15

The journey to wherever the knights were taking Mason was quiet for a while. From their direction of travel , it seemed like they were going back to Berlin.

" Is there a reason why knights wearing mythril armour are escorting me back to the academy?" Mason asked , probing for information.

" Nobody said that you were going back to the academy." A knight whose name was Jason replied.

A few days later Mason found himself on a rather large estate just outside Berlin surrounded by meticulously groomed bushes .

The walls were painted in a pristine white and blue paint with golden finishes.

Mason could see many workers tending to the large property and many knights standing guard. These knights were different from the other guards he had faced against, they were stronger , at least as strong as the red Lion executives.

Mason was then led to a room where he would freshen up before being led to his host .

He went into the bathroom and took a long cold shower while thinking of what the reason why he had been invited to such opulent estate.

After dressing up Mason was led into a conference room , there he saw three men sitting.

From their dressing,he could assume that one of them was military and the others were bureaucrats.

" Herr Mason, it is nice to have you with us . I am Erik von Kufstein." He then pointed at the remaining two men sitting opposite him.

" This is Colonel Fredrick and Count Ronan. We've heard about your exploits in the anti slavery taskforce and we are here to offer up an invitation to you. We want you to work for us ."

" You have all told me your names but I would really need to know you before I can make any decisions regarding employment." Mason replied.

The men exchanged glances between themselves then the Colonel decided to answer him . Afterall their existence was not a secret.

" We belong to a group of nobles that believe in absolute monarchy and that the imperial family should reserve the rights to rule Prussia. We call ourselves the imperialists and like us there are two other factions, the noble faction who want the imperial family to be puppets under the purview of the nobility. In other words they want to turn the emperor into a puppet.

Then finally there is the neutral faction, the nobles who are neither supporting the imperial or noble factions. "

Mason took a deep breath before replying,

" Thank you for the clarification Colonel and in light of this exposition I humbly decline your invite."

" You haven't even heard our provisions before declining." Count Ronan replied.

" I'm sorry but my loyalty is to the empire and not to any family, individual or faction. I hope you understand." Mason said respectfully.

Mason was finally handed back his equipment and sent on his way . The anti slavery taskforce had been disbanded so he was going back to the academy.

After providing funds for his Russian and Asian counterparts Mason exchanged the remaining of his materials for cash about three million marks .

Aside from noble children, Mason could be counted among the well to do of his age . The money he had now was enough to help him start up when he left the academy.

When he arrived back at the academy, he was no longer the unknown student sitting in the corner of the classroom, he was now well known throughout the school both for his brutal and quick battle tactics and the rumors surrounding both his work and his origins.

Most people claimed that he was the illegitimate son of a noble house and had been taught rune magic since was little and that was what made his work unique but Mason knew that he was just different from the rest of them , both from his mindset and knowledge.

Since his return, the deans and the top faculty members have been struggling to take him under their wing . These people were also involved in the faction politics of the empire so having a very talented individual in their corner was a great advantage .

But Mason wasn't interested in getting involved with politics, he knew how sly politicians were and they were always watching out for theirselves. But things did not always go as planned.

Despite all his restrictions, he still got dragged into the politics of the empire.

Just two weeks after he came back from the anti slavery taskforce, he was called into the deans office again.

When he came in , he didn't see the dean rather he saw a man with a buzz cut clean shaven face and his attire and demeanor screamed perfection.

" Good afternoon sir , I was here to see the dean . Do you perhaps know when he would be back?" Mason asked , it was not wise for him to antagonize someone he hadn't met before.

" Herr Mason, I would be blunt. The emperor requires that you serve the empire with you abilities and that is why I have been sent to you as your handler. Since you have shown great promise, you will not longer be a student in this academy, rather you will be given free access to any material that you will need as long as it is reasonable. "

" I suppose I can't refuse this offer?" Mason asked and the man shook his head .

In a world where the human rights had not yet been established, Mason would be seeking death if he openly went against the imperial family, a family that could publicly murder him and receive no backlash from the public.

The only thing he could actually do for himself was to use this opportunity to further his research and rid the earth of the demons.

Mason then picked up a pen and paper and started writing down a list of demands.

He needed a secluded place for work , a team of well trained guards , some assistants and no restrictions on his mobility and scope of his work.