Story 2 Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 3: Deal with the Dragon.
- Mathias -
I looked at the giant dragon turned red headed punk wondering what was going on in his mind as I waited for his words.
"Become my minion." He spoke.
"Fuck off." I automatically reacted.
"Hah!" The guy's mouth hung open from the reply and to some extent I was surprised by my own reply.
"Reflex Action." I said awkwardly.
"So you don't want to be my minion?" He asked, crossing his arms staring me down.
"No." This time I replied firmly.
"Do you know that many people would give up everything to take this position?"
"Then go and ask them."
We stared down at each other for a while as my heart was beating harder with each passing second. I will not be a minion for anyone. I don't know why but just the notion of such a thing made me feel repulsed. It might have something to do with my Dragon Nature. Whatever it was, I knew that I would not become his minion. If there's a fight for that and I get beaten to the pulp, then so be it.
It has been the same way since I was reborn. I was somehow aware that people would be out to kill me if my identity was revealed and thus I hid it. I still felt danger but… fear was a different thing. I didn't feel a single bit of fear even when I was staring down Sirzechs' when I first met him or when I first asked Tiamat to join my peerage. It was just this way and I guess I never really thought about it before this moment. Was this because I had experienced death once? Maybe, who knows?
He suddenly sighed out loud and sat back. "Well, I was hoping that worked. It would have been easier if it did. Your dragon blood is thicker than I expected. Whatever, it's not like I didn't expect this either. Well, then how about a business proposition?"
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Grow these Dragon Apples for me. The stronger the variety, the better. If you have something that's good for Dragons especially, throw those in return I will pay you with something good once in a while."
"That's pretty vague, you know."
"I am a Dragon, not a businessman who knows how to haggle. Whatever I bring, will be worth it for you. Also, know what… I'll throw in a surprise gift too. This is my deal. Take it or leave it." He stared at me.
At times like this I wished I had learned Senjutsu from somewhere. Then again, I doubt Senjutsu would be useful against him.
"One favour. I want one favour outside of whatever you want. I know the levels to which my crops can grow and I know that even you have some idea about it."
"As long as it's not too much, I can agree." He thought for a second and replied.
"We have a deal then." I agreed too.
"Deal." He replied back.
…
…
"I feel like I did something very ridiculous just now but I somehow don't realize it yet."
"Yeah, it will come to you soon enough." He dawdled as he brought a plate in front of me with another heap of Dragon Apples and started gulping them one by one..
"So, what was that about becoming your minion?" I asked as I picked up an apple for myself.
"I was thinking about taking you as a minion. I have your back and in return you produce the apples for me. You know, like the Yakuza thing. Would have saved me trying to find something for you every time." He replied from between his bites.
"So you were basically trying to shrug off work?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Had to try it at least. I had to see through many movies to learn about negotiations. You would be surprised to know that this is the first one I have been in."
"Really?" I asked, actually surprised.
"Being the strongest being in this world basically gets me what I want just by putting my hand on it which is rarely anything. I don't think anyone except those guys from the Hindu Pantheon or Ophis would even dare to deny it. But then again, Ophis is a child who doesn't even understand what she wants and I never had any altercations with the Hindu Pantheon."
"The Hindu Pantheon is that strong?"
"The Trimurti are some of the oldest Gods who still exist with all of their power intact. Primordials like them from other Pantheons have decayed or downright disappeared after not being able to hold on. When someone lives that long, they obviously are not exactly normal. Moreover, they have their trump cards too. People talk about the Trimurti but no one talks about their wives. Do you think three beings like those three would have normal wives? Primordials like Izanagi, Tiamat, Gaia in their prime would give you an idea about how dangerous those women can be. Sure, I could take them all on my own, but… I will have to use too much effort and I will not escape unscathed either. It would be a pyrrhic victory at best. It's not really worth that much trouble, not to mention the world would probably be a heap of ashes by the time the fight is over." He spoke while continuing his work on the apples.
"I knew those guys were strong but still… that's insane!" I exclaimed.
"What do you expect? They are basically the only faction with little to no infighting. Other factions were more or less born and gained power by killing their parents. The Greeks were like that. The Shinto ruined by Egyptians were similar. The Norse were somewhat sane due to Odin keeping things on a tight leash but even they have Loki. The Abrhamic factions had Lucifer and the Fallen Angels. Even a Dragon Goddess like Tiamat was killed and had her powers taken by her children while her womb was sealed by Yahweh inside the Annihilation Maker."
"Wait what! The Annihilation Maker has Tiamat's womb?" I asked incredulously as I realized that the guy in front of me had been present as the history in this world was made. He would know things that are only myths for others. Even just the knowledge from him would be worth more for many people than all the gold in this world.
"Oh yeah. Tiamat was called the 'Mud of Creation'. She gave birth to monsters. Does it sound similar to anything? Yahweh collected her womb sealed by the Mesopamian Gods after Azazel had burned Babylon and made it into one of his trinkets later. After her death, I had collected the leftover energy from her and shaped it into a hatchling in hopes that it would grow to the heights of her predecessor one day. You are welcome." He said the last part with a smirk to me.
Of course he knew about Tiamat and my relationship.
"Anyways, after the Primordials of the Factions became weakened or were killed, they fought amongst themselves and even with other factions, causing severe casualties among them. The poor Aztecs and American Pantheons were hunted down and their powers usurped by other pantheons. The humans more or less stopped believing in them didn't help either. Also, Gods rarely ever train to become stronger. But hey, who am I to say anything about that? The Hindu Pantheon survived all that due to their main three Gods standing like a firm wall against any such thing and thus their current strength." He explained the story in detail further and I listened to it in rapt attention. The story of how Izanami was locked in a cave to Yomi by her husband or how Ouranos was neutered or when Prometheus gave fire to humans.
