Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Magic Division and Spirit Magic (2)
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And so, Eirin took a moment to reflect on her past, which was really nothing special.
A princess of a fallen kingdom. A common tale. Had her story ended in death alongside her kingdom, it might have been a unique tragedy in its own right.
But Eirin was alive. So the events of the past were just that—mere events.
Compared to the destruction of her Gloria royal family and its people, her current life was almost embarrassingly peaceful. And whenever she looked back on those days...
One memory stood out above all others: Julian's maternal grandfather and head of the Reinhardt family, Border Count Wilhelm. His words to her even now rang clear in her mind.
"Your kingdom is gone. But Eirin, from now on, you are a citizen of our Essenmont territory. That means no one can lay a hand on you without my permission. Understood?"
The pursuers from the enemy nation that had destroyed her kingdom had finally tracked her down. The last refuge she had found was a territory called Harsen in Essenmont.
The enemy pursuers invoked imperial customs and demanded she be handed over to the Border Count, who happened to be there at the time.
Eirin had despaired. She was only ten, but precocious for her age. The enemy nation had thoroughly annihilated her kingdom with the empire's tacit approval.
Thus, all rights to everything once owned by the former Gloria Kingdom belonged to that enemy nation. Of course, as its princess, she went without saying. Their argument was logical. Even if the Border Count handed her over, she couldn't have blamed him.
But Border Count Wilhelm did not.
"I will take this child as a slave of the Reinhardt family. I, Wilhelm von Reinhardt, master of Reinhardt, declare it so. No further explanation needed. Moreover, there is no one in all of Essenmont who can take what belongs to Reinhardt from this land."
He said this while glaring at the enemy pursuers with a chilling gaze.
"If there were, they'd already be a corpse."
The pursuers had no retort and returned to their country. There had surely been imperial acquiescence, allowing them to claim ownership of Eirin to the end.
However, they knew well that the empire without Border Count Wilhelm could never be a true empire. No one could argue against his words.
Having driven off the pursuers, Border Count Wilhelm smiled kindly like a benevolent grandfather.
"Sorry for calling you a slave. But explaining ownership to a child as young as you would be too complicated. Don't worry. I'll soon grant you Essenmont citizenship."
Of course, the precocious Eirin understood everything he had done. By declaring her a slave right there, he had claimed ownership over her.
Even the imperial emperor couldn't take the great Border Count's property without just cause.
In that way, he had actually guaranteed her complete safety from the enemy nation.
"I have a grandson about your age. The poor boy lost his parents shortly after birth and has no siblings either. So, Eirin, I'd be grateful if you could be his friend. No, that rascal's so immature, you'd be more like his big sister. Haha."
Border Count's grandson, Julian. The young master had been with him in Harsen County, which would become her future territory. When they first met, Julian said:
"Your kingdom's gone? Don't worry. Essenmont is so great that even all the allied kingdoms couldn't touch it."
And he promised her.
"I'll become the master of Essenmont someday. I'll make this your kingdom."
Thus, Eirin went from princess of a ruined kingdom to a member of the Reinhardt estate. Finishing her brief reminiscence, Eirin let out a short sigh without realizing it.
"Hoo... I'm thinking too much."
Eirin admitted she was getting impatient. It probably started just before the semester began, when Princess Lillia visited the capital estate.
Until then, Young Master Julian had a poor relationship with the princess. He always belittled her, calling her a woman with nothing but a big chest like a milk cow.
But during that estate visit, the atmosphere between the princess and young master was truly harmonious, like a proper engaged couple.
She always handled his room cleaning, so she knew. That day, Young Master Julian had shared physical intimacy with Princess Lillia as man and woman.
The imperial family's virginity held special meaning, so they likely hadn't gone all the way. Still, the clear traces of lust left Eirin feeling strange.
Absolutely not a good feeling.
She knew it wasn't odd for an engaged couple to share such intimacy.
Afterward, things continued to grate on her nerves. Yes, she could understand up to Princess Lillia. She was his fiancée, after all.
But the day Julian attended the banquet of the Itern marquess's daughter, Eirin stayed up late waiting for him.
That day too, she found traces of intimacy on his clothes. She handled his laundry, after all.
"He even slept with the Itern marquess's daughter he used to fear so much?"
It could have been another lady. But a strand of silver, long hair remained on his clothes. The owner was obvious.
Of course, a one-night fling was nothing among the capital's noble youths. No need to make a fuss. But the more she thought about it, the more her chest tightened.
And during those three days he was away on the provisional squadron mission with that marquess's daughter.
While waiting anxiously for his safe return, an uncomfortable feeling piled up inside her. The fact that he was with that marquess's daughter kept nagging at her.
The clever Eirin reflected on her emotions during that time and finally reached a conclusion. And since it was an emotion she absolutely shouldn't have, she denied it right there.
"Jealousy...?"
