Hearing someone ask, the man turned. His thin mustache, interspersed with white hairs that reached his neck, contrasted sharply with his slightly sun-burnt skin.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked, his voice deep and slightly hoarse, like a stone rubbed by sand for years.
"Are you buying a horse?"
The old man pondered for a moment, observing Hastora from head to toe. 'Not a bad assessment,' Hastora thought.
"As long as it's a high-class horse, I'll buy it," he finally replied.
He added, "So, what kind of horse are you going to sell me?"
Hastora brought his horse out of the shadows, not just ordinary shadows, but a momentary distortion of space created by his magic.
The old man was slightly surprised - for a moment, a flash of shock crossed his face - but he quickly hid it and refocused.
The animal appeared as if from nowhere, standing tall with shimmering fur under the dim afternoon sun.
"Calm," Hastora said, the name of his high-class horse wasn't bad, it went well with the calmness that radiated from the horse.
"!!!"
The old man dropped the small wooden box he was carrying, shocked beyond belief. Not only because of Calm's extraordinary appearance, but also because of the magic he had just witnessed.
He examined the horse's entire body carefully, feeling its strong muscles, checking its teeth, eyes, even its gleaming hooves.
He didn't find a single problem with the horse. Its body was perfect, its shape athletic, and an aura of superiority surrounded it.
So perfect.
"One hundred gold coins," said the old man, his voice confident. He already knew he was dealing with a high-class horse, the animal would sell for a lot.
"What!"
Hastora was shocked. Initially, he thought the horse would sell for sixty gold coins, even seventy if he was lucky. One hundred gold coins? -
This was a jackpot! This was more than enough to cover the cost of living in the capital he wanted.
Hastora folded his arms across his chest, trying not to look like someone who was incredibly shocked. He needed to keep his composure.
"I accept," he said in a flat tone.
The old man, looking delighted, ran into his small, shabby shop, leaving other small boxes falling outside.
He took one hundred gold coins kept in a worn leather pouch hanging from his waist, then ran back out with steps much more agile than his age.
"Here, one hundred gold coins," he said, handing the pouch to Hastora.
"Alright, thank you," Hastora replied, taking the pouch with a skilled hand. He felt the weight of the gold coins in the pouch. This was truly a lot of money.
Hastora stepped out of the building, leaving the bustling trading place.
"This is perfect," he said to himself.
He now had five hundred gold coins. One hundred coins from the trunk of the stolen carriage - he didn't feel guilty about it at all - and four hundred gold coins from gambling some time ago, an unexpected stroke of luck.
This money was enough. He could survive for a year - no, maybe two years with this much money. He didn't need to think about money anymore.
As he walked, a question suddenly popped into his mind; Where would he go now?
Hastora had arrived in the Eldoria Imperial Capital, the center of power and wealth. He had a lot of money, but what good was it if he didn't have a goal? Adventure? Work? Become a criminal? It was all useless. He needed a place that was relaxing, but also profitable.
Working in the Black Market? No, that was boring. Working in the adventurer's guild? Too troublesome. He needed something that suited his calm but profit-hungry soul. There was only one place that came to mind: The Academy.
That was the perfect place. He could relax while studying, and opportunities for unexpected profits were also wide open.
The students who entered the academy would stay there, they would also get missions three times a week - missions that could be used to enrich himself, in a clever way, of course.
The lessons there were also very easy. Hastora, the tyrannical demon lord - the one who would change this world in any way - had already learned all that 20,000 years ago.
Easy lessons like that wouldn't give him any trouble. He just needed to pretend to learn, then take advantage of the missions that would be given to him to move more freely.
He would also stay there, so he wouldn't have to buy a house that he would only live in for a while.
Hastora snapped his fingers, "perfect. I'll enter the academy," he said softly. "But, which academy?"
Hastora was currently in the Eldoria Empire. Here there were many cities with famous academies, such as the Aurellium Academy in the city of Cyndrelis, the second largest city in the empire. Many upper-class nobles entered there, because Aurellium was one of the three most famous academies.
However, that place was too far. Hastora didn't want to bother - bother traveling far just to enter the academy.
Then, there were two more famous academies that came to mind: Velmora Grand Academy in Astoria (the imperial capital), and Veridian Academy in the city of Solvane (the third largest city).
Solvane was located near the capital. Veridian, ranked third in the empire, was famous for its battlemages who had great endurance and attack.
Aurellium was famous for its fast and aggressive battlemages, fighting in the brutal Tempest arena.
Velmora Grand Academy, famous for its intelligent and skilled students, trained to devise effective war strategies. They wore black and dark blue uniforms with silver stripes, and a winged crown emblem embroidered on their left chest.
Aurellium had a storm emblem embroidered on their left chest - while Veridian had a sacred tree emblem embroidered on their left chest.
All three academies were great, but only one caught Hastora's attention. That is...
Velmora Grand Academy.
Velmora Grand Academy caught Hastora's attention because of its location in the capital, close to where he was now. Hastora's age was 15 years old, the minimum age to enter the academy.
Perfect! He had enough money, even more to enter Velmora Grand Academy. But there was one thing that was a bit troublesome... The nobles.
