108. The Stainer (2)
108. The Stainer (2)
- 1 -
The lord of Solemio, Valeon Terramor, was the current head of the baronial family that had long guarded Solemio Castle.
By all rights, fate should have made him end his life as a baronet. For he was not the eldest son of the previous head, his father, but the second son.
In other words, the only reason he was able to inherit the barony was simply because his older brother had died early from illness.
[The lord? He's an excellent man. He always respects his subordinates. Yes? Ah...]
[He's not without ambition, but he's the type to adapt to reality.]
Thus, the general assessment of his eight years of managing the castle was favorable.
Because someone no one had expected anything from had returned to the family and succeeded in managing things more smoothly than anyone had anticipated.
And that was despite having received no separate education for being a successor or administrator, with records only of his younger days spent as a wandering knight.
But even for him, today was a first.
"You are the administrator of Solux...? That differs from my memory. Is she truly the administrator?"
"Even if I were not inclined to insist, the proof is plain. You shall see it for yourself, my lord."
No matter how he thought about it, she was a beauty he couldn't possibly have missed if she had been around here.
And no matter how hard he racked his memory, her face was not among those he knew.
So his point was valid, but the woman claimed it so nonchalantly that he found himself doubting his own memory.
"Yes. That is correct. My lord. If you search, you will find the approved documents."
"There was a Charlie among the names of recently deceased officials. There is also a report that a mage living in seclusion on-site temporarily took over his duties."
"Is that true?"
Baleon, who had been flipping through the documents in front of him as the officials spoke, nodded only after checking a document another official presented.
Never dreaming that it was a document forged by Libertas and her subordinate officials.
After all, when one sees everyone but oneself speaking in unanimous opposition, it is only natural for confusion to arise, even about memories one considered certain.
"It is true. Why do I have no memory of seeing this?"
"Probably because it happened during the Copherin expedition, and you were not there to see it."
"Ah, was that it? Well, seeing as I'm the only one who doesn't remember, you must be right. I apologize. Lady Mage."
A highly capable mage, or an adventurer who had built up comparable renown, was generally treated on equal footing with lower-ranking nobles, even without a title.
Of course, that only applied to those who had reached at least elite-level status; anyone below that was an exception.
It was essentially a redefinition of status that accounted for the influence superhumans and the guilds they gathered into had accumulated upon the continent through their achievements.
'Now that I look, the air about her is unusual. Somehow, she gives off an eerie feeling too.'
On top of that, the woman's aura was clearly not that of an ordinary person no matter how he looked at it, so the baron assumed she was at least someone on equal standing with himself.
"It's quite alright. I am not unaware of the labors of the officials and nobles who maintain the nation."
Baleon's judgment was further reinforced by the archaic speech that flowed naturally from her and the air that it was only natural for her.
'No matter how I look at her, she is no ordinary person.'
His judgment was actually not wrong. She was certainly no ordinary 'person'.
However, as he could not know which parts of his judgment were right and which were wrong, the only question he could ask was this.
"I know this may be a rude question, but may I know where you hail from?"
"I come from a land most pleasant to live, yet one where humans shall no longer be able to dwell."
The continent Libertas resided on was a land with almost no cold regions.
When examining records that documented all climates from the southern tip to the northern tip of the continent, there was not a single land with a climate cooler than temperate.
In this land, the phrase 'most pleasant to live' thus meant either the northernmost or southernmost reaches of the continent.
But two of those were realistically too far, and the other was dangerous.
'So indeed, it's true that the cool temperature inside the dungeon is the most comfortable temperature.'
"Oh dear. You have suffered tragedy, then."
'She was a noble who lost her land to the Demon Realm.'
It was only natural for the baron to misunderstand her this way.
And in this world, a 'noble whose territory was lost to the encroachment of the Demon Realm' was a common sight.
Even when the kingdom occasionally reclaimed land encroached upon by the Demon Realm, it wasn't always returned to the original lord.
On the contrary, there were plenty of cases where they used it as an excuse to give back some safer but unremarkable territory instead.
Not knowing that what Libertas had said actually meant 'humans will never become the mainstream in this region,' it was the most rational deduction.
'Wait. Then doesn't that mean a high-quality talent has just rolled in on its own?'
Nobles charged with guarding the border against the Demon Realm were mostly competent.
Because in the first place, if they weren't competent, there was no way they could handle a land where war with monsters never ceased.
It was an environment that urged awakening not just for the family head, but for all members of the family. Even if they were incompetent at first, it was inevitable that those exposed to that endless trial would become competent or find their own use.
'Moreover... that aura. You can tell at a glance she's of noble blood. A union with a local noble wouldn't be bad from the perspective of a wanderer, either.'
Thus, to the ability he was certain she possessed, one could add the noble aura and beautiful appearance visible at a glance.
It was only natural that he, ignorant of her true identity, would harbor desires beyond his station.
'First, bring her into the territory. Gradually get closer, then as an adopted daughter, and if she can be made to catch the king's eye...'
"You mentioned you are currently working as the administrator of the village that manages the ironwood."
"That is correct."
"But you do not appear to be someone fit to work in such a place. Would you perhaps consider working in this castle?"
That direction had simply headed toward ambition, not lust.
Though he was in his late thirties—still young among nobles—he already had a wife, and naturally, two concubines as well.
In this situation, bringing another woman into the household was burdensome.
