The Moonlight Swordsman

"So is he dead?" Raigun asked.

 "No, he isn't. I am sure he is alive," Vespara replied, looking a little pissed.

 "She is right; maybe he got lost or tried to hide. We shouldn't come to a conclusion so soon," Aquarian said.

"We should arrange a search party…

"WOOOO.. Hold on now, I know he is your dear student, but we can't do that right now. We are already in the middle of relocating some people and nobles to the new lands of ours.

"That is more important for now," Xavior Valtor replied and reminded everyone.

"Both of you are right in your place. The relocation is very important for now, but the young war god is our rising mage of the Kingdom.

"If we don't show any effort, it will have a bad impact on the rest of the mages and the people of our kingdom." Elric Crestfall said this while stroking his long beard.

"And recently an estate of the Kingsley family was hit by two unknown mages. This incident has caused quite a stir," Damian said.

"Hmm…" The King pondered the implications of this incident.

"Yotum,"

"Yes my King," Suddenly Yotum appeared and bowed.

"Tell your brother to gather a search party and towards the Beast Kingdom and Theodora Kingdom.

"Make sure only choose the mages that are ready to die at any moment," The King ordered.

"Yes, my King, it shall be done." With that said politely, Yotum vanished again.

*****

Back at the Aizel Mansion,

As soon as Vespara entered the home, Daisy and Shelly, their worried faces betraying their emotions ran to meet her.

"What happened? Any clue of Aizel?" Daisy quickly asked.

"Not for now, but the King is sending a search party for him," Vespara replied as she sighed and walked towards the couch.

"What about her? Did you ask her?" Meanwhile, she asked, looking towards Shelly.

"Yes, she doesn't seem worried about him. Although even she can't connect with him.

"She said there is probably a magic artifact interference," Shelly replied.

"Now I am sure he is alive somewhere," Vespaara said.

"I don't know; I am going to find him myself. I can't live like this knowing he went out there for me, and now his life is in danger," Daisy said as she walked back and forth in worry.

"Don't worry, Daisy; we should wait first. I have also contacted the old man. He will also look for him in the meantime. Don't worry, we will find him," Vespara replied, to ensure her.

*****

In the Theodora Kingdom,

With his mind free of worries, Aizel dove headfirst into the book, intent on soaking up all the information it contained.

Realizing how this book may easily assist his following phase, he grasped its fundamental simplicity.

The book was an all-inclusive reference that explained the characteristics, uses, restrictions, and complexities of each element as it pertained to magic circles.

Aizel could now avoid doing lengthy studies on elemental powers thanks to this new knowledge.

There were just a handful of outliers that the book didn't address. But Aizel was confident he could overcome those particular obstacles with his up-to-date Earth knowledge and his imagination.

[Master aren't you worried about something else?]

Like?"

[The bitch queen said that she has her eyes on you. She will know if we pull any tricks]

Ahh.. yes,"

[You used your imagination power while doing the mission. Do you think she knows you can use many other powers?]

"Umm… She would have hinted or commented on that if she knew. But I guess she can only detect where are we and what are we doing.

She can't see us. Maybe that's her limitation or whatever artifact she is using," Aizel explained.

"Are you having fun?" Suddenly Rias entered the room.

"Hmm… the book is surely a treasure," Aizel replied.

"Yes, it is, but for now, keep the book back; we are going somewhere."

Aizel's brows furrowed, and he stored the book back in his storage ring.

"I am making you join a clan,"

"Clan! For what exactly?" Aizel asked.

"So that you can learn more things, do some special mission, get some rewards, and can live a little exciting life here," Rias said with a smile.

*Tsk* Is it necessary,"

"Yes, it is. Now, follow me. I have a challenge for you."

Rias seized Aizel's hand, and in an instant, a magic circle materialized beneath them. The surroundings transformed as they blinked into existence on a snowy mountain peak.

A crumbling building with a broken board dangling precariously from its entrance gate appeared in the distance.

"Cherry Blossom Clan," Aizel read the words on the board.

"Why does it look shit?" Aizel asked.

