Chapter 141: Training (2)
“Isn’t that too grandiose?”
In Hadekain, the Yukline Castle.
Yeriel was a little disconcerted when she met Deculein upon his return to the estate because of the mentors that he recruited for the Yukline Magic Training.
“…This is the tail wagging the dog. You didn’t even think about how much money it would cost, did you? Did you give all of the down payment by family check?”
This training wasn’t a very important event. Rather, it was only a part of the Yukline sponsorship policy. In addition to wizards, there were many remaining sponsorship schedules, such as knights, painters, musicians, and many others. But if he hired Bercht’s elder…
“It’s good enough because it’s Yukline.”
The Lord, Deculein, asserted himself. Yeriel pouted, but she had no choice but to stop complaining about what he said next.
“Be proud of your family.”
“…”
That caused Yeriel pain. It hurt as bad as if he had dug her heart out with a chisel.
“…Still, this old man Gindalf has a bad relationship with us.”
Yeriel forcibly twisted the topic. She wasn’t childish enough to express her pain.
“It’s all in the past.”
“…You said you would never forget.”
Deculein took a sip of tea without a further word. Yeriel, who was reading his face, spoke.
“But, you know? Because of this, there are so many applicants for this training. So, I’m thinking of taking other wizards besides the University ones.”
“Do you mean adventurers?”
“Yeah. The world is changing fast. Considering the Underground Passage, we should keep our relationship with the Adventure Guild as good as possible. If we give them access to the training, they will like it too.”
From the moment the training expenses increased this much, Yeriel had only compensated the investment in her mind. She said support, but it was an intangible investment.
“I’ll leave it to you. Young people will be better able to adapt to the rapidly changing world.”
“…What’s with that? You’re young enough, aren’t you?”
Then, with a small smile, Deculein stood from the lord’s seat. Yeriel was stunned for a moment by his faint smile, but she quickly ran and got the lord’s seatback.
“I will go.”
“Huh? …Yeah.”
Yeriel watched Deculein’s back as he left.
“…”
Although she somehow managed to hide her cold and sore heart.
Slam-
The moment the office door closed, Yeriel felt nauseous.
“Ugh!”
She ran to the bathroom, grabbed onto the toilet, and vomited.
Blaaaargh—!
She spat up the contents of her stomach, though she hadn’t even eaten much in the morning. Once, twice, three times, four times. Vomiting until pale bile came out, she leaned her frail body against the wall.
“Kek… hah.”
Every day. It was hard to live as if nothing had happened. It was hard to bear the fact that she wasn’t Yukline. Of course, she smiled nonetheless and worked hard for the estate and the vassals, but…
Deculein was not her blood relative.
‘I’m not a Yukline.’
That fact did not change.
“Really…”
Did her mother cheat, or did her father accept them knowingly?
“…Why?”
However, whatever happened, even though Deculein knew that. Although he had known it for a long time, he still…
—Yeriel will be still Yeriel.
A voice imprinted in her memory. Deculein’s trembling voice.
“…Sniff.”
Yeriel wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She washed her face before more tears flowed, then returned, as if nothing had happened, and sat in the Lord’s chair.
Knock, knock-
“Yeah. Come in.”
It was the butler. He, who had been with Yukline for multiple generations, presented a stack of documents to Yeriel.
“What is this now?”
“The wave of monsters are not far away. This is a request for cooperation from the Imperial family.”
“Oh yeah?”
Yeriel, scanning the contents, frowned.
“They want quite a lot.”
“Yes. It seems that the Imperial family is also watching the development of Yukline these days.”
Hadekain and Yukline were enjoying an unprecedented boom in recent years. Of course, they were a family that had been counted as one of the most famous wizard families since long ago, but they were around the 4th or 5th place in terms of the overall family hierarchy.
But these days, the reconstruction of the Underground Passage, the progress of various manufacturing industries, the development of the family magic tower and the family knights, and the Rohalak concentration camp received almost unlimited support from the imperial family. Of course, it was not without its side effects.
Some monsters and beasts come out of the Underground Passage, alongside astronomical industrial investment costs and fraudsters who would take advantage of them given any chance. The steady guerrilla terrorism from the Demon Bloods and the inevitable checks of the central political system also couldn’t be forgotten. But since it was all something Yeriel and her staff had foreseen, the countermeasures were clear.
“Why don’t you pay everything like this? Let’s not be bothered. Pay in cash.”
“Yes, my lady. What about the bribe to the center?”
“Hmm. Give it to…”
Push the priesthood or the Imperial power? This was another problem. During the predecessor’s period, they were placed in imperial power and suffered a great disadvantage…
“Shall we go with the imperial court? I’ve heard something interesting from an insider.”
