Chapter 99
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Ally
Blame fell into contemplation, his expression quite troubled.
The danger of interfering in the disputes of nobles, the potential gain from covering up this incident, and the damage from a clash with Allen.
He possessed a considerable amount of information, allowing him to quickly draw a conclusion.
‘Based on the reports, his combat prowess alone is at the 6th Circle. He might even reach the level of the Eight Strongest in the future...’
If they requested support, it wouldn't be impossible to handle him.
However, considering his connections, he was someone they should never provoke first.
Unless a conflict was unavoidable.
‘We have been collaborating with the other party for quite some time, after all.’
In this situation, accepting Allen's request was the right choice. Having made his decision, Blame bowed his head.
“We normally do not interfere in disputes between nobles... but this incident must be considered an exception. Very well. We accept.”
At his words, Allen made no further unreasonable demands.
It was doubtful they would concede to anything more, and above all, he couldn't trust them.
Requesting this information was, in his view, the absolute limit of what they would accept.
“As for the information... we will send someone once the investigation is complete. Again, I apologize for the trouble we have caused.”
Blame hoisted the corpse onto his gaunt frame and bowed respectfully.
“We will take our leave now.”
Fwoosh-
With those final words, he vanished in an instant.
‘Deciding not to engage him was the right call.’
Two-way spatial movement, not one-way. And with precise coordinates, no less... Allen inwardly realized his choice had been correct.
Amidst the remaining corpses of the demonic beasts and the faint scent of blood, Allen turned his head toward the direction he felt a gaze.
“...Young Master, I believe a proper explanation is in order.”
There, Iliana, who had overheard his conversation with Blame, was approaching with a suspicious expression.
“I didn't mean to eavesdrop... but it doesn't seem unrelated to my situation. So, you're going to tell me everything, right?”
She spoke with a bright smile, but her eyes were filled with intensity, suggesting it was not meant in a friendly way.
Allen sighed.
‘This defeats the purpose of knocking her out.’
His face drained from the wasted effort, Allen nodded.
“...I will.”
As much as I can tell you, anyway.
* * *
Two weeks had passed since Allen returned to the academy.
Life at the academy gradually returned to its usual vibrancy.
There were some who could not forget the dead, but they were a minority; for most, it was not their concern.
This was because they understood that such incidents were always a possibility at the academy.
Several people died each year.
An incident with so many casualties was an exception, but not unprecedented in the academy's history.
Thus, the academy returned to normal as if nothing had happened. The academy's professors recovered from their injuries, and the other students immersed themselves in their own affairs.
The empty seats remained, but they would be filled again soon enough.
After all, the academy held entrance exams twice a year.
In the meantime, the news that Allen had caught the Beast King's eye and become his disciple was announced. The academy buzzed with excitement for a while over the news of one of the Eight Strongest taking a disciple, something that hadn't happened in years.
Meanwhile, Julius also seemed to have caused some incident. Rumors abounded that he had saved a girl who was being bullied and had gotten the perpetrators thrashed and expelled.
Apparently, it even involved upperclassmen, not just first-years.
Allen had no particular thoughts about his actions.
His only impression was, *That guy Julius is at it again.*
However, Allen's daily routine remained unchanged.
He attended classes according to his submitted schedule and was summoned by the Beast King in the evenings for sparring. In his spare time, he learned the sword from Vestla and made sure to visit the library at least once a day.
He didn't skip his volunteer work on weekends and always presented a diligent and kind demeanor to everyone.
Allen pushed himself as if he were being chased by something.
One weekend morning, amidst such a busy schedule, Allen was enjoying teatime, savoring the aroma of his tea.
“...Hmm, the aroma is richer than last time. What did you do?”
“It's because my dexterity has improved since I started studying alchemy, as you recommended, Young Master.”
“Is that so? Can the taste of tea change this much just from starting alchemy?”
Alchemists might engage in various trades like brewing, potion development, or modifying tea leaves, but could the flavor deepen this much after only a few weeks of study?