We talked a lot about things that I had no idea even existed.
How the Top Ten Strongest Beings list that people knew was just a joke and a far cry from the real list. He did point out that there were no females on that list which was suspicious in itself. It was more of what was out for the people to see. Some places had more than one being tied for a position and some just didn't appear on the list at all.
He finally collected half of the Dragon Apples in the farm.
"This will last me for a while. Now for your surprise gift."
He cut his finger and blood seeped from the cut and turned into a mist rushing towards me and entering my body.
And then I felt it. Pain… pain as if my blood was being boiled, my bones being broken down and reshaped. I fell to my knees and clutched my chest.
"Ah, I should have thought about it. This is the first time I have done something like this. Don't worry, the pain will go away soon and you will thank me later. Okay, see you later then. Live well."
All I could do in reply was shout as my body turned into my dragon form and I became unconscious.
I woke up and found myself on a patch of charred land. The fire must have been hot because the soil had glazed over as glass had formed on the top.
I was completely naked. And suddenly I remembered why I was there. I looked at my body, checking if something was wrong with me.
I found no harm and quickly checked my Status. The results were… .
Host: Mathias Buné
Title: The Poor Noble, Pure Blooded Devil, The Farmer
Age: 14 years old.
Body: B[C+]
Mind: B[C+]
Spirit: B[C+]
Magic: B[C+]
Luck: C+
Skills:
Buné Clan Trait:
Dragon Taming: B[C+]
Dragonification: B[C+]
Dragonfire: B[C+]
Dragon's Aura: B[C+]
Dream Manipulation: E+
Zagan Clan Trait:
Life Magic: C+
Magic:
Teleportation: C+
Bounded Field Creation: C+
Memory Alteration: C-
Barrier Magic: C
Martial Arts: C+
Touki: B+[C+]
Abnormality Resistance: B[C+]
Farm Management
Farm Rank: C
Farming Points: 520,076.
Money: 14,488,000Ⱡ
Shop
Inventory
… Wow.
Suddenly all the urge I had to curse at the annoying dragon vanished as I looked at the change in my stats.
This increase is freaking insane.
It kinda sucks that my Farm Rank is capping my strength. Still, I feel much stronger than before. Several of my Stats have actually jumped into the Satan Class and some have even entered into the B+ Rank. The new Skills are super useful too.
Abnormality Resistance is almost always helpful and Dream Manipulation is something that I still need to explore.
I noticed the table he had made last night still being present and found two things there.
First, the plate where he was eating apples and second was a letter right under it.
I opened the letter and it basically stated that he used a method that would increase my Dragon Aspect rather than increasing my Dragon Blood. It was done so that I don't become a Dragon-Devil Hybrid. It's quite similar to Ophis' snakes but this one used his blood and thus was permanent.
This made it painful.
The area was surrounded by a mist-like barrier which prevented the nearby farm and trees from being harmed.
The guy was at least this thoughtful.
I walked out from the place and the mist dispersed and so did the table and other furniture made by him behind me.
I still needed to check all the changes personally and experience it for myself.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I looked at my now sharper features. My hair was slightly redder and the golden colour of my eyes was even more pronounced with a shine to it.
I think I grew a few centimetres in height too.
The biggest change was in my Dragon form which had undergone a massive change. I could already change into my complete Dragon form by the time I was D Ranked in my Dragonification Skill. The increased Ranks just increased the power of my Dragon Form with every level.
This time though the change was a lot more in terms of how I looked. From being a dragon that walked on all fours, I became a bipedal type of Dragon. Some of the protective scales on my joints and important parts had changed into plates of golden colour and even spikes with my scales looked much shinier and redder looking.
As for the power behind my attacks. The potency of the attacks were a lot better than before. My Dragonfire especially was stronger than before to a frankly insane degree. I didn't get to test out the full extent of it because a peak Ultimate Class Dragon going on a rampage is extremely destructive. I don't think my farm would be able to take it, so I controlled myself somehow.
"So, what happened to you? You look somewhat different today." Tiamat asked me, staring at me suspiciously.
"I think I hit puberty. Dragon Puberty maybe. Hits just as hard as normal ones, I tell ya." I joked and she rolled her eyes but didn't push.
"Tia."
"Hmm."
"I might have found some information about….your mother."
Her hand stopped as she looked at me with no expression on her face. I continued. "She… Her womb is sealed inside the Annihilation Maker. I don't know if you knew this or not but I thought I should tell you in case you didn't know. Sorry to bring back bad memories."
She didn't reply for a few moments but then answered after sighing a little. "I don't have any bad memories. I don't have any memories about her. I will try to see if I can find the next user of the Annihilation Maker and communicate with her leftover consciousness. Who told you about this? I don't think the Annihilation Maker users have ever communicated with its spirit."
"The annoying guy is my new customer. I don't think I should reveal his name without his permission but he claimed to have collected the leftover energy of your mother to form a new hatchling to see if it could reach the heights that her mother had achieved. He wants me to grow Dragon Apples for him."
It should be enough for her to figure out and know how much to speak about this to others.
She looked thoughtful for a moment and then her eyes widened and I think for the first time I saw Tiamat with such a wide-mouthed reaction.
