It's nice to see Rietz making himself at home in Ars' mansion, putting himself to work, getting along well with everyone (and becoming the crush of many of the maids), and instructing Ars
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So not only is the kingdom in dire straights with an eight-year old Emperor and no firm leadership with all the Emperor's retainers seeking power for themselves...but Ars' own domain is dealing with a power struggle between two sons of the governor, with his father and likely himself bound to get caught in the middle. Which makes Ars' duty to bolster their forces even more prescient
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Look at the silhouette of all of Ars' future recruits who you can also see in the OP
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And Raven puts Ars on the path to finding a mage! Which is easier said than done because despite Ars' appraisal skills and all the people in the world, it's not easy finding exceptional people
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I guess good for future reference to know that Rietz will kill anyone for even the slightest disrespect towards Ars...so Ars better stay on his toes and not get fooled by anyone
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It's tough seeing income inequality and slums, and witnessing the kind of squalor people who don't have the same privilege Ars does have to live with, but it just makes Ars even more committed to building a place where even these people are taken care of
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Of course no trip into town is complete without a thief stealing Ars' purse...and it just so happens to be a cute female thief who was in trouble even before she stole from Ars. Luckily Rietz can easily throw hands against some punks
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Charlotte has the makings of an S-tier mage and an exceptional leader, but she has no interest in being the charity case for a noble, and she sees Ars as trying to sway her with money like his kind so often do and dismissing the reality of what people have to go with. A reality Charlotte is well-aware of having lived in the slums, been sold off as a slave, and having to take care of orphans. The only thing Ars can really do is give them his money
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Although Charlotte is certainly prideful, especially when it comes to her looks. Although I guess we know she grows up to have giant boobs, so she definitely has that going for her
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Ars still wants to do right by people like Charlotte and build a better place, though first he'll have to save her from the slave traders
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Cute HanaKana ED! And assuming that girl with Ars is her character, she seems to be his love interest
?