Let's start with you

Arriving at the Inn, Surya instantly frowned. The ground floor of the Inn was a tavern with a very heavy scent of alcohol.

He could also see all sorts of people sitting there and enjoying their food and drinks but for the most part, it was occupied with brutes who were talking very loud and spoiling the floor and table with a bit of food every time they took a bite.

'I Can't' was his immediate thought before he turned around and instantly left.

'I Just need to sleep for two days anyway, might as well go back to the hospital and stay there'

Following his footsteps back, Surya reached the infirmary. Going to his room, however, he didn't find Noelle there but his sharp eye did catch a blue glitter beside her bed.

Walking up to her bed, he found a small blue hairpin in the shape of 'T', which was the insignia of the House of Silva. He picked up the hairpin and just stored it in his coat's inner pocket and simply sat on his bed as he closed his eyes and relaxed.

This was the first time Surya could actually let his guard down and with peace in his mind, review all that had happened till now in his mind.

'So much has changed…'

Suddenly, as if sensing some changes in him, Eminence vibrated in his soul realm and started sending some thoughts to Surya for the first time.

**blood…..frrghr….blood...**

Listening to their soul weapon asking for blood, most people would be terrified but Surya, on the other hand, was indifferent.

Neither he was elated by the fact that even his soul weapon wanted what he wanted to do and neither was he angry or disturbed by the fact that his soul weapon was making him do something this morally ambiguous.

He slowly and slowly started to feel the hunger of Eminence and soon found that the quickest way for upgrading the sword would be to keep reaping lots and lots of lives.

'Right now I don't have any way to kill people in the capital. Too many unknown variables to consider…..wait..there might just be a way.'

There was no way that Surya could kill anyone inside the capital in front of all the magic knights roaming here and there and he didn't have any battle power to kill a magic knight anyway. He doubted that the blood of any normal civilian would be equal in quality to a magic knight and he couldn't even use one spell from his grimoire.

He had a sword but he didn't know any sword art. He had wind magic but he couldn't form any kind of wind blade to cut a person due to the fact that he had no magic control. All he had was his Soul magic but apart from using it to pressure someone else's soul and doing a couple of mind arts, he knew nothing about the actual use of his soul magic.

So thinking all this, he just started meditating on his bed while trying to sense and control magic in his soul.

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Outside of his room, Noelle Silva was standing. She had sensed Surya's magic which was a little unstable while he was meditating and she was contemplating if she should go inside and face him.

She had gone back to her Mansion but as soon as she reached there, she realized that her hairpin was not on her. She immediately rushed back to the infirmary as that hairpin was of her mother but now standing in front of the door to his room where she most likely lost it, she wasn't confident.

Her mind was just too much in chaos due to self-doubt and misplaced anger and her thoughts were filled with Surya's words.

Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew that what Surya said had some weight but she couldn't help but squash that thought when Solid's taunt came to her mind.

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As soon as Surya started to meditate and control his magic, his magic started to clash with Eminence which was Anti-Magic and started to absorb his magic.

His magic core then started to lash out due to the unstable drainage and this caused Surya to immediately stop the meditation and fall off the bed with a loud 'thud'.

Listening to the loud noise, Noelle instantly rushed inside and seeing Surya's ghastly pale face which was covered with cold sweat, she immediately started to wipe it with her handkerchief while shouting for the healer.

"Revi! Surya has fainted! Please Somebody help."

Immediately, Revi the healer rushed inside the room and checked the barely conscious Surya.

"hmm? His Magic core is almost empty. Did he fight here with someone? But simple exhaustion of magic core won't make anyone like this.

Let him rest for a bit, I'll run some test."

Revi picked up Surya from the ground and made him lie on the bed while she summoned her grimoire and started to cast some spells on him.

While all this was happening, Surya was looking at Revi and Noelle with his half-opened eyes and contemplating something.

He now knew that he can't practice any magic due to Eminence, at least until it doesn't awaken.

He had to use his soul pressure on his mind again to make him lose the meditative state and stop his study which almost overwhelmed him and made him fall.

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'Weird, He doesn't seem to have any other ailment. Well anyway, he should be fine after he rests here a bit.

Noelle felt relief wash over her when she heard that Surya was fine which actually shocked her as she was never a compassionate girl. She wouldn't care about anyone's life and death. She was almost apathetic and didn't place anyone in her eyes, but now, she was relieved to hear that he was fine.

Stopping herself from thinking anything else, she just looked around for her hairpin and when she couldn't find it anywhere in the room, she started to go back, glancing at Surya's sleeping posture one last time before going out.

As soon as Noelle left, Surya completely opened his eyes and started to think

'How can I use her? She has wealth and power but that can go away in the entrance exam if she is unable to perform well like in the manga and ends up in Black Bull. I have clearly made a place for myself in her head just like Fragil. I should make a place for myself in her heart as well.'

If anyone were to have heard Surya's thoughts just now, his fate would have been worse than death and he knew it.