She then stared at me grabbing me by my cheeks and stared deeply into my eyes, her nose barely an inch from my face. She smelled like Dragon Apples. It felt warm.
She was still looking at me closely and I was feeling a bit awkward so I spoke to break her out of her stupor. "You know, going to first base directly without even going on a date. I am quite fine with it. Still, the talk of Dragons being aggressive was all true."
She realised the position she was in but instead of blushing or anything, she scoffed. "If I wanted to get to any bases, I would do so. I wouldn't stop an inch from it."
"And I wouldn't mind it either."
"Says the brat who hit puberty today."
"I guess it is a sign."
"Still after me I see. And here I thought you lost interest in me after you stopped asking me to become your queen."
"Why would I ever lose interest in you? As for that, you already told me the condition for it. I will follow it. No point in annoying you with my continuous requests anymore."
She looked at me and then her lips curved into a hint of a smile. "You are a hundred years too early to beat me, brat."
"Aye, then I just have to work harder, I guess."
"When you get time from your farming."
"Farming is not just farming, Tia. This is an act that makes a normal man achieve feats of Gods. Creating life. Each farmer gives lives to their crops and helps sustain several others. It is not just Farming, it's a way of living. This is what makes me… well me."
She quieted down a bit. "Creating life, huh."
She got lost in her thoughts and I left her to it. The reveal must have been a lot for her. She needed her time too.
I looked at the newly prepared and planted piece of land in front of my eyes. This should be enough to keep the Dragon satiated. The orchard covered an area of over eight hundred hectares and had only Dragon Apples. This much stock would rival Tannin's produce in a few years. It took me two weeks to get this done even when I had transferred a lot of my workforce to this job.
Life's weird.
Who would have thought that the first real customer I get in this world will be The Dragon of Dreams?
As for him knowing about me being a reincarnator. Well, what can I do about it? I mean there's literally nothing I could do about it so why care? Just accept the situation and move on.
The only thing I can do is farm peacefully and become stronger. The fact that his request aligns with my normal work just makes it an even better deal.
"How do you keep doing this work all the time? Don't you get bored?" My newest friend Armin asked me while looking at the stretch of land in front of us. He however was doing his own work, painting the scene of one of my dryads working on the plants. He likes painting and my farm is beautiful. It's obvious that he would like it here.
"You have to try it to know. Why don't you try it sometimes? It serves as good training." I said putting down the shovel.
He took a few steps back and looked at the painting and then at the scene in front of him and nodded.
"Tilling fields for hours straight? I would understand if you used magic but you don't even do that. I agree this would be good for your body but how much would that carry you forward? Magic is one of the gifts of the Devil race. Aren't you ignoring it?" He asked in a genuinely confused tone. The best thing I felt about him was that he was not condescending about anything, no matter how mundane or ordinary it seemed. It might be due to him being mocked before for having a simple thing like painting as a hobby and even wanting to make it a career choice.
I looked back at the soft spoken guy I was growing to be fond of as my first friend in this world. I guess I will break that misconception and share some of the goodness with him.
I picked up the shovel and raised it towards him. "Here, pick it up. Try shovelling just one hectare of land. You can use magic but you need to use this shovel. Go on, give it a good hard swing."
"Why not just use magic to till the land? Why even use this shovel?" he asked but came forward nonetheless.
That changed as soon as he held the shovel and I let go of the handle. He fell down gripping the shovel, his hand buried in the dirt beneath us.
He tried to pick it up with brute strength but could barely make it shake, forcing him to use his demonic power to reinforce himself to pick up the shovel, only to drop it again after picking it up for a few moments.
"What kind of monstrosity is this! How much does this thing even weigh?" He asked looking at the shovel as if it was a joke and then he looked at my smiling face and pointed a finger at me. "Yeah, a joke. You are joking with me. How could it weigh so much? Is it gravity magic? That's quite advanced I agree…"
"There are a bunch of tools in that box over there. Go and pick any one of them and see if this was a joke."
He stopped the sentence and stared at me for a few moments and then without a word went up to the box to pick up the hoe… and could barely move it. He tried the same with other farm tools and got the same result every time. All the tools were of similar weight.
All my new tools were bought from the Farmer System. They are made to be nigh unbreakable and suitable for specific grades. The ones I am using are made for C Ranked beings. Each one of them weighs two tons.
I have to reinforce my muscles to use them for an extended period of time.
"Demonic Power is not suited for growing several crops. Especially in this land where the land is already saturated with Demonic Power." I spoke when he finally stopped his tries and looked blankly at me. "This led me to use tools with bare hands when I started farming. But normal tools get degraded very quickly and the costs increase. So, I got these. They are extremely resistant to demonic power and very hardy. I used to use the lighter models. These weigh two tons a piece. I started with one hundred and twenty kilograms each and reached this level. When I get used to them, I upgrade to a new one. These require me to constantly use my Demonic Power to reinforce my muscles so that I don't get tired easily. It's a very good way to train my Demonic Power output and control. Your Barrier Magic works on a similar principle. I think this could help you too. So," I summoned several boxes of tools. "Pick the one suitable for you and get working. Trust me, food tastes the best after getting exhausted from hard work. Who knows… maybe you will grow some muscles and stop looking like a sissy." I teased.
The guy just looked at me and the tools for a few moments and then shook his head with a smile as he picked up one of the lighter ones and got to work on an empty patch of land.
"At least I don't look like a brute."
"Hey, I look ruggedly handsome."
"And I prefer being called… refined."
"Yeah, whatever goes for sissy in your language."
"Says the brute."
