Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Generation Shift (1)
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Lian flipped through the books rapidly with bored eyes from a corner of the study.
"Another dud, huh."
He closed the book and placed it on top of the tall stack of books piled high.
Unfortunately, this last one wasn't the book he was looking for either.
100 Classifications of Wild Herbs.
Zoology Illustrated.
Pallas Myths and Human History, and so on.
The other books stacked beneath were the same.
The books brought from the Delico Matron's house were mostly ordinary scholarly tomes also found in Isabel's study here.
"Hah. Isn't the mysticism a bit over the top?"
Not even a single grimoire in a magician's bookshelf.
Could it be that magic is traditionally taught only through oral transmission?
Lian closed his eyes tightly once more and slowly ran his fingers over the stack of books to confirm again.
If they were written in code or the contents hidden by magic, the whispers would have murmured it to him.
But it was silent.
He focused a little harder, but it was no use.
All he could hear echoing strangely was the odd resonance from the basement where the Delico Matron was confined.
"Well, at least I've confirmed that my ability can detect magic or magicians... Am I some kind of natural enemy to mages or something?"
Ever since returning from the Delico Farm, he'd even picked up a weird new nickname.
"Sir Lian's completely immune to mages' spells!"
"As expected of the Mage Hunter!"
"He was even sold into slavery because some evil mage feared his special bloodline..."
Mage Hunter Lian.
Along with that moniker came the utterly baseless backstory of being "the holy descendant standing against the evil dark sorcery spreading in Bordia."
"I'm not heading to any battlefield or anything. I doubt I'll have to fight mages anymore..."
Anyway, it'd fade away naturally with time, so he let them chatter as they pleased for now.
Of course, he still had to watch out for the court mage.
Perhaps because he'd witnessed his disciple getting utterly trounced, the mage hadn't sent any more birds since.
"Hmm."
Lian quietly looked around.
There was no one else in the study right now.
"Hey. You there, by any chance? Can you hear me?"
But for the first time, he tried speaking to whatever invisible presence might be there.
"......"
It felt a bit awkward.
No response came.
Maybe it wasn't expecting conversation after all.
Knock knock-
Then a knock sounded, startling him for no reason.
"S-Sir Lian? Ah! There you are!"
The door to the study opened, and apprentice accountant Letty peeked her head in.
"What is it?"
"A message from the clinic. The kids you brought in yesterday are starting to regain consciousness!"
"Really? That's a relief."
"Even the ones in bad shape have stabilized."
The children from the Delico Farm had walnut-sized seeds planted in their stomachs.
Those were the source of the extraordinary power those kids possessed.
In the case of the girl named Sofi, the seed had apparently taken root throughout her body.
So at the moment her breath stopped, the parasitic plant overtook her flesh, turning her into a monster—that was the spell.
It apparently took about five years for that to happen, though.
Fortunately, the other children could be saved just by destroying the seeds.
"They also asked about where the kids will stay after they recover."
"With so many of them... any orphanage that could take them all at once?"
"Yeah. Realistically, that's tough. Even splitting them up wouldn't be easy."
"Hmm. Then what to do..."
Lian pondered deeply.
They weren't wearing slave collars, but these were kids from his homeland, sold through human trafficking just like him.
He could have easily ended up as one of them, so in a way, they were lucky.
Whether from shared suffering or something like it, it wasn't easy to turn a blind eye to them.
"Well, that's after they recover, so I'll think on it some more."
"Got it. I'll pass that along!"
He'd pierced them precisely, targeting only the seeds without the slightest deviation.
But since they were hidden in the organs, the kids were already critically injured there.
And to cleanly remove the roots spreading through the organs, recovery time was practically unpredictable.
So right now, he needed to focus on more pressing matters.
"More importantly, has Sir Albero responded?"
"Yes! He's coming in person this afternoon!"
"Oh? I was planning to go to him—sorry to trouble him."
As Lian recalled the original owner of the Delico Farm, the corner of his mouth curled up slyly.
Dropping all pretense of dignity and rushing over the moment he got the message.
As expected of nobles—they'd do anything to protect their land.
"In that case, I should review the documents before he arrives."
Which meant he'd have no choice but to sign those papers too.
Madella was a fairly large island.
The distance between its main hubs, the north and south ports, was considerable—three days on horseback.
Even by ship, with favorable winds and currents, it took a full day.
In other words, if something happened at the south port.
Even if the lord took direct action, the earliest response would be the next day, or three days later at best.
And now, two days had passed since the incident at the Delico Farm.
Just past noon.
A long procession lined up in front of the gates of Isabel's mansion.
Twenty knights mounted on horses and clad in armor, and fifty soldiers bearing spears and shields.
Their uniforms were distinctly different from those of the security forces or any kingdom troops.
At the forefront of the procession rode an elderly knight in splendid, dignified attire.
It was Francis Monteir, lord of Madella Island.
And perched on his shoulder was a small, chirping bird.
"Hear ye, owner of the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House, Isabel! You hold a criminal long pursued by the lord. I command you to hand over the criminal!"
A knight bearing the pearl shell crest symbolizing House Monteir shouted loudly.
"I declare once more! You hold the lord's criminal—hand them over!"
The knight's voice echoed thunderously through the streets.