When Allen expressed his doubt, she answered in a hesitant tone.
“Well... I actually added a special ingredient.”
“What kind of ingredient?”
“...Fairy dust.”
As she said this, her face flushed as if she were embarrassed for some reason.
‘Where does fairy dust come from?’
Allen pondered the unfamiliar ingredient for a moment, but when nothing came to mind, he let it go.
If he didn't know of it, it was probably just another alchemical ingredient.
“If you have enough, please add it from time to time. The richer aroma is quite nice.”
“...Uh, well...”
“Is it a difficult ingredient to acquire? Or is it the cost?”
“Ah, no. Th-yes... I understand. I will prepare it.”
Allen nodded at her affirmation and quietly posed a question to the person sitting opposite him.
“So, Lady Iliana. How long do you intend to disturb my time?”
Iliana, who had been nibbling on a pastry across from him, quietly set it down when their eyes met.
Then, with a nonchalant expression, as if nothing had happened, she spoke.
“...Wouldn't you rather enjoy teatime with company, Young Master?”
“No, I prefer to contemplate in solitude.”
“If you get along with me, my grandfather will be pleased.”
“Didn't you once say you weren't interested?”
As Allen retorted without a moment's hesitation, she pressed her lips together and glared at him.
“...I've reconciled with my grandfather. Not that there was much to reconcile.”
Two weeks had passed since Iliana's frail constitution was cured.
She had also revealed to the Beast King that her condition was completely healed.
Outwardly, he had only said, “Well done,” but it was clear he was immensely pleased on the inside.
That was also why Linbelle wasn't here.
“Then why have you come here instead of training with Linbelle? You were so happy about your constitution changing, but not anymore?”
The Beast King had offered to teach Linbelle as well, as she had been looking after Iliana.
Thanks to that, she began sparring with him every weekend to receive instruction on her weaknesses. She wasn't his disciple; he was only offering guidance.
Whether her skills would improve was up to her, but with the talent Allen believed she possessed, she was certain to grow.
But why was Iliana here, when she should have been engrossed in training, honing her aura or mana?
“You seemed like you'd aim for the Eight Strongest if only your body healed. Why? Does it feel different now?”
“Well...”
She sighed and replied with a conflicted expression.
“Hah... Yes, you're right.”
Her previous confident demeanor was gone, and her gray ears drooped.
“...I worked hard at first. I could see my skills improving rapidly with training, so it was impossible not to be motivated.”
“And?”
“You know how it is. Since I carry the blood of one of the Eight Strongest, I don't have the ambiguous aura and mana that comes with the limits of being a half-blood. I've even gained the confidence to beat a decent mercenary, but, but...”
Before her constitution was healed, she could make excuses.
That she couldn't meet her grandfather's expectations because her body was weak. That it wasn't her fault she couldn't master either mana or aura.
But after being completely cured thanks to Allen, she realized.
“It's not that enjoyable. The training gets more arduous, and I don't really like moving my body that much.”
The fact that even if she had been healthy, she would not have had much interest in combat.
“The engineering I'm learning now is far more interesting to me.”
Engineering was different.
She enjoyed it even when she pushed her weak body to its limits, staying up all night until she ached, and when she developed a new invention, she was restless with the desire to test it.
“That's not to say I'm quitting training... it's just that my priorities have changed. Now.”
The wavering look she once had was gone from her eyes.
Only after gaining a strength she never had before was she able to escape the shadows of her past, feelings like inferiority.
Allen listened to her candidly confess her feelings, his expression unchanging as he spoke.
“That's why I told you when we first met. That I wanted to meet you because I was interested in your talent for engineering.”
Whether she had been forced into it or her nature was simply not suited for combat.
None of that mattered to Allen. As he'd thought from the beginning, Allen planned things by considering many factors.
Drawing her in was partly to create a stepping stone to the Beast King, but it was also because of her own exceptional talent.
‘In the future, the paradigm of the beastkin changes because of her, doesn't it?’
