Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Cost of the Night
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Please treat me well.
"...First, report the damage."
In the conference hall, Lord Nut sat at the head seat, propping his chin with a weary face.
Gathered there were all the vassals who led the estate: administrators, knights, scribes, and even the chief squire.
All of them had pulled an all-nighter due to the tragedy during last night's festival.
At the lord's command, the chief administrator stepped forward, unrolled a parchment, and listed the damages, causing everyone in the room to bow their heads at the horror.
The squires and soldiers on night watch were nearly wiped out, and even among the knights who fought valiantly with poor equipment, there were casualties.
Combined with the broken walls, damaged buildings, and civilian losses, the recovery might take years.
The silver lining was that during the fierce battle, two squires had awakened as knights, preserving the number of knights.
"Lord Luden, have you made any progress investigating that unidentified comet from last night?"
"By compiling ancient texts and orally transmitted old tales, we've formed some conjectures."
It was the first time Arsen had seen Luden outside the tower.
Unlike his usual disheveled appearance, he was cleanly washed and dressed in fresh clothes for the formal occasion.
Though he hadn't shaved his beard.
"There are legends from a hundred years ago, or even earlier, of a light that awakened the night magic beasts. It's too ancient to verify directly, but it seems identical to this incident."
"And what exactly is that comet? Any specifics on when it will come next?"
"We can't say. No one who saw the previous one is alive, and it's just stories elders heard in passing from their grandparents. It's certainly not on a cycle of mere decades."
"Hmm."
The lord tapped the armrest discontentedly.
"Probably the last cycle wasn't during festival season but an ordinary day, with barely any fires lit, so no massive magic beast invasion occurred. That's why the tale of 'magic beasts awakening at night' became mere exaggeration or legend."
"No guarantee the next one won't be in decades or centuries either?"
"Correct."
"Administrator, record this. Henceforth, unless there's special cause, no fires larger than a small torch at night. All major events, including harvest festivals, will be held during daylight. Make sure to record the reason for this law clearly."
"Understood, my lord."
The scratching of quill on parchment filled the silent conference hall as everyone bowed their heads wordlessly.
Once again, it was the lord who broke the silence.
"Now, about that unidentified magic beast that invaded the village. Has any knight here encountered such a creature?"
"We discussed it among ourselves beforehand, but to speak boldly, none of us has ever seen such a bizarre magic beast, my lord."
"Hmm."
Ramun Knight answered on behalf of the knights, and the lord twisted his mustache with an uncomfortable expression.
Then, with an even more polite and respectful demeanor than before, he turned to the elders positioned at one side of the conference hall.
"What say the elders?"
At the lord's courteous question, one of the old men spoke.
The retired elder knights held no special authority, but their lifelong devotion and experience guarding the estate made them figures even the lord couldn't treat lightly.
Yet they too had no answer, speaking softly with uncertain faces.
"The same for us; we've never seen such a magic beast. Its strength and habits have no precedent, let alone a weakness like..."
"Wine," Luden added.
"To be precise, it showed vulnerability to all kinds of alcohol. Beer had the same effect."
Arsen was quite surprised watching the lord converse with Luden.
As expected of a leader, he was the most natural person Arsen had seen interacting with a mage.
To the point where Arsen wondered if he had some rare constitution immune to aversion toward mages.
It was a level of self-control worthy of respect.
"How can we use the magic beast's corpse?"
"If you allow me to keep it, I'll research it."
"Very well. Best to leave that entirely to the mage."
With that brief exchange concluded, the lord turned his head sharply toward Arsen.
"Speaking of which, I hear Sir Arsen performed great feats this time. I never imagined appointing you as a knight would bring such fortune."
"It's thanks to the grace you bestowed upon me, my lord."
"A brilliant young warrior has shown his valor, so I shall reward him accordingly."
Arsen bowed his head, expressing humility as modestly as possible.
Being recognized for merits mid-conference was a great honor for a knight, but openly rejoicing right after yesterday's tragedy would be foolish.
Pleased by Arsen's humility, a faint smile appeared on the lord's face.
But only briefly; his expression darkened again as he cleared his throat to refocus attention.
"In any case, nothing has been clarified yet. Why the comet had that effect, what the magic beast's identity is..."
Clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction, the lord clapped his hands to summarize.
"This incident can't be blamed on any one person. The disaster struck without warning, swordsmen sacrificed their lives to protect those who labor, and knights fought valiantly despite inadequate gear to minimize losses. The fallen will receive honorable funerals. For now, focus on reconstruction."
* * *
Tears flowed endlessly during the cleanup of buildings collapsed and tainted by the vine magic beast's charge, and the bodies of civilians poisoned or crushed before they could evacuate.
Tents were erected as temporary shelters for those who lost their homes.
At such a site, Arsen was escorting Luden and Eloise, who had come down from the tower to aid in reconstruction.
