Letter of Recommendation (1)
Letter of Recommendation (1)
Because of the multiple time loops, it felt as though an enormous amount of time had passed. In reality, though, everything had happened in a single day.
Despite the chaos that had erupted underground, the territory remained unchanged, save for the abandoned well in the forest, which was filled with water once more.
When I finally returned to the mansion late in the day, it was just as it had been that morning, and the people were as they always were.
The servants still kept their distance even as they greeted me, and the soldiers wore awkward expressions when they saw me.
They no longer openly ignored me as they had before my trip, but I still felt like an outsider here.
The people were exactly as they had been that morning, but I was different.
Though my body was still young, I now possessed a new weapon and a new ability.
On top of that, I had acquired two unprecedented inherited abilities.
Back in my room, I pulled out the dagger.
The shield and sword she had taken, along with this dagger, were likely a set.
Now, even when I held the dagger, there were no auditory hallucinations or illusions of a firebird—not even a single chick was in sight.
But then...
Hum.
At the tip of the dagger, a long strand of mana, visible only to my eyes, stretched out.
The moment I willed the mana to change, it was like flipping a switch in my mind: the calm energy flared up, forming a sword of pure mana.
This was only possible while I was holding the dagger, and I had no idea how or why it worked, but it was undoubtedly a useful ability.
And there was something else.
Had my way of thinking changed a little, too?
The letter of recommendation Lady Katrin had mentioned.
In the past, I would have avoided it, afraid I'd get dragged into some troublesome incident.
But now, my thoughts had changed.
Instead of dismissing it outright, I found myself genuinely debating whether to accept it.
If my ability was as crucial as she claimed, they would surely send an invitation.
Would it be better to decline and stay here, or should I accept and head to the capital?
If I went to the capital, my status as a half-noble would likely become an even greater issue than it was here.
I could end up suffering for nothing, swept up in the tides of political strife.
In the worst-case scenario, I might not even get to die; I could spend the rest of my life rotting in a prison cell.
"Ugh, now that I think about it, that's incredibly dangerous..."
I had heard the broad strokes, but I needed to get a proper understanding of the Kingdom's current situation.
"Well, accepting the invitation probably won't be up to me anyway..."
The Duke would undoubtedly decide as he pleased, but I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
"Hmm, I do not believe this is a subject you particularly need to concern yourself with, Young Lord..."
That was the response I received from the scribe a few days later, when I asked him to explain the Kingdom's politics in detail.
Even though he was my tutor, getting a straight answer from him was no easy task.
"The Duke's blood flows in my veins as well. This is essential knowledge for the future of the Duke and the territory!"
"...Well, if you insist."
Thanks to my desperate attempt to play the part of a loyal son concerned about the territory's future, I finally managed to pry some information out of him.
"I mentioned before that the country is divided between the factions of the two princes. Currently..."
I had noticed this before, but for a mere scribe, he was incredibly well-informed about the Kingdom's affairs.
"While the Noble Faction still exists, the King's failing health has made the struggle between the factions backing the two princes increasingly fierce. Territorial disputes have intensified as well."
I had experienced those disputes firsthand in my previous life. Because of them, I had to relive several years and even travel all the way to the Hierro Marquisate.
The battle in our territory had been undone as if it had never happened, and the incident at the Marquisate had been covered up as the heir's death from illness.
Still, just as he said, it was clear that the factional warfare was reaching a boiling point.
"Young Lord Simon's marriage to the lady of the Marquisate was arranged to prevent conflict between the two princes' camps, but given the current situation, it won't be easy to settle things."
"Currently, the First Prince is the Crown Prince. But even if the King passes away after officially naming him as his successor, the Second Prince's faction won't accept it quietly."
It seemed that while I was away visiting the Marquisate, blood had already been shed in several territories.
'Could the ones pulling the strings behind the Marquisate's affairs have laid their hands on other places as well?'
The thought crossed my mind, but with no other information, I had to keep it to myself.
Even as I briefly lost myself in thought, the scribe continued speaking.
"The scales would tip dramatically depending on which side the Noble Faction supported. But because the head of the Noble Faction is Grand Prince Julian, the King's younger brother, things have become extremely complicated. It would be better if he stayed out of kingdom politics after becoming the Grand Prince, but the situation has become quite ridiculous."
As he said this, the scribe clicked his tongue quietly.
The scribe was quite the rebel himself.
Clicking his tongue while talking about the royal family.
It was probably because I was still young, but this was behavior he should never display in front of the Duke or other nobles.
In any case, if what the scribe said was true, a civil war would break out in our kingdom before long.
Besides, a civil war to decide the successor didn't seem all that uncommon.
"Why do they so frequently engage in something that wastes national power and costs countless lives? It would be much better if one of the two were simply assassinated beforehand..."
Dangerous. Truly dangerous.
The scribe teaching me was a far more dangerous person than I'd thought.
Although he spoke as if it were a joke, those words were exactly the sort that could get his head chopped off if things went wrong.
Right now, he was looking at me with a meaningful smile.
He was undoubtedly testing me with that smile.
I'd thought he was treating me like a child, but that wasn't the case.
