Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: A Use for the Treacherous Subject
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"Um... well... that is..."
"Ah... I just woke up, so I'm hungry. Anyway, I'll be more careful from now on, so I'll be off to have a meal."
"Ah!"
Beonald abruptly stood up and left the laboratory.
Left alone, Vessia watched him leave with a flustered expression, a mix of wanting to say something and not wanting to say anything causing her to miss her chance to speak.
In the end, she had no choice but to postpone the conversation for another opportunity.
***
Unlike the lavish dinner last night, Beonald had a very simple meal, shoveling down bread, jerky, and soup in one go, packed his belongings, and immediately began the tasks at hand.
'First...'
He would start with the withdrawal procedures from the now-useless Academy.
If it were the Noble Faculty, it might be different, but for a commoner, it was just a matter of going to the administrative office, submitting a withdrawal form and a few consent documents, and that was it. With nothing more to see, Beonald's next destination was the Valderian family mansion.
"Ah, is that you, Lord Beonald? What brings you here?"
"Is Young Master Cedric and the Family Head inside? It's already afternoon, so I assume they are..."
"Yes, both of them are inside. Please come in."
Thanks to having now fully established a connection with the Valderian family, passing through security was a given. Even the Valderian family members inside the mansion waved and greeted Beonald as if he were completely one of their own.
Due to the fame and goodwill he gained from the Sports Festival, he was respected as a guest, guided by a servant, and after the Family Head and Cedric were summoned, he arrived at the guest room.
"So, you haven't come for a while, and now suddenly, what's the matter?"
"The Family Head hasn't arrived yet, but to tell you in advance, it's because of this."
And Beonald immediately pulled something from his pocket and showed it to Cedric.
What he took out was a very old-looking gold badge, its many scratches and dents hinting at its age.
Cedric was startled the moment he saw it—not because the gold badge was old, but because he was surprised by its shape.
The badge depicted a three-headed dog biting a sword.
The crest of a sword-biting Cerberus. It was the old crest of the Valderian family, which now used three swords as its emblem.
"...What is this?"
"Hmm, you don't know? Then... I should show it to the Family Head."
"So what exactly is this?"
"I'm still at the speculation stage, so I'll show it to the Family Head and discuss it."
"...Alright."
A moment later, a servant opened the door, and the Valderian Count entered with an imposing presence.
Seeing the badge placed on the table, his eyes widened, and he rushed over to the table as if drawn to it to examine it.
"Th-this? This can't be?"
"Seeing your reaction, Family Head... my guess seems roughly correct. This is indeed..."
"Yes, the old Valderian family crest! Where did you get this?"
The Valderian Family Head glared at Beonald with excited eyes and immediately pressed him.
His reaction was something Beonald had naturally anticipated; it was only natural to be surprised upon seeing the glorious crest of one's family from the old days.
And he began his act, mixing truth with a natural, pre-planned performance.
"I obtained it from a ruin in Haldeon."
"The Haldeon ruin? You don't mean...?"
"Yes. It's the area recently contested by His Imperial Majesty and the Kremel family. I was also fortunate enough to get a chance to explore it. And I obtained this harvest. This is most likely... an artifact of the old 'Valderian family'."
"Yes, the crest of the sword-biting Cerberus. A crest said to embody the resolve to protect a great being."
'...Great being~ Hahaha.'
"Anyway, the fact that this came from the Haldeon ruin means it's likely the remains of that person... or a very old ruin of our family. I can't just sit still."
The Valderian Family Head's eyes were blazing as if on fire.
Recovering and protecting his family's legacy was a given, and now he had a pretext to target the Haldeon region.
Seeing his eyes, which seemed willing to risk even war, Beonald tried to dissuade him for now.
"I wouldn't recommend going to Haldeon right now."
"Our family's legacy has been discovered! How can I not go?"
'It's clearly my legacy! That thing! Of course, since your family's experiment failed, the crest followed!'
Keeping the truth to himself, Beonald calmly explained why there was no need to target the Haldeon ruin.
"First of all, that place is currently a chaotic situation entangled with the Imperial Family, the Kremel family, and... even the religious order. The order trying to make that ruin a holy site, and the Imperial Family and Kremel family fighting covertly over the ruin's treasures. Getting involved there would just waste manpower and time."
"Even so, am I supposed to just watch?"
"Please hear me out to the end, Family Head. And there's no need to be fixated on just that ruin. Because... you don't even have to go there, as there's another one within the Valderian family's territory."
"What did you say?"
"Because I have this."
Shwak—
Beonald pulled his trump card from his pocket and handed it to the Valderian Family Head.
