Chapter 166
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Suggestion
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"...Not a bad idea."
After finishing his conversation with Adolph, Count Daniel returned to his tent, lost in thought.
Placing a suggestion on Pernyan Fallenberg was an audacious move, but if successful, the payoff would be immense.
The heir of the Fallenberg family. A hero who had slain countless Vile Breeds alongside Aint.
If he could place a suggestion on such a person and turn him into a spy, the summoning of demons would be greatly accelerated.
"Best of all, the location is perfect..."
Normally, or if they were at the academy, he wouldn't have dared to try.
Pernyan was always surrounded by powerful guards.
But this time was different. The one leading the guards was Adolph Friedien, and he had now joined forces with them.
"Now is the chance. I intentionally offered everyone drinks, so they're all relaxed."
This was the perfect opportunity to seize control of Pernyan's mind. An opportunity that might never come again.
"Let's see."
Count Daniel took out the book he had tucked away in his coat.
Placing a suggestion was no easy task.
The stronger the individual, the tougher their mental barrier, and for someone of Pernyan's caliber, it was generally considered next to impossible.
However, with the power of the book, it wasn't entirely impossible. The price would be burning most of the book, but it was still a worthwhile trade.
"Count Daniel."
Just then, someone called to him from outside.
"Pernyan?"
"Is something the matter? You went inside in such a hurry."
"It's nothing, the atmosphere was just so pleasant it reminded me of a good drink."
The count picked up a bottle of whiskey and opened the tent flap.
"Perfect timing. How about a drink with me in my tent?"
"Arvan 55. How could I refuse a free glass of such a fine spirit?"
Pernyan entered with a smile. The count placed magically created ice into a glass and poured the whiskey.
"A fine aroma."
"It's a fine spirit."
Clink. The glasses tapped together lightly.
Tap, tap, tap. Count Daniel lightly tapped the glass.
"How is it?"
"Excellent. This is the advantage of being friends with the distillery owner."
"Haha, someone like you could acquire it anytime, couldn't you?"
"It always tastes better when it's free."
Pernyan grinned.
"Care for another glass?"
"Please."
Pretending to pour another drink, Count Daniel intentionally knocked the book he had placed on the table to the floor.
"Ah. My mistake. Did any get on your clothes?"
"I'm fine. But what's that book? The cover looks quite ancient."
"Would you like to have a look?"
"May I?"
"It's just an ordinary book."
Pernyan opened the book.
"There's nothing..."
In that moment.
Pernyan's eyes went blank, and he froze.
Five seconds passed.
"He's decked out in artifacts, but thankfully, none of them are for mental protection."
If he had one, he would have snapped out of it immediately. Deciding it was safe to proceed, Count Daniel began to chant.
A black flame flickered. The book burned, and a subtle demonic energy began to seep into Pernyan's body.
This continued for some time.
"...As expected, it's not easy."
Count Daniel's clothes became soaked with sweat.
The flames on the book intensified. Pages burned one after another.
"Pernyan Fallenberg, you saw nothing. You heard nothing. Adolph Friedien has no connection whatsoever with the Vile Breeds."
Despite the effort, he smiled.
"Saw nothing... Heard nothing... Adolph Friedien is not a Vile Breed..."
The suggestion was a success.
The price was half the book, and though it was only a minor suggestion, a success was a success.
"Who else heard the story from Jeffrey?"
"Me, Aria, Gismond, Hyde..."
"Go and bring Aria and Gismond here."
"...Bring Aria, Hyde, and Gismond."
First, Aria came in.
"Pernyan? Why Count Daniel all of a sudden..."
"Miss Aria. He said there was someone he wanted to share a good drink with."
"Pernyan said he wanted to have a drink with me? Has our relationship finally progressed to that point...?"
Count Daniel opened the book before her. Her eyes glazed over.
"You called, sir?"
Next was Hyde.
"You want to have a drink? I'm curious. What kind of liquor does a magnate drink..."
Last was Gismond Erdt.
"...What's with this guy?"
The count's face contorted as he continued his work on Gismond.
"What in the world is with his mana...?"
The strength of a mental barrier wasn't determined solely by the amount of mana, but it was true that more mana had an effect.
Perhaps that was why this Gismond's mental barrier was even thicker than Aria Friedien's.
"...I'll have to use up the whole book."
In the end, the book vanished completely.
Still, he was satisfied that he had completely resolved the current issue and planted a seed to continuously use Pernyan Fallenberg.
* * *
"......"
When I opened my eyes, my head was splitting.
What did I do last night?
I had a private drink with Count Daniel.
And before that?
I'd been guzzling down the drinks Aria kept offering.
'I drank way too much. That's not like me.'
And before that...
'What did I do?'
I met the dwarves. They gave me a week, and I had to leave and quickly find evidence.
So...
'So what did I do?'
Nothing much. It became clear that Jeffrey was simply mistaken from the start.
I suspected an innocent elf for no reason.
"Sir, are you awake?"
"I'm up."
Hyde came in.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"My head feels like it's going to split open."
"That's to be expected after how much you drank yesterday."
"Did I drink that much?"
"You drank with Count Daniel for quite a long time. You even called Aria and Gismond over. You kept telling me to drink too..."
"That's enough."
It was true that I drank as if possessed yesterday.
"Nothing unusual happened, I hope?"
"Nothing. So what will you do now? It turns out Adolph Friedien wasn't a Vile Breed after all, right?"
"I was just thinking about that."
"Have you come to a decision?"