“Yes.”
It would be different this time around. The current Emperor, Sophien, didn’t seem the type to trust her ministers.
“Oh, right. How is the ‘divorce’ going?”
There was one more piece of good news. That woman, Julie, a thorn in her eyes, fell into the abyss.
“You can’t bring in a corrupt knight as a companion, can you?”
“Yes. We are discussing it, but it is still stagnant. We must have the permission of the elders of the family.”
“Tsk. Really? But seeing that Deculein didn’t do anything, she’s probably out of his mind.”
Was she abandoned by Deculein because of her sin, or did she end up refusing him and was swept away? The latter was more convincing for Yeriel, who still remembered the old Deculein, but any reason was good. There was no benefit for Yukline to be married to Freyden in the first place.
“Okay then. You can go.”
“Yes.”
Yeriel sent the old butler back. She remained alone in the spacious office and closed her eyes. She still felt nauseous, as if her intestines were all twisted, but it should be okay.
“…It’s okay.”
‘If only I endure. If only I endure.’
Nothing would change.
‘I don’t have to suffer like this. No, I don’t deserve it. Deculein must have already gone through this rough process. He must have accepted me as Yeriel in the end after more anguish than this….’
“Ugh… haah.”
Yeriel swallowed back rising nausea.
* * *
Meanwhile, Epherene finished her training preparations. She sent all of her luggage to Lake Isle, nearly completed the thesis submitted to Deculein, and passed the exam with a near-perfect score. So now…
“Now! One special Roahawk!”
Epherene met with the club members in the 「Pig’s Flower」. Julia, Rondo, Ferit and the rest. It had been a while since the whole group gathered.
“Woah-!”
The special was literally a whole roasted Roahawk. Epherene took the legs first.
“Oh, right. Ifi.”
“Huh?”
Julia grabbed her attention while Epherene ripped off the meat.
“How are you going to take care of the public support?”
Public support. This was a required course for magic tower wizards. As soon as winter began and the migration started, the wizards stopped researching for a while and were called out to care for the Monster Waves. Public support was largely divided into civil support, which was relatively safe, and firepower support, which was dangerous but helpful for one’s career.
“Well. Maybe I will follow the Professor.”
“Professor Deculein?”
“Yeah. And you guys?”
Epherene finished a leg the size of a man’s forearm in just 3 minutes.
“I’m going back to our territory to provide private support.”
“Me too.”
The commoners, Ferit and Rondo, who entered the university on a scholarship from their rural estates, had a particular destination already in mind.
“Uh-huh~, I see~.”
Julia looked to Epherene.
“Where is Professor Deculein going?”
“Gulp— Well? I don’t know yet. I heard that it was the last test for the selection of the chairman.”
“Huh. Really? Then, the training-“
“Don’t talk to me. I have to eat.”
Epherene indulged herself in earnest. The Roahawk she ate after a long time was truly heavenly…
The moment she was diligently moving her jaw-
—The Roahawk I ate with the Professor was the most delicious.
“What’s up, Ifi?”
“Huh? Oh… it’s nothing. Let’s just eat.”
She again focused on the meal set before her as the voice suddenly sank to the bottom of her consciousness.
“Oh, this is good.”
Epherene simply shoved the Roahawk into her inflated cheeks with a happy, satisfied expression.
* * *
…Lake Island was an island within a lake. Its diameter and depth were too grand for a lake, but it was classified as such because it was located in the center of the continent.
“…”
There were many such mysterious areas in the territory of Yukline, but for now, I was fishing on the shore of Lake Island. Sitting with a fishing rod imbued with Midas’ Hand and a chair carved with my aesthetic sense.
Tweet— Tweet—
The forest birds were chirping, and the lakeside reflecting the sunlight was as clear and brilliant as an emerald.
Bubble-
Occasionally a bite came. I caught a fish by adjusting the fishing rod with the Psychokinesis.
──「Mizo」──
◆ Information
: A rare fish that lives only in clear lakes. For the sake of this fish’s ecosystem, the Yukline family ordered a ban on fishing. If you are going to go fishing, be careful.
◆ Category
: Miscellaneous goods ⊃ Food
◆ Special effects
: When consumed, increases mana slightly. (However, the greater the mana, the less the effect.)
─────────
It was a rare fish full of mana. Of course, it would go up by a decimal point, at most ten, but it was better than not going up at all. I put the fish in the net.
“Fishing, is it fun?”
I didn’t respond but threw the outline again. Soon after, Deputy Director Primienne appeared.
“I didn’t know you enjoyed fishing.”
