Chapter 346
Chapter 346
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 346
Chapter Title: Throne Determination War: Provincial Nobles Unification Arc -2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The "Mad Wizard" crunched into an apple. This apple had been a gift to Baron Port from an old lady selling fruit at a roadside stall.
It didn't feel like tribute meant to curry favor with the lord. It was more like free bungeoppang handed to a hardworking young man. There was a warmth to this apple.
Children would swarm through the streets in a noisy herd, spot Baron Port, shout "Hello, Lord!" and then vanish in another noisy herd.
The Mad Wizard walked side by side with the young baron through the streets, chatting away.
"You seem to get along great with the locals. It's no easy feat for a ruler to come across as approachable. Do you ever help out with the grape harvest now and then?"
"Farming is the farmers' job. The lord's duty is to govern the territory."
"Then what's the secret to your popularity?"
"Probably trust. My father governed well, and my grandfather before him did too. They cheer for me because they believe in us."
Trust built up layer by layer over long years.
The Mad Wizard rubbed his hands together briskly and asked,
"No ambitions? No desire for greater power, more land, dazzling fame...?"
"Those who can have them should. Taking care of this little territory is already more than I can handle. Any more work, and I might go bald."
"Hair is important... Speaking of, that silver mine you just discovered must be a headache?"
"......"
Baron Port's mind raced. According to the political rhetoric his father taught him, this might be a veiled demand to hand the silver mine over to the Second Prince's faction.
Yeah, Sunport Barony was peaceful enough without a silver mine. It was a shame, but borrowing the Second Prince's umbrella wasn't a bad deal. He didn't need much—just keep the neighboring Baron Stump at bay.
The moment Baron Port opened his mouth to broach the topic of transferring ownership of the silver mine, the Mad Wizard cut in.
"No, no. I was just asking purely out of curiosity."
"...Pardon?"
"With a massive golem under construction, what's a little silver mine? Ways to make money are a dime a dozen. What the Second Prince and I are short on is manpower. There are plenty of capable people, but trustworthy ones are rare."
"D-Did you read my mind?"
Who knows. The Mad Wizard smiled enigmatically. Then he continued,
"We need a strategic foothold to project power over the provincial nobles. Some dream demon wrecked all the pipelines from the capital to the provinces."
"...I'm honored you think so highly of Sunport Barony. But can I really shoulder such a heavy responsibility...?"
"You're worried that if you get too entangled with the Second Prince's faction and the First Princess becomes emperor, you'll all get purged as a set. Rest assured—the Northern Grand Duke's house and the White-Faced Duke are backing the Second Prince."
"......"
Two of the empire's three great dukes supporting the Second Prince?
That meant his chances of ascending the throne over First Princess Elaine weren't zero. Two paths shimmered before Baron Port.
With Baron Stump's threat breathing down his neck, accepting the Second Prince's recruitment wasn't a choice—it was a necessity. The question was how much to invest.
All-in collaboration, or keeping a safe distance.
As Baron Port agonized, the Mad Wizard whispered,
"Moving people comes down to benefits, after all. Lord, let me offer you a few gifts. That might change your mind..."
"Urgent news, my lord! Urgent news!"
At that moment.
A boy who looked like a knight's squire came running up, drenched in sweat, his face pale with terror as he sought Baron Port. The baron instinctively knew they were screwed but forced down the rising panic.
He gave the Mad Wizard a look asking permission. The wizard nodded readily.
"Ah, go ahead. Urgent news first."
"...Thank you. Report, messenger."
"B-Baron Stump is leading an army this way! Old man Joe the hunter went out far chasing a deer and spotted a hundred fully armed soldiers!"
"......!!"
Defeat. The word sprang to mind first.
Among those hundred soldiers, there had to be transcendence users. Sunport's thin gates and scant forces couldn't hold them off...
Not even with the Second Prince's envoy here.
How many days until he could alert the prince and bring his army? By then, Sunport would already be overrun.
Damn that Baron Stump. He must have heard about the envoy and rushed out. Time for an egg-against-rock defense.
"...Understood. Mobilize all troops immediately. Arm every villager who can hold a weapon—"
"No need. I can handle it, so don't worry."