We bickered while working on the field. I was glad to have shown another person the true path.
- One Year Later -
A year had passed since I roped Armin into working in the fields with me.
The year had gone by quite peacefully and I got two regular visitors to my farm now. Well, three if we count Tiamat.
The new visitor was the one who was chowing down on the veg burger in front of him as if this was his last meal of the year. Armin looked at the boy and chuckled as he picked up barbecued veggies and some cheese rabbit meat on his plate.
"You know, you look quite similar to him, the first few months after eating the food."
"I most certainly did not. I just missed the food because I was not allowed to bring them to our home. My Elder brother made it plenty clear that the food was not to be taken back home. Not my favourite ones at least. I am just waiting for two years and four months to pass quickly so that you can come out and announce your identity and I can get my favourite dishes at home."
"Ah, you hurt me Armin. Are you not worried that people will come out to try and kill me as soon as the news is revealed?"
He made an innocent looking face, tilting his head slightly. "Why would I be worried for the attackers? They chose to attack a monster in a Devil's skin on their own. Let them suffer their stupidity."
I scoffed at his comment.
"Is there a monster in the area, Big Brother?" Sairaorg asked, looking up from his food and Armin smirked.
"Yes. There's a big bad red haired monster in this place. He's strong, very strong. He eats any intruder who tries to harm this farm." Armin wove the story for the extremely innocent Sai and I merely shook my head.
Sai had started coming here soon after he got sent off to stay on the outskirts of the Bael territory. He actually flew the distance because he couldn't teleport due to his lack of Demonic Power. He will be getting his peerage members to teleport him when he gets one but he hasn't recruited anyone yet.
That said, he followed me around like a puppy and even joined Armin and me in our training, which was the great art of farming. This has been going on for an entire year already. The guy trains until he drops, eats and meditates and then trains again until he falls unconscious. One infuriating thing was that no one fucking cares where he goes or what he does since his mother had fallen caught the sleeping sickness. He goes back every week or so to check up on her but the rest of the time, he's become more or less a resident of this place.
I informed Sirzechs about it and he talked it out with others a bit. Apparently Venelana is covering for him now and Mathers takes care of his transportation.
He actually encouraged me to help Sairaorg out a bit because the boy was almost alone in the Bael territory.
In this past year, I spent my time learning more new skills because my existing skills were already at the top.
The new skill from Great Red, Dream Manipulation was similar to an Illusion Skill. It starts with basic Illusions to high level shit like Tsukiyomi and such if I wanted to.
Tiamat asked me to keep that specific Skill as a last resort because of potential problems. Great Red can practically spam Izanagi without getting eye-pox on his arms. An Illusion over reality. That's one of the things that makes him so annoyingly difficult to defeat. Well, only one of the things. There are obviously a number of other things too. Reality Bending being one of them. Overwhelming levels of power another
I am obviously not even close to it. To be honest, I'm not the sneaky Illusion type of guy. I am still trying to master it, because why not? I have time. I have the power. So why not?
I have learned Spatial Magic. It was basically to hide my Farm by creating different dimensions for my farm. I had to brute force it to be honest. I was not really good at it so I had to upgrade it using the Farming Points after getting it to the most basic level. I am just waiting for the next Farm upgrade before trying anything else.
It was just two months ago that I finally got enough points for the next upgrade.
It took around two and a half years for my farm to reach this level. Still the B Ranked Farm Upgrade was every bit worth it. It finally let me use all of the powers I had.
Host: Mathias Buné
Title: The Poor Noble, Pure Blooded Devil, The Farmer
Age: 15 years old.
Body: B
Mind: B
Spirit: B
Magic: B
Luck: C+
Skills:
Buné Clan Trait:
Dragon Taming: B
Dragonification: B
Dragonfire: B
Dragon's Aura: B
Dream Manipulation: C+
Zagan Clan Trait:
Life Magic: B-
Magic:
Teleportation: C+
Bounded Field Creation: C+
Memory Alteration: C+
Barrier Magic: C+
Spatial Magic: C+
Martial Arts: C+
Touki: B+
Abnormality Resistance: B
Farm Management
Farm Rank: B
Farming Points: 12,076.
Money: 25,488,000Ⱡ
Shop
Inventory
The next farm Upgrade requires 10 Million Points and some other requirements for the Farm.
Still I could now use all the power I had gotten in this time.
The crops give better produce with each increase in rank. It's just that they take longer to grow. Thus it took me around eight months to get from D Rank to C Rank and two years and eight months to get from C Rank to B Rank. The next upgrade will likely take me around four or so years at the very least.
This Farm Upgrade gave me a lot to work with too.
The Function I got from this was to create artificial biomes. Basically I can create artificial environments in any of my farm areas, including tundras that were at sub-zero temperatures to volcanoes with temperatures over thousand degrees easily.
It even provided plants that can grow in such biomes. Some plants need to be sown in the walls of active volcanoes and be submerged with magma for them to grow. The B Rank Stuff was getting insane. I even saw some more of the Toriko world's plants.
It was time to create the new Space Pockets for my Farms. The Real Farm needs to be hidden from others.
Too much work to do.
- Armin -
Armin teleported back to his home. The new weights were straining his muscles but the last barbecue was so worth it.
If someone heard the Heir of the Glasya-Labolas working in the fields like a common peasant just for some barbecue at the end of the day, they would probably get their ears checked.
Those fools however didn't know about the anomaly that was Mathias Buné and the taste of the produce in his farm.
He hadn't been kidding when he said that he was seriously waiting for Mathias to turn of age just so that he could have his favourite dishes at home.
