Chapter 228: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (21)
Chapter 228: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (21)
Reynold Lainella.
He was the younger brother of Count Lainella and one of only two Great Mages in the entire Lainella family.
Just as the rank of 'Expert' existed among martial artists, a hierarchy existed among mages as well. This hierarchy was primarily determined by the number of rings surrounding the heart.
These rings of mana were called 'Circles,' and a mage could weave one spell formula for every circle they possessed.
If a mage had only one circle, they could only use simple formulas. However, as the number of circles increased, the complexity of the magic they could wield grew exponentially, much like high-order equations.
Among these ranks, the one comparable to a swordsman's 'Expert' was the 'High Mage.'
This title referred to a mage with five circles. Senior Elsie had reached this stage, and that alone made her an incredibly rare and valuable asset.
Yet, even among those called 'High Mages,' there were those who stood above the rest.
Upon reaching five circles, most mages hit a wall. The path to ascending further was simply too arduous. A lifetime of effort from a mere prodigy was often not enough to forge a sixth circle. Only a select few, possessing a rare combination of talent, persistence, and indomitable will, were granted the right to reach that height.
And only those individuals were worthy of the title 'Great Mage.'
The Lainella family boasted two such mages: the head of the family, Count Lainella, and his brother, Reynold Lainella.
If Senior Elsie, who was still only at the 5th Circle, could project such terrifying firepower in a large-scale battle, then what would the power of a 'Great Mage' at the 6th Circle be like?
The mere thought of it made a cold sweat break out.
At the same time, a faint spark of competitive spirit flickered within me.
Having only recently reached the rank of Expert, I was still a novice who hadn't even awakened my Aura trait. Naturally, I would be far inferior to someone like Lord Reynold. However, I couldn't help but wonder how well I could hold my own against a Great Mage.
No matter how skilled a battle mage was, they were generally at a disadvantage against a swordsman in a one-on-one duel. This was because magic required time for chanting.
Swordsmen did not grant such time.
Closing the distance and keeping the opponent within the trajectory of the blade was a craft swordsmen dedicated their lives to perfecting. This was no exception even when the opponent was a mage. In fact, a dangerous opponent like a mage had to be neutralized decisively when the opportunity arose.
In a group battle with a front line, it might be different, but in a one-on-one duel, I didn't think my odds of victory were zero.
With that mindset, I was about to grab my gear and head to the training ground when Lord Reynold looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"……What are you doing?"
I looked back at him, equally puzzled. Because Lord Reynold was so tall, I naturally had to look up at him slightly. This was despite the fact that I was over 180cm tall myself.
"Didn't you say you wanted to see my skills?"
Only then did Lord Reynold seem to realize my intention. A faint, bitter smile touched his lips. He was a man who rarely showed emotion.
In that sense, he was like my brother Aaron, but the impression he gave was different.
Aaron always showed his heart through his actions, giving off a reliable and solid feeling. Lord Reynold was different. He was like a transparent lake. His emotions were so rarely displayed on the surface that you had to dip your hand into the water to realize it even had a color.
Because of this, he couldn't help but come across as cold to everyone.
He spoke in a voice that remained impossible to read.
"You're an unexpectedly violent fellow. I never imagined you would take my words as a request for a duel."
"……Wait, then how else were you planning to check my skills?"
Instead of answering, Lord Reynold led the way. I tilted my head in confusion but had no choice but to follow him.
The Percus mansion had many rooms. Among them were rooms with a more somber atmosphere, and Lord Reynold opened the door to one that served as a 'conference room.' It was the place where my father usually discussed the affairs of the Percus family.
Inside sat a man I had never seen before.
He was a young man wearing glasses. He wore loose-fitting clothes that looked cumbersome to move in, and he had a frail impression with a very weary complexion.
The clothes he wore were the official robes of the Empire. They were like relics of a bygone era; even the Empire's administrators rarely wore them except when performing a very small number of specific duties.
Unfortunately, it seemed this man was tasked with one of those duties. He was an envoy of the Imperial Household, sent to the fiefs of the Emperor's subjects.
Even for the Imperial Household, it was rare to interfere in a subject's territory. The only exception was the Five Great Noble Families, who required the Emperor's approval when appointing a new head of the family.
The presence of an Imperial Administrator here could only mean one thing.
Something had gone wrong in the Percus territory.
As soon as the administrator saw me, he stood up hurriedly and bowed repeatedly.
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you! You... you must be Sir Ian, correct?"
"Ah, yes. That's me, but……."
He adjusted his sliding glasses and introduced himself.
"My name is Arthur. I am the administrator dispatched to the Percus territory this time. Oh, by the way, this is confidential, so please keep it as secret as possible……."
"Well, everyone in the mansion is going to find out anyway if you're staying here."
"Isn't the essence of administrative work all about the formalities?"
He gave a thin smile.
Lord Reynold leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking displeased. Judging by the fact that he didn't even sit down, he seemed to particularly dislike this situation.
After all, he was a member of a high-ranking noble family. Most Imperial Administrators were of commoner origin. Arthur likely was as well, given that he didn't introduce himself with a surname, and I was merely a lower noble of the Empire. For someone holding a key position in the Lainella family, this meeting was beneath his status.
Of course, Arthur acted as if he was used to such treatment.
"The reason I'm here is that I have a special request I'd like to ask of you, Sir Ian."
Arthur's excessively subservient attitude and Lord Reynold's sudden action of bringing me here swirled together in my mind. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't make sense of it. I was utterly dumbfounded. I couldn't even begin to guess why Lord Reynold and an Imperial Administrator were together.
So, I could only ask back in a dazed voice.
"A request?"
"The Dark Cult."
To my short, confusion-filled question, Lord Reynold's reply was blunt. His blue eyes stared straight at me.
"For several years now, the Lainella family has been tracking unusual trends occurring within the territories."
"……The disappearance incidents."
The words slipped out of my mouth instinctively.
Lord Reynold's eyebrow twitched once. Arthur merely let out a soft exclamation and nodded.
But at a time like this, that was the only reason they would be dispatched to the Percus territory. The disappearance incidents I had asked Senior Neris to investigate in advance. It seemed they had been occurring over a long period and across a wide area.
"At first, we thought they were simple cases of missing persons with unknown identities," Arthur said, picking up one of the stacks of documents on the table. His eyes began to scan the text behind his glasses. "But the criteria for the victims are too specific. Furthermore, it's repetitive and has been happening for a long time. Even the territories where the disappearances are frequent have been slowly shifting."
"……And now, that place is the Percus territory."
Arthur nodded once in agreement.
Finally, the puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place. Why the Lainella family's magic corps had been dispatched to the Percus territory at this time, and why the Percus family had no choice but to allow them to stay. It all made sense if the Imperial Administrator was behind it.
Arthur spoke point-blank.
"To be honest, the Empire suspects that the Dark Cult is behind this."
"……Is there enough evidence for that?"
"No, not yet."
My expression immediately soured. If that was the case, the difficulty of the task would naturally skyrocket. It meant we had to start searching from the very bottom.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips.
Whenever the Dark Cult was involved, things never, ever went smoothly.