How a Wizard Survives (49)
How a Wizard Survives (49)
"Master, that was too much this time."
I grumbled as I finally left work late that night.
Ulysses shook his head dismissively and said something he didn't mean.
"Oh, really? Should I have let them catch me, then?"
"You thoroughly traumatized Lord Reinhardt this time."
After we returned to the Inquisition branch, Reinhardt immediately shut himself in the commander's office.
Yet everyone noticed his quiet fury.
Ulysses had slipped right through his fingers despite the lucky catch.
There were hardly any civilian witnesses, but the humiliation was absolute.
He even summoned the senior Inquisitors who had retired from the front lines and began seriously discussing something.
The same faction that had once recommended my execution to Katrina.
Ironically, Reinhardt himself had been the one to curb their influence over the branch.
After hearing the situation, Ulysses smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"But being humiliated that badly was his own fault. If Reinhardt had used a Holy Relic, he might have stood a better chance."
"You mean the Winter Fragment."
But the Holy Relic Reinhardt carried was his hidden trump card.
It wasn't the kind of thing he could casually deploy on the spot.
And he knew it himself.
Ulysses was an opponent he might or might not catch even after preparing multiple layers of traps.
Even if he had rashly used a Holy Relic there, the odds of capture would have remained extremely small...
"Though I would've escaped regardless if he'd used it."
"See?"
Reinhardt's judgment had been correct.
As I grumbled quietly, Ulysses lightly rose to his feet.
"Alright, then I'll be off..."
"Off? Where now?"
"This time I'm going alone, so don't worry. You saw that scene earlier, right?"
"Yes."
The place where Ulysses had been discovered was the warehouse where Demonic Beasts were being stored.
Demonic Beasts cannot gather mana on their own, so their bodies eventually break down. The mages had been experimenting there to solve that problem.
Only, the Demonic Beasts in question had long since been dealt with by Ulysses.
He had also burned every last mage who remained at the scene.
Ulysses seemed headed somewhere far off, and as he prepared for a proper journey, he explained.
"Those bastards were connected to the demons too. Their influence may run deeper than I thought."
"Then shouldn't you stay in Reshutal all the more?"
"No. The plan in Reshutal still has no major problems. This city is the stage Ash and I put the most work into preparing. The real issue is the other kingdoms."
Ah...
Only then did I grasp Ulysses's meaning.
This is all because of Princess Alina.
Princess Alina was a blood relative of the Lust Demon Everhart.
The princess herself doesn't seem to be scheming anything in particular...
But Everhart would be different.
There's no way the demon who calls himself the Grand Duke of Demons infiltrated the royal palace, sowed his seed, and left without some deeper design.
"There's no guarantee that the other kingdoms are safe either. I'd better go inspect them."
"In the worst case, every kingdom's heir might have already been replaced with a demon half-blood..."
When Ash spoke in a nervous voice, Ulysses reassured her.
"Come on, would they really be that stupid? Don't worry too much, just wait patiently. It'll take a while."
"Th-then what about me, Master?"
"Jaeger, you just maintain the status quo while I'm gone. Keep a close watch on Princess Alina, stop other heretic bastards from causing trouble... Understood?"
That's just the work I do every day anyway.
When I nodded, my face set, Ulysses left the smithy without a hint of regret.
Left alone together in the smithy, which felt emptier than usual, Ash and I went to bed with awkward expressions.
The next morning.
Heading to work before sunrise, I flinched in surprise when I saw a man on horseback emerging from the Inquisition branch.
Even though he had thrown a cloak over himself, that imposing build and presence couldn't be concealed.
"Lord Reinhardt? Where are you going at this hour?"
"I'll be visiting Winter Fortress briefly. Support Katrina well while I'm gone. Katrina is the acting commander for the time being."
Reinhardt spoke with a look of firm resolve, then departed the Inquisition branch accompanied only by his adjutant.
Stunned, I stared blankly after his receding back.
For both my master and Reinhardt to be absent like this.
Unease rose within me, mixed with a strange, heart-pounding anticipation.
"I'm free!"
"Stop talking nonsense and come in quickly."
Katrina, who seemed to have come out to see Reinhardt off, urged me inside.