Armin remembered the odd boy he had met in a party over a year ago after hearing Zephyrdor and his dumb friends had just made fun of someone.
The boy had laughed it off. Armin had always been taught to read other people and think logically by his family. He couldn't find a trace of malice in the boy which got his attention. Him conversing with the young former heir of the Bael was also a point of curiosity. The Bael had all but isolated the boy because of his inability to use Demonic Power and the other houses did the same, fearing the anger of the Bael. Not that there were many who thought well of the boy in the first place due to the very same reasons. The only ones who didn't change their behaviour towards him were the select few who could stand against Lord Bael like the Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth, Agares, etc.
As he stayed in the party with the infamous Farmer Noble, he found the boy truly refreshing after having been forced to bear the parties with arrogant little schmucks for so long.
Then came him giving a Dragon to his teacher's daughter… just because she was his teacher's daughter. Back then he had thought that the guy was an excellent liar because he couldn't detect a single hint of any lie from him or just a fool.
It would take him several more meetings to realise that the guy simply didn't care. He didn't care what others thought of him. Not to say that he would behave badly. He just didn't care if they mocked his way of life, his farm or him as a peasant.
The guy was even proud to call himself a farmer.
Most of all, he had been one of the very few people who had actually supported him in his painting career. That's when Armin decided to become friends with Mathias Buné.
And till now he thanked his past self for making such a decision.
As he stayed with the boy, he realised that the guy was more, much more than he or anyone else for that matter knew about. His brother, Satan Falbium Asmodeus had explained the circumstances when he had become fast friends with the guy. They were keeping this a secret for his safety. The Heir of both King Zagan and Duke Buné Houses with both Clan Traits. Yeah, he understood the need for such measures, especially considering what he now knew about the guy.
The discovery about the farming tools had left him with a completely different view about Mathias. The guy was not wasting his time like others thought. He was using every waking instant of his time to train. He had ingrained all his training into his farming. It was a genius way to train once he understood it all and it was evident because to this day, he has never won a single spar against Mathias. He who had been trained by special teachers and peerage members of Satan Asmodeus and was praised all along, lost and kept losing to a self taught teenager went to show that Mathias was doing something right.
"Armin." He heard a voice as he was heading towards his room. Looking around, he saw his father, sitting with his teacher.
In the corner of the room, he saw Zephyrdor smirking at him but just ignored it.
He was already tired for today and didn't have the energy to waste with this guy.
"Yes Father? Good evening, teacher." he bowed slightly towards his teacher.
"In half a year, you will be coming of age and making a debut in the Rating Games. I think you should be aware of this fact."
He nodded and his father continued.
"I have been hearing reports about long periods of disappearances for the last year. I don't want or even like to interfere in your matters but it has been pointed out to me that you haven't recruited any members for your peerage in all this time. I have given you all the freedom you have asked for and in return all I have asked for is that you keep the honour of our House. The Rating Games debut will be essential for your successful entry to the High Class Devil Society. A win is the only thing I expect as a loss would make people question your eligibility. Obviously such things can be fixed but this news always gets out sooner or later. You understand this right?" His father asked and he nodded. He did understand where his father was coming from.
"So, tell me what have you done in the past year?"
"I have been paying attention to my training, father. I wish to get stronger before I recruit any peerage member so as to be more efficient with my Evil Pieces."
"That's a wise choice, but a single piece cannot win a war. I know and approve of your decision, but I need to see that you have a good plan for the future. Accompany Edward for a spar and show me your progress. Let me see the results of your training. Show me an adequate result and I will agree with your method."
Ahh, a spar at this time. He hadn't fought with Edward for over a year. His teacher was an excellent fighter. Still, the condition was to give his father a good show, not defeat Edward. He should be able to do it.
He shook his head and stood against his teacher in the training grounds of his family as his father stood on the other end of the ground watching the spar.
"Young Master. Please pay attention. I expect that you will give it your all and not disappoint the Master."
He nodded slightly absent-mindedly. He was quite tired from the day's work.
He looked at Edward and he was moving slowly, much slower than he remembered him.
Wait. Was Edward holding back? Damn, did his teacher think that Armin had been skipping training and was holding back to cover for him?
It was a tad bit touching and insulting at the same time. In any case, Armin was not the kind of a guy who liked to win like this.
He kicked the ground and quickly appeared in front of his teacher. He would give his teacher a good fight and then win his father's approval.
With this thought in mind, he punched towards his teacher's stomach. He watched as his teacher's eyes widened and he defended quickly, a barrier circle forming almost instantly before his stomach. He increased the force behind the punch.
The punch clashed with the barrier and it was crushed as if glass as the punch connected with Edward's gut and he flew off, crashing on the other side of the training ground.
He waited for him to get up. Edward was really bad at acting. Did he think his father would be convinced by this? That level of Barrier Magic wouldn't even stop a fly.
It's just that Edward seemed really into the acting as he didn't get up at all and Armin felt a headache. He needed to put a show and go back and rest and here his teacher was wasting their time with subpar acting. There was no way his father would….
"Edward!" His father shouted and Armin's jaw fell as he watched his father calling for servants and sending Edward back to be treated. What the heaven!?
His father apparently didn't notice his stunned look and nodded towards him. "I see your training is coming out well. At this rate, I don't think I need to worry about the future of the house."
"Father but Edward…"
"Edward misjudged and paid the price. In real life battles, such things are normal. Both of us understand this. You don't have to feel guilty about it."
