Chapter 177
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: The Prince's Letter
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After clearing Aria's head, Pernyan returned straight to the academy.
“I’m exhausted.”
While the dwarves had been hard at work digging, Pernyan hadn’t been idle either.
To achieve his goal within the short span of a month, he too had joined the construction efforts.
Excavating with magic was his specialty, so he played a major role in finishing the work on schedule.
At the very least, he must have earned some goodwill from a good number of dwarves. That was an asset in itself.
“Hyde, go to the merchant guild and see if there’s anything I need to handle.”
“I’ll see you to your room first, sir.”
“Trying to act like a faithful escort now, are we?”
“I have always been faithful. It’s just that my master keeps trying to ditch me somewhere.”
Pernyan dragged his weary body back to the La Vie Douce Dormitory. Before his door was even fully open, Wooden waved its hand.
- *Kung!*
- *Chirp!*
Through the half-open door, the cry of a bird could be heard.
A white bird with two pairs of wings fluttered into Pernyan’s arms.
“Silver?”
- *Chirp!*
It was Silver, whom he had lent to Aint.
Pernyan caught Silver and stroked it. The bird, once the size of his fist, had grown nearly five times larger.
“You’ve gotten quite big.”
“I’d say this is more than ‘quite,’ sir…”
To grow this much in just over three months. It was certainly extraordinary.
It was said that a Saint Bird took, on average, a year to reach adulthood.
At this rate, it seemed it would truly grow large enough to ride soon.
“But how did it get in here?”
No one except the resident and their servant should be able to enter a room in the La Vie Douce Dormitory.
That was why even students from the same dormitory had to use the reception room to meet, wasn't it?
“Ah, you’re back, Pernyan. I let the bird in.”
Just then, a maid sweeping the hallway spotted Pernyan and hurried over.
“Student Aint brought it, but as soon as it arrived, it sat right in front of your door and refused to go anywhere else.”
She was the maid who had a knack for miraculously picking up the money Pernyan often dropped.
“I thought it shouldn't be seen by others, so I let it in. It wouldn’t budge an inch, but it went into your room without any trouble, you know?”
“Is that so? Did anyone else see?”
“No one but me.”
“That’s a relief.”
That was a close call.
He’d almost been exposed as the true owner of the Saint Bird, not Aint.
If that had happened, it would have caused considerable trouble for both Aint’s reputation and Pernyan’s future.
“Thank you, Rita.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Silver, did you miss me that much?”
- *Chirp!*
Pernyan entered his room, holding Silver close.
The door closed, and where Pernyan had just been standing, a small pouch lay on the floor.
Rita expertly picked it up.
“How clumsy of him, dropping this again. I’ll keep it safe and return it if he comes looking for it.”
Of course, no one ever came looking for the lost item.
Ever.
* * *
After finally prying off the affectionate Silver, Pernyan woke up in the early evening as the sun was setting.
“Hyde.”
“Yes.”
“What about the guild’s business?”
“They said there is nothing for you to handle personally, Young Master. The reports from the past few weeks have all been brought to your study.”
“I suppose I’ll be suffering through a hell of reports starting tomorrow.”
“It’s all karma. You’ve started more than a few things, Young Master.”
The businesses Pernyan had set in motion through the Prophecy Book were numerous.
Few of them were connected to the Bardian branch located at the academy, but since he was always running around cleaning up after the prophecies, the work piled up all the same.
“But I can’t just ignore a clear path to profit, can I? That would be a crime.”
“Yes, I’m sure it would be.”
Hyde snorted.
“Go and confirm if Aint has returned, and arrange a meeting as soon as possible. I need to see what results he achieved at his family estate.”
Judging by the Armian family’s recent movements, he had a good idea of the outcome, but nothing was more certain than hearing it from the man himself.
Aint had returned to the academy two days prior, and the meeting was arranged immediately.
“It went well. My father has agreed to help me.”
“I heard the Armian family is recruiting knights and soldiers.”
Pernyan could roughly guess what the Duke was thinking. Selling the current Armian estate wouldn't be enough to pay off their debts, so this was the best choice.
It was what Pernyan had hoped for as well.
“It won’t be easy. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask for my help.”
Expanding a military force from scratch was no simple task.
Soldiers weren't just recruited and done with. They had to be trained, fed, housed, and paid a regular salary.
There were many details to consider, such as hiring instructors to train them and constructing new barracks.
“Yes.”
“Soldiers will come if you offer enough money, but what about knights?”
To put it bluntly, knights were weapons of war, trained in the high art of killing since childhood.
They required the right environment, money, and talent, so they couldn't be easily cultivated, nor were they common.
“For now, I plan to gather as many freelance knights as I can.”
“That still won’t be easy.”
“My father said he plans to leverage the Armian name.”
“Not a bad method.”
Normally, even for the Armian name, few fools would pledge themselves to a fallen house, but the situation was different now.