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At night, Surya got up from his bed and equipped Eminence with which he absorbed any residual magic from his person.

He slowly and slowly started to creep out of his room while looking around for any healer with night duty.

Because it was a private quarter, A short healer apprentice was always on the round in case anyone needed him.

'Lets start with you, little one.'

As soon as the healer came near Surya's room, he was suddenly swept up off his feet with a strong gust of wind and before he could know what had transpired, his head flew away from his body, rolling away in the dark of the hallway.

Suddenly, all the blood from his body started to disappear while his soul was snatched away from his body, much like the spells from his grimoire.

This new development left Surya thinking as never before Eminence had taken blood from his victims be it beast or the magic knights he killed in the forest then why now?

Putting the matter aside for the moment, Surya started to slowly and slowly creep towards the other rooms and started to reap the lives of either sedated or asleep patients.

Usually, people keep their grimoire with them but because many were sick here, their grimoires were kept away in the drawer near their bed which none could reach in time in Surya's surprise attacks.

After killing about half of the patients be it man, woman, or a child, Surya felt that Eminence was ready for an upgrade while his grimoire was close to an upgrade too.

He had plucked about a total of Twelve souls from his victims while also taking their spells in his grimoire.

After completing such a massacre with a straight and calculative gaze, Surya very cleverly started to plant some evidence near some of the dead bodies, after which he went towards a room and opened the door to find a bulky magic knight asleep who had a very large broadsword by his bedside.

Summoning his Soul power, he smiled a little while thinking about the practice he did with the tailor on mind arts.

'You will first resist but eventually, confess to all the allegations put on you tomorrow morning.'

And with a sudden jerk, the bulky man's head tensed up and his eyes flew open.

"Who...arghhh…..who are…-"

Before he could even complete his surprised yelling and a knight's reflex to pick his sword, Surya put both his palms on his head and attacked his mind with all the soul force he had.

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Surya came out of his room after a while and simply walked towards his own and closed his eyes after reaching his bed.

'Eminence, you can upgrade now.'

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Next day, Revi came to Surya's room to wake him up and check on his condition but there was something off about her.

"How are you feeling, Surya?"

"A lot better. Thanks for asking"

"Oh, no need for thanks, it's my work. By the way, how did you suddenly collapse yesterday?" she asked with a bit of uneasyness in her eyes.

Surya could tell that she had cried a little and was surprised by the way she was conversing with him so normally.

He had expected the entire capital to blow up in the morning. Instead of Revi, he expected a lot of magic knights coming to him to take his statement but no, it felt like everything was normal.

'Julius must've wanted to deal with this matter silently. Since tomorrow is the entrance exam, suddenly announcing a mass murder in the heart of the country would deal a big blow to their reputation as well as cause some civil unrest.'

Thinking a little, Surya said

"I don't know Ma'am, I was just sitting on my bed when suddenly a very sharp pain arose in my head and my eyes started to cloud."

"Hmm, Alright. Rest here for today and immediately call for me when you feel anything like that again, alright?"

"Sure!"

After Revi exited, Surya closed his eyes and looked inside his soul realm to find Eminence co-existing with his magical core with harmony.

'Now I can train.'

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"I have doubts. A Magic knight of Green Mantis is admitted in the infirmary because of a very light injury.

He then spends an entire day without any visitors and at night he suddenly starts to massacre half the quarters with his broadsword? But Why? He did confess to the crime after our interrogation and all the evidence does point towards him but it seems all too convenient. This is a highly suspicious incident to happen right before the entrance exam for the Magic Knights."

Said Mereoleona Vermillion, the leader of the Royal knights towards the King and Magic Emperor.

"So what are you trying to say here, Miss Vermilion?" Asked the King while Julius narrowed his eyes.

"Sir I believe that this incident was part of some conspiracy. I mean if the news leaks out, then the entire kingdom will be in a state of tension and the neighbouring countries can easily take advantage of this. I believe it to be a terrorist incident."

Julius and King both heard this with a very serious face and nodded in understanding as Julius too felt something was amiss because the reason the culprit gave for this mass murder was a simple "I can't control my lust for blood."

Which was in a very literal sense as almost all the bodies had little to no blood left in them.

"Miss Vermilion. See if you can find out about Blood Magic and Blood rituals." asked Julius with some thought.

"Already did Lord Julius. I have found that the neighbouring Vulture Kingdom specializes in blood magic. And I have also found a blood ritual which can be used with the blood of around ten people. It's purpose is to severely weaken a large number of people in a certain area to quickly kill or subdue them."

"What!! Does that mean that it could be performed on the Castle!!?" shouted the horrified King.

"Yes Lord Augustus, but don't worry, we have made sure that no such ritual is being performed near the castle or anywhere in the capital for that matter. However, outside the capital, I am not too sure." responded Vermilion with a clam face.

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Surya was staring at Noelle who had suddenly come to his room and started staring at him.

She instantly, however, shied away her eyes when Surya too started to stare at her.

"What brings you here, My fair lady?"