Feel guilty about being handed over the win by his teacher faking an injury. Now even his Father was feeling pity for him.
Shit. Somehow the taste of his favourite barbecue wasn't as good anymore. It seems he will have to increase his training once more. Mathias would easily agree to a spar.
Yeah. Maybe he would increase the amount of land he worked on everyday for the next few months.
- Mathias -
Sai left home with Mathers and I took some time to rest. I did exactly that and took a long nap.
I wasn't worried about my Farm's animals because two of my Dryads had reached C+ Rank and over a dozen more were in the C Rank. I still needed to work on my Hunter Squads but I think even then, my Farm is quite well protected unless someone extremely strong comes over to pick a fight. But if that's the case, me being asleep or awake wouldn't matter.
What I didn't expect was waking up to three girls and a cardboard box with red eyes staring at me.
The girls were looking at me expectantly while the box was trying to appear unsuspicious but was failing miserably.
One of the girls had purple hair while the other two had blonde hair. The purple haired girl and one of the blonde ones looked around sixteen or seventeen while the other blonde girl looked around ten. I had no idea about how the one inside the cardboard box looked and yet I was almost sure about the identity of the one inside the cardboard box unlike the other three.
"I can only think of one being who could and would pull something like this, but I would still like to know. How did you all get inside?" I asked and checked, finding none of the barriers even tipped off slightly from the intrusion. I mean I knew who had done so and it was still frustrating to find that my barriers couldn't even detect the guy. Stopping him was a futile effort, I knew that much.
The purple haired girl timidly brought up a letter which looked extremely familiar and passed it over to me.
I opened it and read the contents.
This should keep me covered for a few decades. They are members for your peerage. I made some changes in your Evil Pieces and you can reincarnate them easily. You are welcome.
Oh and I also left a gift for the Dragoness you are trying to court. Good Luck with her.
P.S. I have taken my payment.
P.P.S. I will take my payment every year like this, so keep them prepared. Also, the new variety of apples were much better.
The Most Awesome,
Great Red.
Hah. I knew it.
"So, did a red haired guy send you all here? On that topic, I don't even know your names?" I used 'Observe' and suddenly understood why Great Red was like that.
Ingvild Leviathan[Rank B]
Lavinia Reni[Rank C]
Valerie Tepes[Rank F]
Gasper Vladi[Rank E]
"I am Ingvild." I saw how she hid her last name but didn't blame her for it.
"Valerie and this is my friend Gasper."
"Lavinia Reni."
The purple haired girl, whom I now knew as Ingvild, shook her head. "I had a dream where you helped me. A voice said that you needed help."
….
I looked at the others and they nodded. Even the cardboard box shook.
Valerie added. "It said that if we needed a place to live, you would give us one."
Lavinia was the quietest one but spoke too. "My Teacher doesn't need me anymore. She even pretended to be killed to get rid of me. The voice showed me everything and offered a place to live. It said you needed someone to help you."
… what the fuck, Red?
Are you emotionally blackmailing me?
Just how many things did you mess with to get them here?
"Umm, do you not need us here?" Valerie asked, a bit afraid.
I took a deep breath. "The voice you heard was of a friend… yeah, I guess you can call him that. He was kinda correct. I did need some helpers and I also needed members for my peerage. It's time I started recruiting. I don't want to pressure you all though. You can stay here and work on my farm with me. If anyone of you likes, they can join my peerage. If not, you can still stay here and work as long as you want. I will give you all salaries regardless. You two however," I looked at Valerie and Gasper. "Need to study and exercise a bit and become stronger."
"Umm Sir." Ingvild started to speak but I stopped her.
"Just call me Mathias. I don't like being called Sir or Master or anything like that. The last person who called me those things, kinda poisoned me and I haven't had anyone working for me since then. It brings back a lot of bad memories."
"We would never…"
"I am not saying you would, just that it brings back a lot of bad memories. Any questions?"
"Umm." Valerie raised a hand. "What do we need to do?"
"You two will need to study and train. Farm work is hard. Learn to take care of flowers in the Garden and help out the animals. I will introduce you to everyone today. You two," I looked at Lavinia and Ingvild. "I would need to know your skills. We will decide what work you will do after that." I couldn't tell them that I knew them from my memories. That would be super creepy.
"I-I agree to be your peerage member… if you will have me. Gasper will join you too."
I sighed a little, went ahead and patted her head. I felt a slight disturbance in the world and realised that it was Gasper's Sacred Gear activating. I looked at the box and slowly kneeled in front of it.
"I-I am sorry. I am sorrryyyyyyyyyyyy. I didn't mean ittttttt." The one inside the box cried out in panic.
"I know. Don't worry about it. We sometimes get too excited or just upset and it can lead to such things."
"Y-you are not affected by it? You didn't stop."
"I am strong." I replied, flexing my biceps. "I understand your situation. I also have a similar problem. I used to turn into a Dragon when I got too angry. You just need to learn to control it. I will not say that it will be easy but… I will sit with you every time you mess up until you are able to control it perfectly. You will not be alone in this… scary world. Is that alright with you, Gasper?"
"R-really?"
"Promise." I put a hand forward and slowly a hand came out of the cardboard box and touched it.
The time went back to normal once more.
I then went on to explain about my farm to all of them while I prepared enough food for them to eat. I will have to introduce Sai to them when he arrives.
Well, at least it will get lively around here soon.
