Chapter 167
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167
Flip, flip.
I opened Roen’s diary and scanned its contents.
I had hoped to find clues about his past activities or answers to the many questions plaguing me.
“…What the?”
No matter how many times I checked, Roen’s diary was blank. It was a notebook with absolutely nothing written in it.
Yet, it wasn’t brand new. Pages had been torn out here and there, and the cover bore the faint traces of time and frequent use.
That was it. This wasn’t an unused notebook; its contents had been hidden with magic.
I turned the notebook over in my hands before nodding to myself.
‘It’s a type of artifact.’
The kind whose contents are only revealed when infused with specific mana or when a particular puzzle is solved. These artifacts were often used for high-level confidential letters or a messenger’s secret documents.
‘What kind of incredible secret did he hide to go through all this trouble?’
I closed Roen’s diary and stored it in my subspace pouch for the time being.
‘I’ll have to get Lize to analyze it later.’
With her Eye of Replication, Lize should be able to decipher how to trigger the artifact to some extent. Failing that, I could try to get my hands on the Sage’s Glasses sooner and ask the sage’s spirit directly. No matter how difficult the puzzle, there were plenty of ways to solve it.
‘This was quite a haul.’
If I could analyze the diary I just found, I might be able to understand Roen’s past actions, his thoughts, and the principles that guided him. That would surely provide clear answers to the many questions I had about his otherwise incomprehensible behavior.
Plus, selling the various luxury items displayed in Roen’s room would easily net me several billion Crone. It was a massive financial windfall.
Having finished searching the room, I decided it was time to sleep. After all, I hadn’t rested properly for three days, having slept outdoors ever since leaving Morefit Village.
Before falling asleep, my gaze fell upon the pajamas laid out on the bed. A cat pattern was printed across the soft, silk fabric.
‘What’s with these cat pajamas?’
The fact that they even had a tail attached was... disturbing. Given the sheer bad taste of the pattern, this had to be Aslan’s doing. She was probably cackling to herself right about now.
I tossed the pajamas aside and slipped under the covers in my underwear.
“Lights out.”
Flick.
At my single command, the magic lamps extinguished all at once. In the darkness, I fell into a comfortable sleep for the first time in a long while.
*
At that same moment, in Aslan’s room.
“…”
Aslan stared silently at the document in her hand. It was a detailed report on Roen’s activities.
It chronicled everything from the time Roen enrolled at the Union to the first semester of his second year, all laid out in chronological order.
Until his first year, he had been the same as ever—a scoundrel, getting into all sorts of trouble. But once he became a second-year, his behavior had changed completely. The achievements he’d accomplished since then were all extraordinary.
Of course, to Aslan, who risked her life fighting monsters every day, they might have seemed like child’s play, but that was setting the bar far too high. By a student’s standards, his accomplishments were incredible.
Flip.
Aslan finished reading Ciel’s report and set it down on her desk.
“What do you think, Fernandez?”
At Aslan’s question, her loyal steward replied with a smile.
“If Lady Ciel says so, then it must be true. It seems Lord Roen’s change is real.”
“Hmm…”
Aslan leaned back against the armrest of her chair and hummed thoughtfully.
‘Well, it’s not like Ciel would lie.’
Ciel was a loyal maid who had been raised in the Devalis household for a long time; she wasn’t the type to submit a false report. That meant everything written in the report about Roen’s activities was true—and it was all information that could be cross-verified anyway.
‘It also matches parts of the letter the Chairman sent me.’
The Chairman, too, had praised Roen endlessly, saying he had high hopes for the boy's future.
Fernandez spoke up. “In truth, is it really so strange? Lord Roen has been brilliant since he was a child.”
“That… is true.”
‘Roen as a child.’
Aslan leaned back in her chair as if lying down and recalled the young Roen. Back then, Roen was a brilliant talent who could understand ten things if you taught him one, possessing both the innocence of a child and the insight of a seasoned veteran.
And yet, in front of her, he had always been so clever and affable. She had found him adorable. Even back then, it was fun to watch him squirm in her arms whenever she hugged him tight like a doll.
