Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Aerial Garden (2)
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Jade's Case Roise glided through Zone 3. Inside the sedan with stars embedded in the ceiling, I took in every inch of the Aerial Garden's scenery with both eyes.
Unlike Zones 4 and 5, Zone 3 had no skyscrapers, but it was dominated by buildings exquisitely carved like works of art. Artifact shops, mana ritual shops, armament shops, luxury boutiques, furniture stores, and more. Every field featured only the most luxurious of luxuries, the highest end of high-end.
"How do you plan to capture Libra's splendor on canvas?"
Jade asked from the back seat right on cue. His questions always had a predetermined answer.
I replied immediately.
"If possible, I'd love to fit Your Grace Jade's portrait into the frame—"
"My portrait?"
Jade furrowed his brow slightly.
"Presumptuous."
"Yes. So instead, just a beautiful landscape of the Aerial Garden—"
"Even so."
"……."
What the hell did he mean 'even so,' you crazy bastard, suddenly sounding ominous.
"You're quite lucky today. Today is the one and only day this year that my schedule is free."
I swallowed a sigh with effort.
This was bad. One wrong word, and I'd end up painting Jade's portrait.
"So, I'll ask again."
Jade's sharp eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, piercing straight into me.
"Do you have talent in painting?"
Talent in painting.
Of course, painting was just a hobby for me, and I'd never received proper recognition from anyone...
But I probably did.
I knew I had talent in painting, just as surely as I knew I had no talent for mana.
"Taking time to answer? Not confident in yourself?"
Jade pressed.
He never spoke carelessly. Coldly emotionless, a narcissist and sociopath who only thought of himself.
Thus, falling out of his favor would happen in an instant.
Ah, of course, he wasn't the type to kill you right away for it. At minimum, until he died, you wouldn't set foot in the Aerial Garden again.
"No, sir."
But this crisis was also an opportunity.
I had to trust in my own talent.
The Libra bloodline despised 'precise' records like videos or photos. It was one of their house's bizarre traditions passed down through generations. They even invented and wore custom artifacts to prevent unwitting subjects from being captured.
Thus, they poured immense interest into the arts instead, showering massive patronage across painting, sculpture, and the entire art world.
In particular, the 'Libra Art School,' run directly by the family, was counted among the top three art academies on the continent.
Therefore, 'talent in painting' was the perfect bridge to connect me to them.
"I'm confident."
I answered, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror. Jade's eyes remained locked on me.
"Confident, are you... Good."
He flashed a deep smile. The driver in the front seat let out a faint sigh. Probably thinking I'd spoken out of turn without knowing better.
"If your words prove false, you'll pay the appropriate price."
"Even if my eyes are dazzled and my throat choked by the splendor, my only desire is to capture it."
Flattery now came as naturally as breathing.
"Hmph!"
Jade's lips twitched. Expectation, excitement, curiosity, amusement, condescending generosity toward a commoner—his face was full of that noble arrogance.
He said,
"Very well. Head to Zone 1."
Zone 1.
A place I hadn't even crossed the threshold of in my previous life.
"Um, Your Grace Jade—"
"Go."
The startled driver responded reflexively, and Jade's face turned to complete blankness.
Truly a dangerous visage. The face of a butcher who could slaughter hundreds without batting an eye.
"Don't dawdle."
"……Yes. My apologies."
The driver replied, sweat beading on his brow. I calmed my pounding heart and sank back into the seat.
I was actually looking forward to this.
As Jade said, my luck seemed pretty good today.
Zone 2 housed many of Libra's core facilities. The Libra Knights, mana ritual research labs, workshops, R&D centers, and various other 'departments' established by Libra for their own purposes were all concentrated there.
—Libra's organization was no different from a small nation.
Seeing the reality I'd only read about in documents with my own eyes was profoundly moving, but Jade's luxury Case Roise sedan didn't stop in Zone 2.
It passed everything by, heading to the heart of the Aerial Garden, a place only 'first-class' individuals recognized by Libra could be invited to.
A massive mana barrier surrounded by rose vines—the First Zone of the Aerial Garden.
The sedan arrived at its entrance.
The driver pulled up. A woman in a suit, looking like a butler, approached.
She glanced at me in the passenger seat and said to Jade,
"……Your Grace Jade."
"He's a painter."
Jade introduced me as if he'd been waiting.
"My invitation. Any issue?"
"None, sir."
The butler opened the door. The mana barrier parted, and the sedan entered.
Zone 1's scenery was surprisingly ordinary. Peaceful, even. Residences, parks, flower beds for the servants, and facilities for tennis, horseback riding, and other hobbies made up most of it.
"Don't stop here."
Jade said from some garden. The driver immediately pulled over.
"We're here."
At the driver's words, I got out first.
I dazedly scanned the surroundings.
"……Whoa."
It was a strange world. Roses, tulips, lilies, and flowers and trees of unheard-of shapes and colors filled the entire area.
I'd heard of this place before.
Even among Libra's Aerial Garden, it was famed for its beauty—a garden said to grow every beautiful plant on the continent, aptly named the [Garden of the Scales].
"You'll have to provide your own justification for the invitation."
Jade, who had stepped out of the car, sat at one edge of the garden. Behind him bloomed black roses and vines.
