Chapter 101
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Gresha
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6 years ago.
Gresha Ducal House.
It was one of the three founding ducal families of the empire, the hegemonic power that once ruled the continent—though not anymore—and renowned as the magic dynasty.
A thousand years ago, after the hero and the demon king perished together, leaving a labyrinth in their wake, the entire continent saw a decline: humans who could awaken mana through ordinary means, without racial traits granting innate mana awakening, dwindled over time. Yet from that moment until now, the Gresha Ducal House never lost its title as the pinnacle of magical lineage.
The secret lay in the clandestine human experiments conducted by the duke's family—backed by the empire's colossal might—on commoners who had awakened as explorers in labyrinth cities, boosting their mana stats, and on countless heteroraces.
After innumerable experiments, they perfected a secret technique to grant bloodlines the unconditional mana awakening akin to heteroraces. This allowed the Gresha family, located near the imperial capital farthest from any labyrinth city, to sustain its prestige as a magical powerhouse.
"Miss, time to wake up."
"Mmm..."
"Miss!"
Whoosh—!
The nursemaid, spotting Sion—the Gresha representative at last night's imperial ball celebrating the Second Prince's coming-of-age—sleeping in for the first time in 15 years, flashed a mischievous grin and flung open the curtains of her room.
"Gasp!"
Sion jolted awake, eyes wide as the blinding morning sun hit her face full-force. The nursemaid, wearing a sly expression, greeted her cheerfully.
"Oh my, you're up, Miss? Good morning!"
"...Yeah. Good morning, Nursemaid."
"Heh..."
"Sigh... What? Something to say?"
Sion's daily routine began with rising in the morning: the nursemaid, right on time, greeting her and brushing her hair before she headed to the bath for a shower and breakfast.
She could shower anyway, so why brush her hair first? But it was a ritual the nursemaid—five years her senior—had started when Sion was five, so she just went with it.
Today, though, the nursemaid kept staring with that irritating smirk. Puzzled, Sion shot back, and the nursemaid leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Last night with the prince..."
"Quiet."
The nursemaid flinched at Sion's scowl the moment "prince" was mentioned.
"Uh... didn't you have a steamy night?"
"Steamy night? That idiot blabbered about proposals and nonsense on his own, making things awkward."
"No way... The Second Prince's succession is all but confirmed, and you brushed him off?!"
"I'm going to be the family head."
"But... Sigh, it's such a shame since you're the eldest daughter. When I heard the carriage returned alone last night, I got all excited thinking I'd enter the palace too..."
"Enter the palace? Hah..."
"But Miss, why'd you sleep in so late today?"
"Ah... Just a headache."
Last night, after dealing with the Second Prince—who'd trailed her since their academy days—begging to be her partner, Sion had overexerted herself rewriting his mind and altering the perceptions of the surrounding nobles. That was why she'd overslept. She brushed it off vaguely to the nursemaid.
"Sigh... I always told you, it's a win-win."
"Tch."
"Nooo...! Your breasts are so huge they're downright criminal, yet they stay perky and perfectly teardrop-shaped... Eek! Sorry, Miss!!!"
When Sion entered the academy at 17, the nursemaid had gleefully given her "sex ed," insisting bigger was always better for women's breasts and men's parts. Pinching the nursemaid's cheek with telekinesis until tears welled up earned a yelp of apology for the vulgar talk.
"Enough nonsense. Brush my hair quick—we've got a meeting today."
"Tch... If you weren't succeeding as head, you'd be palace-bound for sure..."
"Give it up. There's Mion."
"Miss Mion has a kind heart, but well..."
The nursemaid trailed off, thinking of Mion—whose talents paled like fireflies before Sion's sun.
The second daughter had a disarming charm, treating people with a casual warmth unimaginable for a high noble's child. But in every other way, she fell crushingly short compared to the Sion she served.
The talent gap was so vast that Sion's parents—current family head included—didn't even scold Mion; they let her roam free as she pleased.
