Chapter 85
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: A Deal with the Margrave
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Why isn't it here?
Why is it gone?
Why?
Just why?
‘…….’
Until now, the Prophecy Book had never once been wrong.
No, it had been, but that was the result of the butterfly effect Pernyan had caused.
But this time was different.
There was no reason for an elixir that should have been quietly rooted in the ground—or in this case, rock—to suddenly disappear.
Could it be that it was never here to begin with?
‘Is that even possible…?’
He'd been relying on the Prophecy Book a little too much lately, but he couldn't help it.
Even if slightly altered by the butterfly effect Pernyan had caused, the contents of the Prophecy Book had always been true.
‘Could it be…?’
Pernyan hurriedly infused his eyes with mana.
And then he realized.
It wasn't that it was gone.
He saw a hole on one side of the rock wall. A fissure-like hole that burrowed inward, shaped as if something had taken root there.
Not only were the leaves and fruit taken, but it had been meticulously pulled out, not even a single rootlet left behind.
‘What son of a bitch dared to take what's mine…!’
“…Is something wrong?”
As Pernyan stood still, staring only at the broken rock wall, a patrolman voiced his question.
“…I think I see some strange marks over there.”
“Over there….”
“It looks like something was embedded here. A demonic beast?”
The patrolmen began to examine the marks, but they could find nothing other than the fact that something had been embedded and then pulled out.
“It looks like a plant had taken root, but roots that could pierce through a rock wall….”
“To pull something like this out, wouldn't it have to be a demonic beast or a monster?”
Itarium was an extremely rare plant, so none of the patrolmen could recognize it from the marks alone.
“Let's head back now. We've checked everything we need to.”
“Yes, sir.”
And so, the patrol concluded.
* * *
On a night when everyone was asleep.
Grad had the students experience watch duty, and Pernyan, who felt he couldn't possibly sleep, volunteered for the first watch.
He sat by the fire, lost in thought as he watched the blazing flames.
There were two possibilities that led to the conclusion that the Itarium was gone.
‘The things I've done have unknowingly caused a butterfly effect, leading someone else to discover the Itarium instead.’
Or.
‘For the first time, the very premise of the Prophecy Book was wrong.’
The marks on the rock wall made it undeniable that the elixir known as Itarium had existed.
But could he be certain that the flow of events in the Prophecy Book was strictly chronological?
Perhaps Aint was originally supposed to have obtained the Itarium much earlier, and because Pernyan had caused a delay, someone else had taken it first.
‘But if that were the case, it would be strange that the timeline has been correct until now….’
His head throbbed.
‘A variable. But this isn't the first variable.’
The sudden summoning of Andromalius was one, and Gismond Erdt, who had popped out of nowhere and ruined Pernyan's betting, was another.
‘…Wait a minute.’
Gismond?
‘His rank shot up because of elixirs, he said.’
At first, he had thought it was demonic energy. That the bastard had become a Vile Breed follower and suddenly grown stronger.
Honestly, there was no other explanation.
But Aint had said the source of his power was elixirs. The energy of so many mixed elixirs that it couldn't be defined by just one or two.
‘What if one of them was Itarium?’
It was just a guess with a very low probability.
But if there was even a sliver of suspicion.
‘The final report on Gismond should be coming in soon.’
It was worth checking.
“Your shift is almost over. You can wake the next person on watch and hand over your duties.”
“Yes, sir.”
Just then, his watch duty ended. The next in line was, coincidentally, Aint.
“Wake up, Aint. You're next on watch.”
“Ah, yes.”
Aint sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Pernyan, who had been quietly watching him prepare, whispered.
“Did you say no demonic energy was found on Gismond?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Gismond-sunbaenim was just a case of someone who'd consumed a lot of elixirs. I don't know how he managed to consume so many of those precious things to his limit, though.”
“Those precious things? You mean you can tell what kind of elixirs they were?”
“Ah, not all of them, but some.”
Aint nodded.
“In that case, can you tell if Itarium was among them?”
“Itarium?”
- It was there.
What elixirs were there again? Aint, who had been pondering for a moment, answered immediately upon hearing the sudden reply.
“Yes. It was there.”
“…It was?”
“Yes. It was there. But why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“…No, it's nothing.”
So it was there.
Aint, busy preparing for his watch, didn't see it.
The look on Pernyan's face.
* * *
Aside from the disappearance of Pernyan's elixir, the night passed without incident.
The next day, they broke camp and arrived at the bulwark before noon.
“This is the bulwark of which Altriark is so proud.”
The great wall that protected the western part of the Empire was a massive fortress in itself.
But even that was just a part of the bulwark, not the entirety of it.
Seven fortresses, standing tall at strategic points not far from each other, protecting the Empire like a wall.
Collectively, they were called the bulwark.
The place they arrived at was Medierk, the largest of them and the closest to the capital.
“Welcome. Medierk welcomes the people from the academy.”
The fortress gates opened.
* * *
“We will guide you to your quarters.”
Immediately after arriving at the fortress, the academy group split from the Ironblood Knights.
The fortress didn't have as many amenities as the lord's castle in Artk, and the academy students were assigned an entire annex to themselves.
“Lord Pernyan.”