He didn't know how many years it would take, or when she would make such an invention. He hadn't been interested in her back then.
But knowing that she would make that invention was enough.
“Does that... mean the same thing as what you said before?”
She asked with a serious expression, her yellow pupils sharpening as if not to miss a single one of Allen's movements.
“What are you referring to?”
“That you made a deal with the Cycle Cult to cure me.”
Allen swallowed dryly and chose his words carefully.
When she had overheard his conversation with the branch manager and demanded an explanation, Allen had cleverly twisted his words, explaining that he had contacted them through his connections with the Cycle Cult.
That he had made a deal with a high-ranking member of the Cycle Cult to cure her.
He'd said the talk of an Apostle was just a coincidence, that the location happened to be where a new Apostle of the cult was.
He also explained that he had knocked her out because he was afraid she would refuse the help of a heretical cult out of mistrust.
When he apologized, insisting he had no other intentions, she accepted his actions as rationally as she could and forgave him.
After all, regardless of the process, her lifelong frail constitution had been cured thanks to Allen.
“The same meaning... Yes, I suppose it is.”
Even if he couldn't have made contact with the Beast King, he would have sought her out for her exceptional talent.
He made a deal with the Cycle Cult to cure her in order to strengthen his connection to the Beast King.
Since both could be considered the same reason, Allen nodded, and she fell into thought as if contemplating the decision of a lifetime.
Finally, with a look of resolve, she spoke.
“If that's truly the case, then I understand. You're the first person to show me such devotion. So.”
She took a breath and revealed her decision.
“When you are ready, just call for me, and I will go straight to your domain, Young Master.”
“...Are you serious?”
He hadn't even extended an offer to recruit her, and she was already offering to serve under him?
“Yes. You've shown me so much devotion, Young Master. It would be wrong of me not to respond in kind, wouldn't it?”
Her eyes were just that resolute.
A clear sign that she would not take back her decision.
Though he felt a sense of bewilderment deep inside, Allen smiled and envisioned the future he was planning.
The high-quality blacksmithing skills of the Sindri siblings and Iliana's outstanding development abilities.
Added to that were Soned's commercial prowess, the manpower brought in by Acandus, and the religious faction that came with his position as an Apostle of the Cycle Cult.
‘And if I add the connections I'll make at the academy...’
In that future, conflicts wouldn't be simple one-on-one battles like they were now.
“Then, I'll be in your care.”
“I'll be in your care as well. From now on.”
They smiled brightly.
Unaware that they were imagining two very different things.
* * *
Elpis, the city where the academy was located, was not a place suspicious individuals could come and go as they pleased.
The various incidents, attacks, and spies that appeared several times a year were only possible with the Director's tacit approval.
There was no one who could truly claim to have slipped past her eyes.
Within the city, the Director's power was comparable to a prepared battlefield, so much so that even the Beast King would be reluctant to face her there.
Secretly infiltrating her domain was difficult for anyone.
But what if an intruder was of the same caliber as one of the Eight Strongest?
What if that intruder was unparalleled in the arts of stealth and assassination? Could she truly be detected?
“...Hmm, it's been a while since I've been here.”
The lighthouse does not illuminate its own base.
The queen closest to shadow and darkness slipped into the city, unbeknownst to anyone.
It was something that no one, not even the Director, could know.
The world now knew of her existence, so she needed a place to rest, gather information, and heal her wounds.
Just as she was about to disappear, she spotted a familiar movement.
“Acandus, since we arrived in the evening, let's just announce our arrival today and meet tomorrow.”
“We need to recover from our journey, so that sounds best. Soned, which inn would be better...”
“In my experience...”
Among what appeared to be a group of merchants, she saw the movements of a hunting dog—one that had clumsily tried to bite its master's neck before fleeing.
“...Oh my, so you were here?”
She changed her plans.
She decided to find her hunting dog first.
It would be far more convenient to have someone under her command than to act alone.
If she observed their movements, she would surely find him.
A black shadow stealthily melted into their surroundings.