastic remark about returning in time underscored the daunting length of their impending journey.

"I just hope we will come back safe and sound."

Selena murmured, her hands clasped in a fervent gesture.

"Enough talking; we'll depart at dusk. Everyone, gather what you'll need for the trip and meet at the portal's entrance," declared Elric, who had assumed an unofficial leadership role within the group. With that, he turned and strode toward the dormitory.

Ezio remained silent, following Elric's lead. Eren, on the other hand, exchanged a smile with Senior Selena before they each went their separate ways.

A long and challenging journey awaited them, and only fate held the knowledge of what lay ahead.

****

The frozen lands stretched endlessly, an expanse of ice and snow as far as the eye could see. It was a desolate place, seemingly devoid of any signs of life. However, within this harsh and barren environment, there existed a hidden place teeming with activity. This secret enclave was concealed by illusion magic and space-distortion spells, with the maintenance of such powerful enchantments requiring a tremendous amount of resources.

However, the figure who was responsible for maintaining such a massive structure moved about non-chanly amid this concealed haven.

Shrouded in mystery with a distinctive red mask concealing his face, he navigated the research areas.

Numerous bodies that were suspended in green tubes had noticeably diminished in number. And a new container had been seamlessly connected to the main tube, housing a pulsating red mass. Within this container lay an organ resembling a heart, but considerably larger than that of a human.

The heart, although appearing lifeless, emitted a distinctive and fading aura. With each rhythmic beat of the pulsating red flesh, this unique aura grew weaker, gradually diminishing.

The red-masked individual approached a man who appeared to be the lead researcher in this enigmatic place.

"How is the progress?" The fellow researchers who were discussing something with the lead left them both alone as soon as they noticed the presence of the red-masked man.

The lead researcher promptly bowed to the masked man showing his respect, before speaking up.

"...The dragon heart has lost much of its power since it has been more than two centuries since the evil dragon was dead, so the efficiency has decreased by much," the lead researcher explained hesitantly. The red-masked man listened to his words without any noticeable change in expression.The red-masked man's silence seemed to convey that he expected the researcher to provide more direct answers, without any beating around the bush.

"...I think we would need at least three more years for 'it' to be made." Originally, the research they were conducting was supposed to be complete after two years with the support of the dragon heart. However, since the dragon heart of the deceased evil dragon was not very efficient, the time needed increased by one more year.

It was clearly delayed and the lead researcher expected the masked man to be enraged but instead the masked man just listened to him, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"How much faster will 'it' take if I provide another dragon heart?" "..."

The lead researcher fell silent, clearly taken aback by the question.

Another dragon heart?!!

The researcher found himself at a loss for words. Dragons were revered as nearly invincible beings, creatures deserving the utmost respect. But the masked man spoke of obtaining a dragon's heart as casually as if he were picking flowers. It was as if he regarded dragons as nothing more than common goblins. The researcher couldn't determine whether it was sheer confidence or perhaps sheer bravado. After all, the man before him was far from ordinary.

The researcher hesitated to answer that question if he could avoid it. He had come to realize that the masked man was even more formidable than he had initially thought. Even the Mauryan Empire hadn't been able to catch a hint of his actions when he stole the dragon's heart right from under their noses.

The researcher marveled at the masked man's ability to control such complex magic spells, enabling him to conceal such an enormous space. However, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of guilt. What they were creating in this hidden facility was undoubtedly something that could bring disaster to the world. He was already committing a grave sin by assisting in this project, so if there was any way to delay its completion, he was willing to do so.

But the researcher also understood that refusing to answer the masked man's questions could lead to him becoming one of the experimental subjects in the green tubes. So, reluctantly, he complied, even though he realized this might be worse.

"I... If I give my best efforts, we might push it to a year and a half."

"Hmm..." The masked man nodded but remained silent.

"What about 'that'?" the masked man inquired, pointing to an unconscious figure suspended in mid-air by numerous tubes, each connected to different green liquid-filled containers.

"...It's a success; he will regain consciousness soon," replied the lead researcher.

It was the first time the expression behind the masked man's mask changed which obviously went unnoticed by the researcher.

"Can you finally achieve it?"

The masked man asked rather excited.

".....Yes," the lead researcher confirmed, "it is now possible to imbue divinity artificially." Both their gazes then turned to the pulsating red flesh at the center of the research facility.

"But..." the researcher hesitated.

"But?" the masked man inquired.

"We would need an object with an enormous amount of divinity, and... it would take a very long time to achieve it..."

The masked man fell silent for a moment before speaking, as if he had remembered something.

"Don't worry about it; I will make sure you have such an object. Just concentrate on completing it as soon as possible," he said.

The researcher nodded, watching the back of the masked man as he walked away.

'I don't know what he is thinking... but please... someone... please stop this madman!,' the researcher thought to himself, his guilt weighing heavily on his mind.

---***---