To the Madrosa Kingdom (6)
Type: Passive Skill
Grade: Authority
Effect: Black feathers visible only to the caster swirl around the surroundings. The feathers twist the trajectories of weapons or projectiles threatening the caster, causing them to miss. Power increases as the current level rises.
Absorbed a fragment of authority.
Current Level: Lv.45 → Lv.49
Max Level: Lv.62 → Lv.67
Name: Calix Szczecin
Age: 16
Title: Baron
Affiliation: Szczecin County
Position: Heir
Alignment: -
Condition: Normal
Combat Power: Class 4 (Lv.49 / Lv.67)
Reputation: ★★★★☆☆☆
Approval Rating: 57%
Admin -, Finance -, Military -, Diplomacy -, Development -
Skills:Pena Telum (Active Authority), Perum Infinitus (Curse), Kantum Secrum (Mana Breathing), Star's Heart (Activation Skill), Pluma Cobus (Passive Authority)
“Hoo……”
Calix let out a long breath, reining in the surging power.
A ticklish sensation scrambled his mind.
He had a pretty good idea what this feeling was.
Current level 49.
The proof of Class 5, the eye-opening, was right around the corner.
But through repeated training, he’d come to realize something.
Simply hacking away at monsters for experience points wouldn’t be enough to break through the wall.
In the game, it was just shown as a massively filled experience bar, but in reality, what was needed was the so-called enlightenment.
The path to Class 4 was honestly easy. All it took was meeting the minimum mana requirement. But what exactly does ‘eye-opening,’ the proof of Class 5, mean…?
Calix shook his head after a moment of contemplation.
He had work to do right now.
Leaving the control room, he climbed the stairs back up.
On the top floor, the fourth level, vines grew in intricate magical patterns.
According to the manual, this was a teleportation magic circle connecting the residence and the laboratory.
When he brought his ring-adorned hand near it, it glowed brightly green.
A sign that the magic circle was in normal condition.
“Phew, I was worried it might’ve broken down after all these years. Glad it’s fine.”
Calix activated the magic circle and stepped onto it.
Moments later, his vision brightened, and the surroundings shifted dramatically.
It was a vast stone chamber, utterly devoid of decoration.
Only a teleportation-response magic circle was drawn plainly on the floor.
Just moments ago, it had felt like a cozy log cabin nestled in a dense forest, but this place gave off the vibe of an abandoned temple.
Passing through the wide-open entrance, he stepped outside and spotted the guardian deity’s back in the distance—the same one he’d glimpsed from afar before diving into the spring.
Normally, it should’ve turned hostile the moment someone entered its perception range, but it showed no reaction now.
Calix pondered why for a bit but decided to regroup with his companions first.
They were surely worried.
Inside the command tent, tension hung thick like thin ice.
Krout paced back and forth, arms crossed then uncrossed.
Yurin stared blankly at a few sheets of paper.
Laila said to her, “The papers… you’re holding them upside down.”
“……This document’s recording direction is reversed.”
“Oh? I see.”
The longer Calix’s return was delayed, the more Krout’s anxiety grew.
He gnawed at his lips until blood welled up.
“Agh, I should’ve gone with him after all. Damn it!”
That was when it happened.
Flicker-flicker—
Suddenly, the surroundings dimmed.
The lights illuminating the ruins hadn’t vanished completely, but they’d weakened.
“Huh?”
They were glad for the change, however small.
There was only one possible reason for it.
“Looks like Young Master did something? Right?”
“Shh! Quiet down!”
Laila shoved Yurin’s prying head aside and pressed her ear to the ground.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
The faint rumbling grew quieter and eventually stopped altogether.
They wouldn’t grasp the meaning of this change until two days later.
A man emerged from the collapsed ruin passageway.
Wearing a desert tribe turban, he approached with a friendly smile.
“I’d like to negotiate.”
Upon arriving at the camp, Calix received unexpected news.
“They sent an envoy first.”
“And?”
“We’ve been stalling with an excuse about an internal meeting.”
“Good work.”
“How’d it go?”
Calix responded to Krout’s question with a light smile.
“Looks like it went well. Glad to hear it.”
“Let’s meet him first. Gotta hear what he has to say.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll prepare the space.”
The next day.
Tanned skin, thick eyebrows, sharp features, and a neatly trimmed mustache and beard.
A textbook handsome man from the desert tribes.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Hapez, dispatched on behalf of the Talas Tribe. The tribe’s leader is my father.”
“Likewise. I’m Baron Calix, official heir of Szczecin Territory.”
