Chapter 109 - The Start of the Semester (1)
The Start of the Semester (1)
Translator: XZY
Chapter 109: The Start of the Semester (1)
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"These are the three volumes of necromancy grimoires that were recovered from the Belmeade family. I heard they were items that the sacrificial mages of Rodentz Island revered like a bible."
"Good work, Rubric."
In the central part of Gremport Palace, where Emperor Gutrel resided, three volumes of necromancy grimoires were placed in the personal research laboratory of the Chief Magic Advisor.
"Indeed, if the mana is not properly incinerated, it will certainly become a great source of future trouble."
The position of Chief Magic Advisor, the seat with the highest academic authority among the imperial mages, had been occupied by the 6-Star Transmutation mage, Kohella Dainalt Elvester, even before Emperor Gutrel's ascension.
The old female mage was a figure renowned for having mastered the secrets of Transmutation magic, and she was well-versed not only in Transmutation but also in various other magics. Therefore, when magical items from difficult-to-handle domains came in, she was tasked with examining them before anyone else.
Her surroundings, in the largest magic research laboratory in this massive Gremport Palace, were lined with all sorts of magical weapons.
Each one was worth more than a mansion, and a few items were things that nobles from the frontiers could not buy even if they sold all their assets.
Transmutation mages displayed exceptional abilities in creating all sorts of magical equipment and weapons.
Among them, the weapons that the 6-Star Transmutation mage Kohella personally poured her heart and soul into creating often showed a truly astronomical value.
In a world where magic had become a symbol of power, she was a figure at the apex of the magical system.
The old female mage, alone in a corner of her laboratory, flipped through and read the book that was called the necromancy grimoire of Rodentz Island.
Its contents were formulaic, but the aura of mana lingering there was certainly not ordinary.
This was not the first time she had come across the research books of necromancers stirring up trouble here and there on the continent.
However, the magic books circulating near Rodentz Island were of a different quality from those researched by riffraff.
The author's name was written as 'Synia,' but it was a pseudonym at a glance.
The author was a person Kohella had been desperately trying to find, but for a long time, not even a tail had been caught.
Even Drest, the 6-Star Divination mage, could not be completely free from Kohella's pursuit.
It was not simply a matter of hiding well; it was to the point where she thought it might be a person who was fundamentally impossible to find. It was to the point of wondering if they even really existed.
Still, by tracking the research books of the necromancer named Synia over the long years, she could roughly read her intentions.
What she was researching, while exerting influence over the necromancers scattered around the continent, including Rodentz Island, was the art of corpse revival.
'If it were simply to create moving corpses, it wouldn't be difficult even with the current level of necromancy. But a necromancer of this level wouldn't be trying to research such a trivial magic.'
What Synia was researching was the power to completely subjugate a corpse, allowing it to display its abilities from when it was alive to their fullest.
That, too, was possible to some extent with the current level of necromancy. However, if the corpse's abilities exceeded a certain level, the mana utilization of an ordinary necromancer could not bring out its full power.
That necromancer, with the pseudonym Synia, was researching a forbidden art that could revive any corpse with its full power by compiling all sorts of research books and practical data.
So, who on earth was she planning to revive?
Looking at her research books, they were full of contemplation on the traces of the great magical beast 'Noir' that had turned the North upside down.
If so, she could reach a conclusion without difficulty.
'There was one great archmage who died when subjugating the great magical beast of the North, Noir.'
Kalimpod, the 6-Star Battle mage, who was said to change the map by summoning meteors.
Among the 6-Star mages, of whom it was jokingly said that there was not a single sane person, he was a figure who could be called relatively good and scholarly.
He was also a person who had already disappeared into the annals of history and was resting in his grave.
'Is she planning to revive Kalimpod?'
The mere existence of a 6-Star necromancer was no different from a harbinger of a great disaster, and if she were to revive a 6-Star Battle mage and use him like a limb on top of that… there was no telling what terrible things would happen.
Kohella held her breath for a moment and was lost in thought.
The people of the world still say it as a joke. That there are no sane people among the 6-Star mages.
Sadly, Kohella, who was one herself, also agreed.
The Chief Magic Advisor's research laboratory in Gremport Palace in the central part of the continent. As the candlelight on the desk flickered, the shadows also swayed.
The old mage engrossed in reading a grimoire among the splendid magical tools is the 6-Star Transmutation mage, Kohella.
<><><>
Fluttering snow falls in the Rochest Duchy of the North.
The one who rests his chin on his hand and crosses his legs at his office desk, silently looking at the snowy landscape, is the 6-Star Battle mage, Melverot.
