Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Starwhisper
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Please take good care of us.
As the caravan leader cleared away a few plates and placed the crystal orb on the table, Arsen watched it with growing curiosity.
The large, transparent crystal sphere was clearly no ordinary item at first glance—it reminded him of the magical orbs fortune-tellers used for scrying.
“What’s this?”
“To be honest, I belong to a magical conclave.”
“A magical conclave?”
That subtle resonance changed Arsen’s expression, which had been merely curious moments before.
“A magical conclave, is it, Ajur Caravan Leader? As far as I know, you entered the territory as the head of an independent wandering caravan. Are you confessing to being a spy right now?”
He had seemed like a boy enjoying adventure tales just moments ago, but the caravan leader felt instinctive fear at Arsen’s sharp demeanor.
It was because the knight’s killing intent rode on his mana, subtly stimulating the senses.
Feeling his legs go weak and tremble, the caravan leader was grateful he was sitting in a chair and wouldn’t collapse.
Seeing that terrified look, Arsen calmed himself and tapped the table a few times.
“Alright, let’s cool down and talk. So?”
“...This is an artifact made directly by the conclave. It allows conversation with the person who has its paired orb. It’s similar to the earrings you bought before, but the range is incomparably greater.”
At the caravan leader’s words, Arsen lightly touched the earring in his left ear and looked down at the orb.
The caravan leader pleaded toward him.
“Please use this artifact to speak with our organization’s elders. I can assure you it will be of great help to you, Sir Arsen.”
Arsen narrowed his eyes and glared at the caravan leader.
“Having something like this means it’s for use, but you’re not a mage yourself. Do you have a mage in the caravan?”
“...They used an invisibility spell and hid in the cargo hold to enter. They can’t go outside, so they’re holed up in an inn.”
Arsen was familiar with invisibility spells, as Luden and Eloise could use them too.
They were useful spells that made ordinary people unable to see the caster, but they couldn’t mask smells or sounds, and crucially, the caster couldn’t move beyond a certain range after casting—clear limitations.
Knights could detect an invisible person through other senses anyway, so they weren’t useful for hiding from knights.
‘I’ll have to instruct them to poke around empty spaces with sticks during future inspections.’
“Is the person I need to talk to that mage, or you, the caravan leader?”
“That person only assists with caravan operations using magic and helps with artifacts. I’m the one in charge of the caravan.”
“Then we’re done here. First, tell me exactly what you want from me. Right now, you just seem like a highly suspicious group.”
The caravan leader cleared his throat with a small cough, then spoke in the cheerful tone from their first meeting.
“You don’t have an aversion to mages, do you, Sir Arsen?”
“That’s right.”
“The conclave has been searching for someone like you for a long time. I can promise that if you engage with us amicably, you’ll gain treasures and knowledge far beyond what we’ve shown so far—without any particular danger or hardship. You’re a more special existence than you think, Sir Arsen, with the potential to obtain so much more.”
Arsen rested his chin, lost in thought as he listened to Ajur.
In principle, the right thing to do was grab Ajur by the collar, drag him to the lord’s manor, and report him immediately—but their built-up rapport from conversations made that hesitate a bit.
His fundamental values were also far from treating someone as an enemy just for being a mage.
A typical knight might have subdued Ajur on the spot upon hearing about the magical conclave.
And most decisively, the promise of many treasures and knowledge tempted Arsen. He wasn’t some detached saint from hero tales or novels indifferent to wealth.
Of course, unless the other side was a fool, gaining something would require paying an equivalent price—but at least it was worth hearing them out.
“You just call it a conclave, but what’s its exact name?”
At Arsen’s question, Ajur suddenly jumped up, opened the door.
He glanced left and right down the hall as if checking for eavesdroppers, closed the door, sat back down, and whispered softly.
“The group’s name is ‘Starwhisper.’”
Starwhisper. Arsen mulled over the name, deep in thought.
After tens of seconds like that, Arsen finally stood, having made his decision.
In truth, he’d already decided and was just pretending to deliberate so Ajur wouldn’t think him too hasty.
“Fine.”
Contrary to his words, Arsen didn’t use the orb.
He pulled a large handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around the orb so it wouldn’t touch his skin.
He’d used items from the man freely when thinking him just a wandering merchant, but now knowing he belonged to some shadowy secret group, he couldn’t.
“I can’t use this here trusting the caravan leader. You understand.”
“Of course. You can contact us anytime you use it.”
“I’ll have a mage I know check it first.”
“Ah, yes. But please keep the number of people who know to a minimum...”
“That goes without saying. Let’s get up for now.”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you go after hearing all this, did you? If this is a trap and you run, I’m the one left holding the bag. You don’t want me calling in soldiers to detain the whole caravan, right?”
“Ah... Of course. I understand.”
Ajour the caravan leader bowed his head and stood obediently.
* * *
On the third floor of the mage tower, in a space rarely used, three people sat in chairs talking.
More precisely, Arsen was explaining the situation to Luden, while Ajur the caravan leader occasionally corrected mistakes or added details.