She was just a mere maid. Did sharing her body with the young master once make her think she could be his mistress? Having such feelings was shameful to Eirin.
"But I've been the one attending to him all this time..."
Especially after she gave him her virginity, he had become remarkably gentle and sharp-minded. So she took some pride in that, if not exactly a reward for her merit.
However, as a proper maid—and if other women could fill that role—she should support them. That was her position.
She couldn't stay by his side forever. Still, feeling this way now was probably because of all the time they'd spent together.
"Even so, if I could be a little selfish... I thought I could at least be his big sister."
Eirin gazed again at the Magic Portrait of Julian clutched to her chest.
There he was, with an astonishingly serious gaze. The Military Parade. Even thinking back, he was so dignified and handsome.
From childhood, he was called an angel by Essenmont's people for his beauty. That handsome face had fully bloomed now that he was of age.
And that day—yes, if the emotion she'd felt at the Military Parade was her original sin, then so be it. In that moment, Eirin had clearly felt Julian as a man.
It was fine to harbor sisterly feelings as childhood friends. She'd thought that way for so long. But that day, she'd discovered an emotion unfitting her station.
She stared at the Magic Portrait for a long while. Suddenly, her emotions surged. Affectionate, bittersweet, and a chest-tightening anger somewhere.
And without realizing, she vividly recalled that first experience accepting the young master's massive member. And all the sticky intimacies they'd shared before coming to the capital.
It had been fine while attending him constantly. But now that she wasn't, those sensations kept resurfacing, confusing her.
As this uncontrollable emotion made her hand unconsciously reach toward her deepest place...
Eirin barely suppressed her lust.
"Hoo... Get a grip, Eirin. How can you have such thoughts looking at the young master's Magic Portrait..."
In truth, Eirin had never masturbated in her life. So even that was shameful to begin with.
Much less doing such an indecent act with someone else's Magic Portrait—it went beyond human decency.
This carriage, filled with the young master's scent, was far too dangerous. Eirin carefully stowed the Magic Portrait away and flung open the carriage door to relieve her stuffiness.
The next day.
I had arrived in front of the Ielern Hall, the lecture building of the Magic Tower.
Today was the day of the important lecture Eirin had marked. The Magic Tower's spirit arts class.
"Spirit arts were forbidden for first-years. Good thing this is second-year curriculum."
In the empire's modern magic, creativity in transformation is held in highest regard.
If a novice mage rashly contracts with a single-attribute spirit, their magic tendencies naturally solidify around that attribute.
Thus, the Magic Tower teaches spirit arts after first year, once students have built foundations in all four elemental magics.
After that, spirit arts actually help deepen one's strong magic affinities.
"Well, those reasons don't matter much to me."
Unlike alchemy, which mediates matter and mana, magic was a bit distant from me.
Magic emphasizes creative transformation. For knights or swordsmen who delve deeply into a single martial image, it was poison.
A knight who reaches a realm ignites their aura. Pursuing change only hindered that.
"Knights are stubborn like that. Our growth paths are polar opposites."
With Reinhardt blood in my veins, igniting aura was my ultimate goal. But with Demon King blood too, abandoning magic outright would be ridiculous.
The perfect compromise was spirit arts. So I'd unlocked the Spirit User trait—not as a mage—using my remaining GP.
The difference from before was the higher GP cost even for an ordinary trait. With so many traits, the system imposed limits.
Still, I'd saved plenty of GP from rewards, so no issue. After buying, 300 GP left.
I used all of it to unlock a new quest type. It required not just 300 GP, but also an item: the Horn Flute of Riel from Lord Anton of Neuber territory. Conditions met.
Thus, the class change quest for the title "Living as the Demon King's Successor" was unlocked. Simply put, a prerequisite quest to inherit the Demon King.
"Becoming Demon King in a human body is absurd. Gotta become a demon first."
Then, accepting a demon god into a demon body is called devilization. Among them, contracting all demon gods to reach the pinnacle of demons makes one the Demon King.
So I must awaken the demon blood hidden within via that quest. Can't contract demon gods in a human body.
Demons, simply put, were intelligent non-human races. So demonization would turn me into something other than human.
The lineage of former Demon King Lucifer was a dragon-elf half-blood family. Which blood dominated varied per playthrough.
But certainly, both had extremely high spirit affinity.
Especially the spirit I planned to contract in this lecture—I'd already decided. Contracting it was one of the class change sub-quests.
"Plan's solid."
It was a spirit forbidden to contract in the Holy Empire. I intended to cause proper chaos among the Magic Tower professors and cadets alike to awaken it.
For mages who valued change, it'd be even easier for me.
"Eirin. Everything prepared as I instructed?"
"Yes, Young Master. The minchotti you mentioned will be delivered here before class starts. Ah, Hans is back just in time."
I told Eirin to rest and entered the Ielern Hall's practice area. The second-year Magic Tower cadets were gathered there.
At the center of the group was Rosette, the redhead in a witch's hat.