<><><>
A warm wind that sweeps across the earth blows in the eastern grasslands.
The hem of a shabby robe flutters. The old man who climbs a quiet hill like that, then suddenly turns back to look down at the open scenery, is the 6-Star Divination mage, Drest.
<><><>
And in the southeastern part of the continent, the Tigris Barony, where barley fields and mountain ridges spread wide.
In the clear blue sky, there is a girl who is blocking the light of the brightly shining sun with her hand. She is sitting on a large rock.
On one arm hangs a basket full of flowers she had picked from the mountain ridge since early morning.
With her other hand, she stretches it out towards the sun to try to block the light, then finally blinks because her eyes are too dazzled.
"Leonard must have been caught too. It was bound to happen."
She says, as if murmuring quietly, and then sweeps her hair back.
The ends of her hair, which come down along her part, are wavy, making it look as if they are wrapping around her waist.
Her hair is basically a silvery-gray, but receiving the sunlight, her hair has a subtle purple or blue hue from the inside, giving off a mysterious atmosphere. Her eyes, too, seem to be bluish, or to have a purple tint, a color that would be strange to anyone who saw it.
— 'Pinne! You can stop picking flowers and come down now! Your father says he has something important to say!'
From the bottom of the hill, the voice of the Baroness of Tigris calling her can be heard. Befitting the wife of a rural noble from the frontiers with weak influence, the Baroness, with her sleeves rolled up, also looks full of vitality.
The called girl answers energetically with a kind smile, and descends the hill with light steps.
The azaleas she picked from the mountain ridge are fragrant.
Their scent remained and lingered in the places she had passed.
<><><>
To my respected Master Katia.
Autumn is already in full swing. I think I resolved to update you on my situation once every season, but as I live a hectic life overwhelmed by all sorts of work, even this feels quite frequent.
Being busy is a good thing, so I should be delighted. However, if you ask if everything is going well, it doesn't seem to be the case.
There's no good in starting a letter with gloomy talk, so I will start with the good news first.
The construction of the Ravencrow Academy is all finished, so it seems we will be properly admitting noble young ladies into the mansion soon.
The scale is a bit larger than I thought, so I think I will be very busy.
Of course, we have brought in assistant teachers and renowned magic teachers at great expense, but… basically, many come to see my name, so I cannot turn a blind eye.
It's been quite a while since I've been playing the role of a master, which was not in my destiny, but when I come to my senses, my disciples have increased so much that I feel as if I have strayed quite far from the life path I had designed.
No matter what, I just wanted to become a mage of a higher level. Anyway, teaching others is like teaching myself, so it is helpful for my own magical cultivation.
When I came to my senses, Lady Aiseline had made the business even bigger, and I now have six proper administrative staff and nine teaching staff.
It seems she has invited external instructors for parts that are difficult for Lady Aiseline to teach herself, such as the tea ceremony, continental ancient languages, and string instruments. For magic, we have hired a few magic teachers of commoner origin, and I am relieved that they seem to have the skills to master the basics.
Now that the situation has become like this, it is a bit burdensome, but it is also true that I am pleased when I think about the income. It is certain that high-ranking nobles open their wallets easily.
After we hold a grand opening ceremony in four days, it seems this place will also become quite crowded. I suppose this period can be seen as my final rest.
That's the good news, and I should also tell you the bad news.
Recently, it seems Lady Elente has been very awkward in her dealings with me.
I thought about testing the waters to see if she also likes me, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because I thought it would make me look like a delusional person.
In the first place, she is the young lady of Belmeade who can pick and choose any outstanding handsome man from any respectable family. There is no way she would be swayed by a nominal baron, so I did some self-reflection to see if I had committed any rudeness.
When I think about it carefully, I had committed all sorts of rudeness in my own way while handling the commotion that occurred at the Belmeade mansion.
I remembered many times when I failed to show courtesy to the real power of the Belmeade family due to the urgent situation, and I thought that from now on, I must thoroughly observe the etiquette of the superior-subordinate relationship.
Although Lady Elente and I have formed a bond of master and disciple, we cannot ignore worldly authority… From now on, I must never make the mistake of thinking we are close and without formality, and I must thoroughly maintain the hierarchy and adopt a business-like response.
As expected, the culture of the nobility is something one can never fully understand.
I must always be on guard and scold and reflect on myself a lot.
And, I also have concerns about my personal magical achievements. In fact, this is the biggest one.
I feel like I can master almost all the magic in the 3-Star domain, but I have no idea how to enter the 4-Star domain.
