Chapter 106. Were We Close?
- Won’t you bring down one mage noble house (名家) with me?
After the Archduchess’s bombshell statement, a heavy silence dropped over the room.
“…….”
The Archduchess sat perfectly still, her hollow eyes holding her counterpart in view.
In truth, it was an extremely dangerous thing to say.
A mage noble house (名家).
No matter that the Archduchess was of the Archducal House of Lamburg—
the legitimate successor of the Duchy of Lamburg—the standing a mage noble house possessed was not something you could simply define as “a family.”
This wasn’t about the size of a territory.
The magical knowledge they had accumulated over long centuries, and the mage corps forged from it—
Regardless of their numbers, in war, it functioned as overwhelming force.
And yet, the Archduchess of Lamburg intended to bring down a mage noble house?
The moment this became known in the streets, it was obvious what would happen: she would be checked and targeted by mage noble houses all across the continent.
It was a stupid remark.
And reckless.
But—
‘…….’
As if she didn’t even realize the weight of her own words, the Archduchess was exactly as usual.
Those characteristically arrogant eyes. That languid air. The expressionless face that looked perfectly calm.
Yet the Archduchess was never reckless.
The speech and behavior that seemed dull. The calm that seemed indifferent—these were an inborn mask.
Her true thoughts were, rather, meticulous.
And several factors fed into why the Archduchess had thrown that bomb at Aster.
First.
The Duchy of Lamburg.
The future she envisioned for Lamburg required a great many outstanding experts.
So—
- That mad teacher…… made an impossible monster.
After witnessing Aster and Destrow’s fierce battle, and then that final spell, it was only natural that the Archduchess would want to recruit him.
Second.
Aster’s physical condition.
Aster?
Impressive.
That pillar of fire that soared toward the sky was on a different track from ordinary magic.
Even the Archduchess herself wasn’t confident she could endure taking that spell head-on. And yet—
- I wish to look him over a bit. Would that be alright?
The state of Aster’s body that the Archduchess had confirmed at the time was a condition no Archmage—no, not even an Archmage’s grandfather—could restore within a short span.
…A shocking proposal.
Reckless, but—
…Silencing the witness (殺人滅口).
Depending on how things went, she could simply erase that mouth—confidence born of that possibility.
Of course, silencing the witness was the worst move.
Schwartz’s senior-junior disciples. No matter how little they hesitated to kill or be killed, and even if Aster wasn’t one of them—
The proof of Sakwol (朔月).
Aster was a man who had received a precious thing that even senior-junior disciples had failed to obtain.
Even if it was only borrowed, was that something you could borrow or lend lightly?
The fury Schwartz would unleash if Aster died would be a burden even for the Archduchess.
But it would only be a burden.
‘It is not something I cannot bear.’
What mattered now was Aster’s reaction.
Even if he wore a mask and she couldn’t read his expression, the first answer that came out—
Everything would be decided by how he responded.
Tap, tap.
“Your answer…… is slow.”
The Archduchess lightly tapped the chair’s armrest, pressing Aster for a reply.
And at the same time—
Tseuzeuzeu.
The core’s magical power moved in secret.
Cold magical power carrying ice warmed up, ready to pierce Aster’s throat at any moment.
It was around then that Aster finally opened his mouth.
“If you say ‘one mage noble house (名家)’…… does that mean you don’t have a specific one in mind?”
“……?”
“Then can I recommend one? There’s this bunch of real bastards called Deculan……”
In the eyes that had been irritated the whole time, a thin glaze of interest settled.
These past few days—only a short span, but the Aster the Archduchess had seen was a man who treated everything carelessly.
But now……
“Or, if we’re going to hit something, huh? Wouldn’t it be better to hit the bigger ones?”
Eyes glittering. As if a fish that was about to die had suddenly become a lively, fresh catch, even his voice brimmed with life.
“…….”
At the completely unexpected reaction, the Archduchess accidentally loosened her grip on her magical power’s reins.
Urk.
Blood surged up to the tip of her chin. It wasn’t severe, so she suppressed it quickly—no, she tried to suppress it, but Aster didn’t give her the space.
“Huh? No? Then the House of Bimarga…… well, they’re gone. Then what about the House of Rockpel? They’re not bad, right? Or maybe……”
Names of mage noble houses spilling out of his mouth one after another.
Strictly speaking, they weren’t mage noble houses.
They called themselves “mage noble houses,” but they were one rank lower—things that couldn’t even stand among true noble houses.
