Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Road to the Academy
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Julius headed to the drawing room upon hearing that a merchant had come to see him.
“Young Master, did something good happen today? You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Ah, Reina.”
Julius smiled at her, who was following behind him as always.
“It seems I'll be able to buy some rather fine goods at a decent price.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, it's all thanks to my reputation. See? It pays to be famous.”
Reina wondered if there had been any orders from her superiors.
‘They said there would be nothing for the time being.’
The only order was to attend to Julius until he left for the academy.
“Congratulations.”
“If there's anything good, I'll share some with you.”
With a confident expression, Julius entered the drawing room.
*Click-*
In the drawing room, a young merchant with a naive face shot to his feet.
“Ah, greetings! It's a pleasure to meet you!”
He looked as if he hadn't been in the trade for long.
Reina was suspicious of his youthfulness for a guild master, but she remained silent and stood behind Julius.
After all, the end for those who had deceived Julius was rarely good.
If he was hiding something, all she had to do was wait.
“Yes, it's a pleasure. I'm Julius Reinhardt.”
“Yes, yes. I know. I've heard much of your fame!”
Perhaps pleased by the flattery, Julius decided to chat a little more before getting down to business.
“So… there must have been others you could have dealt with. Why did you choose me?”
There's my brother, and my father.
“Ahem, hmm, is that so? Well, if that's the case… Anyway, may I see the goods?”
Otherwise, he felt like he would burst into mad laughter.
“Understood.”
As soon as the words were out, the merchant brought out several items he had prepared in advance.
“Yes, first, this is an elixir called Karen's Sunshine, which purifies the body's prana…”
“Oh… in that case…”
And so, Julius was able to acquire a high-quality elixir for less than the average market price.
After concluding the deal, Julius smiled and spoke.
“Alright, if you continue to bring goods like this… I'll keep looking out for you.”
Thus, Julius secured a source for high-quality goods, and the merchant found a powerful patron to protect him.
“Thank you so much!”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
As Julius gathered the goods and showed signs of leaving, the young merchant politely extended his hand.
“I look forward to working with you!”
The young merchant—no, Karic—gave a broad smile.
“Yes. I look forward to it as well.”
Julius also beamed.
Completely unaware.
***
Time is like a surging wave.
When the news of the incidents first spread, people showed great and continuous interest.
The chimera user who abducted people.
The bandits who infiltrated the festival.
The witch who spread curses.
And now, the black mages who invaded the Forest of the Divine Beast.
No matter how common such incidents were, a series of events like this, and the family's ostentatious way of resolving them, were bound to attract attention.
But that too was brief. As time passed, people grew accustomed to the changes, as if nothing had happened.
Efforts were being made to restore relations with the elves, and neighboring territories began requesting actual exchanges.
As the time to leave the estate approached, Allen organized what he had obtained from the Forest of the Divine Beast.
“Hmm… is this all you found?”
Before him lay several maps covered in scorch marks.
“Yes. As you ordered, Young Master, I scouted a few more locations… but the remaining hideouts had already been cleared out.”
Immediately after defeating the giant, Allen had ordered her to investigate several hideouts recorded in the black book.
If things had proceeded as they did before his regression, he would have been able to obtain information related to the mastermind behind this…
‘To think they would act like that.’
He thought he was being cautious about the butterfly effect.
He thought he could prepare sufficiently, and that he could steer the changed future to his advantage.
But he was mistaken.
The present that Allen had gradually changed had accumulated, altering the future he knew, ultimately leading to a result where all the black mages sacrificed themselves to make the divine beast's power run rampant.
Because of that, it led to the black mages erasing all traces of themselves.
“I apologize for not being of more help.”
Inellia wore a gloomy expression, thinking she had been unhelpful.
“No, their actions were beyond our expectations. It couldn't be helped.”
Failing to get information was a painful blow, but he had vaguely expected this.
After all, he hadn't found any useful information where the giant had escaped either.
“…Even so.”
“I'll say it again, it's not your fault—”
「What are you doing! This is where you should quickly pat her head and say it's okay! A hug would be even better!」
Vestla shouted in a teasing tone.