Of course, you, Master, would say that being 3-Star at this age is an unbelievable achievement and that I should be humble, but from my perspective, I am always itching to go higher.
If you happen to know of any candidates who can pass on 4-Star magic, would you be willing to write a letter of recommendation?
The high-ranking mages I know personally are not the type to teach anyone, so I am in quite a difficult situation. I hope that if you, Master, have any connections that come to mind, you will please connect me to them.
The story has become longer than I thought.
I am not usually a talkative person, but when I am writing a letter to you, Master Katia, it seems my quill pen just doesn't stop.
Is everything alright with the Elvester County?
I hope that if the opportunity arises, I can look forward to the day we meet someday.
From the Ravencrow Barony, Derek Ridolf Ravencrow.
<><><>
"...."
It was while Derek had put down his quill pen and was contemplating if there was anything more to add.
Creek—
"Oh my, Derek-ssi. Are you busy?"
"Not at all. I was just writing a private letter."
"A private letter… this is the first time I've seen you writing something with such concentration."
When Derek nodded his head to greet her, Aiseline waved her hands and made a gesture that it was fine.
In any case, Aiseline was in the middle of defining her identity as a fallen young lady, and she was also in a position of sticking to the Ravencrow Barony.
In fact, considering the value of the work she was doing… the expression 'sticking to' was not appropriate.
"I was writing a letter to my master in the eastern part of the continent. When I write to Master Katia, the content always seems to get longer than I expect."
"I see. Master Katia must be very precious to you, Derek-ssi."
"Of course. There are many things she helped me with when I was weak."
Derek said so and was folding the moderately finished letter.
After hurriedly returning from the Belmeade mansion, he had certainly been busy with many things to take care of.
He could understand why Aiseline had come to get Derek so urgently. Of course, the reason Aiseline was in a hurry was not just because the mansion's work had piled up, but in any case, from Derek's perspective, it was not a very important matter.
"Actually, the list of young ladies who will attend the upcoming opening ceremony is completely out. Since you've been busy and have hardly been able to check it, Derek-ssi, I've organized it and brought it for you to check in advance."
"This kind of paperwork could be done by the administrative staff, or by the retainers…"
"From my perspective, they are people I have to teach directly, aren't they? I have to start memorizing their names diligently from now on! Hmph hmph!"
Saying so and rolling up her sleeves again, the way she let out an energetic breath was truly vibrant.
As Derek silently watched Aiseline, he also strangely felt a pressure that he should put in some effort.
Just like that, Derek accepted the list and scanned through the names.
"Rointel Viscounty, Sidmer Viscounty, Plüder County, Kaldeorn Barony, Rodtek Barony, Bléton Viscounty…"
"…The list is intimidating, isn't it? But they are all kind-hearted and good people, so…"
"Do you know them?"
"Half of them are people I've seen while active in high society, and I've heard of the other half to some extent. Of course, I don't know all of the young ladies from the minor families in the complete frontiers…"
In any case, from Derek's perspective, he also needed to memorize all those names.
It was while Derek was scanning through the names of various families like that.
Then, the name of a familiar family caught Derek's eye.
"……!"
In an instant, Derek's eyes widened, and he swallowed a deep breath.
He didn't make a loud noise or show a very flustered appearance. However, it was rare for Derek to show such a big reaction.
He was a person who had maintained his composure even in the middle of the collapsing Duplein mansion.
Since it was not easy to see such a reaction from Derek, Aiseline also flinched and was surprised.
"Derek-ssi?"
Aiseline called Derek, but he did not answer.
Derek leaned back in his chair for a moment, touched his chin with his palm, and was lost in deep thought.
Did something exist in the world that could fluster this man, who would be sad to be called second in terms of being level-headed?
Even Aiseline could only wait for Derek's answer, dumbfounded.
Derek had to look at the list Aiseline had brought again, to see if he had seen it wrong.
— Tigris Barony
The name of the family written on the list was one he had heard of.
The Tigris Barony was a typical rural frontier family. Which meant it was nothing special.
The territory itself was large, but most of it was barren land, and the remaining territory was mostly a granary area with only wheat fields.
Since there were no large cities or towns within the baron's territory, he was truly a figure closer to a village chief than a lord.
The head of the family, Leopold Oswin Tigris, was also just an old soldier from a logistics officer background… who had been lucky enough to get on the path to success.
It was a family that could be called a hotbed of lower nobility, with nothing special about it at all. Anyone would have to ask what on earth was so surprising about this family.
However, the important thing was not the name of the head of the family.
— Lady Pinne Rafaela Tigris of the Barony
Derek swept his lips and fell into deep contemplation.