Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Visitor
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Minerva was scribbling away on the scroll with a light hum on her lips, her face beaming with delight despite her four centuries of age. It was unavoidable—she was experiencing the thrill of curiosity after so long.
Her magical research, which she had pursued out of mere duty for the past two hundred years, had regained its spark. It was only natural, with two unprecedented events unfolding in mere days—things she had never encountered in her lifetime.
One involved the crystal scroll, and the other was Delta, the man who had promised to find it. Both were subjects that relentlessly piqued her interest.
*The more I think about it, the more fascinating he becomes.*
Minerva recalled Delta’s remarkable progress over the past few days as she continued jotting notes on the scroll.
When she had first examined him at Aurora’s estate, he had been a man with pathetically low innate mana reserves—barely enough to cast one or two low-tier spells before depleting entirely.
Yet, when they met again at the palace, his total mana had astonishingly multiplied several times over. Minerva had been so shocked that she briefly doubted her own senses.
Considering the short interval between the day she brought him to her chambers and his arrival at the palace, it was an utterly absurd transformation.
Of course, his baseline mana was so minuscule that even multiplying it several times didn’t yield impressive numbers. But the sheer rapidity of the increase was what mattered far more.
*In terms of raw talent alone, he could thrive in the Magic Tower... no, perhaps even beyond that.*
Minerva had trained countless mages over the years, some of whom had shown similar upward trajectories—or even steeper rises.
But those achievements had come with the Magic Tower’s unwavering support. There was not a single case like Delta’s, where such growth occurred without any aid or effort.
Magic, after all, advanced through the gradual acquisition of vast knowledge. To gain enlightenment simply by sitting idle, without that process?
As far as Minerva knew, it was utterly impossible.
She seriously contemplated bringing Delta into the Magic Tower right now and grooming him as a mage. If he wished, she was even willing to take him as her direct disciple.
It would be an unprecedented privilege in the empire’s centuries-long history, but given the potential she glimpsed in him, it was a worthwhile investment.
Above all, hadn’t he promised to reveal the location of the dungeon hiding the crystal scroll?
The moment he proved those words true, every mage in the empire would beg him for his favor instead of shunning him.
“……Hmm?”
Minerva furrowed her brow as she finished her sentence and reached for a new scroll, detecting an anomalous flow of mana nearby.
This was her private bedroom, protected by the same multilayered wards she had personally cast as those around Kaikilia’s chambers.
Not even average spells could be cast within these barriers. For mana to flow here regardless...
“This is surprising indeed. To drag that hefty frame all the way here—what wind blew you in, I wonder?”
Minerva spoke without turning around.
A beat later, black mana gathered in the air. The viscous flow alone soured her mood, twisting her face in disgust.
It resembled teleportation magic but was fundamentally different. A swirling vortex of dark sludge formed a massive circle. Minerva set down her pen and pivoted halfway to look behind her.
From amid the churning black mire, a single person emerged. Upon confirming the figure with her own eyes, Minerva’s expression soured even further.
The one stepping out from the black sludge was a woman.
Her height was nearly three heads shorter than Minerva’s. Even accounting for Minerva’s exceptional stature among both men and women, this woman was remarkably diminutive.
Yet her breasts were outrageously large. Minerva’s were above average, but this woman’s boasted far greater heft—even surpassing the size of her own head.
Her overwhelming shortness amplified the apparent size of those already massive breasts, making them jiggle wildly up and down with every step.
Her naturally slender waist seemed even narrower in contrast to the twin masses dangling above it. And below that, plump thighs only accentuated the effect.
Her lower garment was little more than a token covering, while her top exposed her chest nearly bare. Combined with her curvaceous figure, the outfit produced a staggering synergy.
Minerva ignored the utterly ordinary attire, her face rigid as she glared at the woman before her.
“Um, h-hello, Lady Minerva...”
Her voice trembled with trepidation, her face darting about timidly. That shrinking demeanor stood in stark opposition to her owner’s boldness and the breasts that seemed ready to burst free of her clothes at any moment.
Frizzy hair, a mix of purple and green, swayed behind her back, while black eyes rolled nervously beneath bangs that reached her brows.
“I’ll assume you’ve come here in person because it’s a matter of utmost importance. Otherwise, I’d have quite the temper tantrum—after all, you’ve interrupted my enjoyable time.”
A staff floated into Minerva’s right hand from midair. *Tap.* Its tip lightly touched the floor. Blue mana rose in tendrils, and white pupils met black ones.
“Speak, Nix. What brings you here?”
*Finally over.*
I trudged through the palace corridors, my face drained of energy.
Meeting the regular knights at the Silver Dawn Knights’ post had gone fine—at first. But the moment they heard I was a new recruit, all their attention zeroed in on me.
The four knight captains were far from the tearful type, so I hadn’t expected teary reunions or bear hugs after years apart. Still, I figured they’d show some warmth beyond a few curt greetings.
Instead, the rest of the time was pure agony for me alone.
Worse, the captains seemed utterly unbothered that their long-lost subordinates’ focus was entirely on me. If anything, they looked proud.
In the end, I endured a relentless barrage of questions from knights rotating in one after another, escaping only after nearly an hour.
It was brutally exhausting. I’d have preferred twenty straight spars with the regular knights—at least that wouldn’t tire my mind.
*The Silver Dawn Knights should probably be restored to their original status, right?*
The fates of the Golden Twilight Knights and Silver Dawn Knights were up to the player.
Restore the Silver Dawn Knights to their former glory, merge the Twilight Knights into them, or even claim a captaincy yourself—options abounded.
My original goal had been a spot among the emperor’s direct knights, but Kaikilia’s unnatural interest in me gave me pause. Could I handle that level of scrutiny?
*Whatever, I’ll figure it out when the time comes.*
I shoved the thought aside. No need to dwell on it now—just adapt as the story unfolded.
Pondering the future was pointless anyway. Brenark 4’s plot had diverged far too much from what I knew.
I couldn’t even predict what Kaikilia might do to me at our next audience, let alone further ahead.
“You were here.”
Someone blocked my path as I headed to my room. I turned. She had a vibe similar to Lana’s overall, but with an even more emotionless expression—a maid.
She’d been attending me since yesterday, but I couldn’t get used to that look. Far more mechanical than Lana, it even felt alien.
Her movements were so stiff, she could pass for something wearing human skin. I guess that’s the standard for palace duties.
“What is it?”
“His Imperial Majesty summons you. Prepare to have an audience immediately.”
“......Just me alone?”
“Yes.”
My instincts screamed alarm bells at those words. This was Kaikilia—the woman who had unabashedly pulled my head between her legs in the central hall, with Aurora and the captains right there.
If she’d do that in public, what might she try alone—especially issuing a personal summons?
This felt bad.
Very bad.
“Understood. Where to?”
I asked with an inward sigh. Good feeling or not, ignoring a royal summons was out of the question.
Her emotionless eyes fixed on me.
“His Majesty’s bedchamber.”