Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: A Treacherous Subject Also Has Their Uses
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“This… this is?”
“Good heavens! I never thought the seal would be broken this quickly! As expected, the Young Master wasn't sent here by his elder brother for nothing!”
“…It truly is one astonishing event after another, Uncle. I… I didn't even expect it to be undone this quickly either……”
Though exclamations of admiration and shock were heard from behind, Beonald could not hear them at all.
It was because he was so utterly astonished by the objects inside the box.
First and foremost, what was visible inside was a large portrait, depicting none other than… his own self from his previous life 500 years ago.
‘Why is this… here?’
It was a portrait of the young Duke Beonald, standing imposingly with multiple swords, excessively adorned with all sorts of jewels, accessories, and luxurious tiger fur, striking a pose. However, to the present Beonald, it felt no different from stumbling upon a self-made, cringe-worthy character design sketch from his middle school years.
‘This bastard… I need to ask the Goddess to arrange a meeting in the afterlife so I can give him a good smack.’
Faced with this sudden emergence of a black mark on his history, Beonald felt his hands and feet curling with embarrassment and wanted to immediately destroy this sacrilegious object. However, it was, strictly speaking, an item belonging to the Valderian family, and there was no way to dispose of it in this situation.
“This painting… what on earth is it? Who is the person depicted here, Uncle?”
“Hmm. I'm not sure either.”
‘Perhaps it's a good thing you don't know……. Haaa~ Damn bastard, why did you put this in here? …Ah, wait a minute? Come to think of it, this painting…….’
If it was a painting Beonald himself had commissioned in his youth, filled with narcissism, it should have been in his own territory, Benofis, not here.
Originally hung in the hall of his mansion, he had later considered it a black mark on his history when he grew older. During a moment of wisdom, he had stored it away in the castle's underground warehouse. He couldn't understand why that item was here.
‘I simply… have no idea how this happened.’
“Anyway… the seal is finally broken, Lord Beonald. Truly, thank you! Oooooh… How could such a thing happen in this world!”
“Please wait a moment. There might… there might be another trap. Approaching carelessly could lead to injury. We don't know what kind of magical tool might be here.”
“Ah? That's true. Ahem!”
While restraining the excited Oswald, Beonald pushed the portrait aside and began examining the other items.
Fortunately, the box contained not just the painting but also wands, rings, bracelets, belts, shoes, and so on… various items and books.
The wands, rings, and bracelets were clearly magical tools that looked expensive at a glance, and upon closer inspection, Beonald soon realized their true nature.
‘These… are almost all my things, aren't they? Good grief… Ha!’
Beonald slowly examined the items he had personally crafted and carried during his prime.
A wand with a square frame studded with numerous faceted gems. It was the ‘Wand of Teleportation,’ created by Beonald to manage the Unified Empire's various territories and numerous research and storage facilities, allowing travel anywhere.
However, it had the drawback of requiring ‘Mana Charging’ and the ‘Magic Circle’ of the target facility to be activated.
‘Rings engraved with frequently used spells for ready inscription, a ‘Mana Storage Bracelet’ that can draw power from magic stones, a ‘Ring of Appraisal’ that instantly reveals an object's weight and length, and… these books are also important records of spells, information, notes on ideas for new magical tools, and logs… That bastard, how on earth did he…….’
Beonald was currently dumbfounded, looking at his own belongings.
No, how could only his items have been stored like this?
As he stood there bewildered, he wasn't the only one taken aback by seeing these items.
‘But why… did he deliberately put these here? There are many more incredible magical tools.’
Although these items were sufficiently impressive compared to this era, they were all tools helpful for ‘spell engraving,’ magical tool crafting, and alchemy.
The notes and logs on magical tool ideas held their own value, but compared to various completed magical tools, they seemed somewhat lackluster. The question of why he specifically stored these remained unanswered.
“These… seem like treasures, yet they're unfamiliar objects.”
“What could our ancestor have been thinking? I thought something like swords or armor would come out, considering our family's character……”
It wasn't just Beonald, who knew the full story of every item, who found it strange.
The descendants of the Valderian family had also inherited their family's traditions and history through upbringing or other records. Considering their family's temperament, it was normal to expect weapons or armor like they said, which is why they were puzzled.
‘I agree with that too. What on earth was Kerwel thinking… huh? This?’
While thinking it was peculiar, Beonald discovered something lying at the bottom of the items.
A part of the ‘Cerberus wielding a sword’ crest. Thinking, ‘At least he left something,’ he carefully pulled it out. It was a large shield with a red-painted background and a Cerberus wielding a sword depicted in black.
‘This is… the Shield of Hell's Gate? Right. Something like this should remain.’
Finally, a proper magical tool. One of Beonald's masterpieces, the Shield of Hell's Gate. A magical tool imbued with a special power that could change the tide of a single battle, made for Kerwel von Valderian.
“A shield…?”
“Oh… what is this?”
‘You don't know this shield? This is the very shield that symbolizes the spirit, pride, and honor of the Valderian family… Ah!’
Hearing the descendants' astonishing words, Beonald vividly recalled the Valderian family's current coat of arms.
That's right, he strongly remembered that the change to simply three swords wasn't solely due to himself and the flow of history and civil war.
Feeling a sense of unease, Beonald cautiously asked Oswald and Kedron.
“Excuse me, by any chance… do the knights of the current Valderian family not use shields?”
“That's correct?”
“Yes. Well, aside from occasionally using them during cavalry charges towards archer units, that's generally the case.”