Yet they shared one common point.
All of them……
Were vassal houses of House Deculan—
The greatest mage noble house (名家) on the Eastern Continent.
“…….”
This time, the Archduchess clamped her mouth shut.
But Aster didn’t patiently wait like the Archduchess did.
“No, uh…… did you eat honey or something.”
A jab that flew in immediately.
Kwaddeuk.
Unable to endure it, the Archduchess unconsciously crushed the armrest with a crack.
You heard stories like this sometimes. A guy you can’t stand even when he does nothing. A guy who scratches at your nerves no matter what he says.
“Hey. You can’t hear me? Are your ears gone too? Or at times like this, do you say you ‘ate’ them?”
At some point, his tone had shifted into casual speech.
‘…….’
Inside, the Archduchess calculated furiously.
If she killed that thing—what kind of fury would teacher Schwartz unleash?
How much damage would she have to accept, and what preparations would be needed?
But then—
Was it misfortune, or luck?
Knock, knock.
Someone had come looking for Aster’s room.
Creeeak—
“Hic, Mage-nim, hic, if you’re okay, have a drink with me…… uh…… huh? Huh?”
Plen had stumbled in, thoroughly drunk. In his hands were a bottle and two cups—and the moment he spotted the Archduchess, he startled and backed away.
“Uh, um…… am I interrupting?”
Normally, he would’ve shut the door and left right there, but the drunkenness must have been strong—Plen didn’t reach for the doorknob.
“Should I…… um, step out?”
A will to tilt cups with Aster no matter what, even if it meant interrupting.
A brazen shamelessness—he knew she was the “Archduchess,” and yet he was going to commit rudeness anyway.
A will only the drunken possess.
“I…… hic, I’m going? Hic, leaving?”
As regret flickered through Plen’s eyes, it was the Archduchess who spoke.
“Commander, this is not a situation you are misunderstanding.”
“……Aha!”
Plen’s face brightened at once.
“But…… if you wish to live, you must forget that you ever misunderstood anything at all.”
“Aha…….”
He was so drunk he didn’t even seem to understand what he’d just heard.
As the Archduchess passed Plen, she cast Aster a sidelong glance.
“As for the disciple’s proposal…… I will think on it.”
“Sure…… let’s do that.”
“And…… the disciple would do well to think slowly, too. If you intend to carry out such an undertaking, there is still much time left.”
The Archduchess withdrew, promising the future.
Creeeak, thud.
‘Mage-nim, me, yeah? Today I just can’t, can’t drink alone, you know. Hic.’
The drunkard’s voice came through the door.
The Archduchess took a few steps, then stopped and turned her head.
‘……Deculan?’
That name he spoke without hesitation. House Deculan—the greatest mage noble house on the Eastern Continent, one even the Duchy of Lamburg couldn’t touch lightly.
‘To raise that name so casually…….’
Was this truly someone who bore the proof of Sakwol (朔月)? No—his remark couldn’t be dismissed with something that simple.
Then was it a roundabout refusal? …That wasn’t it either.
- Then can I recommend one? There’s this bunch of real bastards called Deculan……
That look. That air. He hadn’t said it outright, but the atmosphere he gave off was telling her.
If they hit Deculan…… he would step up without hesitation and lend a hand.
He was a man impossible to measure.
But one thing was certain.
‘……I cannot take him in.’
She hadn’t said it aloud, but the “mage noble house” she meant to tear down—her target—was already chosen.
Their intentions didn’t match.
But—
She wasn’t particularly disappointed.
Because through this conversation, the Archduchess had realized something.
‘……A madman.’
She didn’t know his face, and she didn’t know his name, but learning that “there exists a mad wizard” was a considerable gain from the Archduchess’s perspective.
[Person of Interest]
Name: ???
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Traits: Gray hair / no manners
A way of speaking that scratches at your nerves / fire-aspected magical power(?) / indifferent eyes about everything / short
Soon, content to be added to the Duchy of Lamburg’s “Dictionary of Persons of Interest.”
And the danger rating……
Danger Rating: ★★★★★
Five out of five stars.
They said good things invite many demons (好事多魔). That for a good thing to be realized, you must endure many storms.
‘Damn…….’
Creeeak, thud.
After the Archduchess left, I swallowed a curse as I looked at the new uninvited guest.
“Mage-nim, me, yeah? Today I just can’t, can’t drink alone, you know. Hic.”