It was a torn portion of the 500-year-old map from the 'Molting Tomb'.
There was no need to reveal all his cards, only as much as necessary, so Beonald had deliberately torn the map from the ruin and brought it.
"This is a map I brought from the Haldeon ruin. It's torn, so I don't have the complete map... but it still shows the location of another ruin. The details need to be checked, but... judging by this terrain and mountain positions, it's likely land within the Valderian family's sphere of influence."
"Wait! Hold on! Hey! Quickly go to my office and bring the map of our territory! Hurry!"
'...Hmm, it would be troublesome if I'm wrong, but it probably isn't, right? Even if it is, my past self would have made it convenient to manage...'
At the Family Head's excited instruction upon seeing the map, the butler scurried off and brought the map.
They immediately began comparing and estimating the location. Fortunately, it was near the Valderian family's territory.
Seeing this, Beonald inwardly sighed in relief.
'Phew~ I was worried the sphere of influence might have changed a lot over 500 years, but thankfully it hasn't changed much.'
"Hmm... Of all places, here...? Are you sure it's here?"
"Huh? Ah... Comparing the maps, it seems roughly so, but why do you ask?"
However, the Valderian Family Head's expression after comparing the maps wasn't very good.
Sensing unease from that expression, Beonald wondered if there was some problem with that land, swallowed dryly, and looked at the Valderian Family Head.
"That place right now... is designated as a forbidden zone by the religious order. And it's a place the order has managed for a long time. So, getting in would be quite difficult."
"...What?"
"Hoo~ Of all places, here. This is truly troublesome."
'...Damn it!'
The Valderian Family Head sighed. Faced with this unexpected obstacle, Beonald couldn't help but be bewildered.
Of all things, the religious order. The very group Beonald despised most had designated the location of his legacy as a 'forbidden zone' and blocked it! He was a person who had clearly descended by the Goddess's command, and this situation was driving him mad.
"...Isn't there any way? Like a bribe or something?"
"Don't be absurd. Would they place someone susceptible to bribes in such an important place? It's guarded by an organization of the strongest, most devout, and most mission-driven paladins. To get in, you'd probably need... nothing less than a direct order from His Imperial Majesty. It's utterly impossible for me."
'This is... damn it! How did this happen!'
Beonald barely suppressed an oncoming headache and reconsidered the situation.
Based on the information obtained from the Haldeon ruin, everything seemed like it would go smoothly, but being blocked here made him feel suffocated.
Nevertheless, he had to reclaim his legacy somehow, so he steeled his resolve and began looking for a solution.
"...In other words, you need the power to move His Imperial Majesty. Or the strength to pressure the order."
"That... seems to be the case."
"This is giving me a headache. Alright. Let's postpone this issue for later. Then, changing the subject, I'd like to discuss the interpretation of that... artifact in the Valderian family's territory."
Beonald cleanly gave up on what couldn't be done immediately and moved on to the next matter.
There were ways to negotiate with the Emperor, but without the power to protect himself, he was more likely to be used one-sidedly, so he thought it better to exclude that option and immediately brought up the topic of artifact interpretation.
"Hmm? The promised vacation time hasn't come yet, has it?"
"I quit. There are more important matters now, and I've obtained information. Besides, knowledge and power... can be obtained elsewhere."
"Oho... That's good news. So, when are you planning to go?"
"Let's make it a week from now."
"Good. Then we'll prepare accordingly."
For the Valderian Family Head, the sooner the family artifact was deciphered, the better, so he could only welcome Beonald's decision to go before the vacation.
After scheduling the trip to the Valderian family territory, Beonald, having finished his business, was about to leave when the Valderian Family Head called him back.
"Wait a moment."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Shouldn't we give you a reward for this?"
The Valderian Family Head said this while holding up the badge Beonald had brought.
However, this badge wasn't a magical tool, just a gold shape, so Beonald hadn't even thought about a reward for it. But since the Family Head mentioned it, Beonald sat back down.
"A reward? It's not that significant. I barely managed to get out, and the map is... useless and..."
"Not at all. A family's history is more important than anything. And the map isn't a bad item either. Once the order issue is resolved, we can enter anytime. Anyway... I'd like to reward you for the badge. Is there anything you need?"
'Hmm... Since it's come to this, should I ask for something big?'
Seeing his attitude of wanting to give something no matter what, refusing too much would also be a nuisance, and it was clear the Valderian Family Head intended to solidify his relationship with Beonald.
Therefore, thinking that even a slightly unreasonable request would be welcomed here, Beonald began pondering what to ask for.