"The commander's position suits you well."
"Don't make fun of me..."
I headed to work with a quietly grumbling Katrina.
Reinhardt was heading to Winter Fortress, so even the fastest round trip would take eight or nine days.
Since he went alone with his adjutant, it should take less time than escorting a Holy Relic.
"But why did he suddenly go to Winter Fortress? Surely he isn't planning to requisition a few more Holy Relics...?"
"As if they'd hand over any more from here."
Katrina chided me, shaking her head slightly, then added in a subdued voice.
"And even if he did get a few more Holy Relics, it doesn't seem like it would be enough to win."
"...The battlefield must have looked bleak to him."
When I encouraged Katrina, who had uncharacteristically lost her spirit, she smiled with effort.
She must have felt the gap in ability with my master bone-deep from yesterday's battle.
After starting the morning with my usual training, I received a delivery around lunchtime.
The courier, trembling from head to toe as he entered the den of Heretic Inquisitors, uttered an unexpected name.
"A gift sent by Lady Diana Walter."
'From Lady Ash's older sister?'
The delivery was a small clothing box.
When I opened it in front of everyone, I pulled out a splendid uniform.
At a glance, it looked tailor-made for me.
"A return gift for the other day, I suppose."
"She didn't even take my measurements... Professionals really are different. Good work."
Smiling at the weight of the box, I sent the courier on his way.
After work, I returned to the smithy, opened the clothing box, took out the garment, and when I inspected it thoroughly, a hidden compartment revealed itself.
"Hm? Jaeger, what's with the clothes?"
"There's something for you too, Lady Ash."
"For me too? Ah..."
Only then did Ash seem to guess that it was a gift from Diana, and she fell silent.
From beneath the false bottom of the box, I pulled out a gorgeous outfit.
It was airy and flowing, with a daring amount of exposed skin.
It looked to be made using Diana's own measurements, but Ash should be able to wear it well enough.
"Give it here, quick."
Ash snatched the clothes from my hand, changed into them on the spot, and came out.
As I'd guessed, the outfit fit perfectly.
Ash grumbled deliberately, even though she looked to be in a good mood for the first time in a while.
"What if she gets caught sending gifts like this..."
"Seeing this, you really are sisters. Your fashion sense is similar."
"My sister used to make her own clothes and wear them out even way back. She wouldn't stop even when she got scolded for hurting her hands."
"It's rare to hear stories about your past, Lady Ash. Though not as rare as with my master, of course."
I listened at leisure over a cup of tea.
Fortunately, no major incidents occurred while Ulysses and Reinhardt were absent.
The trouble began the moment he returned.
A mere eight days had passed since the commander's departure.
I happened to be on patrol and personally witnessed his arrival.
Katrina had commander duties to attend to, so I was leading the patrol.
"Ah, Your Excellency! You're back early?"
"Jaeger. End your patrol immediately and follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
So he did prepare something after all.
The Inquisitors, myself included, followed Reinhardt with that anticipation.
But besides his adjutant, there was one more Inquisitor trailing behind him.
'Charlotte Wizardvein? Why is Katrina's cousin here...?'
Charlotte stared fixedly at me as if she'd discovered some strange animal.
At a glance, it looked like he had brought reinforcements...
But a single additional person could never be enough to defeat Ulysses.
The Charlotte I'd seen before wasn't that powerful of an Inquisitor either.
Combining her swordsmanship and magic, she was barely around Katrina's level.
And even then, in pure swordsmanship, she'd lose to Katrina.
'Still, since she's a direct descendant of the family head, maybe she brought back some decent Holy Relics?'
The only thing worth hoping for was a Holy Relic.
Thinking that, I hurried back.
My suspicion was correct.
Charlotte, having dismounted, was carrying a solid cylindrical cargo as if it were a sacred object.
This had to be the reason Reinhardt had visited Winter Fortress.
He promptly led Katrina and me down to the underground chamber.
Only six people descended deeper than even the prisoners' cells.
The six of us were Reinhardt, his adjutant, Katrina, Charlotte, Wikia, and me.
The entry of anyone else was strictly forbidden.
When we reached the empty underground chamber, Reinhardt pointed out something unexpected.