"I'll have to send a letter to the Marquis and tell him it was a simple misunderstanding. We need to end this situation immediately."
Normally, I would have dragged it out as long as possible to consider a more advantageous course of action.
"But returning to the dwarven city is more urgent."
But right now, the dwarves were the bigger problem.
That situation didn't just involve Vile Breeds; there was a high probability a demon would be summoned.
"Understood. First, drink this. It's honey water."
Hyde offered him the honey water. The sweet, warm liquid settled his stomach.
"I also brought a basin of water for you to wash your face."
"Thanks."
Pernyan rolled up his sleeves and began to wash his face.
Once.
Twice.
And a third time.
"......?"
Pernyan's movements slowed.
"Sir, what's wrong?"
Hyde found this strange and asked, but there was no reply.
Immediately after, Pernyan plunged his entire head into the basin of water.
"Sir?!"
Hyde panicked, but Pernyan, without lifting his submerged face, waved his hand to signal that he was fine.
And a moment later.
"...How dare those vermin place a suggestion on me."
"A suggestion? What do you mean?"
"Hyde. Stay still."
Pernyan strode over and plunged Hyde's head into the water basin just as he had done.
He lifted his head.
"You were right, sir. It's a good thing we prepared the basin with holy water beforehand."
His eyes turned cold.
"And I'll kill them all. How dare they do this to you, sir..."
"That would be a waste. I let it happen on purpose."
Pernyan put on the Wooden and the bracelet that strengthened his mental barrier, both of which he had taken off earlier.
He had managed to obtain some rather important information from this incident.
"That book."
The book with nothing written in it. There was definitely something about that book.
The Vile Breed he saw with Professor Rosalia, and now Count Daniel, had both used the book to amplify their demonic energy.
"But there was definitely nothing written in it."
Professor Rosalia had been right when she said it was blank.
If it were a magic book, he should have been able to feel the energy within it, but he felt nothing until the Vile Breeds manifested their demonic energy.
"...Next time, I have to get my hands on it, no matter what."
If I can figure out the principle behind how it strengthens the Vile Breeds' power, I'll be much better prepared for the future.
I might even be able to create a new artifact from it.
"I'm going to write a letter right now. Send it to the Marquis."
Pernyan put on his outer coat.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to tell Adolph Friedien that there are no profitable resources here, so we're pulling out."
In the next few days, he would wrap things up here, putting them at ease and creating an opportunity for himself to go to the dwarven city.
"What about Aria and Gismond?"
"Leave them for now."
I'll free them when the time is right.
"Go. And don't give anything away."
"Yes, sir."
Pernyan and Hyde left the tent at the same time.
* * *
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
"It was a pleasure."
Count Daniel left as soon as day broke.
And four days was more than enough time to shut down the site after deeming it unprofitable.
"Thank you for everything. It was reassuring to have you here."
"I only did what was necessary. It's a shame. I was hoping there would be a vein."
"It's not that there wasn't one, but it wasn't large enough to be profitable. Mining in rocky terrain is very expensive."
Led by Friedien, Adolph, the knights, and the spiritmancers returned to their respective posts.
"It's such a relief that my brother Adolph had no connection to the Vile Breeds."
"Yes, it is."
"I'm planning to stay at my family's estate until the break is over. I want to delve deeper into spiritmancy. What about you, Pernyan?"
"A good idea. I'll be returning to the academy."
"Thanks for helping me out!"
"It wasn't for free, so just send the promised money. If you try to get out of it with just words, I'll show you just how skilled the Fallenberg family is at debt collection."
"...I get it! I get it!"
The deal was concluded with Aria agreeing to hand over business rights and various other concessions in the territory she owned.
And so, the two parted ways.
However.
"...Where are you going? This is definitely not the way to the academy."
"Just follow quietly."
Pernyan was not headed for the academy.
"Isn't this the place we were exploring? Don't tell me it's where I think it is."
"You're probably right."
Along with Gismond and Hyde, he arrived at the meeting place with Ahgrot.
"You're late!"
"Glad you're here. I thought you might have left."
"It's been three days past the promised week!"
Despite the promised time having passed, Ahgrot had thankfully waited.
"We had our own circumstances."
"I can't imagine how angry the mayor will be... Ugh, I was planning to wait just until tomorrow before heading back."
"If you had, I would have just dug my way in myself."
The location of the dwarven city was already imprinted in Pernyan's mind.
They might think they'd hidden the passage well by twisting it like a maze, but Pernyan was a top-tier earth mage.
He never forgets land he's stepped on once, nor the incredible scent of money.
"...Hey, you can't just say that!"
"Whatever, let's just get inside."
"But why are there more people? Didn't I say you couldn't tell anyone?!"
"These two aren't just 'anyone.' One is my most trusted aide, and the other is a senior from the academy."
"Hey, what do you mean by that!"
Ahgrot fumed.
"The mayor will be furious if he finds out!"
"Persuading the mayor is my job. You just need to guide us."
Faced with Pernyan's insistence, Ahgrot had no choice but to give in.
"...Fine. But for the record, I tried to stop you."
"Got it. Oh, and from now on, Gismond is your senior too, so treat him well."
"Hey, I never agreed to go to the academy."
"I've already submitted your application."
"What?"
Ahgrot's eyes widened.
"So you're Ahgrot. Wow, you look really old."
"...What did you just say?"
"...Ah, sorry. It was just surprising to see you in person. I only meant to think it..."
And so, one dwarf and three humans entered the underground city.