On the way to the village, Luden asked Arsen.
"So, what reward did the lord give you? He told you to stay behind afterward."
"This."
Arsen rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a metal bracelet.
Plain black edging with gold inlays in elegant patterns.
"Is that a relic by any chance?"
"Yes."
Among magic-infused items, relics were those activated by the user infusing them with mana, rather than holding power inherently.
Most were excavated from ancient magic era ruins; modern mages could rarely create them without ancient recipes.
Representatively, the mana-activated mechanical beast Jin was one such relic restored in modern times.
To a non-knight like the lord, it was an incredibly valuable ornament.
"Impressive. I never thought he'd give you such a treasure..."
"He didn't give it outright; he lent it. Though he hinted he might transfer it fully someday."
Answering, Arsen glanced at Eloise.
'You will become part of our family someday—what wouldn't I give you then?' The implication was clear.
He wasn't cozying up to Eloise out of greed for wealth, so no guilt there, but the nuance of buying him with money felt somewhat unpleasant.
Well, that was probably the lord's way of cherishing his daughter.
No man but Arsen could make Eloise his wife and keep her happy.
As they descended, Arsen overheard whispers.
"...Mages."
"Mages are passing by."
"The mages brought this disaster."
"If they control magic beasts, it must be the mages..."
Wondering if she'd heard, he glanced over to see Eloise's face pale white.
Luden's expression wasn't pleasant either, but for this seasoned mage, surrounding contempt and misunderstanding were familiar, making his reaction negligible compared to hers.
Seeing tears welling in Eloise's eyes, Arsen approached and patted her shoulder.
"Don't mind them. They're just ignorant fools."
Eloise nodded with her face down, saying nothing.
Among the upper class, who knew and benefited from magic, the instinctive disgust was unavoidable, but misunderstandings and pointless contempt were comparatively less.
For the ignorant, uneducated commoners, however, mages were unpleasant and dangerous—easy scapegoats when the unknown struck.
If they wielded unknowable magic power, they could have caused this disaster, right?
If not for being vassals and the lord's daughter—worthy of respect—they might have been cursed at or stoned.
No, if not for the boy in knight-only deep blue full plate armor escorting them.
Those whispering among themselves averted their gazes only after Arsen glared, noticing his armor and sword.
'Cowardly bastards.'
They'd be speechless if actually threatened by magic.
Hard to believe these were the same people joyfully laughing and dancing the night before; disaster revealed humanity's frailty and ugliness.
Arsen cleared a path, intimidating the whisperers.
"Make way!"
Shortly after walking, they reached the site where ground and buildings were blackened.
Luden cracked his neck lightly and stretched.
"First, purify the poison here. Eloise, I'll construct the spell; you supply mana from behind."
"Okay."
Luden extended both hands before his chest, cupping them as if grasping something.
Soon, a faint pale green light arose between them, turning to cloud-like form that caressed the poisoned ground and buildings.
Eloise placed her hands on the manifested light, infusing mana.
The magic's effect was tremendous.
Land and buildings emitting ominous fumes moments ago began regaining their original colors.
Sadly, corroded or broken parts didn't restore, but purifying soil too toxic to tread was near-miraculous.
Where the green light raced, healthy brown earth returned.
"Seen this way, magic seems like miracles."
"Sometimes disasters too. Why do you think the world is like this?"
At Luden's curt reply, Arsen looked beyond the estate to the distant mountains.
Unlike inside, twisted plants, magic beasts, and villains roamed a toxic world uninhabitable by normals.
"Did mages really make the world this way?"
If so, how powerful were ancient mages?
Modern ones were useful but hardly called strong, even in jest.
"That's what everyone believes. Whether it's true doesn't matter."
From that loaded statement, Arsen sensed Luden knew more but didn't care to share.
"Anyway, purify from here to the wall, right?"
"Yes."
Watching Luden and Eloise resume walking, Arsen thought: How peculiar mages are.
Performing what others can't, essential to civilization's upkeep, yet denied respect.
Were mages like this in the ancient magic era too?
Mid-thought, Eloise's downcast figure caught his eye.
Since earlier, she responded to Luden only in monosyllables, staring at the ground like treasure lay there.
The whispers had clearly wounded her deeply.
"Eli."
"Yeah?"
"Still bothered by what they said?"
"No... no, I'm used to it."
She tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice trembled with tears.
Seeing this, Luden pursed his lips and spoke.
"Speaking of which, it's about lunchtime. You two eat together."
"Pardon?"
"I've been craving a solitary lunch enjoying the outdoors for once. Eat together; just hand me mine."
With that, Luden extended his hand. Arsen passed over his share from the three lunchboxes he carried.
Luden took it and promptly strode off somewhere.
In this awkward situation, Arsen scratched his chin briefly before sticking to the original purpose.
"Then let's eat too. Where do you want?"