But Isabel's mansion was quite spacious.
There was no way his voice would carry properly to the interior.
"Hand over the lord's criminal!"
Still, like some kind of demonstration, the knight kept repeating it.
The reason for their show right in front of the gates was obvious.
Rumors about the true nature of the Delico Farm would spread soon enough.
This was the lord's performance to claim he wasn't behind the incident.
Then he'd take the Delico Matron, hide her away again, and put her to use—or destroy the evidence.
With the lord himself present, even Isabel had no choice but to comply.
"No matter how loudly you shout, they can't hear you well inside."
At last, the gates opened, and Lian stepped out with an awkward expression.
At his appearance, the bird on the lord's shoulder chirped something into his ear.
"Hmph. And who are you?"
"I am Lian, representative of the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House and proxy for Lady Isabel. I pay my respects to the master of Madella."
Lian bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
Then he straightened up and stared fixedly at the small bird on the lord's shoulder.
"As for the court mage... should I say we're somewhat acquainted?"
At those words, the bird startled and flapped its wings.
The lord's face crumpled beneath his helmet.
"Ahem! The lord has graced you with his presence in person—why does Isabel not appear, and you instead?!"
The knight holding the flag beside him glared at Lian with bulging eyes.
"She is unwell in body and mind from the previous assassination attempt and cannot receive guests. I beg your broad magnanimity."
Whether true or not, it was a reasonable excuse.
The knight quietly gauged the lord's reaction.
When the lord nodded, he cleared his throat.
"Then hear this, proxy Lian of Isabel! Hand over the criminal you hold, by order of the lord!"
"To whom do you refer?"
"What...?"
"If you vaguely say 'criminal,' how am I to know who?"
Lian bowed his head with an innocent, aggrieved look, as if mildly troubled.
The knight, now looking troubled himself, glanced at the lord.
"...The old woman called Delico Matron."
This time, the lord spoke up.
No wonder the knight parroted the same lines like a parrot.
He hadn't been given detailed information on the Delico Matron.
"You mean the old woman who tried to assassinate Lady Isabel. Yes, we have her in custody."
"Then hand over the criminal quietly."
"Of course. We shall obey the lord's command."
Lian bowed deeply once more.
At the unexpectedly compliant attitude, the lord's lips twitched upward slyly.
"Wait. So you're taking her to the north port where the lord resides, then."
"Hm...?"
"This is under the south port security forces' jurisdiction, so per the law, we'll hand the criminal over through the security forces."
The lord's upturned lips quivered.
"You scum! You dare lecture the lord on the law?!"
"But the national law is the word of His Majesty the King, is it not?"
"Th-that's...!"
The Castel Kingdom was a bureaucratic state founded on strong royal authority.
Even a lord couldn't ignore the law.
"I heard you had a sharp mind. Yet here you are, spouting nonsense."
But the lord sneered at Lian, lifting his chin higher to look down on him.
"Jurisdiction? I am the lord who governs this entire island. The south port is no exception to me."
"Ah, indeed...!"
What a profoundly correct statement.
Lian smacked his fist into his palm and nodded vigorously.
"I was just racking my brains over that very issue, but the lord's wisdom shines through!"
With those words, the mansion gates opened once more.
And the person who emerged was an unexpected figure.
"Leon? What are you...?"
"It's been a while."
Clank clank-
At the same time, security force soldiers poured out from the alleys.
They swiftly surrounded the lord's private soldiers, cutting off their retreat.
"Leon... You're truly going to commit treason after all?"
"No. This is not treason—it's justice."
With that, Leon presented a scroll sealed with the royal crest.
"This is..."
The lord's eyes trembled at the sight.
"By the name of King Valua II, I command: Francis Monteir, lord of Madella, humbly accept this indictment."
"...Indictment? Who dares indict me, a lord?!"
"By noble law, any titled noble has the right to indict a lord for his crimes."
"What? Who dares...!"
"If you're curious, why not check the indictment yourself?"
But the lord's hand on the reins didn't move an inch.
The indictment took full effect the moment he accepted it.
At that instant, all his qualifications and authority as lord would be temporarily stripped.
So he absolutely couldn't take it, even if it killed him.
The contents undoubtedly concerned the Delico Matron.
Accepting it meant losing both time and means to destroy evidence.
"The national law is His Majesty's word. Do you intend to defy the king's command?"
Refusing it, on the other hand, made him a rebel defying royal orders on the spot—a choice between death and death.
"Wait a moment! Procedurally speaking..."
Insisting it go through the north port security commander might buy time, but...
"Thanks to the lord's words, no worries about jurisdiction now."
"......!!"
Lian chimed in with a sly grin.
"You...! You cunning dog of Isabel...!"
He was cornered.
Too late to quibble over jurisdiction.
"As of this moment, I, the eldest son, temporarily assume all the lord's authority! Knights and soldiers of House Monteir! Lay down your arms, all of you!"
"Ignore him! Any who obey this wretch will face severe punishment...!"
The soldiers and knights glanced around furtively.
Despite the lord's bellowing, they began lowering their spears and swords.
Flutter-
Even the little bird on the lord's shoulder flew away.
"You've worked hard all this time, Father."
Thus, as of today, the power structure of Madella Island underwent a dramatic upheaval.