I showed the newcomers around the farm. Ingvild took a liking to the Water Area and Lavinia was just working around with the Dryads to manage the Hunting Squads. The Tri-hounds had taken a great liking to the girl. Valerie and Gasper were working in the garden where I had planted some Blood Berries. These berries help recover blood when eaten. It was used for treating any of my Hunting Squad if they needed it but they can be used for other living organisms too. Apparently Valerie and Gasper were attracted to it, what with being a Damphir and all. Good thing, I didn't have to worry about their food.
It was time for harvesting the new crops.
The Farm Upgrade had left me almost without any stock. Whatever I had was just enough to feed the Ranch Animals.
The B Rank Upgrade was something I had been waiting for a long time because it had the Pet I needed. I couldn't get a higher ranked pet than my Farm Rank. The one I needed had a newborn at B Rank, so I had to avoid the temptation to use the ticket earlier. But another requirement for this Pet was the humongous amounts of food it needs to grow.
Like the amounts almost made my knees weak when I saw it the first time… but despite everything, it was still worth it.
I have been stocking up on its feed for over two years now so that I don't run out when I finally get it.
Finally, after today's harvest, I can get it.
The newcomers all seem to have issues of their own. Ingvild doesn't have any family members she remembered from before going to sleep(at least no one that wouldn't try to kill her).
Lavinia was just plain heartbroken at her teacher giving her up.
Valerie and Gasper were happy and scared. Happy that they got out of their prisons and scared that they might be thrown out by me if I didn't find them useful. The second part made me sigh.
Great Red apparently led them here and told them that they would find a place to stay here. Not exactly a lie but still… I have a feeling that I am being cheated somewhere.
I mean fine… I agree that I will be happier with some people living around. Sai alone living here made the place brighter. That said, the guy was a training freak, and coming from me… that's saying a lot.
Having some pretty faces around is not something I would say no to.
These people needed homes and I needed people to help out. It works out too well. Shit, I can't even find a fault with the overgrown reptile for doing this.
Today, however, I was going to do something else first.
I took the orb left by Great Red as a gift for Tiamat.
Tiamat had been out for a few days and had only returned today and I was waiting for her to visit.
And my wait didn't last long as I felt her arrival near my resting place.
I went towards her and saw her watching the new girls. She saw me approaching and opened the conversation first. "New helpers?"
"Umm. They were sent here by the annoying guy in return for the apples. You might have already noticed that the trees were suddenly empty."
Her eyes widened for a bare fraction of a second before she controlled it and took another look at the four.
"Two vampires, a devil, no, a half devil and a human girl."
"Each with a Longinus or similar level Sacred Gear." And for the second time, I saw Tiamat surprised. "By the way, here. I think I should give this to you." I handed her the orb.
She took it and looked at it carefully.
"What is this?" She asked, not understanding what the object was.
"Annihilation Maker. Press it on your chest and it will be transferred to you."
Her eyes trembled. In all this time, the only thing I have seen affect Tiamat was anything related to her mother.
"You are giving this to me? You understand what this is right? With your situation, this would help you a lot. It might be exactly the thing you need to advance your Life Magic to the next stage. You even want to defeat me. This will make your job several times harder. Did you even think about this?" She asked me, her voice shaking towards the end.
"I did. Sure it would help me out a lot and probably even solve several of my problems, letting me live a longer life, but… I would always have to live knowing that I sacrificed my first friend's happiness to achieve it. The thought itself leaves me quite bitter. I don't want to experience it. I mean losing my sleep for hopefully a long life over some quick increase in power. You know, how much I like my naps. This is something belonging to your mother. Probably one of the last things in this world. For me, it might just be a way to quickly get some power but for you… it is beyond it. So, stop worrying about me and take it already." I took the orb and pressed it on the centre of her chest and the orb shattered, enveloping the Dragoness in a blue light.
Her form started to change and soon enough there was a magnificent Blue Scaled Dragoness in front of me.
Her aura was stronger, much stronger than before.
I used my Observe and the results caught even me off guard.
[Tiamat, Rank: A-]
She directly jumped into the level of a Heavenly Dragon and even now her aura wasn't stabilised. She might become even stronger when her aura stabilises.
- Tiamat -
This feeling was unlike any she had felt before. She somehow felt more… complete. Like something that had been taken away from her, that she didn't even know was just returned to her. Her power was not stable yet she could feel that she would become even stronger once she controlled all of this.
Long ago, she had tried every way she could think of to use the Life and Creation Magic of her mother but was unsuccessful. She was mocked by many but she always beat them up. But at the end of it, she had given up.
She had chosen to wield her fire and make it capable of destroying all life instead. Fire that brings chaos, giving her the title of the Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat. And she became successful in this. Her flames were strong enough to rival that of that muscle-head Ddraig.
But now, she felt it. The power bubbling inside her. The essence of this power was completely different from what she had before. It was completely different from her chaotic flames. This one was like water. Soft and yet strong. Malleable and yet stubborn. A force that can bring about both life and destruction.
She finally understood it, The truth. It all began in the water and it would all end in water. It is the all birthing mother and an all devouring serpent. This was the power of the Dragon Goddess, of her mother, Tiamat.
A roar of freedom escaped from her throat and sounded through the entire area. The barriers of the Farm contained most of it but it still caused several of the stronger Demonic Beasts to run back away towards the Pits while the weaker ones just fainted.
Finally remembering something, she turned back into her human form and looked at the boy who had given her this life changing gift just smiling at her. No hidden pretences, genuine happiness for her and felt warmth bubbling in her heart.
