Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Madman: Begerton Antares (1)
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The Fantasy Repository of Celestia featured several amenities for its visiting guests.
A prime example was the restaurant located on the library's first floor.
Ever since I had first succeeded in recreating food while trapped in the library long ago, Celestia's restaurant had undergone endless evolution.
A variety of foods drawn from my faded memories.
Assorted snacks and hearty meals.
Countless beverages, extending all the way to hard liquors.
Now, it was packed with such a dense array of cuisine that it could rightfully be called a proper establishment.
And recording the preferences of those who patronized the restaurant was one of my small hobbies while residing in the library.
"Hello... Mr. Johan...."
Who was the most frequent patron of Celestia's restaurant?
If asked to name one, it would undoubtedly be Lua Polaris, the library's very first visitor.
Today, as always, I watched Lua arrive at the library.
If there was one person who made the most use of Celestia's restaurant, it had to be the mage standing right before my eyes.
"There were a lot of gaps in the materials I checked today. I'll need to step it up tomorrow."
"Yes."
She arrived weary, her witch's hat pulled low, and no sooner had she greeted me than she headed straight for the restaurant.
Tap, tap, tap.
Lua entered the restaurant with light steps and soon emerged carrying a towering dessert stack.
The favorite menu of the Blue Tower mage, Lua Polaris.
It was, without question, the dessert tower.
"Ehehe...."
She always carried it out with that same smile.
Usually, she paired it with black tea, and lately, she had been enjoying tea time with Feria quite often.
Slide, thud.
After Lua placed the massive dessert tower on the table.
As if on cue, a second guest arrived at the library.
"Lua always goes straight for the desserts whenever she comes here."
Creighton Lukbart.
The middle-aged mage, known by the moniker Ironclad Sorcerer, had come to visit the library.
"Hello, Mr. Creighton."
"How's the research going? I hear Mr. Johan has you quite busy."
"I-I'm... doing my best...."
Creighton chatted idly with Lua before letting out a hearty laugh and heading toward the restaurant.
Though he said such things to her, in truth, Creighton was just as much a regular at the restaurant as she was.
That was hardly surprising, given the vast selection of liquors on offer.
Infinite alcohol with no hangovers.
To the mage Creighton Lukbart, Celestia's restaurant was an irresistibly alluring space.
"Guess I'll have a whiskey today."
One difference between Creighton and Lua was that he occasionally spent entire days holed up in the restaurant without emerging.
There had even been times when he stayed there drinking nonstop until nightfall in Celestia.
Whether due to his background as a battle mage or not, he didn't seem particularly devoted to research.
He sometimes showed more love for liquor than for magic tomes.
In short, Creighton was a full-fledged drunkard.
"......"
As I observed the guests arriving at the library, I kept my hands busy.
Scratch, scratch.
With each movement of the pen in my grip, new spells took shape as incantations inscribed upon the magic tome.
Creating magic tomes to store in Celestia was my sole duty as the library's caretaker.
When there were no particular issues with the library, I would pass the time like this, writing spells alone.
'This one would be best stored in the First Repository.'
The magic tome I was currently working on was destined for the 'First Repository.'
A utility spell crafted from applications of simple magics.
I was committing a sudden burst of inspiration to the tome in magical form.
"Hello, Mr. Johan!"
"It's Feria. You're earlier than usual today."
While I wrote in the magic tome and monitored the library's affairs, the third guest soon arrived.
Marquess's daughter, Feria Alperatz.
The girl with golden hair approached me and offered her greeting.
She had recently been caught up in some noisy affair.
Fortunately, it had all worked out, allowing Feria to seize real power within her family.
Thanks to that, she had secured a promise of full support for the doctor's research, which was a gain for both him and me.
"I love this library. I'm trying to go to bed earlier."
"Is that so. That's a good habit."
Nod.
I responded to Feria's words.
Feria gave a faint smile, gazing at me for a moment before taking a seat beside Lua with light steps.
Feria occasionally visited Celestia's restaurant on her own.
Unlike Lua or Creighton, however, her tastes were quite refined.
She mostly just fetched tea and sipped it alone.
"Lua, mind if I snag some snacks?"
"Sure-"
Occasionally, she would share tea time and pilfer some of Lua's desserts.
That said, she didn't seem to love sweets quite as much as Lua did.
Slide, swish.
As I watched Lua and Feria, I finished the incantation on the magic tome in my hands.
Tap.
No sooner had I set down my pen upon completing the task than the fourth visitor appeared from around the corner.
"Great One! Preparations for the experiment are proceeding smoothly."
"Doctor. You're the latest today."
"I had a lot of work to wrap up. My sleep schedule is terribly irregular."
The doctor spoke with a sly grin.
He carried an odd air about him, yet his competence surpassed anyone else in the library.
Click.
Raising one hand to adjust his monocle, the doctor gave a light bow and headed to the restaurant.
'The doctor always picks something different.'