Clap clap—
He clapped. Butlers appeared almost simultaneously, setting up easels in the appropriate spots. They deftly placed canvases sized perfectly for a portrait.
"What paints would you like?"
One butler asked. Nine others beside her unfurled oil paints with a rustle. Brands varied.
"These. Depen Cruas."
I selected the paints branded 'Depen Cruas.' Jade asked,
"Do you know what they are?"
"Yes. Oil paints made by 'Depen,' which Libra invests in. The smoothest with the best feel."
"Hm."
Jade nodded faintly.
To reiterate, I knew everything related to Libra.
"Any preferred pose?"
I sat in the chair and picked up a pencil for the underdrawing.
"Something in deep thought or concentration would be best. Like when you're handling official duties."
Jade probably wanted to appear as a businessman. He had zero talent for it—his aptitude was the polar opposite.
He would've made it big as a thug enforcer.
"You have an eye."
Jade struck a pose. Head tilted sideways, gaze fixed slightly downward, hand on chin in contemplation.
Plain, but honestly, his face was artistic enough that the pose didn't matter.
I began sketching the underdrawing with pencil.
"I can't stay long. You have 30 minutes for the sketch. Finish it today."
But the allotted time was just one day.
So I hesitated a bit.
Would my talent be enough to satisfy Jade?
No, even if it was, when dealing with Libra, 'enough' wouldn't cut it—you needed more.
—As those worries crossed my mind,
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my head.
An idea about Perion's versatility.
If the [Notebook]'s Perion operated according to my will, couldn't it amplify intangible things—'essence' like 'talent'?
If it amplified my painting talent, couldn't I demonstrate more than just sufficient ability, even if only temporarily...?
I closed my eyes. Summoned [Perion] throughout my body. Along with it, I set a specific intent.
What I desired: Amplification not of mere flesh, but of 'talent.'
Specifically: Ability in 'painting.'
Fizz—!
My dantian heated up, overheating.
Or surging.
My eyes snapped open wide.
I saw Jade over there.
All the world's light poured down on him.
Light, heat, and wind mingled, rippling like intense colors.
It was already a masterpiece of a scene.
I tossed the pencil onto the grass. Started painting directly with oils. No need for an underdrawing.
Wherever my eyes fell, wherever my hand led.
No hesitation in my brushstrokes, no doubts.
Jade's sculpture-like features, unwilling to admit it. Black rose vines swaying in the breeze. The light waves from sunlight bending across the garden.
I captured it all on canvas.
Interpreted with my eyes, recreated with my hands.
Immersed in this moment.
Forgot everything, if only briefly.
My regression, my terminal life, my revenge, my emotions—all buried in a corner.
Just drawing this one painting...
Zone 1 of the Aerial Garden was literally where 'family members' resided. Only those desperately wishing to belong to the house—and recognized by it—were permitted to stay.
Yet today, Jade had pulled another eccentric stunt. Allowing some Endex senior into Zone 1.
That was why Bellingham Kanta had been dispatched to this [Garden of the Scales].
"You've arrived."
Butler Shellin bowed to him. Bellingham pointed off into the distance with a finger.
"……Sion Askal. Right?"
Sion Askal. The loyalist hopeful I'd met in the Rimto Mines.
"Yes."
"Why'd you bring him?"
Jade couldn't know the full story from that day in the mines. The TF team under Family Head Shylock had sealed all info.
"He gave Your Grace Jade enthusiastic applause in the mines. He's currently painting your portrait for an assignment."
"……."
Enthusiastic applause, huh.
Well, Jade was a simple man.
But a portrait... Sion Askal was indeed painting. Couldn't see how from here, though.
"Intriguing. Satisfying Jade with a mere painting will be tough."
Bellingham slowly approached. Silently, without a sound, he stood behind Sion Askal.
Swish—
The brush moved right then. Following its path, Jade's jawline flowed. His eyes sparkled vividly.
Whirl—
Rose vines rose. Black roses bloomed. Rays of light descended.
Swish—!
Confident brush touch. Light and scenery blending with equal intensity.
"……."
Bellingham's jaw dropped.
He found himself drawn in unwittingly. His feet stuck to the ground like glue. The oil on the canvas reflected in his gray eyes.
He'd visited the Art School a few times, but this was his first time seeing such intuitive, extraordinary drawing.
A style that suited 'innate talent' more than 'trained.'
And there were no revisions in his brushwork. Just pouring out mental images in continuous strokes.
"?"
Suddenly, Sion paused. Sensing a presence? He turned, startling.
"What the—."
The sudden appearance of Bellingham seemed to fluster him.
Jade rose from his seat too. Ignoring Bellingham, he asked Sion,
"30 minutes up. Done?"
"Ah, yes. It's decently finished."
Bellingham craned his neck giraffe-like to peer at the canvas.
30 minutes? This was done in just 30 minutes?
"Decently?"
But Jade furrowed his brow.
"Decently... You're overstepping."
Clearly, the word 'decently' rubbed him wrong.
Striding over roughly, he grimaced as if about to eject Sion on the spot.
"The word 'decently' isn't in my dictionary—"
It stopped dead.
"……."
He stared blankly at the canvas. At himself captured within.
His eyes bulged slightly.
Bellingham turned his head aside to stifle a laugh.