The guy had pestered her religiously for two years to become his queen and when he was so near the goal(She could sense how strong he had become due to some of her treasures), he gave it all up just to see her happy. He could have easily given her this after he had made her his queen or not given her anything at all. She couldn't have blamed him for it. She understood what the Annihilation Maker represented. It was a power that could make even a normal Human rival beings like her. For someone of his level of strength, he would have reached the Levels of Sirzechs and Ajuka, making a place for himself in the Underworld in one fell swoop but he gave it all up for her.
She tried repeatedly to search for any kind of deception but didn't find any.
She stood in front of the boy. The other helpers in the farm were all looking from a distance, shaken at the sudden change.
"You are a fool." She snapped at the boy.
The blunt fool just smiled innocently at her. "Tia, I think your roar did a number on my ears. You are saying thank you but I am hearing something different. I heard you calling me a fool."
"That's because you are a fool. Bring out your Evil Pieces."
"Huh."
"Bring out your Evil Pieces. Be quick. I haven't had my breakfast yet and am getting hungry."
He brought out a case of Evil Pieces and opened them suddenly pausing and staring at the set.
She went forward and took a look.
"So, this is what he meant by changing my pieces."
All the pieces were a darker shade, a deep crimson colour.
Mutated Pieces.
She picked up the Queen Piece and handed it to him. "Use it on me."
The boy's smile disappeared and he stared straight into her eyes. "No. I haven't defeated you. You gave me a condition. I am not backing out."
She let out a sigh as she had already expected that response.
"I gave you a condition and I am changing it now."
"No take backsies."
She massaged her head and let out a sigh as she spoke again. "If you don't use it now, there is a chance that I might develop Divinity and it would never be usable. The Evil Pieces are not usable in Gods."
"Doesn't matter. I will lose then." He replied although she noticed the slight bit of sadness in the voice.
She knew how stubborn the boy was and thought of a different settlement. "Then I suggest a middle road. Make me your Queen now. You will however not get to call me a Queen or order me around until you defeat me in a fight. If you never do that, consider your Queen Piece lost forever. If you lose the bet, there must be some consequences, right? Moreover me gaining the boosts from the Queen Piece will be more difficult to defeat. This will be your penalty." At the end she added something from her side, "Do it for me." and his gaze shook.
He let out a sigh of defeat and looked at her once again. "Are you sure of this?"
"You either are the biggest manipulator in the world or the biggest fool and I am inclined to think it's the latter one. Obviously I am sure about it. Now be quick."
He pouted at her comment but raised the Queen piece and placed it on her chest once more and she felt the changes occur in her. She didn't resist but accepted it and felt the piece merge with her soul.
Two bat-like wings popped out of her back.
And just like that, she, the Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat became a devil.
- Great Red -
He smirked, taking a bite of a Dragon Apple, as he watched Tiamat becoming a Devil. It was the first step in his plan and the world already had a new Heavenly Dragon once more.
He knew that the guy would never go out of his way to interfere in the affairs of others. So, he thought of it from the other way. If he won't go out to seek the intruders, what about the intruders seeking him themselves?
He found people who would play very important roles in the world's future from the memories of Mathias and delivered them to him. They would become strong obviously by staying near the guy and the world would have a force that can defend it. And if someone tried to take them away, they would face a mad dragon's outrage. Either way, the talents of this world would be protected and nurtured as they become stronger to protect the world from any attacks.
A simple but master plan.
Asking the boy to become a minion was as he had already mentioned, was not the way to go around things. If he earned the ire of those two beings, he didn't know what would happen. The world might not even be left for anyone to protect. Thus, he changed the problem on its head and made the boy the centre of the world. If anyone wants to destroy the balance of the world, they will have to face Mathias Buné Zagan. It will make things easier for him to defend.
It was not in his nature to manipulate but it didn't mean that he couldn't do it.
Moreover, was manipulating someone who is actually becoming happier due to it, really bad?
Eh, he didn't care. The guy wouldn't either, knowing and observing him for this long, he knew about his nature closely already.
Also, the deal got him these delicious apples… which was capable of increasing even his power. It might be a drop in an ocean but… even oceans are made up of drops.
Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Author's Note:
So, another chapter of The Farmer.
Mathias had a meeting with Great Red who has a plan. Was it bad? Was it good? Who knows?
I know there will be people bitching about Mathias being manipulated. For those people. Please please PLEASE PLEASE. Stop reading this story right now. It's not for you. We can't always have everything in life and this….this just isn't for you. You are not being forced to read this, so, respectfully….just leave. If I find any future comments of such nature, I can only assume that you are both a masochist.[B:N and an idiot that lacks comprehension?]
In case you think I am overreacting. You can check some of the comments I get on Fanficton . net. You will understand.
Mathias is not a guy to get offended so easily or make everything a dick measuring contest. I prefer a Shanks to a Kaido or Akainu. A guy who can take booze thrown at his face with a smile and even wipe the floor as long as no real damage is caused. If you want a protagonist who kills people for breathing heavily in his direction, go and read Xianxia Novels. There are tons of them to satisfy your fetish.
Things happened in this chapter and you all have already read it. Armin and Sai have gotten roped into the joys of farming. Armin has also been affected by Mathias' simple-mindedness while Sai has dedicated his life to the grind once more.
We finally get some peerage members as well as the Dragon waifu, kinda sorta.
The time skips will last a few more chapters at best. I will try to explain the things properly but Mathias cannot have too many events when he is specifically trying to hide from public eyes. It would kinda ruin the whole point of hiding. We will see the story progress slowly over time. I will start explaining more about the farm now as we are finally getting into the good stuff.
Anyways, Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day. Peace Out.