Chapter 234: It Was Winter (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234: It Was Winter (2)
They say information is the most important thing in war.
And since life is a lot like war, information is an essential part of it. There’s a reason Boradori gets her paycheck every month without fail—even if, right now, she’s busy "monitoring" Prince Ellen under the guise of being his escort.
I used to think I was paying her to slack off, but I never imagined her work would be this vital.
"Just... just how much do you want? Or do you have some kind of grudge against Dale? Ah. Right. You probably have plenty!"
"..."
Even when I stay silent, the person across from me starts getting anxious all on their own. To be honest, I do have a conscience. Between all the past incidents and that recent mess with the Fire Spammer, I’d already squeezed a state-of-the-art airship out of them.
What else was there left to take?
"What did we even do that was so wrong?!"
"Hmm. Nothing weighing on your conscience?"
I gave Princess Ruelle a half-hearted answer, but her expression immediately shifted to one of "Oh no, he found out." She bit her lip and blurted out:
"I-Is it the plan to raise the artifact tariffs on Leon by 20%?!"
"..."
These bastards. They were already overcharging us.
"I-If it’s not that, then is it because we used complex jargon whenever the Leon Magic Tower asked for technical support, just so your mages wouldn't understand us?!"
"..."
You guys... just say it. We wouldn't have understood anyway.
"If it’s not that either... then you found out we were going to pass off a used airship as a new one since Leon doesn't know anything about them?!"
"..."
Now that was an answer I didn't expect.
These little shits?
"What! Why are you looking at me like that?! Leon started it! Last time, you sent some guy who ran a dojo in the countryside and claimed he was a Royal Swordsmanship Instructor! We were fooled for three years because of that! And you said the swords you sent were made by a Dwarven master, but they were actually made by trainees! At least our airship is in perfect working order!"
"..."
Wait, did we throw the first punch?
I’d have to check with the Leon royalty later, but first...
"Wait, why did you let a countryside instructor fool you for three years...?"
Honestly, that felt like their own fault.
"Our Royal Knight Commander lost to him! How could we not be fooled?!"
"The level of Dale's Knight Commander is..."
"Don't make it sound so weak just because you put 'Dale' in front of it! He was raised with the utmost care by the royal family! He’s a Sword Master, you know!"
Was the Dale Royal Knight Commander weak for losing to a rural dojo master? Or was that rural master actually some hidden Sword Saint living in the sticks?
I didn't know the answer, but more importantly, why was a rural instructor from Leon a Sword Master? No matter how much people called Leon the "Kingdom of Knights" or a "Swordsman’s Utopia," that was a bit much.
And besides.
"You achieved your goal anyway, so isn't it fine...?"
"By that logic, a used airship still flies, so isn't that fine too?!"
"Oh."
She had a point, but I was the one in the position of power right now.
"..."
"W-What?!"
"..."
"S-Say something!"
"..."
"Fine! I’ll give you a brand-new one!"
I didn't even have to speak. Just staring at her in silence was enough to make her guilty conscience crumble into a full surrender.
"T-This humiliation... one day..."
"I heard you were planning to go to the Empire early for magic excavations..."
"I’ll pay you back with the latest airship engine, okay?!"
Currently, the Academy’s underground library was under the strict supervision of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. Since ordinary students—and even a Princess of Dale like Ruelle—couldn't enter, she had no choice but to surrender through tears.
Another week passed.
During that time, nothing "special" happened—like a Magic Demon appearing to avenge the Sword Demon, or a Dark Mage attacking with a five-part combining golem only to be stopped by the Academy’s seven-part combining golem.
—Save me! A synthetic chimera that’s supposed to be a mid-boss later just showed up! Argh! Damn this Magic Nullification! What about mages' human rights?!
I did get occasional reports filled with Boradori’s screams, but since those had been coming in daily ever since I paired her with Ellen, I just treated them as proof that she was still alive.
And so, the Imperial Expeditionary Force—or rather, the Academy Expeditionary Force—returned.
In a little over a month, they had defeated one hundred and twenty-five Dark Mages, wiped out eight noble houses associated with them, and saved thousands of people. They were great heroes!
The event was so significant that the Emperor of the Empire himself visited the Academy to commend them.
And.
"I got an award."
"...Good for you."
Prince Ellen of Leon, the great Sword Master who had performed brilliantly during the campaign, had even received a citation from the Emperor.
"Why the lukewarm reaction?"
"Why is a Prince of Leon working for the Empire?"
Seriously, for fuck's sake. Why is a foreign prince volunteering his labor and working so hard he gets an award? You’re a Prince of Leon, you brat! You don't even work back in the Kingdom, so why are you being so diligent here?!
"Didn't you work just as hard, Adam?"
"..."
That’s because it’s my job! I wanted to shout, but since it wasn't an "official" job, I had to keep my mouth shut.
Instead.
"His Majesty sent word that he wants to see you later."
I simply reported my bitterness and resentment to the Leon royal family in real-time.
Upon hearing that his son had fallen for a woman and was working for the Empire, the King had personally requested a Makgora.
"Father? Hmm... well, I suppose it can't be helped."
Even at the news of a meeting with the King, Prince Ellen remained nonchalant. No, having watched him for a long time, I didn't miss the slight upward twitch of his lips. He looked like a certain prince who had just found Frostmourne.