“…”
As she said, there weren’t many hobbies that I could tolerate. Chess, reading, horseback riding, art, and fishing. Although I was obsessed with dignity and cleanliness, I did not mind fishing, probably because the last Emperor, Crebaim’s, hobby was fishing.
“What’s going on?”
“This is a discussion about Sylvia.”
I made another chair with a quick spell for Primienne to sit on.
“The Mana Degree of the entity created by Sylvia is beyond imagination. That in itself is dangerous. I also confirmed that Sylvia has a grudge against you.”
“…A grudge.”
“Yes. It seems Idnik has revealed everything to Sylvia. A killing aura has been detected in Sylvia’s mana pulse.”
“Hmm. I see you haven’t neglected to monitor all this time.”
“Professor, I’m not joking. It’s much higher than level green. In addition to red surveillance, the upper management is also considering dispatching spies from the intelligence service.”
I looked toward the lakeshore without saying a word. Sylvia of Iliade, a wizard born with the greatest talent in this world. And her mother, Sierra. The memory was incomplete in my head.
“Primienne. I killed Sierra.”
“Yes. That doesn’t mean you have to die as well.”
I nodded.
“Of course. But…”
In an instant, my temple was pounding. Sierra’s voice, which I had never heard before, penetrated my ears.
—Deculein, there is nothing wrong with you. So don’t hate yourself too much…
To the murderer who strangled her, in a warm tone that said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you.’ So unusually kind.
“…I may pity the child.”
“That poor kid can kill you.”
I shook my head.
“Will she be happy if she kills me?”
“It’s an emotional question that doesn’t suit you.”
I looked back at Primienne. Her expression was the same as usual, but her displeasure was made visible.
“It’s just a question. Maybe that child is someone who hates me and will live with it.”
“Well. If she doesn’t hate the man who killed her mother, then she’s not just crazy. It would be abnormal.”
“Hmm.”
There was no wound in Deculein’s personality. I didn’t care if anyone hated me to the point of madness or wished to kill me. No one in this world could scratch this hard ego. That was why he remained a villain.
I smiled a little.
“Leave Sylvia alone. Her blade will only reach me. There is no need for you guys to provoke her by sacrificing yourselves.”
In the first place, excuses or escapism did not fit my personality, and if Sylvia grew up hating me, that was also beneficial to this world. There was no harm in it.
“…”
Primienne didn’t say anything, but I could tell wasn’t impressed with my words. It was snowing on the lakeshore. Primienne stared into the gently falling snow.
“Huh. Does it snow in this lake too? I’ve heard it never snows in this area.”
“…”
That’s right. The climate near the islands of this lake was mild all year round. So it never snowed…
Suddenly, a sentence popped into my mind.
“Wait.”
I picked up the book I had left by the chair and found a page.
[ …The wizard who was fishing on the shore confessed his feelings to the agent who suddenly appeared. Then, snow began to fall on the lake that never saw snow. ]
“…”
I looked around without a word, but there was no one except Primienne.
“Primienne.”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever read this book?”
I showed her the book Blue Eyes. She nodded, checking the cover.
“Yes. It’s the most popular book in the Public Security Bureau’s library, so they bought twenty copies.”
* * *
-Will that child be happy if she kills me?
…Watching him from the distant sky, listening to him, taking his voice in, Sylvia thought.
– It’s just a question. Maybe that child is someone who hates me and will live with it.
‘I hate you. Hate you. I’m resentful. But if I kill you, what will be left of my life?’
—Well. If she doesn’t hate the man who killed her mother, then she’s not just crazy. It would be abnormal.
‘Well. If so, that’s enough. But why did you smile when she said that I had a killing aura?’
“…Why?”
Sylvia asked blankly, but there was no answer from the barren island. Only the wind as the air currents scattered and broke around each other.
“…”
Sylvia, grinding her teeth, finally stood. Just watching him from afar couldn’t quench this thirst. She couldn’t calm her mind, which was shaking like crazy. The answer to this question could not be obtained if it wasn’t from Deculein.
“Sylvia? What are you going to do?”
Idnik, who was studying magic not far from her, turned to Sylvia. Sylvia continued without a glance back at her.
“Hey. I asked what you’re going to do.”
Still, without an answer, she tapped her toes on the ground. It was a move that prepared her to fall.
“Gosh. Do whatever you want.”
Idnik didn’t ask anymore.
Now Sylvia’s rank was higher than Monarch anyway. She had already transcended Deculein and was on track to ascend to the etheric rank. Since she was about to become the youngest etheric, she didn’t have to treat her like an abandoned child.
“Just don’t die.”
“Yeah.”
Sylvia finally answered and fell off the island. Now, there was only one thought in her mind.
…I will meet you and ask you.
[The rest will be uploaded around noon CST.]