At the academy, noble status was not that important, all students were equal. However, arrogant nobles often bullied those who were weaker.
Hastora, who currently had the status of a commoner, would surely be an easy target. That was a bit troublesome, but he wouldn't give up his intention to enter Velmora Grand Academy.
He would instill a deep sense of fear in those who dared to bother him. He wouldn't hesitate to break bones or even kill them, without anyone knowing.
That was the perfect nature of a tyrant. Cold, calm, and Machiavellian - that was Hastora's true nature.
He didn't care about the fate of others, he wouldn't hesitate to manipulate anyone to achieve his goals. That nature was important for survival 20,000 years ago, and it was still relevant today.
Hastora closed his eyes for a moment, sighing. "I'll enroll in the academy - this is the only perfect place for my current condition," he said.
Registration would open in two days. He would enter as a first-year student.
As he was about to leave the Black Market, Hastora heard the sound of footsteps. He reflexively attacked the source of the sound using a black sphere created using his magic,
"Who's there?"
A man with a black cat mask appeared from behind a dark alley. He was about 1.78 meters tall, slightly shorter than Hastora who was 1.80 meters tall.
"Whoa whoa... I'm caught, huh?" The man laughed, his voice muffled by his mask.
"You seem excited, kid. What's up?" He approached Hastora, the look in his eyes behind the mask was hard to guess.
"I heard you're planning to enroll in the academy?"
Hastora frowned, feeling suspicious of the man. He pulled his sword out from behind the shadows, intending to kill him.
"Sorry... But, you'll end up here," Hastora said.
Hastora coated his sword with aura. Strong energy radiated from his sword, making the surrounding area chaotic.
But, the man didn't run or attack at all. He just stood calmly, without showing any suspicious movements.
Hastora didn't feel any danger from the man, he put his sword back into the shadows.
"What's your purpose?" Hastora asked, his voice flat and calm.
Hastora added, "I don't feel any intent to kill from you."
The man laughed heartily, he held his stomach with both arms.
"Your mind is terrible," he said. "How could you think I would kill you?"
Hastora replied, "I just have to be wary of suspicious things."
"You're right, it's natural for you to think that," he replied.
"So, what's your purpose? Stranger?" Hastora asked, curious.
"I just want you to cooperate with me," the man replied frankly.
Hastora raised his eyebrows, "huh? Why? We've only met for the first time."
"I felt a strange energy radiating from your body, so I followed you," he replied.
"So you've been watching me since the beginning?" Hastora asked, his gaze flat and cold - it was visible in his eyes.
"That's right, I've been watching you since the first time you came here," the man replied.
Hastora didn't feel any lies from the man. He put both arms in his pants pockets.
"Cooperate? For what?"
"I want you to do a secret mission."
Hastora stepped closer to the man. He didn't show any intention to kill, feeling a little interested in the mission.
"What is it?" he asked.
"At the academy later, all the students there will be given a mission three times a week," he replied.
The man added, "I want you to do a secret mission while you're doing the mission given by the academy."
"Sorry, but I also have an important goal in every mission given by the academy later," Hastora replied.
Hastora added, "I'll separate myself from them by taking advantage of a little chaos."
"Interesting... But, I won't give you the mission for free," the man said.
Hastora raised both eyebrows, a little interested in the offer given by the man.
"So, what are you going to give?" Hastora asked.
"Anything," the man replied, "I'll give you anything you want."
"I accept," Hastora replied.
The man smiled thinly from behind his mask, then stepped back a little.
"Alright, follow me," he said, walking towards a place - followed by Hastora from behind.
The man walked through a dark, quiet, and empty alley. Soon, a little bright light could be seen from the end of the dark alley -
"Our destination is there," the man said, pointing to the end of the alley.
They both quickened their pace. When they got there, the blinding bright light from the gold-made hanging lamps illuminated the entire area there.
The place was crowded, they all seemed to be partying. The men and women there didn't seem to be wearing cat masks, unlike the people outside earlier.
"Why don't they wear masks?" Hastora asked.
"This is our headquarters," the man replied.
The man added, "The people here are also important people - unlike the ones outside."
"So?"
"So, they all don't need to wear masks to hide their identities - because there are no outsiders inside here" was the reply. "Come on, follow me."
"Where to?" Hastora asked, curious.
"Don't ask too many questions, just follow."
Hastora didn't feel any intention to kill from the man, 'he doesn't seem suspicious' he thought - then followed him from behind.
They both climbed the stairs one by one to the upper floor, and walked towards a room.
"We're here," the man said.
The man opened the door of the room, then stepped inside.
"Come on," he said.
Hearing that, Hastora also entered the room. It was dark, there was no light at all until the man turned on the light.
"It's bright now," he said.
"Why did you turn off the lights in this room?" Hastora asked.
"Nothing special, it's all just a matter of security," he replied.
The man walked towards a work desk that was there. The desk was black with a few gold stripes.
"Sit down on that chair," the man said, pointing to a chair in front of him.
Hastora sat down, he put both arms on the table - then looked at the man with a flat expression.
"So, what's up? Didn't I accept your offer?"
To be continued in the next chapter…