“...That’s how it happened. Ever heard of them?”
“Starwhisper, huh? First time for me too.”
Hearing Luden’s response, Arsen lightly tapped the mace he held against his palm, feeling a pang of regret.
And Ajur felt great menace from that small action.
They’d said it’d be fine as long as he didn’t cause trouble, but imagining that massive thing flying at his head if things went wrong made him want to wet himself right then.
“For now, this artifact won’t harm you. The mana inside can’t inflict meaningful damage on a knight. You’d have to be really unlucky for it to singe your hair.”
“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”
After confirming safety with Luden, Arsen placed his hand on the orb without hesitation.
Watching him, Luden asked,
“Should I step out?”
“I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
At Arsen’s words, Luden took Ajur the caravan leader down to the base of the stairs.
Once the door closed, injecting mana into the orb brought a small voice from it.
The voice grew gradually until it reached normal speaking volume soon after.
[Ah, ah, can you hear me?]
“Yes.”
[Pleased to meet you, Sir Arsen. I am Elder Latis. Could you tell me what our man has told you?]
If Ajur the caravan leader had heard Latis’s soft, polite voice, he might have felt cosmic terror.
He’d never imagined making such a voice in his life.
“That you’re the mage organization Starwhisper, that you desperately need someone without aversion to mages, and that you can offer me great rewards. That’s the three points.”
[Our negotiator seems to have done his job faithfully. I’m pleased. Allow me to reintroduce myself: Latis, elder of Starwhisper.]
“I can skip mine—you already know it. To the point: what do you want from me?”
There was no immediate response from beyond the orb at Arsen’s probing tone.
The reply that came after a moment carried a hint of fluster.
[Sir Arsen... you’re more resolute than we expected.]
“I don’t know what you expected, but finding out someone you’ve been friendly with for months is a spy from a secret conclave changes a person.”
[I hope I can clear up that misunderstanding.]
“I hope so too. It’d be a shame to hang the caravan leader from the gallows.”
At Arsen’s cold attitude, Elder Latis quickly began explaining.
[Beluan, where you are, is at the eastern edge of the world. Ancient mage ruins and artifacts are extremely rare there.]
“I’ve heard that.”
Arsen nodded, having heard such stories from Luden before.
[Head west from Beluan, and there are many ruins left by ancient mages. Some are sealed so no one can enter—guarded by powerful protectors or dangerous spells that prevent even approach.]
Latis drew Arsen in with a gentle tone, like a storyteller coaxing a child.
Unlike the first conversation, Arsen found himself unwittingly absorbed in Latis’s tale.
[But there’s a way to breach such security: you, Sir Arsen. We call those like you—without aversion to mages—inheritors. The ruins’ guardians and defense spells don’t react to inheritors. Doors that no other method can open will yield to an inheritor’s touch.]
At Latis’s words, Arsen unconsciously looked down at his hand.
He’d long known his constitution wasn’t normal, but he’d never imagined it had such power.
There were no ancient ruins near Beluan anyway.
[That’s why we’re contacting you, even if our methods seem rude.]
“You want me to join a ruin excavation team.”
[It’s not so trivial. You might take offense, but right now, Sir Arsen, you’re just one knight among many in a frontier territory. Excavate a few ruins, though, and the treasures could become immense power in themselves. You might even rule multiple territories and found a great nation. There’s actually a country in the south built on artifact power.]
Latis tempted Arsen with honey-sweet words.
Power, strength, treasure—things no person could resist stirred excitement in him, but Arsen strove to stay calm.
Unless they were utter fools, they wouldn’t do this for nothing.
“So what help can you provide, and what price do I pay?”
[We’ll tell you locations of ruins you can excavate and support the digs. The price: half of all artifacts from the ruins go to us.]
“From what you said, it sounds like I just walk in and take them. So you’re getting half for basically just giving locations?”
[It won’t be that easy. Famous ruins attract many seekers and challengers. Obscure ones are hard to find despite lacking interference. Considering we provide unknown ruin locations and mages/artifacts for known ones, half isn’t a big price.]
Arsen sat pondering Latis’s logical argument.
To leave the stable territory for adventure, he’d have to break his oath with Lord Nut—far from easy.
Even if possible, did he really need to abandon his stable life now for risky adventure?
The instinct to settle comfortably was universal.
Treasure and glory versus comfort and peace tormented him.
“I...”
“Hey, Arsen! Come down quick!”
Arsen cut off at Luden’s urgent voice from the stairs below.
“Sorry, something came up here. Let’s talk later.”
[Understood. We’re always ready to speak, so we’ll wait.]
Arsen withdrew his mana, placed the orb in a corner, and went down the stairs.
On the first floor, Luden stood with Palato, who looked deeply dejected.
Palato visiting the mage tower was extremely rare, so it was disconcerting.
“Ah, Sir Palato. What brings you?”
“I should say nice to see you, but unfortunately, I can’t.”
Palato wore not his usual mild, relaxed expression, but a gloom fitting his face.
His next words let Arsen understand why.
“The lord has collapsed.”