Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Usefulness of a Treacherous Subject
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And as full-fledged winter soon began, perhaps business truly did slow down in the extreme cold, for the number of spies loitering around the mansion had drastically decreased.
Especially at night, one had to risk their life enduring the blizzards outside; now that it was absolutely impossible to hold out there, most spies had withdrawn. Beonald's group, now numbering four—or rather five, including Alterio—were all gathered in the largest room, sitting before the fireplace and keeping warm.
"But there's something sad about this."
"What's sad about it?"
"Doesn't this scene remind you of something?"
"Hmm...?"
Currently, Sein and Heidi were sitting on either side of Beonald, leaning against his shoulders and sharing a blanket. Behind him, Alterio was sprawled out, dozing off. In contrast, Selina sat alone on the opposite side, wrapped in her own blanket.
Heidi was already asleep with her head resting on Beonald's shoulder, while Sein, treating even this time as precious, was absorbed in studying a book she had bought from the capital.
"Ah~ I suppose you could call this the difference between family and comrades. What, are you jealous?"
"Yes. But you wouldn't accept me, would you?"
"Well, it's obvious you have someone you love more than me. All mages are like that."
They were beings who had already devoted everything to the 'Truth of the World' and 'Knowledge.'
Having interacted with mages while obtaining his alchemist qualification and advancing, Beonald had occasionally made advances toward female mages. Most of them were more interested in power and funds than in a romantic relationship with him.
And invariably, they all left, saying truth and knowledge were more important.
'...I speak from experience.'
"Haven't you only ever seen me as a mage?"
"Let's just gloss over that. Anyway, it's saddening to waste time being tricked by that damned Imperial Knight Order."
"For someone saying that, you seemed to spend your days quite diligently, shuttling between the mountains and the city?"
As Selina said, while under surveillance, Beonald had traveled between the capital and the mountains, doing all sorts of things.
He reordered various experimental tools from a glass workshop to set up a lab, gathered medicinal herbs from the mountains, and even prepared a spot for a herb garden in front of the mansion, intending to cultivate them himself... Anyone watching might mistakenly think he had come not to enter the academy, but to retire to the countryside.
"Originally, by now I should have had more facilities and personnel. And I would have been merrily mass-producing various products, making a proper fortune before even entering the academy..."
"...Were you a merchant in your past life? Why are you so obsessed with money?"
"Pfft! You don't understand. Humans are ultimately creatures of greed. How amazing is it that you can exchange all that greed for this one thing? In the first place, wouldn't you mages be in trouble without it too?"
Ting!
Flicking a gold coin with his finger, Beonald refuted Selina's words.
His point was: what's with all the high-minded talk about wisdom and truth when, in the end, without this gold coin, you can't even conduct proper research and just waste time?
"After reading alchemy books, you really do sound like an alchemist."
"It was just that impressive. And... if you want to form connections with nobles, the more of this you have, the better. To win their favor, you need all sorts of things."
"So... you're trying to find 'Benofis'? That legendary city?"
"That's right."
'Benofis.' The territory and city he had cultivated and built. He never imagined it would become a legend 500 years later, that everything he had built would be destroyed and plundered. But no matter what, he had to find it, because there lay the leyline—the planet's vital point.
With just that, rebuilding the glory of Benofis on that spot wouldn't be impossible.
'And there might still be some leftovers from the plundering. After all, I... did hoard quite a bit(?).'
At its peak, Benofis had amassed a staggering amount of treasure, enough to boast that it held all the treasures of the continent at the time.
Various products utilizing alchemy sold like hotcakes, and the speed of prosperity was so rapid that Beonald truly managed countless construction projects and operations, getting only a few hours of sleep a week.
And to somehow circulate the accumulating money, he did many crazy things.
'How many treasure vaults and dungeons did I build? I lost count, and later I just briefly reviewed reports before storing things... I don't know what was looted and what remains.'
"By the way, I really hope you find it. Benofis, the legendary city that existed 500 years ago. Its existence is confirmed in records, but ever since the Holy Kingdom mentioned it, it's been taboo, so people can't openly do anything."
"Even though it's officially taboo, I hear many are still searching for it..."
"Human desire is immeasurable, and the legends you hear are jackpots, right? A city where gold flows! The land where all the continent's treasures gathered! The vanished ruler of the continent! The King of Extravagance! There are even records that to select the best successor, he violated the women within his territory and took children as tax..."
'That wasn't me! Felix! Felix, I say! That damn father!'
When it came to historical records, it was very common for records from roughly the same period to become intermingled.
Within the earldom, Beonald and his father Felix were father and son. If their names were erased from records, it was natural for fame to be absorbed by the more prominent figure.
Of course, for Beonald, the actual person involved, it was truly unfair.
"Moreover, it's not like it never happened at all; it clearly exists in excavated records. Of course, it's blamed as the cause of the ongoing division, receiving all sorts of curses. They even say it's fortunate the name disappeared."
'Did I cause the division? They fought amongst themselves, coveting my property, and split! ...Well, I did hoard excessively, but if they had been in my position, they'd have done the same!'