"...Pardon?"
"Better yet, let's check out the vineyards. I'd love to see how fine wine grapes are grown. Never did a farm stay back in middle school—couldn't afford the trip."
"......?"
What the hell?
Setting aside the baffling words, the Mad Wizard was utterly calm despite the army approaching. Was this the leisure of the strong? Baron Port asked cautiously,
"Th-That spell you used earlier to turn day into night... Is that the transcendence everyone's talking about? The one only the empire's top powerhouses wield?"
"Ah, no. Just regular magic."
"...Then, sir wizard, you've reached transcendence?"
"N-No, not yet."
The Mad Wizard scratched his head sheepishly.
Not transcendence...?
He'd hoped this mage was some overwhelming powerhouse who could crush the army with terrifying illusion magic in one go, but better to ditch those expectations.
From what he knew, the gap between those with transcendence and without was vast. Baron Stump had a knight who'd achieved it. Defeat seemed certain.
But the Mad Wizard was nonchalant. Like an army was no big deal. So... something had to be up?
A spark flashed through Baron Port's mind.
Right—that was it. He'd already brought the Second Prince's army and hidden it nearby! How else could he be so calm?
On the other hand, it was chilling.
Bringing an army before even negotiating meant... if he'd refused the offer, they might have turned their blades on him first.
"Ahem, misunderstanding."
"...The vineyards are this way."
Baron Port turned his face away sharply and resumed guiding.
"M-My lord... Baron Stump's army has crossed the border. They're really coming to invade..."
"...Got it."
"Sh-Shouldn't we do something...?"
He knew. Baron Port knew too. He was dying of anxiety. His body twisted, fingers twitching uncontrollably.
Shouldn't the Second Prince's army pop up any second now to prepare defenses? Time to go on war footing, inspect weapons, right?
But in this situation, the Mad Wizard was...
"My, this young lad's got strong hands. Where you from?"
"Just came down from the capital. Wow, these grapes are plump. Shows when the grower puts heart into it. Mind if I snag a few?"
...busy enjoying vineyard grape-picking content.
No sign of sending word anywhere. He was genuinely just reveling in the farm experience, chatting amiably with the farmers while plucking grapes. It looked rustic and human.
But doing it while the neighbor lord invaded? Utterly mad.
Should've been wary from the start when he called himself the "Mad Wizard"...
"My lord."
"Y-Yes! Wizard sir!"
The Mad Wizard called, and Baron Port hurried over. Finally something? Some army-stopping display?
"I was thinking, plant a mini world tree here and roll out a wireless network. Asked His Highness Irid about making the internet, but he didn't get it, so he said to pilot it somewhere fitting."
"Pardon?"
No.
The Mad Wizard rambled about concepts from a distant future.
He conjured audiovisual aids with illusion magic to explain in detail, but Baron Port's mind was elsewhere, so he only half-grasped it.
"Crystal balls have bandwidth limits, right? Think of this as beefed-up. Plus, bonus: we could add minigames like pinball or minesweeper."
"I-I'm not rushing you, sir, but Baron Stump's army is..."
"Don't worry. I can sort it out cleanly. Mind if I scout some land? Install a teleport array while we're at it. Make it a prime spot."
"......"
Just bold claims again.
The Mad Wizard was insanely competent, like a madman. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work, and in a flash, the foundation for a teleport facility was laid, complete with magic circle.
He'd heard setting up a teleport hub required dozens of mages busting their asses for a month on a massive project. Seeing him breeze through it proved he was no ordinary wizard.
And he did all sorts of other things too.
He tinkered with the village watermill, boosting its efficiency like magic; sniffed out the culprit in a string of flour thefts; chatted with a merchant caravan staying in the territory for minutes and secured a partnership.
A minor provincial lord had to watch big caravans' steps. If they stopped coming, vital supplies dried up.
He wouldn't grovel, but he'd tolerate merchants fattening their purses. They knew it.
No idea how he wooed that stubborn caravan master.
But none of that mattered now.
Great, sure—but wasn't there something more urgent?!
"My lord, Baron Stump's army is almost here! Visible from the walls! Thirty minutes out!!"
