Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Summons
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I looked over the Fang Knights.
There weren't as many as I'd expected.
“Is this everyone?”
“Yes, sir.”
To be blunt, there were five of them.
I was a direct blood relative of the Family Head, so this felt like a bit of a slight, but then again, it was probably better than having a whole crowd show up.
In any case, this was unexpected.
Knights from the main family had never come for me in my past life, which meant this was a direct result of my changed actions.
‘Did Keian already report to the main family?’
Only a week had passed.
Considering the distance between the estate and the main house, it was physically impossible, but it made sense if they'd used some kind of magical communication device.
“Why is the main family looking for me?”
“We have an order from the Family Head.”
“An order? What kind of order?”
“Yes. I will now relay the Family Head's message.”
The one at the front, a knight named Osel, cleared his throat and spoke.
“—Ruan Bednicker is to visit the main family and participate in the [Second Blessing Ceremony] before the end of the month.”
“...”
“...”
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
“So, you're telling me to participate in the Second Blessing Ceremony now, of all times?”
“That is the Family Head's order.”
“Why should I?”
Osel looked taken aback by my words.
“My apologies, but we were only tasked with delivering the order. We have no way of knowing the Family Head's true intentions.”
To be honest, my past self would have cheered right then and there.
An order from the Iron-Blooded Duke to participate in the Second Blessing Ceremony could be interpreted as my father giving me one last chance.
Of course, no such rosy thoughts were blooming in my head now.
‘Something smells fishy.’
Did Keian's report go through the Council of Elders and reach the Iron-Blooded Duke's ears?
“Wait. What was the deadline again?”
“Before the end of the month.”
“What's today's date?”
“December 17th.”
“That's less than two weeks.”
Even traveling by carriage from this estate on the empire's frontier to the main house, two weeks was a tight schedule.
I stared blankly at the knights.
The thought crossed my mind that these guys were just spouting nonsense to mess with me.
“You won't be late if we go through the mountains.”
“The mountains?”
“The [Jewel Mountains], I mean.”
I felt like I'd heard that name somewhere.
“We came through the Jewel Mountains on our way here, partly as reconnaissance. It took us about a week.”
Only then did I understand why their group was so small. They had intended to take me over the mountains from the very beginning.
A large group would only be a hindrance on a mountain trek, unlike on flat ground.
‘...If it's an order from the Family Head, I don't really have a choice.’
In the Bednicker Family, the Family Head's command was absolute. It was no exaggeration to say his word was law.
It sounded like he was giving me a choice, but if I refused, a whole pack of Collectors would come for me next.
Not just to sever my tendons, but to end my life.
Honestly, I didn't like the feeling of being dragged away, but going to the main house wasn't necessarily a bad thing for me.
The Bednicker main house had the Council of Elders, and the Family Head was there too.
If I could show them the White Sun Eclipse directly or strike a deal some other way, I wouldn't have to worry about the family's meddling for a while.
Of course, my so-called siblings at the main house would try to pick a fight, but that didn't matter much.
I'd ignore them if I could, and if they crossed the line, I'd crush them.
Having made my decision, I nodded and spoke.
“Fine. Let's go. Right away.”
“It's late today, so let's depart early tomorrow.”
The sun was still high in the sky, but...
by the time we reached those Jewel Mountains or whatever they were called, the sun might be setting.
“Really? Well, we have guest rooms, so for today, at the estate—”
“Thank you for the offer, but we've already secured lodging in a nearby city.”
I see.
I nodded and looked at Osel.
He was wearing a rather smug smile, and looking at that face, I couldn't stop myself from saying something.
“Osel, was it?”
“Yes.”
“Stop cutting me off.”
It was the first time, and he wasn't my subordinate anyway, so I gave him a light warning.
Osel kept the smile on his lips and gave a slight bow of his head.
“I'll keep that in mind.”
* * *
After the knights left, I began my own preparations.
It wasn't that I had much to pack, but I'd be trekking through mountains for up to a week or more, and I couldn't go as I was.
First, I had a servant prepare some practical clothes that were easy to move in, a bag, and a sleeping bag.
The servants looked puzzled, but none of them asked questions outright.
It seemed they still found me difficult to approach.
I felt a little bad, but it was convenient not having to offer any tedious explanations or excuses.
“What about food?”
Obviously, I couldn't fit a week's worth of food in a backpack. Even if I somehow managed to cram it all in, it would surely spoil.
Of course, I doubted the knights would let me starve, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for the worst.
We were heading into the mountains, after all. If worst came to worst, I figured I could just forage for ingredients myself.