With Vile Breeds and demons on the rise, and the Saint Bird publicly returned to the Armian family, there would be those enticed by the old legends.
Those who believed the legends would bring them direct benefits.
Indeed, quite a few were already knocking on the Armian family's doors, so the effect was remarkable.
“Ah, I heard from the Chancellor that another Vile Breed was discovered during the break.”
“Who?”
“A clerk working at a fruit shop in the city.”
“Anything unusual?”
“The same thing you’re thinking of.”
“It had a book, and the body vanished without a trace?”
“Yes.”
At this point, the mystery deepened.
They had been discovered and killed within the academy several times now, yet the fiends persisted, trying again and again.
The Vile Breeds weren’t brainless; they must be aiming for something to keep trying despite their failures.
The problem was, he had no idea what it could be.
‘The book and the disappearing corpses are also a constant concern…’
Why did their bodies vanish when they weren't even demons?
No matter how much he pondered it, a clear answer eluded him.
If another one appeared, it would be best to capture it alive for interrogation.
The problem was, the bastards had a habit of self-destructing.
“For now, dealing with them as soon as they’re found seems to be the best course of action.”
“The Chancellor said the same. Oh, and I received a personal letter.”
Aint took a letter from his coat. The envelope was sealed with a wax stamp bearing a five-flame crest.
“Esrin?”
It was the symbol of the Esrin royal family.
“Yes. I became somewhat acquainted with the Prince of Esrin during the Continental Academic Conference in Valerich.”
“I remember.”
There was a prince of Esrin whose fate had been altered when Pernyan changed history, preventing the summoning of the 70th demon, Seere.
“Ferrant Esrin, was it? The first prince of Esrin.”
The prince who should have died with his younger sister but survived alone.
“Yes, that’s him.”
“If he’s asking for help, you should refuse.”
The King of Esrin had collapsed from anemia at a public event, sparking a succession crisis that had yet to be settled.
Although the first prince had already built a solid foundation and was the most likely successor, that wasn’t the case for the other contenders.
99 and 100 were worlds apart.
The conflict between the first prince and the other princes was beginning to surface. Students from Esrin had not returned to the academy, and the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild was selling off massive amounts of war supplies.
Under these circumstances, a letter from Ferrant Esrin could only be a request for help.
“Well… it is a request for help, but…”
“What’s the problem?”
“Would you like to read it?”
[Aint Armian. This is the first letter I have written since we pledged our friendship. How have you been? I couldn’t help but hear of your exploits from all corners.
…
…I am ashamed that my first letter is a request for help, but I hope you will understand my situation.
It seems Tibolt and Tuluin truly wish to take the throne from me, even if it means war.
If that were all, it would not matter. I am confident I can teach them that their ambitions are nothing but a vain fantasy.
However, there are reports of Vile Breeds in the northern part of the kingdom, attempting to summon demonic beasts.
The one who made this claim is half-mad, so his credibility is not high, but one can never be certain.
That area is where Tuluin’s domain and his supporters are concentrated… Omitted.]
As he read the last of Ferrant’s letter, a memory he had briefly set aside resurfaced.
The prophecies that had come to mind before the summer break.
A rebellion in the Esrin Kingdom, an overturned government.
Pernyan hadn't thought that history would actually come to pass.
Unlike the original timeline where the next king was uncertain due to the first prince's death, in this one, Ferrant Esrin, with his solid base of support, had survived.
So he had dismissed it without much thought, but it seemed things weren't going to end so simply.
‘Have I become too complacent just because things aren’t following the Prophecy Book?’
To forget the most important fact of all—that human greed knows no bounds.
Whether the throne was contested or not was irrelevant.
“What do you think I should do?”
“What are your thoughts?”
“I want to go and help.”
“Because of your friendship?”
“Hey, we only saw each other in Valerich, so we’re not that close.”
Still, they had shared tea and meals together, so it wasn't as if there was nothing between them.
Aint’s gaze became resolute.
“But if Vile Breeds are involved, I believe we must track down and eliminate every last trace of them. They are a plague seeking to bring down the continent.”
Something had clearly happened to him over the break. He no longer seemed like just a kid, but had a more mature air about him.
‘Not bad.’
He felt a sense of pride, seeing him grow so well.
“I feel the same. But we have too few clues right now. The academy is about to start, and more importantly, this is a foreign country.”
Even if Vile Breeds were involved, a foreign country was a foreign country.
Getting involved in a succession dispute, of all things, could be seen as meddling in their internal affairs.
That would not be right.
It would become a problem not just for Aint, but would also give the Schwabens a perfect excuse to tear into the Armians without restraint.
“That’s true.”
“For now, I’ll look into it in more detail.”
And if it turned out that one of the princes had truly joined hands with the Vile Breeds to claim the throne…
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get you there.”
They had to be utterly annihilated.