The Patriarch's Judgment

As the old man's foot touched the ground, mana rippled outward like a wave, sweeping away the remnants of the Red Ghosts cleanly.

At the same moment, everyone prostrated themselves in unison.

"We greet the Family Head!"

"……."

Rohbark's gaze swept across the area.

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grand mage who could crush the city with just a step and a glance.

And following behind him came a group of mages.

The one at the forefront was a face familiar even to me.

'The Elder Council Chairman?'

—Diaak Kirchheis.

Rohbark's own younger brother and nominally the family's second-in-command.

With a flick of his hand, the mages who had followed the elders scattered to various spots, beginning to handle the aftermath.

At that moment, Rohbark silently surveyed the surroundings, lost in thought.

"F-Family Head!"

The mayor, Poi Averb, stepped forward, trembling violently.

Overwhelmed by the grand mage's presence, he could barely lift his head.

"I'm sorry! I'll tell you everything!"

He was desperately trying to explain the situation somehow.

Rohbark turned to him with cold eyes.

"The mayor, are you? Speak."

"Our Dickferji security captain... no, a Red Ghost disguised as the security captain targeted Young Master Kirian. He led his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠underlings right in the middle of the city...! But Young Master and the Eternalism academy members...!"

It was a hopelessly garbled explanation.

Rohbark, listening, waved his hand dismissively.

"So you activated an emergency order? Is that what you're saying?"

"Y-yes! That's it! I was just worried about the young master's safety! He could have been hurt—your precious heir...!"

"Enough. Hold your tongue."

Poi Averb's lips snapped shut.

As if bound by a spell of silence.

The next instant, Rohbark's gaze pierced through me.

"I assigned you a patrol mission, and you went hunting Red Ghosts. How utterly ridiculous."

He seemed to have already grasped the general situation.

I quietly bowed my head.

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since we'd last met.

This was the first time since the Tomb of Books and Swords.

"I apologize for causing you worry, Grandfather."

"Spare me the lip service. What is that?"

I had to pause at that question.

Rohbark's fingertip was pointing at none other than the Red Ghost girl.

Her eyes darted between us wildly, as if in an earthquake.

"As you see, a Red Ghost."

I decided to play dumb for now.

Rafar and Nazel over there were tilting their heads, so I'd need some plausible excuse.

I had no idea if that girl could survive this.

"Any reason you kept her alive separately?"

"……We encountered her on the way here. She swore loyalty to me. I actually got help from her. That's why I spared her."

"Tch! How soft. Getting aid from a mere Red Ghost, and still keeping her alive. None of it befits my grandson."

Rohbark clicked his tongue and flicked his finger.

Flames erupted across the Red Ghost girl's body, and a sharp scream tore from her.

The Flames of Eternal Judgment, which incinerated foul beings.

"Kya啊啊啊啊악!"

"Noisy."

"Ack……."

And with that, Silence as well.

The sheer ruthlessness, devoid of any mercy, left me speechless.

For a moment, Ulfrik's voice echoed in my mind.

—If it raises the odds of slaying the Demon King even slightly, I will do anything.

The man who had incited the empire's emperor to exterminate the vampire clans.

It felt like that same merciless method was manifesting from those fingertips again.

'Unpleasant.'

Above all, discarding someone after using them went against my principles.

She had been bait, not a hunting dog.

I cast a spell and stepped forward.

"Sorry, but I'd rather you didn't destroy my property, Grandfather."

"Hm?"

Rohbark's eyebrow twitched.

He must have recognized the counterspell I deployed.

High-level attack spells like Flames of Eternal Judgment were normally warded against interference by other mages.

I shattered that ward, slipped in, and twisted the incantation just enough to cause a mana clash, halting the spell's effect.

In other words, an enhanced counterspell.

Thanks to it, I gained an unexpected boon.

I had glimpsed Rohbark's incantation structure and awakened to its insights.

He had deployed the spell so blatantly, as if on purpose.

Of course, he could have blocked my interference easily.

But finding my attempt intriguing, he merely observed, sparing the Red Ghost girl by a hair.

"An intriguing counterspell. Where did you learn it?"

"……From a book."

"What book?"

It felt like an interrogation.

But the method that worked at the Eternal Mansion would work here too.

I named it again.

"I examined the grimoire left by Lord Ulfrik in the mansion's basement. I derived the principle from there."

"Is that so? The Holy Hero left such forbidden arts as well?"

"Yes."

I replied calmly and nudged the half-incinerated Red Ghost girl.

A signal to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flee when the chance came.

But she was unconscious from Rohbark's flames, unable to move.

'No good. I'll have to toss her in the restricted area later.'

Fortunately, Rohbark changed the subject.

His eyes suddenly fixed on the bloodstone I held, and he beckoned with a finger.

"That. Hand it over."

No reason to resist this.

