Chapter 166: Tower Master (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: Tower Master (1)
To be honest, I’m not the one at fault this time.
I should have expected that if I invited the Sword Emperor, others would follow.
My only "sin" was granting my second brother’s wish by bringing the Sword Emperor along. It wasn't my fault that royalty and high-ranking ministers decided to tag along.
Come to think of it, something similar happened at my eldest brother’s wedding, so this wasn't exactly a first.
“Because of you, I’m feeling a sense of distance from my friends…”
“A sense of distance?”
“They say I look like a power player no matter how you slice it, and that it’s intimidating…”
Thanks to that, it seemed my father had started being ostracized from his social circle of neighboring lords.
If royalty shows up at every one of your sons' weddings, it’s only natural for the surrounding families to feel a bit of a gap.
“Since things have already turned out like this, why don’t you make a move into central politics?”
“Once I retire, tell your brother to do it. I’d rather die.”
That’s what Father said, but well…
Now that we were in-laws with House Artien, he was bound to be close to power whether he liked it or not.
“Still, I helped my brother hold his head high, didn't I?”
“……Sigh.”
Though he didn't say it out loud like Mother, it seemed Father had also been worried about my second brother.
…Certainly, before I left the family, it didn't feel like this. I wondered what had happened to him during that gap in time.
After watching the stars of the show—who were currently stiff as boards while receiving congratulations from the Sword Emperor and numerous other VIPs—I turned my gaze.
“Now, Lucia. Only you are left.”
“Lucia works for the royal family; she can take her pick of suitors.”
“Still, don’t be too arrogant. When Rurien was ten and said she was going to marry her sword, I thought she was joking.”
My eyes met Senior Lucia’s, who was currently surrounded by her in-laws and being nagged.
“……!”
Judging by her expression, she was sending me an intense "save me" look. It seemed even a royal agent couldn't defeat family nagging.
“……”
And the same went for me.
That’s why, learning from her example, I chose to make a swift escape.
I say I escaped, but I couldn't actually leave until the wedding was over. That would only provide enough nagging material to last for years.
Therefore, the place I chose was…
“Is it delicious?”
“Yup!”
“Please, eat your fill.”
“I’m doing exactly that!”
It was the seat right next to the High Elf, who was naturally maintaining a barrier between herself and the other guests.
“But why is this…”
“People keep trying to talk to me while I’m eating. It’s annoying.”
For the record, when I say "barrier," I don't mean the metaphorical vibe of an outcast. It was a literal, magical barrier.
This person—no, this Elf! She had set up a barrier in the corner of someone else’s wedding hall just to enjoy the buffet in peace!
“I know you came here to hide too, so just stay quiet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Well, since it was a barrier for the sake of eating quietly in a deserted corner, I decided to let it slide.
“Marriage, huh…”
Still munching on her meat-heavy plate, Yerisha looked toward my second brother—who had basically turned into a stone statue—and the beaming bride.
“Have you not married yet?”
“I’m on the younger side for a High Elf…”
“Isn't it about time you did?”
“I suppose. But for me, 'about time' means roughly a hundred years, you know?”
“You have to listen to nagging for a hundred years?”
“…That does sound a bit rough.”
It seemed nagging about dating and marriage was the same even for High Elves.
“By the way, I heard there aren't many High Elves left.”
“That’s right. Our numbers were already small, and then a certain race went and started kidnapping us…”
“Shouldn't you take that up with Dale?”
“Oh, we took it up with them, alright.”
Answering like that, Yerisha stabbed a steak with her fork and ate it whole without even cutting it, before sharing the secret of how the High Elves survived.
“Even so, the reason the High Elf race could survive is… because High Elves are superior.”
“If you’re so superior, how did you get hunted by humans?”
“That’s because humans were wicked!”
The words that came out of Yerisha’s mouth as she chewed her steak were quite shocking.
“The offspring of a High Elf is always a High Elf. Whether the partner is another High Elf, a regular Elf, a human, or any other race. Always.”
“What?”
“You’ve heard of Half-Elves, right? But have you ever heard of a Half-High Elf?”
I hadn't. But…
“Isn't that just because High Elves don't reproduce well…?”
“You can’t just go spreading superior genes around the world carelessly.”
Stabbing her fork into the next piece of meat, Yerisha boasted of their superiority with more confidence than usual.
“That’s why a miracle is required for a High Elf to produce an heir.”
“A miracle?”
“Compared to humans, it takes ten thousand times the effort to conceive a life!”
I remembered seeing a similar story in a novel from my past life.
In a novel famous for a "swindler couple," it was said that for a spirit and a human to conceive, it required a probability a thousand times lower than that of humans.
Despite that, when a child appeared in the sequel, the author intended it to be a miracle of their bond…
“You’re saying you have to do it ten thousand times?”
“You crazy human!”
But the readers were left wondering just how much they must have "done it" for that to happen…
“I’m saying it’s that much of a miraculous event!”
“But it also means ten thousand is the expected average, doesn't it?”
“Eeeek!”
She finally put down her fork, her face flushing red as she stomped her feet.
That’s right.
I had dominated the High Elf’s emotions.
I had reached the level where I could make even a total loner get angry!
“I’m only putting up with this because I’m generous. Don’t say things like that to other Elves. You’ll actually die!”
“It’s fine. I don’t know any other Elves.”
“…My younger sister, Yenika, is coming soon, you know? She’s the type to pull her sword out immediately.”
“Oh, a swordsman!”
“Don’t focus on the part where she pulls her sword!”
Through the growling Yerisha, I learned three facts.
First, High Elves need to "do it" at least ten thousand times to have a child.
Second, the other High Elf scheduled to come to the Academy is quite skilled with a sword.
And finally…
“Now only my son is left.”