“—so there's no need for you to take responsibility.”
Allen ignored Vestla's voice ringing in his head.
「Ah! Ignoring me again! Just trust me, will you? I, the super-super-super genius beautiful girl, guarantee it!」
‘A beautiful girl sword, my foot.’ Allen looked at Vestla with a dumbfounded expression.
「What! Am I wrong? Hurry up and tell me I'm pretty! Saying my blade is flawless would be nice too! Have you ever seen such a pretty sword?」
For some reason, she had undergone a change of heart and now spoke to Allen regardless of who he was talking to.
When he asked why, she would change the subject. After this happened several times, Allen had reached the point of half-ignoring her words.
“…Understood.”
Despite his comfort, Inellia's expression remained clouded, as if something was still bothering her.
「See! I told you to trust me!」
Allen pressed the corners of his eyes at the distracting noise.
‘I need to get an artifact that allows mental conversation soon.’
At this rate, his patience would run out first.
Allen suddenly realized she was alone and changed the subject.
“By the way, what is Linbelle doing now?”
“Ah, Linbelle is…”
Inellia answered with a vague smile.
“…She headed to the kitchen, saying she was going to make dessert for you, Young Master.”
“Again?”
Allen looked fed up.
“Yes, if you're uncomfortable, I'll tell her to stop.”
“…No, it's fine. It's not like it tastes bad.”
Linbelle had changed.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, but the biggest difference was simple.
*Knock, knock-*
“Young Master, I'm coming in—”
She was no longer impatient.
“Go ahead.”
It was clear she had gained something from the divine beast's trial; she was a world apart from her past, impatient self.
‘It seems something did happen in the trial…’
The important thing was that even she didn't know what it was.
Because the divine beast's power had run rampant.
Normally, each person would have remembered the contents of their trial.
However, perhaps as a price for unleashing enough power to draw in hundreds of people at once, even Linbelle, who was presumed to have passed the trial, couldn't escape the aftereffects.
“Young Master, please have some.”
Once Allen gave her permission, she entered the office and, with practiced hands, prepared tea and refreshments on his desk.
“I will.”
As she approached, a calming, peaceful woody scent wafted from her.
‘This scent… is it a woody type? Sandalwood.’
“You've started wearing perfume.”
“Yes! Lady Eliza recommended it.”
“I see… Did Mother choose the scent for you as well?”
“No, I chose this scent myself.”
“It's a nice scent.”
At his words, she smiled brightly and replied.
“I'm glad, Young Master.”
*Because it was the scent you loved in my dream.*
Allen watched her brew tea with a new proficiency and thought.
It seemed certain there was some reason for her change in attitude.
However, she had trailed off, saying she couldn't remember anything except for a few details, so he had no choice but to back down.
‘It seems she's hiding something…’
But she showed no signs of knowing about Julius, so he could let it slide.
“Young Master?”
He turned his head at her voice.
Linbelle was looking directly at him with sparkling eyes.
Unable to withstand her gaze, which held a clear meaning, Allen picked up a cookie with a reluctant expression.
“…It's delicious today, too.”
It tasted as if it had been specially made to suit his palate.
The tea was the same, perfectly matching his taste.
Seeing her act as if she had been his aide for years, he could only come to that conclusion.
Though Inellia seemed shocked that Linbelle was a better cook than her.
“I'm glad it suits your taste.”
“I told you before, you don't have to do this.”
At his words, she seemed to recall something, smiled softly, and replied firmly.
“Because I am your handmaiden, Young Master.”
“If you insist… do as you please.”
“Yes!”
Allen found her attitude a little burdensome, but he didn't say anything.
‘It's better than how she was before.’
A month passed.
While preparing to leave, Allen summoned Acandus and gave him a few instructions.
“Finish reorganizing the group within half a year and make your way to the academy.”
“The academy? Do you mean the one in the Galshdin Great Desert?”
“Yes.”
Allen nodded and handed him a file summarizing Baron Paern's activities.
However, he didn't tell him about the forces helping Julius or about his suspicious behavior.
‘He wouldn't believe me anyway.’