Recalling those days, Aslan let out a deep sigh. “I wonder how that cute little kid ended up like that.”
Aslan turned her head to gaze out the dark window, lost in thought.
Was it because of their father’s death? Or was it because of his broken engagement with Freya? No, she didn’t know the exact sequence of events. At some point, Roen had simply gone astray.
After that, the clever and kind little boy was gone. Everywhere Roen went, he caused trouble and created discord. Anywhere you went in the Devalis territory, you’d only hear grim rumors about him. Eventually, he was even sent to study abroad in the Empire, but his infamy followed him there.
Why had that kind, brilliant boy gone so far off track?
“Hoo.”
Aslan closed her eyes quietly, thinking.
‘If… if I had been by Roen’s side back then, would things have been okay?’
Aslan felt a pang of regret for not being able to look after her younger brother while she was busy succeeding Kaiser. She was often plagued by a sense of guilt, feeling she was partly to blame for Roen’s downfall.
Seeing Aslan’s sad expression, the quick-witted Fernandez spoke in a comforting tone.
“My lady, you need not worry so much. Though there were many twists and turns, Lord Roen has ultimately grown up well.”
‘Grown up… well?’
Though slightly dubious, Aslan decided to accept it for now.
“You’re right. I’ll have to watch him a little longer, but it’s a relief he’s come to his senses, even if it’s late.”
“And you saw the duel today, did you not?”
“Right, he fought incredibly well.”
Aslan nodded silently, recalling the duel between Roen and Crossen. To think he could subdue a battle-hardened Devalis knight in a one-on-one fight, even with the help of artifacts. Moreover, Crossen was one of Aslan’s most trusted and competent commanders. His personal combat prowess was formidable, approaching the level of a high-ranking Sword Expert.
Who would have ever predicted that Roen would defeat him?
“Fundamentally, in a close-quarters fight between a mage and a knight, the knight has an absolute advantage. Some may downplay Lord Roen’s victory as being due to artifacts, but that is not the case at all. On the contrary, it is an achievement worthy of praise.”
At Fernandez’s words, Aslan tapped the armrest of her chair.
“Exactly. As expected of you, Fernandez. You know what you’re talking about,” Aslan exclaimed, her voice brightening.
In the first place, asking a mage to engage a knight in a sword fight was a harsh demand. If anything, Roen’s resourcefulness and combat sense—which allowed him to seize victory by using artifacts at the right time and place—should be praised. Although he hadn’t chosen the path of a knight, Roen was growing stronger in his own way.
“So, I believe it would be best to have faith and watch over him a little longer. Lord Roen is certainly changing.”
“…”
Those were the words of Fernandez, who, along with Ciel, had been assisting Roen from the closest possible position. In some ways, he knew Roen better than she did, so his words were trustworthy.
“Alright, that’s enough of this.”
Aslan pushed the reports on Roen aside and moved on to the next topic.
“A high-ranking monster’s habitat was discovered near the Wall?”
“Yes, my lady. It needs to be subjugated as soon as possible.”
“That’s business as usual.”
“However… the report states that the timing of its appearance and its movements are different from usual. In addition to the appearance of a high-ranking monster, we must also consider the possibility of someone pulling the strings. What are your orders?”
Hearing Fernandez’s report, Aslan slowly nodded.
“What’s there to consider? We’ll launch an expedition immediately.”
Her gaze lingered on the report she had set aside.
“And we’re taking Roen.”
*
The next day. Aslan’s office.
Aslan handed a small jewelry box to Ciel. “This is a bit late, but it’s a birthday present, Ciel. Open it.”
“This is…”
Ciel’s eyes widened as she saw the ring shining with a black luster.
Aslan smiled brightly. “It’s a custom-made ring from a master craftsman. Though we don’t share blood, you are now a member of the Devalis family.”
This ring was an honorable gift, bestowed only upon those who had achieved a certain level of merit alongside the Devalis name. Although the name itself couldn’t be inherited, this meant Ciel would now be treated as a blood relative of the Devalis.
‘What’s important isn’t bloodline, but will.’
The will and determination to fight without sparing one’s life as a shield for humanity—that was what truly mattered. As long as that will was carried on, anyone could be a member of the Devalis clan. The family elders would have a fit if they heard her say it, but that was what Aslan believed.