“…I see.”
Beonald answered calmly on the surface, but inside, he was seething with anger.
The original specialty of the Valderian family, starting from Kerwel von Valderian, was sturdy infantry combat.
Moreover, not being of noble origin originally, they lacked the pride of ‘knights.’ Holding short bows and caltrops, they even managed to harass cavalry. During the Unified Empire era, their formation standing side by side with swords and shields earned them a reputation akin to the Gates of Hell.
“…Anyway, this shield is undoubtedly a Valderian family heirloom and a magical tool. We'll need to appraise its exact effects, but for now… I'll entrust it to Lord Kedron.”
“Ah, thank you. Anyway, I had no idea you would break the seal immediately upon arrival and open the family's heirlooms like this. Truly… I'd like to express my gratitude on behalf of my father.”
“Not at all. Although it's been opened, there's still too much to do regarding the items' purposes, appraisal, and so on. First, let's take these books out and try to translate them. And we should close the box again.”
He wanted to take these magical tools, which were originally his items, if possible. However, there was no way to prove here and now that he was that Beonald von Neumel from 500 years ago.
Since they were, strictly speaking, artifacts that emerged from the ‘Valderian family's’ relic box, he had no choice but to stop himself from taking them. Preparing for any possible situation, he closed the box again.
He thought there might be some reaction or protest about that, but fortunately, there was none.
‘Hmm… First, I've given them the important-looking family heirloom. To their eyes, the rest probably just look like ordinary treasures? Or perhaps they think they can just keep watch.’
“Anyway, this is a great achievement, Young Master. My elder brother will be very pleased.”
“Yes, Uncle. I never thought the efforts Father… put in would be resolved this easily, but it's a good thing, right? Hahahaha.”
Contrary to Beonald's thoughts, the two Valderian family members were delighted by the fact that the ‘Shield of Hell's Gate’ and the seal on the relics had been broken.
Afterward, they took out the books and the shield to examine first. Since Beonald had broken the relic's seal immediately upon arrival and helped retrieve the family's treasure, he instantly became the family's benefactor and began receiving hospitality on par with an imperial guest.
“In celebration of the joyous news, this is steak made from a freshly caught young heifer. Truly, thank you, Lord Beonald.”
“Ooh… So that is our ancestor's relic.”
“The family head would be so pleased if he knew.”
Originally, the Valderian family had a dining habit of piling food moderately and eating freely. But today, all family members and nobles from other families staying at the mansion sat in their respective seats like typical nobles, eating politely solely to honor Beonald.
It seemed it was a commemorative day for excavating the sleeping ‘family's secret treasure,’ a day marking the restoration of the family's honor, so they were observing proper etiquette.
“Once again, thank you very much for finding our family's secret treasure, Lord Beonald. This is a tremendous contribution, and I've already sent a message, so my elder brother will likely bestow a great reward upon his return.”
“That would be truly wonderful. Hahaha, thank you.”
Accepting the wine glass Oswald offered with a smile, Beonald was happy but internally began pondering how he could receive the magical tools inside the relics for himself.
Setting aside the question of how his former subordinate Kerwel had gathered only those specific magical tools, they were items he desperately needed in his current situation. He continued his meal while pondering.
Calem Empire, Imperial Palace.
While Beonald's group went to the Valderian family's territory to handle business, news regarding Count Vanilo reached the imperial palace via the fastest messenger.
The news was that the southern High Noble family, the Vanilo Earldom, had ultimately betrayed the Imperial family, joined hands with the multiracial nation of the Garkan Republic, and even formed a marriage alliance.
Of course, this single marriage alliance wouldn't cause all nobles within the Vanilo Earldom's domain to defect to the Garkan Republic. However, the national repercussions arising from turmoil in that region, the empire's largest food production area, were far too significant.
“…Ugh! How did such a thing happen? What were the intelligence units at the border doing?”
“Well… It's said that as soon as the Count received the proposal, he accepted without hesitation or deliberation. The Iron-Blooded Elf Prime Minister Neumel had already completed all preparations and was waiting at the border, entering the moment the message arrived. Yes… It seems Count Vanilo's intentions were just too easy to read.”
“Grrrr!”
The Emperor of the Calem Empire let out a low groan, blaming himself for being careless.
Lately, there had been too many headaches, and while dealing with them, he had let his guard down a bit.
Moreover, he had already assigned personnel to continue negotiations regarding Count Vanilo, so he had somewhat taken his hand off the matter. Prime Minister Neumel of the Garkan Republic had sharply exploited that opening.
“…That damned hybrid bitch! Grrrrr!”
Tap… tap…….
Tapping the armrest of the throne with his fingers, the Emperor sank into deep thought.
He had already taken a big hit, and judging by the progress made during the time the messenger took to arrive, the wedding ceremony was likely already over.
Therefore, regarding Count Vanilo, the stage for resolution through negotiation and words had already passed. There was only one thing left to do.
“Immediately! Summon all High Nobles residing in the capital, prepare an emergency council. This is an urgent matter, so convey that not a single person is to be absent!”
“Yes!”
The Emperor immediately issued the order to summon the High Nobles, and the order was promptly executed, with messengers dispatched two per household to the mansions of the High Nobles residing in the capital.
From now on, it was essentially a race against time.
As the matter of the Haldeon ruins had to be set aside for now, the Emperor recalled the Imperial Knight Order sent to the ruins and also prepared a letter to be sent to the ‘Religious Order.’