For someone as competent as him, it was more effective to let him find out for himself than to simply tell him.
Acandus looked a little puzzled, as if he hadn't expected to receive the information so easily.
‘…I thought he would give me some minor information at best.’
He had planned to spend years building trust and gathering clues bit by bit.
But to think he would hand over all the information right from the start.
“This may not be my place to say… but do you trust me that much? What if I were to betray you…”
This was especially true because he hadn't expected him to give up all the information about his father from the beginning.
Allen shook his head as if it went without saying.
“I don't trust you. I trust your desperation. Didn't you say you wanted to find your father?”
Acandus bowed his head with a complicated expression.
“…Thank you.”
He also gave some instructions to Soned and Karic, telling them to send information regularly.
After taking care of matters big and small, Allen finished all his preparations.
“If anything dangerous happens, it's alright to come back.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
The time to leave had come.
“…Don't do anything reckless.”
Eliza said to Allen while looking over at Julius, who was bidding farewell to Gaiel.
“I don't know what you're thinking… but don't do anything dangerous.”
“Understood.”
*I will be careful enough and act only after making a plan.*
Perhaps unable to find any sign of resignation on his face, she sighed.
“…You'll manage on your own, I'm sure.”
Allen nodded silently at her words.
“Now go. Isn't your ‘brother’ waiting?”
Behind her voice, Julius shouted.
“Brother Allen! Come on!”
The season had come when buds dormant in winter sprouted, and even the cold wind carried the fresh life of spring.
“I know, don't rush me.”
It was time to head to the academy.
***
『I have to enroll in Galshdin Academy.
That's what Julius had thought ever since he realized he'd possessed the body of a character in a novel.』
*Flip-*
『The thought was natural.
The academy was where the main story began, just after the early stages that showed the protagonist's growth.』
『Accordingly, the academy he arrived at was incredible.
A place filled with the essence of all of humanity's current knowledge.
It was a place overflowing with artifacts and new knowledge obtained from the ruins densely packed in the great desert.』
*Flip-*
『There were many things comparable to the modern world, and the mix of elves, dwarves, beastmen, and humans created a special atmosphere.』
『Well, it was to be expected.
After all, its purpose was to nurture the next generation of heroes who would succeed the first Hero and assist him.
Even if that purpose had faded over time, the fact that talented individuals from every nation flocked here hadn't changed…』
*Thud-*
Allen closed the black book.
The text on the pages after the one he'd read had blurred into black, making them illegible.
Over time, they would become clear, one letter at a time, but he had already obtained enough necessary information.
‘Galshdin Academy.’
Allen didn't know much about it.
At most, he knew that it was built over the holy sword used by the first Hero, and that the sword had yet to find its master.
And that two of the Eight Strongest were always stationed there on a rotational basis.
Any information beyond that was hard to verify due to the wide variety of rumors.
But one thing was certain.
‘There might be a way to find my brother.’
He placed his hopes in things like the grand library, which was open to academy students, and the auction house, which was rumored to have everything.
As Allen was organizing in his mind what he needed to do at the academy, Vestla's voice echoed in his head.
「Tell me an interesting story! A tale about slaying a dragon would be nice! I talk to you so you won't be bored! It's mutually beneficial, isn't it great?」
Allen sighed.
“…Can't you let me enjoy my thoughts for a moment?”
The Galshdin Great Desert.
In other words, a month had already passed since they left the family estate.
「I've had more than enough of that! Otherwise, find a way for me to talk to others!」
Allen's party was heading to the nearest city from which they could travel to the academy.
The Reinhardt family was located in the west of the continent, so it was bound to take a long time to reach the great desert in the center.
“Young Master, are you really talking to the sword?”
Linbelle had seen this several times, but it was still fascinating to watch.
Inellia didn't say anything, but she too seemed fascinated, her long ears twitching as she stole glances whenever the sword floated in the air by itself.
「First time seeing a talking sword? Aren't you a little too amazed?」
“What is it saying now?”
「Aaaargh! This is so frustrating! You, hurry up and find a way!」
Allen's head throbbed.