“Szczecin Territory……”
“Ah, news hasn’t reached you yet? Krout, bring the map.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Soon, a simple white map marked only with basic terrain and major cities was spread on the table.
“I’ve consolidated this whole area into one territory. It’s all Szczecin County now.”
Hapez caught on to why Calix had bothered bringing the map to explain the territory’s position and borders in detail.
“I think I know what you want, Young Master.”
“So, your answer?”
“We’re one of the tribes desperately wanting trade. But there’s a problem.”
“Speak.”
“His Majesty Saladin, ruler of the desert, has forbidden trade with the Western Continent. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
Calix stared at the man before him, then let out a chuckle.
“Kuk!”
“Why the laugh?”
“I know the desert ruler, unlike Western emperors or kings, can’t force unreasonable orders on other tribes. Am I wrong?”
Hapez’s eye twitched slightly.
“You’ve done more research than expected.”
“I’m more thorough than I look.”
“To be frank, trade boils down to a power struggle between eastern and western desert tribes. The eastern tribes who seized power in this recent coup are selling us grain and salt obtained from the Han Empire at exorbitant prices, while banning us from trading with the Western Continent.”
Calix stroked his chin and nodded.
“I see. So it’s only Western Continent trade that’s banned, not the Eastern Continent. But in that case, wouldn’t it be weirder to just obey?”
“We managed some smuggling trade until a few years ago, but then the merchants just stopped coming.”
“Hmm……”
Calix glanced at Laila.
“……The Shadow Unit probably raided merchants scouting around Golda Plateau on the sly. We’d get random supplies from unknown sources now and then. But it didn’t feel like they were blocking it obsessively. More like, if you got caught, you got lucky?”
“That would’ve been enough. The risk multiplies several times over.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you ever considered leading a trade caravan to the Western Continent yourself?”
“Don’t Western nations call desert tribes heretics and enslave them?”
“Ugh, can’t deny that. The terror from a century ago still lingers.”
“I’ve no interest in dredging up history-book events now. Our stance is this: we’ll reconsider trade once Saladin, ruler of the desert, departs to the gods’ embrace.”
Calix didn’t buy Hapez’s words.
He knew a rebellion wasn’t far off.
Preparations were likely nearly complete by now.
And in war, supply lines were key.
Yet the opponent had easy access to food via Eastern Continent deals.
For nomadic herders always on the move, abandoning a base temporarily was no big deal.
If the enemies just fled east, the western tribes like Talas would starve and lose.
“A shame. To be honest, I ended up with a huge stock of grain after some twists and turns. Too good to dump in the kingdom, so I hauled it here myself… but if trade’s off, no helping it.”
“You’re saying you’ve already brought the grain? Not just offering to sell?”
“Figured you might not know—I’ve got a pretty decent subspatial artifact.”
“I, I see.”
From then on, Hapez’s attitude shifted noticeably.
He kept his hands and knees neatly together, back straight, reacting eagerly to every word from Calix.
“So, here’s the thing……”
“I’m all ears.”
“Got any usable royals? Even collaterals are fine.”
“……That’s a dangerous topic. With just 300 combat troops?”
“No need to commit troops. The grain I have and the subspatial artifact—that’s like adding a legion’s worth of combat power. You know how vital supplies are, right?”
“Desert tribes don’t need massive supplies. Our families follow with the herds.”
“That’s why it’s legion-level. Families safe, warriors fight freely.”
“Umm……”
Hapez looked like he was itching to speak.
Calix already knew what he wanted to say.
But now was the time to keep distance and let him stew.
“I’ll hold my tongue. An outsider like me stepping in won’t help. But think it over. You’ll wither away and get swallowed by the eastern tribes otherwise. Signs are already there, no?”
“I need to consult the chieftain. Give us time.”
Returning to the Talas Tribe’s artificial greenhouse zone, Hapez held a private talk with Izmail.
“Is it true?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm……”
“Chieftain. Opportunities like this are rare. I think the gods are aiding us.”
“Honestly, I’m uneasy. The timing’s too perfect. The ruins stop right after they arrive? And they offer food? Everything’s gone their way.”
“Isn’t that overreacting? Maybe the ruins just exhausted their stored power. That’s more likely. No matter how skilled they are, could they fool our eyes after two years of study and shut it down in days? I don’t think so.”
“You’re right. He’s no millennium-old dragon. Old age breeds needless suspicion. Once this is done, I’ll pass the chieftain role to you.”
“Don’t say that. I’m not ready yet.”
“No. Don’t refuse. You’ve got the talent.”
“……I’ll make our Talas Tribe the greatest.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Heh heh heh!”