The Magic Kingdom of Morian (1)
It was the Monday immediately after my return to the academy that another special request mission was issued. They really do work fast. Truth be told, I was secretly looking forward to seeing what kind of request it would be. No matter how the true objective lay elsewhere, and this was merely a distraction to hide the furtive movements happening behind the scenes, that was precisely why it couldn’t be some half-hearted assignment. Even so…
“No matter what, there are limits…”
My sigh drew puzzled glances from the students around me, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. A court mage dispatched from the imperial palace stood before me, cradling a lump sealed beneath multiple layers of bandages. And an excessively ornate request document was there to greet me.
To investigate the ecology and origin of a newly discovered monster species, the Empire’s court mages have conducted repeated research. However, no clear clues have been uncovered yet. In order to break through this impasse, one of the imperial court mages wishes to visit the Lake of Wisdom in the Morian Kingdom. Please assist by overcoming the trials and obtaining the answer.
Rabaul nodded with a grave expression. “It is truly a request after my own heart. I sense an inexplicable spiritual power within it.”
This guy thinks anything with the word “wisdom” attached must be good. Pino, who was on the same team, asked bluntly, “Me and Rabaul, those arrogant twins, the princess, and the shady merchant… This definitely doesn’t feel like a proper request at all.”
I really hate sharp girls like her. And who the hell are you calling a shady merchant?
“Hmph. At least I can acknowledge their attitude of admitting their own shortcomings and seeking our help.”
“Brother, this time we are also part of that ‘shortcoming’ side.”
Ah, they really never change. What a harmonious pair.
“......”
Your Highness Lyla? Could you please stop glaring at me in silence?
That chancellor bastard didn’t just dump this on me without explaining the full story, did he?
“Haa……”
And then there was the nominal requester himself—the mage staring into the distance with eyes like a rotting fish. I was sure I had seen him during the previous festival too. In this altogether headache-inducing situation, I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
The team composition itself was fine. Rabaul and Pino were proven talents, the Pendevig siblings possessed top-class abilities, and the princess was practically a cheat character. In tier terms, this party reached a maximum S-rank. Even the average was between A and B—an impressive lineup. The fact that I was the one dragging the average down could be set aside for now.
Especially since Lyla, Eagle Pendevig, and I were all individuals who usually served as party leaders—and were normally kept apart for that very reason—it seemed the higher-ups had given careful consideration to both combat effectiveness and political implications.
The problem was the content of the request. The Empire was heading to the Morian Kingdom because they couldn’t analyze a monster they had captured themselves? And they were sending both the specimen and the student who captured it as a set? For the Morian Kingdom, with its strong anti-Empire sentiment, the mere admission that the Empire lacked the capability would already be delightful. Sending tangible evidence on top of that meant they couldn’t possibly ignore it.
No matter how the goal was to draw attention, this was clearly excessive. Strictly speaking, the requester was not the “Empire” but a “court mage,” and the party being asked for help was not the “Morian Kingdom” but the “Lake of Wisdom located in the Morian Kingdom,” so the Empire still had room to make excuses…
Yet for some reason, I felt like I could hear Chancellor Ordo’s whisper in my ear: Draw every last bit of attention that would have gone to Her Highness the Princess onto yourself instead.
“Ha. That’s easier said than done.”
The road ahead was already looking like nothing but suffering.
“Ahem. I am Valkius Andex, the representative court mage who commissioned this request to the academy. I ask for your protection on the way to the Lake of Wisdom and your assistance in overcoming the trials. Please take good care of me.”
“I am Lyla Everblaze Barhart, appointed to lead the guerrilla squad for this mission. I shall exert every effort. Sir Valkius.”
“N-no, please feel free to speak comfortably, Your Highness.”
“This is during an official request, so that would be improper. Of course, if Sir Valkius insists that I change my manner of address, I shall do so…”
“No! Not at all! Please speak however you wish!”
Was this what they called a super client? The power dynamic between requester and contractor seemed completely reversed. Pino spoke with an incredulous expression.
“Status really is everything, huh. After spending nearly a year at the academy I’d almost forgotten, but the real world really is like this.”
“Weren’t you on the same team as Lady Lyla before?”
“That was only the first time. The second time I was on a different team. Thanks to that, I learned exactly how much the treatment of a team changes depending on who the leader is. By the way, are you really okay with this?”
“With what?”
If she was asking about the future prospects of this request, the odds of a negative answer were roughly eighty-two percent. The number itself held no particular meaning, of course.
“I’m talking about the vice-leader role. No matter what the request is, the leader gets the highest score, right?”