"Jaeger. I received the report about your sparring match. You lost to that Einhold whelp, I hear?"
"Y-Your Excellency! That..."
"Quiet."
Katrina tried to make excuses on my behalf, but Reinhardt did not permit it.
I had no intention of making excuses anyway.
Even though I'd fought without a Holy Relic or Adamantite equipment, I had taken a hit regardless.
"I did."
"You know why you lost to that whelp, don't you?"
"?"
This time, I truly couldn't grasp what he meant.
After pausing for a moment, Reinhardt spoke words I never could have imagined.
"It's because you are not a mage."
"Y-Your Excellency?"
A non-mage was certainly at an extreme disadvantage against a mage...
But this was stating the obvious far too late.
Was he testing my loyalty now, at this point?
While I was thinking that, the situation grew even more intense.
Reinhardt clenched his fist and looked me squarely in the eyes.
"Jaeger, become a mage."
"Lord Reinhardt!"
Unable to hold back any longer, I interrupted.
Reinhardt continued speaking with a cold expression.
"Your talent is the real thing. Without a doubt, magic as well..."
"...A-are you testing me right now?"
"No. I am serious. I've already secured authorization. If you marry Katrina and become a matrilocal son-in-law, you too will be able to use the Wizardvein name. From that point on, you will be able to legally use magic."
In truth, this wasn't even a radically new proposal.
I had already received a similar offer from the head of the Einhold family.
But hearing it spoken directly by a top figure in the Inquisition branch carried an entirely different weight.
Apparently, the Einholds had pulled similar stunts several times before...
But the Wizardvein family had never, not even once, shared their magic in this manner!
Sure enough, Charlotte, who stood off to the side, wore an expression as if she had suffered a grave insult.
She had probably held her tongue because the matter had already been discussed beforehand.
"Even so..."
Even as I reflexively denied it, I looked at Reinhardt with new eyes.
Thinking back... Reinhardt was not a commander bound by principles and rules.
His was a practical mindset: whatever it takes, as long as heretics get brought down.
And it was none other than Reinhardt who had first introduced Holy Relics to the capital region.
But even considering that, this was excessively radical.
One misstep could shake the very foundations of the Inquisition.
Reinhardt pressed me as if it were a joke.
"Surely you're not thinking of laying your hands on Katrina and then just running off?"
"Th-that's not it, but..."
"Uncle! Creating a contractor within the Inquisition! Such a disgrace..."
Beside me, the outraged Katrina could hold back no longer and intervened.
If this conversation continued as it was, my true identity could be exposed.
That was her judgment in stepping forward.
Unfortunately, Reinhardt's resolve was absolute.
"Disgrace? Well said. So you're spouting the same words as your father."
"..."
"Is it not disgraceful? Stooping to things like Cold Sleep just to postpone becoming a demon's slave... Isn't it disgraceful to have to explain this shameful history to our descendants? An Inquisitor who cannot defeat demons and mages has no right to live!"
Everyone cowered before the demon-like fury in Reinhardt's voice.
He poured out the feelings he had told no one.
"I was so ashamed of it that I never married. Because I never had the resolve to pass on the family's sins to my children. If I can annihilate the demons and usher in the age of humanity, I will use any method whatsoever!"
"Uncle..."
"We already live by borrowing their power, so what dignity are we trying to protect? No wonder that bastard Ulysses laughed at us! I don't care if it all goes wrong and burns to ash. At least then, this shameful history can finally end."
Words a Wizardvein must never utter were spilling out recklessly.
If an ordinary Inquisitor said such things, his head would have flown long ago.
Reinhardt seized the bundle cradled in Charlotte's arms and unfastened it without hesitation.
What appeared from within was a complex Summoning Circle.
A type that could call upon the demon of the Wizardvein family—something that had never once been disclosed until now.
Reinhardt spread the leather Summoning Circle on the floor and looked at me once more.
"Jaeger. I will give you the chance to contract with the Winter Demon Orphos. Contract with him and become a mage."
"Aah..."
Katrina stamped her feet helplessly in place.
With all the blood in my body feeling as if it had dried up, I stood before the Summoning Circle.