Chapter 90: You Think I Can't Do It?[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: You Think I Can't Do It?[R-18]
The politics of this nation were, for the most part, stable.
At least, that was what Lord Sirius believed.
The Royal Family, the Magic Tower, and the Church.
These three colossal powers maintained a delicate balance, each holding the others in check.
Then there was the existence of the Demon King's Army, a malevolent force that could be called the enemy of all humanity.
Because of them, even other races like the elves and beastmen maintained close ties with humankind.
A proper separation of powers and the presence of a clear enemy.
And a multitude of smaller factions actively supported this balance for their own gain.
Together, they maintained a remarkably subtle, yet solid, equilibrium.
Naturally, the core of this balance was the existence of the ‘Hero’ and the ‘Demon King.’
—The Hero is chosen by the ‘God of Heroes,’ and the Demon King is chosen by the god of the ‘Demon King.’
This was a long-standing, fundamental principle.
In particular, the one chosen as the Hero becomes the master of the Holy Sword and is granted immense power.
This led many to believe that all Heroes throughout history were inherently strong.
But in truth, that was a misconception.
Sirius was one of the few nobles who had learned this by studying history.
‘It’s not that they are strong because they are the Hero. It’s that those overflowing with talent were chosen to be the Hero in the first place.’
They weren't strong because they were chosen.
The system was designed so that someone who was already just and powerful would be chosen as the Hero.
However, that tradition had been broken this time.
‘But this Hero is different somehow.’
It wasn't uncommon for a Hero to come from a humble family.
Some had even been commoners.
Though they were said to have faced considerable discrimination, they always performed their duties as the Hero more admirably than anyone else.
It was a testament to the discerning eye of the God of Heroes.
But this current Hero was truly different.
By any measure, his track record was abysmal.
His skills and achievements were so pathetic they could only elicit sighs.
It was baffling why the God of Heroes would make such a mistake.
‘It even got to the point where people were saying it would have been better if his companion, the magician Lee Hyun-woo, had been chosen as the Hero.’
Surprisingly, not even the Royal Family silenced such talk.
It meant that they, too, agreed to some extent.
Sirius, who had sworn fealty to the Royal Family, also concurred.
Part of the reason was that he himself held Lee Hyun-woo in extremely high regard.
‘What a shame, what a shame. If Lee Hyun-woo had been the Hero, the war would have ended much sooner, and peace would have come far earlier.’
…Perhaps it was because he had always thought this way.
Lord Sirius was more flustered than he had ever been.
The fact that the Black Mage, Lee Hyun-woo, had been banished from the Hero's Party was currently being treated as a state secret.
It was impossible to know what effect Hyun-woo's absence would have on the morale of the kingdom's army.
Still, high-ranking nobles knew the truth through their own connections.
And that naturally led to a single question.
—Then where in the world is the banished Lee Hyun-woo?
He was that much of a heavyweight.
A man sought by every noble, the Royal Family, the Magic Tower, and even the Church.
The entire kingdom was looking for him.
And now, such a man had suddenly appeared before him.
“...So, you say you are staying in the Armeina estate?”
“Yes, that’s how it turned out. It’s a nice place to live.”
Sirius let out a bitter smile without realizing it.
The Armeina estate was right next door.
His own son, who had been away, was scheduled to finish his business and return soon.
To think he had been so close all this time without anyone knowing… frankly, it was dumbfounding.
Sirius was not naive enough to believe the old saying about the darkest place being under the candlestick.
‘Did he… control the flow of information himself?’
The news about Lee Hyun-woo was already top secret.
If the magician himself had also imposed his own control, the Armeina estate would be no different from an isolated island in the middle of a vast ocean.
‘I’d heard the rumors, but he’s a more fearsome man than I imagined.’
What purpose could Lee Hyun-woo possibly have in Armeina?
Why would a magician banished from the party come to the Hero’s hometown?
Knowing the general situation, Sirius had a good guess.
And now, a man like that had revealed himself before him.
This was by no means a welcome development.
‘Dangerous.’
His instincts as a nobleman were screaming at him.
This was the magician believed to be capable of changing the tide of war all by himself.
The great visionary who had single-handedly led that pathetic Hero's Party.
The man who would have likely become the Magic Tower Master had he not joined the Hero's Party.
The one and only disciple of that ‘monster’ who was called a legend of the Magic Tower.
Faced with such a person, even a lord well-versed in the art of politics couldn't help but feel tense.
“Ah, don’t worry too much. I’ll leave as soon as my business is done.”
Hyun-woo set down his teacup with a truly casual gesture.
Has he already read my mind?
Sirius forced himself to calm down and spoke.
“So, what brings a great magician all the way here?”