“I’ll try my best until the youngest gets married, Mother.”
“…Do you know how many years apart you and our youngest are?”
“I’m asking you to give me that much time.”
“…I heard from Miss Yerisha.”
“……?”
“Son, I heard you’re dating at the Academy?”
“……?!”
Even a loner, if poked enough, can deliver a proper backstab.
My second brother’s wedding ended.
It concluded with the blissful bride leading away my brother, whose soul seemed to have half-departed his body, on their honeymoon. I was planning to return to the royal capital soon after, but…
“Son, let Mother see you before you go.”
Mother dragged me over and sat me down.
And that was the conversation that followed.
“Right. So, who is she?”
“I believe you have incorrect information.”
“My, the famous Saintess? Mother was quite surprised.”
“……”
“Or is it the Imperial Princess? I heard my son was a 'domestic marriage' supporter. Was that a smokescreen too?”
That damn Elf.
Repaying kindness with a grudge.
I was dizzy from the unexpected consecutive hits, but…
“If this is the case, I’ll have to cancel all the blind dates I arranged.”
“……?”
I couldn't help but be surprised once more by the fact that an unexpected ambush had been prepared.
“B-blind dates?”
“While preparing your brother’s, I prepared yours as well…”
With a look of genuine regret, Mother let out a small sigh.
“Since I couldn't find anyone with better specs than the Saintess or the Imperial Princess…”
From her truly disappointed expression, I could tell she was serious. If the "secret" hadn't been revealed, I might have spent the rest of my stay going on blind dates.
Of course, that didn't mean there were no problems.
“So, when are you bringing her home?”
“……”
“No? Should we go there?”
“……”
“Of course, dating is… a relationship that can break at any time, but…”
“……”
“Mother trusts her son, you know?”
Please don't.
It’s all a contractual relationship.
Even a portion of the allowance I give you is included in the contract fee.
“I-I will try my best.”
…I wasn't such a "Fire Attribute Golden Child" that I could say that right after my second brother’s wedding.
I simply thought that I shouldn't return to the main house until the youngest’s wedding, and…
“They say you don't even mess with a dog while it's eating?!”
“You’re not a dog.”
I simply took immediate revenge on the High Elf who repaid my kindness with a grudge.
Since staying with the family meant nothing more than being a playmate for the youngest in my brother’s stead, I stayed for a few more days and then immediately returned to the royal castle.
“……My vacation.”
Even so, the start of the semester was right around the corner. If it hadn't been for the airships and the parade nonsense, I would have had half of it left.
Of course, thanks to that, public support for the royal family was skyrocketing.
Nobles were also flocking to the royal castle just to catch a glimpse of the Sword Emperor, causing the prices of the land and stocks I’d bought to rise to unprecedented levels.
“Should I sell and buy back later?”
Since this was a temporary boom caused by the Sword Emperor, I was debating whether to keep holding or sell now and buy back when prices dropped.
“……”
“……”
From the moment I arrived in the capital until I reached the royal castle, I started to feel something I hadn't felt before.
How should I put it?
“It’s too quiet…”
Yerisha muttered with a rare, serious face.
That’s right.
The royal castle was far too quiet.
It wasn't that there were no knights or soldiers on guard, but there were strangely fewer than usual.
I couldn't hear the noise of training from the nearby grounds, nor the clashing of blades from knights who claimed to be bored and started dueling.
It was an eerie silence.
If this were the Academy, I would have immediately suspected dark mages.
But this was Leon’s royal castle, not the Academy. Therefore, I needed to think rationally.
“Has the Sword Emperor finally started a dojo challenge?”
“No.”
“……You call that a rational question?”
Ignoring the non-Leonite’s suspicion, I looked at the maid I had stopped.
For the royal castle to be this quiet without the Sword Emperor going on a rampage… unless everyone had followed him to watch, this could be a truly dangerous situation.
The maid before me also seemed not quite right, biting her lip firmly. She looked restless.
Could it be a dark mage’s mental magic?!
“I-Instead… the Sword Emperor is scheduled to duel the Tower Master…”
Ah, never mind.
It was just a big match, and everyone had gone to watch.
I could also understand why the maid before me was showing signs of extreme anxiety.
“It seems you can’t watch because you’re on duty.”
“…Urgh!”
As Yerisha looked on in bewilderment at the maid, who looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment…
“I intend to go there.”
“……”
“But I’ve just returned, and the way is a bit fuzzy in my memory.”
“……!”
The maid’s eyes began to sparkle. She had seen hope.
“So I need a guide…”
“That is my duty!”
With a confident air, the maid led us, and we were able to enter the royal family’s special training grounds.
“When does it start?”
“It’s a fight between the Sword Emperor and Tower Master Darens. I suppose it requires a lot of preparation.”
“Yeah. Look over there. The mages from the Magic Tower are preparing in front, aren't they?”
“…They’re pulling out popcorn and betting on who will win, though.”
“Not the Leon Tower mages in the front row. I mean the mages brought in from outside around the arena.”
“Ah…”
The Dukes and Marquises, the highest nobility of the kingdom, were all present. There were at least twenty Count-level nobles as well.
If everyone here were to die at this moment, Leon would collapse instantly. That was the caliber of the crowd gathered here.
It was that big of a match.
As if to prove it…
“Then, from now on! The duel between the continent’s strongest swordsman, Sword Emperor Aren, and the Tower Master of Leon, Darens Alex!”
An MC even stepped out to announce the start of the event.
“Isn't that your King?”
“Please just pretend you don't know.”
“STAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRTTTTTT!”
With that thunderous shout from His Majesty the King—no, the MC…
“Here I come!”
The Sword Emperor’s Aura and…
“That’s not magic……”
The Tower Master’s Fire Punch collided.