There isn’t even any good thing—and yet interruptions line up one after another.
There isn’t even anything I want to realize—so why do storms keep crashing down in a row?
“Mage-nim, truly…… yeah? Truly, thank you. Thanks to you, our Victima brothers…… yeah?”
A guy who’s usually dignified had turned into a dog the moment he drank.
He claimed a seat as he pleased, set cups on the table, and then—glug, glug—chugged straight from the bottle.
“Keuh…… Mage-nim, have a drink too, yeah? Hic.”
If he was going to chug by himself, why did he even bring cups?
Still, the lucky part was that Plen was a dog who could play well even alone. Meaning I didn’t have to talk to him—he’d ramble by himself.
“Truly…… truly! Thank you. Sob, sob—our Hallig chief, his humanity’s garbage, a bastard you can’t even deal with…… but still…… he wasn’t someone who deserved to go like that……”
Looks like he had a lot bottled up. At some point he was even crying his eyes out while emptying the bottle……
Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
That’s why the line ‘Were we close?’ rose right up to my chin—and then went back down.
But anyway.
‘That Archduchess…… if you’re going to be crazy, be crazy nicely.’
A mage noble house? Damn it, her intentions are obvious. Who is she trying to use as a hound?
And……
‘My condition might be bad, but it’s not like my senses are dulled.’
She probably thought she was hiding her killing intent, but she couldn’t fool my perception.
How dare she—huh? Where—huh? In front of an Archmage so lofty as the sky…… well, still only half-baked. No, not even half—more like a quarter of half, but—
Anyway, to pull a stunt like that in front of an Archmage.
Still, I was a little disappointed.
‘If the Duchy and Deculan went at it, it would’ve been worth watching.’
A duchy—meaning, a group a notch below a kingdom. But it’s still plainly recognized as a nation.
Honestly, I was curious.
House Deculan. I know they’re strong, but how well could they fight against a duchy?
‘Fights like that are fun just to watch.’
But judging by the mood, it didn’t feel like my wish would come true.
It was like a meeting that lost its steam.
Well, anyway.
I decided that my meeting with the Archduchess would end here.
From the look of it, we wouldn’t get tangled up again right away, and she didn’t seem like she’d bother me any further.
The problem in front of me was that guy.
“And hic—there’s a guy named Kasen. He was real trash. But even so, there’s no way he deserved to go like that……”
Starting with “Hallig chief,” Plen listed mercenaries of the Second Base Camp one by one.
Even if I didn’t listen, he’d keep going on and on.
And the content was almost always the same. Only the name changed—he’d start with “he was trash,” then end with “but even so, he didn’t deserve to go like that.”
The line ‘You don’t remember all the members anyway, do you?’ rose to my chin and went back down—my little secret.
But—
‘What do I do with this guy.’
I stared at the dog-like bastard.
If I left him alone, he’d insult every single Second Base Camp member he could remember—however many that was—right out of his own mouth.
But kicking him out felt too miserable, too pathetic.
Even for me, I didn’t want to throw out a wounded man by beating him into it. It wasn’t like I had to comfort him, either—if he wanted to heal by vomiting out his emotions himself, fine.
Still—
‘Were we…… this close?’—that question surging right up to my chin couldn’t be helped.
But…… there was something I’d overlooked.
“So, Mage-nim, I…… uup, uhp—!”
“Y-you dog—!”
The thing rising up to my chin wasn’t only mine.
Good things invite many demons (好事多魔). It really was a damned day where all I could see was demons (魔).
The problem was……
‘These damned mercenaries.’
The sun had only just started to set.
Night in Hamelin Great Forest comes faster than elsewhere. The current time was only five—barely, barely early evening.
Anyway.
“Uhp, uuhp!”
Hands moving like lightning. First, I covered that mouth, then immediately rubbed his stomach.
Thud, thud.
Two hits to the solar plexus.
Tap.
One hit to the back of the neck.
Sluuump.
Thankfully, Plen swallowed whatever it was without puking. I carefully sat the limp, corpse(?) bastard down outside the door.
Like an animal marking territory.
—If you come, you die like this.
A totem, maybe.
……But why?
It didn’t seem to have any effect. No—if anything, it seemed to have the opposite effect.
“Wahahaha! On a day like today, you gotta drink, huh? I’ll tell you the recipe for Aviot’s liquor!”
Because the real rush of uninvited guests began only after I set up the totem.