Both realistically, and in terms of his standing within the house.
"My lord? But this person is..."
"I shall give you the position of my court mage. How about it?"
The baron hurriedly continued, ignoring the retainer who was trying to say something urgently.
Because of that, he did not realize that the retainer had in fact stopped moving not of his own accord, but due to the hand gesture of the woman before him.
"I scarce know what to do with myself, being treated so hospitably when I am a mage of no renown. I gladly accept."
Staying in Solemio as an administrator was not bad, but it also seemed good to exploit the desires the human before her directed at her.
What she desired was the domination of the city.
'At least it doesn't seem to be lust, so staying in the castle for a while should be fine. It won't take long anyway.'
In any case, the lord before her eyes would either be removed or used. One of the two.
For though the lord had rested so long that fat had replaced muscle on his belly, his baseline level was elite-grade, so he had not been a target of the 'maneuvering' she conducted within the castle at night.
"Letting such a talent remain nameless would make my title as a noble weep. Well then, I shall have a room prepared in the inner castle. From today onward, lodge there. Tell me if you desire anything."
"Thank you."
At Libertas's answer, the lord immediately gestured to an attendant with a bright face and continued.
And one official, eager to curry favor with her, immediately asked the lord.
"My lord. What shall we do with the guards who came with her?"
"Needless to say. Arrange space for them in the guest quarters."
For Libertas, it was a situation that could not be better.
Enough so that she could bow her head out of courtesy and offer a smile.
The face of the lord acting as if he had already won everything was not particularly handsome.
But thinking that he was the face of one who would soon offer everything to her, it was not unpleasant.
"I am truly grateful you even consider my subordinates. I look forward to working with you. My lord."
"The pleasure is mine. I look forward to it. Court mage."
'Nobility' likewise did not prevent her from smiling at one who would soon become a vassal.
- 2 -
My first duty after becoming court mage was not grasping the magical disturbances within the castle, but greeting the lord's wife, Grellda.
The moment I heard that first instruction, I fully grasped his intentions.
'He wants to somehow make me part of his family.'
- He is an insolent one, is he not? Should you but say the word, I will retrieve the life entrusted to me. Master.
'Do not cause trouble. I nearly laughed out loud.'
- I have been rude.
At Evangeline's words spoken from within the shadows, a smile naturally formed on my lips.
Fortunately, that moment also happened to be when the lord's wife was making a joke.
"Had I known my husband would take so many concubines, I certainly would have demanded a larger share of the property when we married."
"Are you not a person unconstrained by property?"
"Well, of course not! Though I may be in a place like this, I am the daughter of a count's family. But when I think of my worth..."
A woman who, even after marrying into a southern local noble family, could not forget life in her original home, the County of Guileus.
Yet she possessed a proper sense of duty and pride as a noble, slightly looking down on her husband while never neglecting what needed to be done. Truly...
'How human.'
The fourth daughter of the former Count Guileus, and the lawful wife of Solemio Baron Valeon Terramor, was that kind of woman.
"Sigh. Leaving someone like me aside, his eyes wander to other things..."
I could see the concubines quietly withering beside her, but I ignored them.
The baron seemed to manage himself decently enough in his own way, apparently having already finished settling the succession for all the children he had with them.
'He said the property would be distributed, but not the territory.'
Perhaps due to the peculiarities of the countryside, the territory of Solemio Barony was comparatively vast for its title.
All that territory was to be inherited by the children born from Baleon's lawful wife.
It was surprising that the successor would be a woman, but if both were indeed women, it couldn't be helped.
In this world, positions were decided by strength, not gender.
"Mother. I heard you called for me."
"Mother."
"Welcome, my darlings. Come here and greet the Lady Mage."
Just then, the two women I had been thinking of entered the room. Although one was a girl.
Perhaps they took after their mother more than their father, as both had hair closer to their mother's dirty blonde than the lord's. Whichever it was, it was a reddish-gold.
"Then this person is..."
"Yes. She is the mage who will be living in the inner castle from today onward."
For a moment, my gaze fell on the young child mimicking a formal tone with a slight lisp, before I soon shifted my eyes to look at the eldest daughter.
At first I had no interest, but there was an element that drew my attention.
"That beautiful and lovely young lady over there..."
"Thank you for the compliment. Lady Mage. The eldest is Amelia, and the younger is called Yurianne."
"I am Amelia. Court Mage."
"I'm Yurianne! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you as well, Lady Amelia. Lady Yurianne."
Two noble young ladies looking at me.
A single emotion could be felt in their eyes simultaneously, an emotion crafted by their environment.
One could say it was a look that unmistakably showed they were nobles, though not entirely devoid of sincerity.
A conduct that exuded the thick fragrance of education.
Local nobles were not to be dismissed entirely.
"And... Oh my."
"What is the matter, Lady Mage?"
"Madam. Your daughter possesses a rare talent."
"Truly?"
Especially regarding the eldest daughter, there was something I felt as a mage.
It was worth keeping an eye on.
For that was a talent with the potential to grow into a power that was the natural enemy of the Demon Tribe.
'But now that I have entered this place, she can no longer grow like that.'
Whether it was the lord himself, or his child.
Either way, they would soon belong to me, so the flower of that talent would bloom with a different light.
'Or else, just wither.'
Of course, if that happened, she would no longer be any concern of mine.
For I had many others to treasure more, and many more materials requiring my attention.