"Because there is no one who wants to be part of this clan now," Rias replied, as she started to head inside, with Aizel following her.

The air was thick with the weight of time as Aizel and Rias continued their exploration of the lonely clan stronghold.

On the walls, insignias caked in dust told the story of a clan that had once thrived but now lay in solitary decline. The once-grand halls are now weathered and dilapidated.

The sound of Aizel's footfall broke the stillness and exposed the place's pervasive disrepair. As if bearing witness to the years of desertion, cobwebs hung from the corners.

Once alive with the sound of clashing swords and echoes of incantations, the training grounds now remained silent, with only the hushed murmurs of the wind reaching through the shattered windows to break the silence.

The historic library showed evidence of looting and neglect, despite housing a wealth of knowledge. Old, fragile books slumped on their shelves as if bemoaning the passing of the curious souls who had hoped to find answers within their pages.

"Randalf," Suddenly, Rias shouted. Both of them were currently standing on what appeared to be a practice platform.

An elderly dwarf appeared before them out of nowhere, and he knelt quickly, his head bowed low in a meaningful bow to Rias.

"My Queen, it's a blessing that you came to visit me here," he said.

"Where is Nina?"

A young woman, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, hurried up to them. She had a bundle of broomsticks held in her hand, and a scarf encircled her head.

She tossed the brooms aside and promptly knelt in front of Rias.

"M-My Queen, it's so good to see you again."She said.

"I have brought someone with me this time. He will help you to build your clan once again," Rias said.

"WHAT!" Both Aizel and Nina exclaimed together.

"Oye, what do you mean build a clan? I don't have any experience in it.

"And I need to learn and grow stronger. I can't handle this type of thing," Aizel said.

"Yes My Queen, clearly this guy seems pretty weak. How can he even help us," Nina also resorted.

"Oye, you kid, who are you calling weak," Aizel replied to her.

"It's you. I bet even I can beat you in a fight,"

"My my, calm down. Nina, you shouldn't behave like this in front of a guest of mine. And he is right, he isn't that weak, hahaha.

"Now Aizel here is your challenge. Develop this clan along with Nina however you like. Recruit some mages, train them, and participate in the competition.

"I want the Cherry Blossom Clan to be on the lips of everyone in my kingdom. If that happens, you can consider that you won the challenge." Rias explained.

*Tsk* What am I going to get if I do it?" Aizel asked.

Rias slowly walked towards him. Her lips reached near his lips as she whispered, "You won't regret it,"

That's all Rias said that made Aizel rethink about doing this.

[Master, that bitch might give us some heavy rewards for this. Maybe a useful magic artifact?]

Hmm… but still this is going to be troublesome," AIzel thought, as he looked around the clan and its condition.

"You can get some money from me if you want to start..

"No thanks, I don't need that,"

"Then if you want help with anything else, you can let me know. For now, I am going back. I will create a magic circle that can teleport you back directly to my room.

"You have to come there every night no matter what,"

"Now go with Nina, as she will give you the tour,"

Aizel nodded. Meanwhile, Nina was shocked at how close this person seemed to be to the queen.

"Oye kid, move," Aizle said.

"Ah.. yes,"

Aizel and Nina set off together, investigating the clan's hilltop estate thoroughly. The chilly atmosphere prompted Aizel to don a double layer of cloaks and hoods for warmth.

"We have to do something about this cold," he said as he rubbed his arm.

"You are weak if you can't handle even this much cold," Nina replied with a snort.

[Master, should we teach this kid some lesson?]

Leave it; she seems like she hasn't seen the outside world."

"So did you have any mages before here?" Aizel asked.

"No, my grandpa told me there hasn't been a single mage here in last 100 years,"

"Damn.. That's a very long time." AIzel replied.

"So first, we have to rebuild this and clean the whole clan first."

"For that, we can hire some workers from the closest city," Nina quickly replied.

"Okay, I will leave that job to you. You can hire as much as you want, don't worry about the money. Next, we have to convince some mages to join us.

And just like that, both got engrossed in their plan to rebuild the clan.