A faint smile tugged at the grand mage's lips as he took the red stone.

"A pureblood Red Ghost... You fought one of these, did you...?"

He seemed to be gauging the Watcher's power from the lingering aura in the bloodstone.

Apparently, even Rohbark knew about pureblood Red Ghosts.

Well, it would be odd if the family head didn't know what the professors did.

Anyway, he tossed the bloodstone into the air and caught it repeatedly, suppressing a laugh.

"Professors, approach."

"Yes, Family Head."

"Yes!"

Professor Schud Rapens and Professor Sapina Kuger hurried over.

Rohbark posed a peculiar question to them.

"If you scored Kirian's performance on this mission objectively, what mark would you give? Be precise."

"Obviously 10 points... out of...?"

"How many for full marks?"

"……100."

Professor Kuger had clearly intended to shower me with praise.

With 100 as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full marks per the family head, Professor Rapens pondered briefly before speaking.

"50 points."

"50...?"

"The patrol isn't over, so I can't evaluate the mission outcome yet. However, he handled matters outside the mission in an astonishing manner, so I'd award 50 as bonus points."

Rohbark chuckled at that.

"So completing half the mission gets full marks?"

"……Yes. Repelling Red Ghosts targeting Kirchheis blood merits far more. But since you specified performance on routine patrol..."

"Family Head, I see it differently. Even giving all 100 as bonus wouldn't be excessive...—"

"Enough. Withdraw."

The professors quietly stepped back.

Rohbark's gaze returned to me.

"All academies on routine patrol must select a meritorious trainee with high contributions and award them. The top academy's honoree receives a special prize as well. You knew that, Kirian?"

"……."

I didn't.

I knew other well-funded academies snatched up areas near Kirchheis Castle.

"From what I just heard, Eternalism's honoree seems already decided as you."

"No. The mission isn't even finished."

"Lip service. Good thing I'm here—receive your award now."

Rohbark held up two fingers.

"Two things you want within this city. I'll grant them. Speak freely, but they must be resolvable within Dickferji."

"……."

I nearly cheered.

No reason to refuse this windfall.

I spoke right away.

"Then I'd like Fire Spirit Essence. It might be somewhere in the city—grateful if you fetch it, Grandfather."

"Fire Spirit Essence? There might be a spot, but it's useless to mages."

"I know. I have a use for it."

"Won't tell me what for?"

"No."

"Ha! Insolent."

Rohbark said so, but his expression showed he knew.

As family head, he was aware of Hierniorn.

But he didn't pry into the specifics, surprisingly.

He began slowly drawing up mana.

The search range skyrocketed insanely.

Truly, a Spellmaster's magic transcended grandeur into majesty.

The result—

"Found it."

At Rohbark's gesture, a pillar of pure white light shot up from the city's outskirts.

The signal that Fire Spirit Essence was buried there.

Just dig it up, and it was mine.

Hierniorn let out a joyful cry from above my head and soared off.

Off to wait there first, it seemed.

Rohbark's gaze briefly followed the guardian spirit before returning to me.

"Now, the second? Must be resolvable within Dickferji."

"……."

With Fire Spirit Essence secured, I needed nothing else.

But then, a very old memory flashed through my mind.

500 years ago, Ulfrik and we disciples had fought a bloody battle against demon legions here.

And the artifact lost then.

—Doderek's Compass.

Made under Ulfrik's tutelage.

Perhaps I could find it here.

I gathered my thoughts and met Rohbark's eyes.

"I'd like free time to explore Dickferji. Hate returning after just boring mission work."

A peculiar look came back at me.

"Free time? What about your mission? Planning to dump it on the other trainees?"

"That seems like something for you to handle, Grandfather... I just want free time."

Meaning, extend our group's duration or reduce the mission via family head authority.

But Rohbark let out a hollow laugh and muttered.

"Insolent again. Using your old grandfather like this."

"……?"

I wondered what he meant, but the grand mage waved his hand.

A massive stone whirlwind shook the city.

It tore through the low clouds under the darkened sky.

A storm sucking toward the spot where we'd been repairing the road.

Kwaaaaa—!

A majestic shockwave.

Then a downpour of dirt.

As I puzzled over what happened, Rohbark settled his swirling mana calmly and shrugged at me.

"Your mission's done. I blew away that troublesome slope entirely. If bored, pave a new road. Though it's flat now, so maybe not."

"……!"

"Chairman and elders, remain here to evaluate Eternalism's mission results!"

Directly evaluating our academy's results.

That was Diaak Kirchheis and the Elder Council's role.

I saw Rohbark curl his lips slyly as he turned.

"Now I'm curious if you'll snag the special prize too."

Then he vanished.

I scratched my cheek.

Somehow, I'd hit the jackpot.

Never expected this...

'Not bad at all.'

But why'd he take the Watcher's bloodstone just like that?