Chapter 29: Mithril Ambition [1]
"Your Grace, here is the recording orb sent by the young master."
The Duke received the small orb handed over by the butler and stared at it intently.
"Yes, this is it."
Recently, when the Duke was briefly away, the warehouse had been raided by Gerhard.
What was taken was the heart of a Saint Bird, a creature as rare as a Phoenix.
It was one of the treasures stored in the first-class warehouse, worth whatever was asked for it.
"You said Hyde took it personally?"
"Yes."
If Hyde had stepped forward, it was Gerhard's will.
Although he had formally submitted a request for removal, Hyde had personally taken it through a teleportation magic circle before approval was granted.
The teleportation magic circle required enormous magic stones and magicians each time it was used. Therefore, even the Duke didn't use it unless it was truly important.
'To use such a teleportation magic circle and take it before formal approval was granted...'
He must have judged it to be an urgent matter.
Both the removal of the spirit medicine and the use of the teleportation magic circle were clearly acts of overstepping authority, but because of this, the Duke chose to overlook it once.
Although he was showing behavior different from usual, the Duke knew that Gerhard wasn't someone who acted recklessly without reason.
Moreover.
"I will definitely bring convincing evidence within a month."
The removal request even included plausible language about providing evidence.
Gerhard never made empty promises. If he said something, he always kept it, and if he couldn't keep it, he wouldn't say it.
That's how he had raised his son.
So he waited, and finally today, a recording orb was delivered.
"But I wonder if this can convince me."
The request stated that he was taking it because it needed to be used in a very important place.
"But then he just gave it to Aint Armian..."
The Duke's eyes sank coldly.
The Armian family. A family that was already half-ruined with only the shell remaining. They had the honor of being the former imperial family and Arch Dukes, but nothing more or less than that.
There was no need to give such a valuable gift while being mindful of the Schwaben family. At least that's what he thought. No, the entire Empire would think so.
But why had Gerhard made such a choice?
"What was Schwaben's reaction?"
"We don't know. Since the young master delivered it so thoroughly, we probably won't know in the future either."
"That's somewhat fortunate."
It was just barely so.
"For now, let's watch this and then think about it. Butler, will you watch with me?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
The Duke injected mana to activate the recording orb.
And then.
"..."
"..."
After checking the recording, the complexions of both the Duke and the butler remained grave for a long time.
***
Gerhard visited the company.
"Build another warehouse on this site and fill it with potions, medical supplies, and relief items."
"Pardon? Why those things all of a sudden...?"
"Because there will be many injured during the exam period. They'll be needed."
"But it's too much to use an entire warehouse... Ah, I apologize. I'll do as you ordered."
The executive, who stopped talking under Gerhard's sharp gaze, hurriedly nodded.
Gerhard didn't blame him. Honestly, if he put himself in the other's position, it was a natural objection.
If he hadn't seen the future, Gerhard wouldn't have done this either.
The descent of Andromalius. This was a small preparation for that day.
"Ah, and here are the documents you requested, young master."
The flustered executive hurriedly handed a stack of documents to Gerhard.
"But why do you suddenly want to become a temporary instructor?"
"I have my reasons. You may leave now."
At Gerhard's dismissal, the executive bowed and left.
"...Yes. There definitely is a reason."
Gerhard took out paper and wrote down the futures that had come to him the night before.
The previous night had been as painfully excruciating as when he was first struck by lightning. But the reward for that pain was unbearably sweet.
"After the futures I already knew ended, the next ones appeared. Will it continue like this from now on?"
Based on the circumstances, it seemed so, but there were also fragmentary futures that had suddenly appeared recently, so it wasn't completely certain.
'In this future, there are four important things.'
Aint becoming a famous figure among first-years and meeting one of his main companions, 'Ariadne Florian'.
First-year integrated field survival class.
Spirit creatures and spirit medicine.
"And mithril."
Aint's meeting with Ariadne was already known, so there was nothing special about it.
What was important was that after the midterm exam, an incident would occur during the first joint class for first-years.
During this process, Aint would meet a spirit creature, obtain spirit medicine, and discover mithril.
Now that he knew these facts, Gerhard couldn't just sit idle.
"I don't need the spirit creature or the spirit medicine."
No, those were things that Aint was supposed to take originally. They were the foundation for his growth to face demons.
"But."
Gerhard circled mithril several times.
"The mithril is mine."
Mithril.
A treasure known as a metal blessed by mana, so rare that its price was whatever was asked.
Because it had excellent mana preservation ability, as well as storage capability and malleability, using mithril allowed for the creation of superior artifacts.
But the abilities of mithril that he had seen through the prophecy book weren't just that.
[- My goodness, a mithril vein.
As the spirit creature collapsed, the rear area crumbled, and through the gap, mithril ores began to appear sporadically.
"We must mine it all, Aint. We can't miss even one!"
"Of course!"]
[- After refining, it will yield about 5kg. An enormous amount.]
[- Mithril is a superior vessel than any other metal. Basically, it holds mana, so it's called a metal blessed by mana. But it's not just that.
"This sword is also an alloy using mithril. Thanks to that, my soul could dwell in it."]
"...A mineral that can hold souls."
Soul magic was a field that was less researched because it was nearly taboo due to its level of danger. That's why no one knew that mithril was a metal that could even hold souls.
From that, Gerhard saw a new possibility.
"If I have this..."
With 5kg of mithril and its new characteristic, the final touch of the merchant's battle he had always only imagined could be completed.
"It's mine."
Any butterfly effect from Aint not obtaining the mithril could be suppressed by providing financial support.
"It must be mine."
His eyes blazed with greed.
***
There was a problem with the first-year knight department's exam, but the midterm exam itself couldn't be eliminated.
Therefore, the academy changed its strategy.
"For this midterm exam, all practical tests have been canceled due to safety concerns. Instead, it has been decided to replace everything with written exams."
"Ah..."
"No way...!"
"There's too much to study...!"
At the professor's words, students clutched their heads in despair.
"Study is something that should be done regularly. This will clearly reveal who the diligent students are."
'This is even better.'
From Gerhard's perspective, it was better.