He decided to be direct.
From the stories he’d heard, this was not a man who would respond to roundabout pleasantries.
“Oh, it’s nothing much.”
Hyun-woo replied in the same light tone.
“I’d like you to cancel the engagement talks between Carl Sirius and Lorein Armeina.”
Sirius froze for a moment at Hyun-woo’s words.
It was something he had never expected.
Sirius had anticipated all sorts of political scenarios or requests for support.
He had even thought Hyun-woo might ask for his backing as the next Hero.
But the actual statement was both surprising and, in a way, remarkably modest.
“Does that mean… you want the engagement canceled?”
“Yes.”
Armeina.
It was an ordinary, rural estate, the kind you could find anywhere.
It seemed poised to rise after producing a Hero, but with that very Hero failing, it was likely to remain as it was.
Its only redeeming quality was that its daughters, including the lord’s, were great beauties.
In fact, his own son, Carl, had been infatuated with the eldest daughter, Lorein, since childhood.
‘I only reluctantly approved of the engagement because that fool Carl was acting so pathetically…’
Of course, that wasn't to say Lorein was lacking.
On the contrary, Sirius himself greatly admired her skill and character.
Had she been born a man, she was talented enough to become the commander of a knight order.
He only meant she was lacking when considering the status of their estates.
In any case, why was this magician suddenly bringing up the engagement?
“...I find it difficult to understand what you mean.”
“It’s not that difficult. All you have to do, my lord, is break off the engagement and swear to leave them alone from now on.”
“The engagement of nobles is not so easily broken. To make such a rude demand while talks are still ongoing is—”
Hyun-woo snapped his fingers.
Jewels scattered across the table.
Each one was so valuable that even Sirius, a lord, was momentarily taken aback.
Hyun-woo spoke as if they were nothing more than pebbles.
“I’ll provide a hefty sum as settlement. In fact, this should be a profitable deal for you, wouldn’t you say?”
“Why go to such lengths…?”
Sirius asked, forcing himself to swallow a dry lump in his throat.
At this point, he was more curious about the reason than the request itself.
But Lee Hyun-woo seemed to have no intention of telling him.
“That is none of your concern. As you said, the engagement is still in the ‘talking’ stage. You should know that I’m already making a huge concession by paying this much.”
“Th-That’s…”
“If you continue to ignore my goodwill… then I’ll have no choice but to consider Sirius an enemy.”
“H-Hmph!”
Sirius cleared his throat.
The look in Hyun-woo’s eyes was no bluff.
It made the old lord timid.
Whether politically or in terms of power, Sirius did not want to make an enemy of Lee Hyun-woo.
The potential losses were far too great.
“My son, as well as others who pushed for this engagement, will oppose it.”
“Give me a list of anyone who gets in the way. I will remove them all.”
“There’s no way that’s possible…”
“Do you think I can’t?”
At Hyun-woo’s confident declaration, Sirius pressed his lips shut.
Perhaps because of his youthful, almost boyish appearance, he kept forgetting just who he was facing.
Or maybe he was just getting old, constantly bumping up against the limits of common sense.
There was no other individual who could so brazenly challenge the Sirius estate like this.
And there probably never would be again.
‘Except for this magician, that is.’
Finally, Sirius let out a deep sigh.
“Very well. I will handle the matter myself.”
“A wise decision.”
Hyun-woo nodded, smiling with satisfaction.
Seeing that, Sirius inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ah, and it goes without saying, but the fact that I am in Armeina is a secret.”
“...You won’t be able to hide it forever.”
“Don’t worry. I’m being careful enough.”
“I certainly hope a day never comes when my loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen is questioned.”
“You will not regret today’s decision.”
In truth, this was actually a beneficial deal for Sirius.
He had canceled an engagement that hadn't even been finalized and received a massive settlement for it.
Even if he couldn't tell anyone else, the information that Hyun-woo was in Armeina was, in itself, a great advantage.
‘The problem will be convincing that fool Carl.’
Carl had been in one-sided love with Lorein for quite a long time.
He knew that despite loving her for so long, Carl had never once received a proper smile from her.
And knowing that full well, he had still pushed hard for the engagement.
His feelings must have run deep.
Sirius worried whether he could give it all up in a single day.
‘Is this woman, Lorein, so remarkable that even a man like this would take an interest in her?’
As his thoughts reached that point, he suddenly grew curious.
He could call it simple human curiosity.
“May I ask just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Why are you doing all this for Lady Lorein? A man like you… you could have any other woman you want. Ah, I’m certainly not disparaging her.”
At Sirius’s question, Hyun-woo answered with a characteristically magician-like smile.
“Because I like Lorein.”
…Of course, Sirius didn’t believe him.