Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

Seth's breath hitched, yet before a word could escape his lips, another man stepped into the room. Like the others, he wore the same black gown that flowed from his neck to his ankles, and his feet were shod in soft-soled slippers that made no sound on the stone floor. He looked to be in his forties with only a few wrinkles around his purple eyes.

The man bowed slightly to Marcus before introducing himself: "I'm Alfred, an earl of the Oracles' Guild. The director of the establishment here in Asethka is currently away. I hope I will be able to assist you."

"Can you access a soul contract signed by the director of another establishment?" Marcus asked.

The earl stiffened for the briefest moment before giving a curt nod. "Yes. I can."

"Good. Then you'll do."

Seth blinked, stunned by the old Alchemist's dismissal. You'll do? The man was likely a noble that held authority over thousands and demanded deep bows from everyone else. Yet Marcus spoke to him with the casual indifference one might show a tool found on a workbench.

Ignoring the tension in the room, the old Alchemist drew a charred, timeworn scroll from his Endless Pouch and handed it to Alfred. "Once it's linked to this room, I want you to confirm this boy's nationality. It concerns an upcoming war."

Alfred unrolled it, and aether swirled to life across the parchment, expanding through the chamber in warm waves. The man then took out a strange artifact that looked like a flat star with long rods pointing toward the ceiling and placed a palm on it. The next instant, all the aether violently rushed toward the man's hand before flowing back into the piece of parchment.

Marcus leaned closer to Seth and whispered. "As I told you earlier—focus on the last ten years in Sunatown. Your home, your mother… everything before your awakening."

"How am I supposed to show those things to h—" Seth began, but before he could finish, Alfred placed his hands on Seth's temples.

The earl's touch was like a key turning in a lock. Several memories surged in Seth's mind at once, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut and focusing on those the situation demanded: his parents' modest house in Sunatown, the warmth of his mother's smile, the blur of the passing years. For a fleeting moment, he was back there, reliving the struggle of daily life, the endless and grueling hunts… all fueled by the desperate hope of earning enough to save her.

Seth saw the faces of the townsfolk who'd tried to help him by offering better prices than they needed to for the pelt and scrap of meat he brought back. Then his mother's decline began: her hair thinned, her cheeks hollowed, her skin paled to a sickly white. A hot tear trickled down on Seth's cheek, and with it rose a raw hatred from somewhere deep inside his chest. They would all pay for that—every last soul from her country who'd forced her to shatter her aether channels. The Faertis tax collector's grin flashed in his mind, illuminated by the flames that had devoured their home next to him.

As if on cue, Alfred removed his hands. "I have seen enough. I will Identify you now. Please remove any concealment artifacts."

Seth took a moment to wipe off his cheek, then straightened himself atop the chair. He decided not to take off his necklace.

The gaze of the Oracle guild's earl immediately fell upon the twin teardrops. "That is a powerful and odd concealment enchantment on your Pocket-realms' pendant. I cannot Identify it. And yet, I can still feel the two beasts and Essences within."

Seth saw Marcus's eyes widen next to him—the man didn't know about Colossus until now.

Alfred narrowed his focus on Seth, then his expression shifted, his jaw slackened, and all color drained from his face. "Elrod…" he muttered under his breath. "How is this possible?"

A palpable aura of bloodlust burst out of Marcus as the old Alchemist rose from his seat. "Say a word of this," he hissed, "and the director of the Oracle Guild outpost in Illumineda Kingdom will die. And the director here won't hesitate to execute you for it. If, somehow, he doesn't, I will come find you. And what will follow will be far worse than death."

A guard surged through the door before Marcus said anything else, brandishing a longsword. Alfred immediately held up a hand. "Everything is fine," he said, voice strained, and shot a glance at Marcus. The moment the guard left the room, the man continued, "And there is no need for threats, sir. I am an earl of the Oracles' Guild. None of the boy's secrets will come out of this room."

Marcus grumbled. "They better not."

Seth was taken aback by the Alchemist's reaction. Why is he acting like that?

'This old prick is way more fierce than I first thought,' Nightmare said through Link.

The earl pulled out a sheet of parchment and turned to Seth. "Do you want Proof of Citizenship? And a Citizen Card as well? Should I also update your Adventurer Vita?"

Seth barely had time to think before Marcus answered for him: "All three of those."

After a brief delay, still taken aback by the whole situation, Seth passed his Vita to Alfred.

"Do you want Draeria listed as a second nation?" the man asked.

Seth glanced at Marcus, uncertain if that was wise to do so.

"Yes," the old Alchemist replied, "but only on the card and the certificate."

The earl looked down at Seth's Vita, then paused and raised his head. "And Volantis?"

"No," Marcus immediately answered with a glare that could've melted steel. Disgust had filled his response.

Seth blinked, taken aback. Volantis. He had never heard of that country, so why did Marcus hate it so much? Then it clicked. It must have been Seth's mother's homeland—the place where the people had condemned her to a slow death by shattering her aether channels. Gritting his teeth, Seth repeated the name a few times to lodge it in his memory. When I'll be strong enough, I'll go there and make them pay.

The earl gave the Alchemist a curt nod and began channeling aether into Seth's Vita. When that was done, he repeated the process with the parchment, and finally with a small metal plate he drew from his pocket. Once finished, he handed all three items to Seth, who immediately cast Intermediate Identify on them.

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