It was only natural that the elders and all the retainers pinned their hopes on Sion.
Having endured 15 years under that pressure, Sion tossed a playful remark to her most comfortable confidante, the nursemaid.
"I'll tell Mion everything."
"S-sorry!!"
"Haa... I'm beat. Skip breakfast today, Nursemaid. Just a shower, then tackle the schedule."
"Yes, Miss."
Confirming her hair neatly done, Sion left for her shower and passed on instructions.
"The Tower Lord from the Magic Tower will arrive soon—clear the guest room. I'll shower quick and head down."
"Yes, Miss!"
After showering with her attendant maids, Sion headed to the guest room.
Click—
"Sorry I'm late, Tower Lord."
"Ah... No, no. Lady Heiress."
A wizened old man with a long gray beard greeted Sion deferentially.
She'd learned magic within the Gresha family since childhood, but for external dealings, she'd studied at the academy alongside the Tower Lord.
Despite the title, he was little more than an administrator who couldn't cast spells without Gresha blood—and he treated her with utmost respect.
Of the five magic towers on the continent, only two survived post-labyrinth: the empire's and the labyrinth city's, as mana-awakened mages grew scarce.
Kingdoms and empires, barring Gresha, relied on refined mana stones exported from labyrinth cities just to maintain artifacts and magic circles.
Now, the imperial tower was a mere repository of knowledge, while the labyrinth city's tower alone pursued practical magic R&D, preserving the tradition.
Even the Gresha—mightiest of the founding dukes—struggled for mages outside their bloodline, sourcing from labyrinth cities. They held ducal rank in name only, their past glory faded, or so the world judged.
Yet the Tower Lord dared not treat the barely-adult, 20-year-old heiress casually. Even if the family's status had waned, it underscored the weight of an imperial duchy.
"So, what's the business this time?"
"Hm... It's about the 'test subject' supply."
"Ah..."
Test subjects—Sion knew all about them.
She'd assisted her father, the family head, in his research since childhood.
If the Gresha clan had solidified power over a millennium by unlocking mana only in their bloodline, her father's current obsession aimed to awaken it in ordinary humans.
Until now, she'd handled only paperwork, but today marked her full involvement in experiments.
"Hm... I heard procuring them wasn't hard. Problems?"
"Ah... We've secured all the elves. However..."
"However?"
"The beastkin are proving tricky."
"Oh...?"
Sion knew they sourced awakening races—elves, beastkin, demons—via black markets and shady channels.
She'd only seen reports, never the subjects themselves, so it hadn't felt real. But supply issues creasing the Tower Lord's brow furrowed hers too.
"No, Tower Lord—we funded it fully and even assigned hunters. This is a problem."
"Ah... Th-that! Sorry!!"
Proving hypotheses demanded endless trials; steady subjects were key.
They hired retired explorer-hunters continent-wide for racial quotas. Sion shot a cold glare at the report of a beastkin supply chain breakdown.
"Make it happen, somehow. Beastkin are everywhere—not like elves. Sort it by month's end."
"Y-yes!! Understood."
Wilted under her chilling mana aura, the Tower Lord fled the guest room. Sion slumped on the sofa with a sigh.
Ting-a-ling—
"You called, Miss?"
"Yeah, tell Mion lunch together later."
"Ah..."
"What?"
Needing a mood boost after the Tower Lord's grim news, she'd summoned a maid to dine with her spotless, wrinkle-free little sister Mion. But the maid's reaction was off.
"Well..."
"Hey, Chloe. You know I hate beating around the bush. What's up?"
"S-sorry!!! Miss Mion had breakfast and went straight to the forest..."
"Forest?"
"Yes... Lately, she's been doing hunter training..."
"Tch! Bring her back ASAP."
"Yes! Sorry, Lady Heiress!!"
The maid shuddered under Sion's intimidating presence and left the guest room.
From tonight, she'd dive into aiding her father's research—the family's long-cherished goal. But from the prince last night onward, everything grated on her nerves, Sion thought, leaning back on the sofa.