"Goddess preserve us!"
Baron Port clutched his forehead and staggered. That greedy bastard was finally here to swallow Sunport whole. Nearly wailing, he said,
"Wizard sir, isn't it time to call the Second Prince's army? Any longer, and the territory's gone. People will get hurt!"
"Still a bit of time left. Just this much more..."
"Wizard sir, please!"
"Alright, lead on. To the walls."
"Finally!"
Baron Port whipped the carriage to the walls in a frenzy. So urgent he drove it himself, despite the coachman beside him...
The coachman got a front-row seat to his lord driving.
Up on the walls arrived the Mad Wizard and Baron Port. Baron Stump's forces were visible. Close enough now to make out faces with the naked eye.
The soldiers on the walls gripped spears with tense, resolute faces laced with duty. They'd steeled themselves to defend their precious home.
The Mad Wizard looked around with a satisfied smile, then sneered down at the army below.
"My, brought a whole lot."
"N-Now call the army, sir!"
"No army. Just me. That's plenty."
"...Pardon?!"
But you said you hadn't reached transcendence.
Was it all a ruse? He'd improved Sunport in all sorts of ways, so he'd thought it was to win loyalty—but maybe he planned to side with Baron Stump.
Made sense from a prince's view; who ruled this backwater didn't matter.
"......"
Complicated thoughts tangled. What to do? Conscript the territory's youths for defense now? No, pointless. Defeat inevitable.
Then.
If it was a futile bloodbath, surrendering without a fight might be better. Baron Stump wouldn't spare House Port out of kindness. He and his father would be executed.
But... at least the people could live.
Tough, harsh lives beat death. It was the best he could offer. Sorry for being too weak to resolve this crisis.
Below the walls, Baron Stump blustered smugly.
"Baron Port, come out! You thief, daring to claim our silver mine! My knights will punish this injustice!"
That flimsy pretext didn't even draw a laugh. Baron Port glanced at the Mad Wizard one last time. He sat cross-legged at the wall's edge, smiling.
Yeah, smiling...
As Baron Port steadied himself to shout surrender—
"『Emotion Amplification Magic Circle』, activate."
⟨ Illusion Magic ⟩
Thud.
A sensation like his heart plummeted into an abyss.
The sky went pitch black, limbs went limp, muscles trembled uncontrollably. Sudden bodily anomaly bewildered Baron Port. This was fear.
Shake. Shake.
The Mad Wizard's body flickered like a candle flame. Same human, yet the pressure radiating from him was too heavy to face. His legs buckled under the aura.
Like facing a dragon from old tales.
His red eyes gazed calmly downward. That gaze alone sufficed.
Baron Stump's army, smug in assured victory, spotted something on the walls. They witnessed it. Locked eyes with red orbs. Perceived the infinite void surging within.
"Ah, aaa..."
"U, uwa, ah..."
Clatter, clunk.
Weapons slipped from soldiers' hands to the dirt.
The front ranks crumbled first. Like begging forgiveness from a great being, they prostrated on the spot. One, two. Submission spread like ripples.
Baron Stump, terror-stricken, pissed himself, foamed at the mouth, and fainted.
Weak or strong, none resisted.
"...Wh-What the hell is that monster...!"
A knight fresh to transcendence lasted mere seconds longer. Crushed by pressure like a giant hand, he too slammed his head to the ground, averting his eyes from the mage.
Those red eyes... too terrifying to behold.
About thirty seconds in total.
Only a hundred soldiers remained on the plain before the walls, sweating coldly, heads bowed. Unbelievable reality wrapped the air in chill silence.
Having ended the war effortlessly, the Mad Wizard spoke casually to Baron Port—perhaps with a hint of playfulness.
"The capital region's power creep is real. Could've toppled Envers easy too. See, my lord? Told you it was enough."
"......"
Baron Port, mouth agape and frozen, finally replied belatedly.
"Y-You... who the hell are you?"
"If you ask, I'll say it again. The Second Prince Irid's left hand, codename 'Mad Wizard'... That's me for now."
And so.
The territorial war ended in Baron Stump's side's total submission.