As they were heading to the annex, someone sidled up to Pernyan.
“Rapelle?”
“Lord Pernyan. This way for a moment.”
Rapelle pulled Pernyan to the side. Professor Grad noticed but said nothing.
“It's been a long time, Lord Pernyan.”
“Rapelle, it's been a while for you too.”
Altriark and Fallenberg had done business for quite a long time, and as a result, Pernyan was acquainted with a few individuals.
Rapelle was one of them, a knight of Altriark.
“It's just that, His Excellency wishes to see you first, before he sees the others.”
“Is that so?”
So it's come.
“Let's go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rapelle escorted Pernyan to the front of the fortress's office.
“Your Excellency, Lord Pernyan has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
A reply came to the soldier's announcement.
Creeak-
The Margrave of Altriark was a middle-aged man with a dignified air. His brown hair was neatly swept back.
He was reviewing and signing a large stack of documents.
Pernyan bowed his head respectfully.
“It's been a long time, Your Excellen—”
“What do you want?”
The Margrave of Altriark spoke abruptly without even looking up.
“Getting straight to the point, are we?”
“Isn't that why you gave this to the steward?”
The Margrave pushed a document aside.
Thud. A note fell in front of him.
It was the note Pernyan had given the steward, the one requesting a deal concerning the Vile Breed.
“You believe me?”
“Only amateurs try to deceive people with lies that will be quickly exposed. The more one has to lose, the more they know how foolish that is.”
“I didn't realize you held me in such high regard.”
“I hold Fallenberg in high regard, not you.”
Pernyan's lips curled into a smile. The Margrave might say they were different, but in essence, they were the same.
Because Pernyan would soon be Fallenberg.
“Speak. What do you want?”
“I want the Ironblood Knights, the Madblood Knights, and a thousand soldiers.”
They were the two finest knight orders Altriark boasted.
“For what purpose?”
The Margrave didn't say no.
“I wish to lead them to dispose of the subject of our deal.”
“Altriark does the work, and Fallenberg reaps the glory?”
“No.”
Pernyan shook his head.
“I have little desire for fame. Money, on the other hand.”
“Fame becomes money.”
“At least this kind of fame brings more trouble than money.”
This is about eliminating the first Vile Breed to appear publicly. It's about saving Altriark, and by extension, the Kingdom of Alprosen.
It's about becoming a hero, and heroes bear the expectations of many. Naturally, they also make many enemies.
“Then?”
“I will not be the one leading them.”
“Who will?”
“Aint Armian.”
The Margrave's hand, which had been stroking his chin, stopped. A faint wrinkle appeared on his forehead.
One second. The brief silence was quickly broken as the Margrave resumed the conversation.
“You.”
Instead, the Margrave's eyes turned cold.
“You're being greedy.”
“I am not.”
“And what are you not?”
“I have no grand plan to make an Armian the emperor.”
“Don't play foolish word games with me. We gave our votes to Schwaben in the last three elections.”
“As did we.”
“And I'm not particularly unhappy with the way things are. Schwaben promised more support, and they are delivering on it.”
War consumes a great deal. Even if most of them were small-scale, conducting such wars for more than half the year was no easy task.
“We were also promised many benefits by Schwaben. Thanks to them, we were able to earn even more money.”
“And yet you would abandon Schwaben and switch to the empty shell that is Armian.”
“As I said, I have no grand plan to make an Armian the emperor.”
“You'd better speak plainly.”
“This continent needs a hero.”
The Margrave stared at Pernyan in silence. It was a gesture to continue.
“Your Excellency, do you think this demonic beast wave was a coincidence?”
“I'm aware the Vile Breed bastards have been up to something.”
“That must be mere speculation. You don't know how long they've been at it, or how much their forces have grown.”
There was no evidence anywhere. Altriark had not been able to find the Vile Breed.
But Pernyan was different.
“The academy's chancellor must have sent word. That Vile Breed followers were discovered within the academy.”
“He did.”
“Twelve of them, to be exact. They were operating covertly from three bases within the academy. Do you think that was a simple coincidence?”
Pernyan did not look away. An involuntary groan escaped him under the subtle pressure.
“So.”
The pressure vanished as if it had never been there.
“You believe that demons will once again descend upon this land.”
“The Vile Breed, which had been eradicated for a thousand years, are rearing their heads as if on cue. Would they do so without sufficient preparation and a grand cause?”
“Let the dog catchers handle the dogs?”
“Knights are the best at fighting. Can you properly butcher a cow with a knife meant for a chicken?”
“Usually, it's the other way around.”
“The ways of the world don't always flow in one direction.”
Pernyan shrugged shamelessly. The Margrave watched him in silence.
For a moment.
“Fine.”
The Margrave nodded.
“Since a delegation has come from the academy, I will have all the academy students participate.”
“An excellent choice.”
“You don't even ask why it's not just Aint Armian.”
“And Your Excellency doesn't ask why I'm not raising any objections.”
“Have you considered changing your repertoire? This method is so old it's rotten.”
“The fact that it's still being used means it's a proven, effective method. It worked this time, didn't it?”
“How absurd.”
Pernyan had known from the beginning that it would be difficult to elevate only Aint.
The Margrave let out a hollow laugh.