And those who carried on that noble will deserved a fitting reward. Those who retired after fighting at the Wall received a lifelong pension, and if they fell in battle, the pension was given to their families instead. It was one of the reasons the Devalis knights fought without fear.
In any case, Ciel was one of the key figures who had served the Devalis family for a long time, so Aslan had always planned to bestow this ring upon her. She had known her for so long that she felt like a younger sister, and Ciel had suffered greatly cleaning up after Roen.
However, since Ciel had no experience fighting monsters at the Wall, Aslan had been struggling to find a justification to grant her the ring. But after hearing the report about the battle with the fishmen during the summer training camp, she felt she finally had the perfect reason.
Where the battle took place didn’t matter. Ciel had fought against the darkness to protect others.
“Hey, don’t you have anything to give her?”
After handing her gift to Ciel, Aslan asked Roen, who was sitting beside her. Roen took a sip of his tea, then fumbled with his subspace pouch.
What Roen placed on the table was…
“A gauntlet?”
As Aslan tilted her head, Roen answered, “Yes. Considering Ciel’s fighting style, there’s nothing better.”
“Right, Ciel is a martial artist, isn’t she?”
“Yes, my lady.”
The servants of the Devalis household do not learn swordsmanship. Fundamentally, longswords are inconvenient for servants to carry during their daily duties. Moreover, they are difficult to draw quickly in an emergency. Besides, with knights aplenty, there was no need for the servants to use swords as well.
That’s why the Devalis servants primarily learn martial arts, dagger techniques, and assassination skills. Martial arts and dagger techniques made sense, but why assassination skills? Because to counter assassins, one needed to learn their methods.
“Take it. It’s a bit late, but it’s a gift.”
“Thank you, Lord Roen.”
Ciel’s expression remained impassive, but she accepted the gauntlet politely with both hands.
Roen added, “Don’t thank me. I should be the one apologizing for giving you such a grim thing for your birthday.”
Aslan seized the opportunity to chime in. “Yeah, you punk. Who gives a girl a weapon for her birthday? You have no sense.”
“…”
Seemingly at a loss for words, Roen just looked troubled and kept drinking his tea. But Ciel didn’t seem to agree, as she was examining the gauntlet Roen had given her with sparkling eyes.
Seeing Ciel’s interest, Roen explained further.
“It’s a gauntlet made from drake scales. Unlike my suit, which was made from the yarn, I preserved the original shape of the scales as much as possible. It’s much stronger and sturdier.”
“Ah.”
“With that, your fists won’t get scraped up anymore.”
Roen recalled the sight of Ciel’s fists dripping with blood during her fight with Gon. If she fought wearing that gauntlet, that wouldn’t happen again.
Holding the gauntlet Roen had given her, Ciel bowed her head once more.
“Thank… you.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll be looking forward to my birthday, too.”
As Roen flashed a sly smile, Aslan cut in. “Hey, you. Don’t get your hopes up. Just having Ciel by your side is the best gift you could ask for. Do you think it’s easy to look after a guy like you?”
“…”
Having no rebuttal, Roen scratched his head.
Aslan looked at her awkward younger brother and said, “Well, that’s enough about presents. Roen, are you interested in participating in a real battle?”
“Are you planning to take me outside the Wall?”
“Yes. A high-ranking monster is said to be lurking nearby. If we leave it be, the soldiers on the Wall will be in danger.”
At Aslan’s words, Roen recalled the recent battle with the fishmen on the jungle island. It seemed like a similar situation to when the students on the Cube Fortress were endangered by the high-ranking monster named Gon.
“You can gain real combat experience and see the situation outside the Wall. We’ve already verified that your combat skills are sufficient. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to join this expedition.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Do you think you do?”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Roen asked, “If I go on this expedition, can I get Dark Mana Stones?”
At Roen’s question, Aslan winked and replied, “Of course. But this big sister isn’t going to hand them over easily. You’ll have to fight and earn them yourself.”
Earn them. Good.
Roen answered readily. “That’s what I was hoping for.”