I wasn't going to say he was about to fight his father and "succeed" the throne, but...
"Ah, and also."
Just in case, I added one more thing.
"The Queen said she wants to see you too."
"M-Mother?!"
Ellen’s eyes shook violently. He quickly hid the citation from the Emperor behind his back as if he didn't want anyone to see it.
"W-What did she say?"
"Exactly that. She just said she’d see you later."
"But why?!"
Why do you think? You know better than anyone.
Watching the Sword Master tremble in fear, I went over my upcoming schedule.
"Hmm..."
Starting with the midterm retakes... the road ahead was daunting. I’d had a bit of a break, but still.
"The first thing on the list is the RoFan heroine’s secret birthday."
Given the current atmosphere, it wouldn't even be surprising if the Demon King himself was resurrected and came looking for us.
A birthday.
A day to celebrate the day a person was born, and thus, a day that comes only once a year.
"But having it twice? Isn't that too much, even for a RoFan heroine?"
At my lament, Violet looked at me with an incredulous expression.
"She’s the girlfriend you chose. Suck it up and deal with it..."
"I didn't choose her, though?"
"You could have rejected her."
"True. Why didn't I?"
"Because you got to use the Magic Sword."
"Damn it. I guess I have to be her boyfriend for two more years."
I couldn't help it; it was the Demon King’s sword. Even a sword made by stuffing a Sword Master’s soul into a Sword Demon’s body couldn't match the performance of the Demon King’s Magic Sword.
"...Then why did you even make it?"
"When I started the project, I didn't think I’d get a permanent loan. I was trying to make at least a lower-tier version."
But now, the Demon King’s sword was mine. I’d even "loaned" the helmet to myself.
"If I collect all the Demon King’s items like this, won't I be able to slice him up easily?"
"The descriptions made him sound like a monster, but considering his items, it’s actually weird that he lost to the RoFan party..."
"Maybe he was just carried by his gear? Should I really try to take all his items?"
"Why don't you just become the Demon King yourself?"
"Then I’d have to fight the RoFan party."
"True. If you became the Demon King, the RoFan party—and the entire Academy—would probably attack you without a second thought."
"We were friends, though. It wouldn't be that bad."
"...Have you forgotten all the trolling you’ve done at this Academy?"
While listening to Violet’s nagging, we arrived at the Academy’s busiest commercial district.
"...You want me to buy a gift here?"
"They haven't finished fixing everything yet..."
Following the advice of Violet, the "Daisy Expert," we had come to the commercial district to find a birthday present, but the area was still a wreck from the Dark Mages' attack.
Except for one spot.
"We plan to leave this surrounding area as is until next spring. Unlike the Academy, most of the commercial districts around here were built without a plan, targeting the Academy’s market. So, despite their appearance, they had a lot of traffic and housing issues..."
I looked at the Branch Manager of the Ilias Academy branch, who stood in front of the only standing building, and asked, "So, since it’s all destroyed anyway, you’re just going to redevelop the whole thing?"
"That’s right. We’ll clear the debris during the Academy break and start redevelopment in the spring, aiming to finish before the Founding Festival."
It seemed they were planning around the Founding Festival, the busiest time of the year. It was a decent plan, but...
"But why is this place still standing?"
"Well, we have to be able to do at least some business, don't we?"
"I’m sure others thought the same."
The Dark Mages wouldn't have spared Ilias, and this place should have been just as trashed as the rest. In fact, since it was much larger than the other shops, it should have been an easier target.
The fact that they were the only ones who had rebuilt and were now monopolizing the business meant...
"How much did you buy?"
"Did you notice?"
"Knowing merchants, they’d be running stalls if they could."
"It’s a secret, but Ilias has monopolized this entire area. We bought it up cheap since it was all destroyed."
"Hell yeah! I knew I could count on you!"
At the Branch Manager’s words, Violet—no, Boradori—clenched her fists and pumped them in the air.
"Why is she doing that?"
"She bought Ilias stock."
"I take it she bought a lot?"
"She’s a major shareholder."
As a reincarnator who knew the future, Boradori had been emphasizing investing in Ilias for a long time.
"Did you invest as well, Master Adam?"
"Not as much as her."
Just a portion of what I’d earned in the Empire. I didn't invest heavily because I didn't plan on coming back to the Empire after graduating. Or rather, I shouldn't have to.
I had enough money, and I already owned a decent amount of real estate in Leon. It was impossible, but even if I retired now, I had enough saved up to live comfortably for the rest of my life, provided I didn't fall into drugs or gambling.
Plus, I was a Sword Master now. Unless the Evil God and his lackeys destroyed the world, I wouldn't have much to do.
"..."
Wait, now that I think about it, I’ve already completed most of my life’s achievements.
I’d lived my life to the fullest as a Royal Instructor, but I’d already reached the goals most people spend their lives chasing. The only thing left was beating Ellen... but looking at his growth rate, that might just be an impossible achievement.
Just as I was wondering what to do next now that I’d achieved my life goals...
"This is it. This is the one."
I looked at Violet, who had returned with Daisy’s gift, looking incredibly confident.
"You want to go?"
I immediately challenged her to a duel.