While I was observing him, he was observing me, too.
Had I underestimated this world and the people living in it once again?
"Haha, it's a joke. Since you, Young Lord, wouldn't repeat such a joke elsewhere."
Just as he said, it was the sort of thing that couldn't be brought up anywhere—especially by a half-blood like me.
He changed the subject, and I silently agreed with him, my eyes conveying as much.
His next words, though, raised goosebumps along the back of my neck.
"Well, some say that people are gathering around the Princess, who was expected to marry into another kingdom, creating a three-way rivalry... But honestly, that's a ridiculous story."
Good grief, if things turned out that way, receiving an invitation would be no ordinary matter! It was only natural for the knight I'd seen yesterday to be worried!
A sigh escaped my lips. There was never a time when things ended normally and smoothly.
"...That is roughly the extent of what I know. It is difficult for a mere scribe to know more than this. There is plenty of gossip, but it's nothing more than rumors."
After telling me various other things, he wrapped up his explanation.
No, it seemed he'd already gone well beyond what a mere scribe could possibly know.
I looked straight at the scribe, who was staring at me after finishing his explanation.
Come to think of it, even though he was my tutor and scribe, I didn't know much about him.
I only knew that his name was Ivan and that he was one of the younger scribes in charge of the territory's practical affairs.
This tutor, however, knew a lot about me.
Just as I did elsewhere, I wore a mask during the scribe's lessons, but because I needed a proper education, that mask was bound to slip from time to time.
My secret was never discovered, but the stories he brought up today were bound to become another secret known only to him and me.
An incredibly dangerous person. At this point, I couldn't tell whether he would be someone who could help me or an obstacle that would force me to repeat my life.
If this had happened a while ago, I would have quickly changed my tutor and distanced myself from him, but now I planned to observe him a little longer.
A few months passed. Then, one day after the turn of the year...
Now eleven years old, I was sparring with Miguel in the training ground surrounded by the forest.
Miguel, who had returned to the main unit, was facing me for the first time in a while. He stared down at his sword with a dumbfounded expression.
His sword had been cleanly snapped in half.
"The sword must have been quite old."
At my words, he looked up from his sword, narrowed his eyes, and stared at me.
"This isn't a sword that would be cut by such a tiny dagger. No, more than that, it didn't even feel as though my sword had clashed with the dagger."
He was absolutely right.
To test my new ability, I had channeled the new mana into the dagger, and his sword had snapped before it could even touch mine.
Though his sword hadn't been properly imbued with mana and this wasn't a serious match, the mana I'd channeled into my dagger had sliced right through Miguel's sword.
Still, I couldn't agree with his words outright.
"They did clash properly. But it seems the dagger I got this time is definitely a good one."
"Good grief..."
Shaking his head, he didn't pry any further into the matter. From his expression, it was clear he didn't want to get dragged into trouble by asking unnecessary questions.
"Is that the dagger you went out and got with Juan yesterday? I don't know where you found it, but even to my eyes, it's an excellent dagger. Still, it's a bit of a waste. With your current build, it might pass for a slightly short sword, but once you grow bigger, you won't be able to use it as anything but a dagger."
It was just as he said, but I didn't find it particularly regrettable.
I pointed to the greatsword leaning against a tree on one side of the training ground.
"After all, I have a different sword to use once I become an adult."
Miguel nodded at my words.
"Indeed, there is that sword. Though it's difficult to wield with finesse, a sword that sturdy would practically be a lifelong companion."
He looked back and forth between the greatsword leaning against the tree and the dagger in my hand, his eyes full of wonder.
"I don't know whether to call it amazing or mysterious. Every time you go somewhere and come back, you bring back a new weapon, demonstrate some unknown technique, and your skills jump up by more than a level..."
He sheathed his broken sword and fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Then he said something unexpected.
"It seems I must stop training you here. I have nothing more to teach you."
"Wait, you're saying that all of a sudden..."
"No. Even before you went to the Marquisate, there wasn't much of a difference between us. I've been thinking about it ever since. And clashing swords with you today made me realize it. You, Young Lord, have definitely become stronger than I am now. There is nothing for me to teach a disciple who has grown stronger than me."
I couldn't say anything in response. Because I felt the same way.
Although there was a huge difference in our physiques, deep down I felt I could easily defeat him even in a real battle.
"Then who should I learn from...? Should I ask the Knight Commander?"
But there was no way the Knight Commander would teach me. Nor could I ask the Duke directly.
"Why don't you go to the capital with the second Young Lord in a few years instead?"
"Oh, has Brother Manuel's study abroad been decided?"
"Yes. I heard that the Duke made the decision after seeing Young Lord Simon return safely."
"But... I don't think Manuel or the Duchess would allow me to go with him."
"That is true, but... wouldn't it be possible if the Duke knew of your skills, Young Lord?"
Well, would the Duke really make such a decision? He was a man who valued honor above all else, so would he send a half-blood like me to the capital?
No matter how I looked at it, it was an unreasonable idea. Perhaps realizing how difficult a proposition it was, Miguel looked troubled as well.
Still, there was a way to make it possible.