Lucas was about to ask for a glass of wine when he stopped himself. “Actually, I had a question, Hermann.”

“What’s that, sir?” Hermann responded.

“Who is Isabel?” Lucas asked, watching Hermann’s face drain of color as the words left his mouth.

Hermann gulped. “Mister Lucas . . . I believe that is not an appropriate question to ask.”

“Hmm . . . is that so?” Lucas scratched his chin, thinking about the reaction. Hermann had instantly gone from a healthy color to that of a ghost, but the young waitress who was constantly in his shadow hadn’t reacted at all. Is Isabel a point of shame for her too? Or was it before her time? His eyes darted between the two incredibly different expressions. “Then do you know if Sir Kegan has a wife? Or perhaps an heir?”

“I’ll bring you a glass of wine and some cheese, Mister Lucas.” Hermann gave a weak smile before quickly turning away and departing.

There is definitely more to the story than what’s recorded in this journal. Lucas wanted to investigate further—his curiosity burning like an itch he couldn’t properly scratch once again—but he resisted. He still had work to do if he was ever going to be a proper villain.

Chapter 4

Character Name: Lucas

Level: -66

Hit Points: 150

Arcane Energy: 200

Stamina: 100

Holy Energy: Class Locked

Current Class: Mage

Stats:

Arcanum [increases Arcane Energy by 10 per point]: 10

Holy [No Effect/Class Locked]: 0

Athletics [increases Stamina by 10 per point]: 0

Fortitude [increases Hit Points by 1% per point]: 0

Charisma: 30

Luck: 0

Unspent: 10

Current Elemental Attunement:

None

Combat Proficiencies:

None

Nick and Bonnie finished their shopping spree before Lucas finished creating a fake accounting book. Nick looked the same as ever, but he was now holding a brand-new Mage staff that was clearly one of the player-made staves sold at the auction house for beginners. Bonnie, on the other hand, had gone from wearing a loose-fitting, blue shirt that showed off her cleavage anytime she dared to move to a tight-fitting, white button-up shirt held firmly against her by a leather corset that matched her black leather pants. A new knife in a sheath sat strapped to her thigh, although this one had a black-leather-wrapped pommel instead of the metal one he had seen earlier. She also had several rings on her fingers.

“Enchanted?” Lucas asked, pointing toward one of the rings.

“No, I just wanted to make sure that I’d be able to leave a signature on his face if I caught someone leering,” Bonnie said with a grin.

“Mine is,” Nick chimed in, taking out another staff that was identical to his. “I got an extra one if you want. Only two gold pieces.”

“Sure.” Lucas handed over the gold and took the new magic staff from him. “Where’d you get that kind of a deal?” Lucas asked as he held the weapon and inspected the spell list.