"...Why did you suddenly go quiet? Your eyes aren't sleepy... they're scary."
"I was just lost in thought for a moment. Ah, and why don't you try using this?"
As the conversation subtly shifted, Beonald pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her.
It was a small metal container. When Selina opened it, it was filled with a solid, pure white substance. She looked at Beonald with a puzzled expression and asked.
"What is this that you want me to try? Given the strong smell... it doesn't seem like something to eat..."
"It's cosmetics. It adds luster to the skin and prevents dryness from the winter wind. Of course, it's still experimental."
"Aha~! I've heard noblewomen use such things. But... if you want to experiment, aren't the two ladies on either side there?"
"Originally, I intended to, but unfortunately, you are the only one suitable for testing this cosmetic."
"Hmm? What does that mean?"
While touching the cosmetic Beonald had made and smelling its scent during their conversation, Selina sensed something odd and glared at him as she asked.
Suitable for the experiment? It didn't feel like it was because she was special. Seeing this, Beonald scratched his head awkwardly and replied.
"Can I be honest? I think you'll get angry."
"Speak freely. As a mage pursuing truth, I do not turn away from reality."
Hearing Selina's dignified retort, Beonald glanced at her cautiously and began to explain carefully.
"Heidi is young, and perhaps because she's mastered mana breathing, even after training all day in the harsh wind outside, her skin remains firm and soft like this. That's a talent in itself."
"Umm... Beonald... sir..."
"And Sein is the same... she's young and manages her diet, sleep, and various other aspects."
"Yes, as a maid. Appearance is important too."
"But Selina, you're at an age, but your irregular sleep, meals, lifestyle patterns, lack of exercise, etc... there are too many composite factors. On top of that, combined with this winter's cold wind and dryness, your skin is as rough as if coated with flour... Gack!"
Thwack!
Unable to bear Beonald's harsh and brutal factual violence, Selina threw the cosmetic she was holding at him. It struck his face with a thud, like a pie.
Despite possessing the skills of a mid-level knight, Beonald didn't dodge and took the hit. A flustered Selina jumped up and shouted.
"...Why didn't you dodge?"
"If I dodged, wouldn't the thing I worked hard to make go to waste? Anyway, I tried not to say it because I thought this would happen... You couldn't bear the truth."
"You touched on a sensitive spot. Hmph!"
"So I told you, didn't I? Anyway, this precious thing... No matter how experimental it is, think of the effort it took to make it. To throw it like that, it's too much. I guess I'll have to test it myself. Male and female skin are distinctly different, but... well, I'll get some data."
"...I'm sorry. I was wrong. I just... lost control for a moment."
"Since you admit your fault so readily, it's fine. I hope you'll start taking care of yourself with that good material from now on, so it doesn't go to waste. It would be a pity... A raw gem that could become a jewel if polished shouldn't be left to decay."
Flustered by Beonald's sudden kind words after all the teasing, Selina turned her head away, blushing.
Thinking he was a man she could never match in many ways, she approached the only remaining space—Beonald's outstretched legs—and forcibly used his lap as a pillow. Closing her eyes, she smirked and said.
"Ah, this is definitely warm. You must have a high body temperature. I think I'll sleep well."
"What about me?"
"That's~ I don't know. Well then, goodnight."
With that, Selina fell asleep in an instant.
Soon after, Sein also put her book down and fell asleep. Unable to move, Beonald, feeling a bit uncomfortable, thought, 'Tonight, I'll stay up,' for the sake of the girls leaning on him, and gazed at the fire rising in the fireplace.
***
The attention on him also had its limits. With the characteristics of the winter season, now in the third month since settling here, the eyes watching them were gone.
They had already investigated as much as they could, and since Beonald's group hadn't shown anything particularly special, they likely thought further investigation would yield no results and withdrew.
"If only I could procure slaves and laborers now... but that would draw attention, right?"
"That's right."
"This is so frustrating~ There are items that could rake in money, but I can't use them."
Nevertheless, during this time, Beonald had traveled between the mountains, wilderness, and city to gather materials and created various products.
The first things he made were cosmetics, establishing new recipes for both low-end and high-end types.
These were items that absolutely could not fail to sell in the 'Imperial Capital.' If he succeeded in the initial promotion and just made the product name known, it would be like sitting on a money cushion.
'The obsession with beauty is the same across all times and places... and especially in the Imperial Capital, amid the competition and chaos among nobles, it's bound to be even more intense.'
If the political arena was a battlefield for noble men, the battlefield for women was all sorts of social gatherings and events across high society. While the goal was to form alliances between powers through marriage, it was also possible to sway men from opposing families through beauty and wit. And to marry into a good family, one had to appear more beautiful than the competitors—that was a truth.
'In my past life, I sucked quite a bit of honey from this. Hehehe...'
Even during his time as Count Beonald von Neumel, he had used this to amass funds and gain many political advantages.
Even now, 500 years later, it probably wasn't any different. Thus, Beonald spent the winter continually re-establishing recipes for various prototypes and conducting other experiments. Time passed very quickly, and finally, the day of academy admission arrived.