“With Lady Lyla here, there’s no need for me to step forward.”
“It looked like Her Highness wanted you to take the leader position, though.”
This girl was saying some terrifying things. At least in the Morian Kingdom I remembered, their pride was so great that even the Barhart Empire would have to yield. No matter how much they resented the imperial blood flowing through her veins, if some commoner presumed to lead their own royal princess and started ordering her around, it would draw so much aggro that he’d be killed by concentrated magical fire.
“Besides, even if I tried to be the leader, there’s no way that prideful person over there would stay quiet.”
“Midas, you bastard. Are you talking about me right now?”
“Brother, interrupting someone else’s conversation without invitation is hardly desirable behavior. Besides, he isn’t exactly wrong.”
“Hau, whose side are you on!?”
Eagle Pendevig fumed while Hau Pendevig shook her head beside him. As always, they were a wonderfully close pair of siblings. Fiore and I were special cases in many ways, so we were the exception.
“By the way, what sort of place is this ‘Lake of Wisdom’? Just from the name, it sounds like a truly splendid location.”
No, it’s an incredibly dangerous place. I was about to explain to Rabaul without thinking but caught myself. Ah, was this information from my previous life? Then I should gloss over it.
“Well, I don’t know the details myself. Eagle, what about you?”
“Do not address me so casually by my first name.”
“If I call you Pendevig it’ll get mixed up with your sister.”
“…The next time an opportunity like the last assignment arises, I will crush you for good.”
Eagle Pendevig grumbled to himself in a low voice before eventually giving up and beginning his explanation.
“The Lake of Wisdom is one of the Star Lands said to exist in only three places across the continent. It is a mystical site born from the result of exceptionally abundant mana maintaining a stable state rather than flowing recklessly into the surroundings. Among them, the Lake of Wisdom is known to grant specific knowledge or wisdom to those who overcome its trials.”
“Ooh, it truly is a magnificent place!”
While Rabaul’s eyes sparkled with intense enthusiasm at Eagle’s explanation, Pino frowned with clear suspicion.
“If it’s such an amazing place, why isn’t it famous? This is the first time I’ve even heard of these ‘Star Lands.’”
Hau Pendevig answered. “First, Star Lands cannot be entered through ordinary means. Second, even if one manages to enter, the interior is extremely dangerous. Third, for those two reasons they are managed at a national level.”
“So it’s not a proper place at all! I knew it!”
Pino clutched her head and wailed, but I fell into thought for a different reason.
Only three Star Lands, she said. Since Hau Pendevig was a noble of the Morian Kingdom, I had to assume she was concealing some information, or did she truly believe that was the case at this point in time? At least according to my knowledge, far more Star Lands existed than that.
“Hmph. In any case, Star Lands are places that any hero worthy of the name must challenge at least once. Many heroes have obtained visions there. It wouldn’t be bad to try it this time.”
“The request we received is to escort that man who’s bowing and scraping to the princess over there, isn’t it?”
“If you blow away anything that seems dangerous before it can approach, doesn’t that count as escorting?”
“Brother, please stop saying such ignorant things. It’s embarrassing.”
“W-what did you say?”
The Lake of Wisdom that leads those who overcome it to the realm of Myeonggyeong (Clear Mirror). The Blood Arena that rebirths the challenger’s body into one fit for combat. There were many other lands that granted trials, seven in total. Yes—the same number as certain “special stars.”
It could not be otherwise. Star Lands were one of the few methods by which one could acquire a Star’s Blessing postnatally, when such blessings could normally only be obtained at birth.
Of course, the difficulty was as brutal as the rewards were massive, so visiting at our current level felt somewhat precarious… Still, since this wasn’t a formal trial but merely an information-gathering visit, it might be worth attempting. Even so, there was always the possibility of the unexpected, so I needed to remain cautious. There were many other things to worry about as well.
“Everyone, have you finished your discussion?”
At that moment, the princess—who had finished speaking with the pitiful lowest-ranked member of the hierarchy… no, the requester for this mission, Valkius—returned. In her hands was the bandaged bundle from earlier, which I presumed to be the “heart” of that headhunter. She handed it to me.
“Please hold onto this, Chrome.”
“Yes, Lady Lyla. Thank you for using the Midas Storage.”
Sob sob. So in the end my role is just to be the pack mule. A guy with a low performance tier really has it rough—let’s stop the self-pity there.
“Shall we depart immediately?”
“Yes. Let us go.”
Princess Lyla closed her eyes for a moment as if hesitating, then opened them wide, gazing into the far distance, and declared with absolute dignity.
“Our destination is the Magic Kingdom of Morian.”