It was common for him to visit the restaurant.
Even so, I still didn't fully grasp the doctor's preferences.
Unlike the other three, his choices weren't biased toward any one thing.
The doctor always brought back a different type of food from the restaurant.
Unlike the three with firm tastes, he showed no such patterns.
If anything, he seemed to have no particular dislikes.
"......"
As I watched the doctor enter the restaurant, he soon selected some simple snacks.
The snacks in the doctor's hands.
They were mint chocolate and a pine needle-flavored soda.
Hmm.
The doctor, snacks in hand, sat at the table with a contemplative expression.
He then began quietly savoring them one by one.
"Hmm... The flavors are quite stimulating."
Was he experimenting with various foods again today?
The doctor leisurely tasted the snacks before him.
Crunch, crunch.
A small chunk of chocolate crumbled in the doctor's mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
He seemed to be washing away the chocolate's aftertaste by pouring the refreshing drink down his throat.
"But there's no combination this perfect. It's my favorite pairing so far."
"......"
I gazed at the doctor from afar.
He appeared genuinely satisfied with the snacks before him.
His face, devoid of any pretense, radiated deep contentment.
Watching him, I quietly closed the open magic tome.
"It seems he likes it more than expected."
Extremist Arcane Research Society technical advisor, Begerton Antares.
That was the moment I learned of his unique tastes.
* * * * * *
In the heart of the Great Forest, located in the continent's central region.
An open clearing, carved from countless trees, held a special seat prepared for one man alone.
A silver-haired youth with a sharp demeanor sat solitary in his place.
A brotherhood member gazed upon the youth and soon began his report.
"Captain. It seems the operation in the Alperatz Marquisate has failed."
"......"
The youth's name was Isaac Leoblant.
He was the captain of the Leoblant Brotherhood, one of the continent's secret societies, and one of the fabled Seven Corners.
Among the Seven, he was renowned alongside the Erbar Federation's great chieftain, Partlinger, for his ruthless brutality.
That was Isaac Leoblant.
Slide.
Isaac propped his feet on the table before him, his face twisted in displeasure as he addressed his subordinate.
"Who interfered with the plan?"
"......"
"You're not so incompetent that you'd fail without any interference. Spit out the reason for the failure."
The covert operation in the Alperatz Marquisate.
It was a plan the brotherhood had devised years ago to expand their black market operations.
There were other contingencies, of course, but it was undeniable that the brotherhood had invested significant effort into it.
With a major undertaking imminent, receiving word of this failure was bound to sour Isaac's mood.
At Isaac's demeanor, the brotherhood member bowed respectfully and continued his report.
"It appears the Arcane Research Society intervened decisively."
"The Extremist Arcane Research Society? Those mages got in our way?"
"Yes, Captain. We confirmed that Begerton Antares of the Research Society... that is, the 'Doctor,' actively intervened."
Hearing his subordinate's report, Isaac mulled over the name on his tongue.
Madman, Begerton Antares.
The self-proclaimed doctor and researcher of the Arcane Research Society was a figure known to all who dabbled in the empire's underworld.
A lunatic who not only delved into forbidden magic but also meddled wildly in unrelated affairs.
There were even rumors that no organization in the empire lacked bad blood with the doctor.
"The Doctor... that madman threw himself into it fully, huh."
Ha.
A hollow laugh escaped Isaac upon hearing Begerton's name.
Toward such an Isaac, the brotherhood executive, Corer Leoblant, offered his own suggestion.
"Wouldn't it be best to send an envoy to the Research Society?"
"Don't bother. Those guys aren't bound by any proper discipline. They wouldn't care even if one of their own was executed before their eyes."
"But the Research Society's chairman... it might align with the Pilgrim's intentions."
Tsk.
Clicking his tongue lightly, Isaac rose from his seat.
"The Pilgrim Bartov? That old monster wouldn't waste time on something this trivial."
He donned the overcoat Corer held and kicked the subordinate before him with a face laced in irritation.
Crack!
The chained brotherhood member flew back from Isaac's kick, tumbling across the ground.
Having kicked his subordinate, Isaac issued orders in a voice thick with emotion.
"First, scout the Arcane Research Society's movements. Dealing with those who touched our brothers comes after."
"Yes, Captain!"
Isaac's command was a form of reprieve.
The brotherhood currently lacked the forces to deploy to the Alperatz Marquisate immediately.
They couldn't pull away the main force gathered here before resolving the Great Forest matter.
Click.
Isaac's hand gripped the sword at his waist.
Blood and steel.
It was a creed passed down in the brotherhood since ancient times.
"The moment the Great Forest business concludes, Corer... you return and bring me that madman's head."
"If that is the captain's will... under stood."
The brotherhood does not forget the price of blood.
Recalling their long-held creed, Isaac glared at the dense forest ahead.
Anyone who touched the brotherhood would pay in blood.
Even if they were elves beyond the Great Forest, they would be no exception.