I thought some simple cooking utensils and seasonings might fit in the bag, but that wasn't really the case.
I looked at the bulging backpack and muttered.
“Maybe I should check the estate's warehouse.”
In my past life, I'd raided the warehouse when I left the estate. There were some useful artifacts I'd used back then.
A bag enchanted with expansion magic.
A wristwatch that was, in many ways, more useful than a compass.
And a sword that looked like a ring but could freely change its shape and size.
Were these the only useful things for the trip to the main house?
I returned to my room and started stuffing my things into the bag one by one.
It wasn't a particularly powerful magical item, so I couldn't pack a huge amount of stuff.
At most, it could hold three to four times its volume. Plus, it only reduced the volume, not the weight.
I put everything inside and tried on the bag.
It was a bit heavy, but not so much that I couldn't move.
In fact, I thought climbing the mountain with this on my back would be good training in itself.
“...Reminds me of Spirit Mountain.”
There was a training regimen that only ended once you conquered Spirit Mountain. I had to drag a steel bar the size of a house.
There wasn't a time limit, but the place was teeming with so many monsters that I nearly died ten times over.
When I finally conquered the summit, my master tossed me a huge peach, and it was absolutely delicious.
It wasn't just delicious because I was exhausted; it was just plain delicious. It was probably the best fruit I'd ever eaten in my life.
I later heard from my Eldest Martial Brother that the peach was an incredible spirit medicine.
“Spirit medicine...”
My thoughts turned to spirit medicine once again.
Normally, circulating internal energy is the safest and most reliable way to build it up.
Compared to that, inheriting someone's internal energy, forcibly taking it, or consuming spirit medicine all came with risks, big and small.
But not for me, not now.
I wouldn't fail to properly digest a spirit medicine or suffer from side effects.
That's because I've already walked this path once.
So, for me right now, the correct path is to secure internal energy by any means necessary and then focus on external arts, develop and refine the martial arts I've learned... or gain practical combat experience.
“No, wait a minute.”
The word 'spirit medicine' combined with 'Jewel Mountains', and a memory buried deep below the surface floated up.
“Was it... the Extreme Flame Herb?”
It was a plant that literally contained the energy of the extreme yang. They say its growth stops the moment it's exposed to human eyes even once.
In other words, the deeper into nature you go, where human eyes can't reach, the easier it is for high-quality Extreme Flame Herbs to grow...
“The Jewel Mountains. I knew I'd heard that name somewhere...”
The largest Extreme Flame Herb in the empire was said to have been discovered there.
I phrase it ambiguously because no one actually witnessed the Extreme Flame Herb itself.
It sounds a bit strange, but the Jewel Mountains' Extreme Flame Herb became famous because of some crazy criminal.
The Fire Fiend.
An arsonist who, a few years from now, would spread a conflagration across the entire empire.
A madman who burned down a dozen villages in just one year, with nearly 10,000 victims caught in the crossfire.
Anyway, this guy was eventually subdued by a knight order while planning an act of arson in a major city. The investigation into his past activities revealed the following facts.
He was a young man who looked perfectly normal on the outside.
He was originally a mage belonging to the Red Tower.
According to testimony from those around him, no one had ever felt he was particularly dangerous.
Given the scale of the damage, the interrogation was thorough, and finally, the reason why an ordinary mage became the Fire Fiend was revealed.
The Extreme Flame Herb was the cause.
Anyway, medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin.
Too much medicine can become poison at any time, and even poison, if handled well, can become medicine.
The mage who ate the Extreme Flame Herb couldn't fully digest the spirit medicine and became the Fire Fiend.
“...Not exactly a helpful memory.”
Of course, the Extreme Flame Herb is the spirit medicine I need most right now.
I could probably digest even the Extreme Flame Herb that drove a perfectly sane mage mad.
But so what?
I know the Extreme Flame Herb is in the Jewel Mountains, but the area is just too vast.
It would take weeks to search a single mountain, let alone an entire mountain range.
It's impossible without a stroke of heavenly luck.
Anyway, by the time I was done with these useless thoughts, I had more or less finished packing.
*Knock, knock.* A knock sounded at the door.
Without turning around, I said.
“Come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Only after hearing the businesslike voice did I stop moving and turn my head.
An unexpected person was there.
“Excuse me, Young Master.”
“...”
Red hair and a suit.
A posture so straight it looked painful, and a face like a brick.
Unlike the knights who had appeared earlier, this was a face I knew.
And I didn't just know it.
The woman my past self had trembled at the mere mention of her name, an object of fear.
Butler Arjan.
The one who had beaten my body to a pulp right after I regressed.