Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 106
>Chapter Title: Were We That Close?
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- How about bringing down just one prestigious magic house alongside me?
After the Grand Duchess's bombshell statement, a heavy silence descended upon the room.
“…….”
The Grand Duchess sat perfectly still, her deep eyes fixed intently on her counterpart.
In truth, this was an incredibly dangerous remark.
Prestigious magic house.
No matter that she was the Grand Duchess of the Ramburg Archduchy, the legitimate heir to the Ramburg Principality—such a house's position went beyond mere "family." It defied simple definition.
The scale of their territory was irrelevant.
It was the magical knowledge they had amassed over long centuries, and the mage corps forged from it.
Regardless of numbers, in war, they wielded overwhelming might.
And now, the Grand Duchess of Ramburg was declaring her intent to topple one?
The moment word spread, every prestigious magic house across the continent would turn their scrutiny upon her. It was plain as day.
A foolish statement.
Reckless, too.
But.
‘…….’
The Grand Duchess showed no sign of grasping the weight of her words, remaining utterly as she always was.
Her signature arrogance in those eyes. That languid air. Her impassive face was the picture of composure.
Yet the Grand Duchess was anything but reckless.
Those dull-seeming words and actions, that apparent detachment—it was all an innate mask.
Beneath lay meticulous calculation.
So for such a woman to drop a bombshell on Aster, several factors were at play.
First.
Ramburg Principality.
The future she envisioned for Ramburg demanded a great many exceptional talents.
Thus...
- That mad master of yours... created an absurd monster.
Having witnessed Aster and Destrow's fierce clash—the final spell in particular—it was only natural she'd seek to recruit him.
Second.
It concerned Aster's physical condition.
Aster?
Impressive.
That pillar of flame shooting toward the heavens—it followed a trajectory utterly unlike conventional magic.
Even she herself lacked confidence in withstanding it head-on. But...
- Mind if I take a quick look?
The state of Aster's body as she'd examined it then was one not even a grand archmage—or their grandfather—could recover from in short order.
……Such audacious phrasing.
Reckless, but—
……Silencing through murder.
A confidence born of knowing she could eliminate the threat if needed.
Of course, murder was the worst option.
Schwarts's Death Knights. They might disdain killing one another, and Aster wasn't even one of them, but...
New Moon Emblem.
Aster was the one who had endured an abomination even the Death Knights could not.
Borrowed or not, who lends such a thing lightly?
The wrath of Schwarts that would follow his death would burden even her as Grand Duchess.
But only burden.
‘It’s not beyond my capacity.’
For now, Aster's reaction was what mattered.
Though his mask hid his expression, his first words would reveal everything.
Tap, tap.
“Your answer... is taking quite some time.”
The Grand Duchess drummed her fingers on the armrest, pressing Aster for a response.
Meanwhile.
Zzzzt.
The core's mana stirred subtly.
Cold power laced with ice primed to pierce Aster's throat at any moment.
It was around then that Aster's mouth opened.
“‘One prestigious magic house’... You mean there’s no specific target in mind?”
“……?”
“Then how about I recommend one? There’s this pack of utter bastards called the Decullan Family...”
A faint glint of interest flickered in eyes long clouded with irritation.
In the brief time she'd observed him these past few days, Aster had struck her as half-hearted in all things.
But now...
“No, if you’re going to hit one anyway, right? Why not go for some big fish?”
His eyes sparkled. Like a fish on its last breath suddenly revived, his voice brimmed with vigor.
“…….”
The Grand Duchess, caught off guard by the utterly unexpected response, lost her grip on her mana.
Whoosh.
Blood surged to her chin, though not severely—she quickly suppressed it... or tried to, but Aster gave her no quarter.
“Hm? Not that? Then the Bimar Family... oh, they’re already gone. What about the Rockfell House? They’re decent enough, aren’t they? Or...”
Names of prestigious magic houses poured from his lips.
Strictly speaking, not quite.
They called themselves "prestigious magic houses," but they were a tier below, unworthy of true noble status.
Yet they shared one trait.
All of them...
Decullan Family.
Vassal houses to Decullan, the foremost prestigious magic house in the eastern continent.
“…….”
This time, the Grand Duchess clamped her mouth shut.
But Aster offered no patient wait like she had.
“Hey... did you swallow some honey or what?”
The immediate jab flew her way.
Crack.
Unable to endure, the Grand Duchess unwittingly crushed the armrest.
She'd heard of such types before. Annoying bastards who grated no matter what they said.
“Hey, are you deaf? Did you eat your ears? Or do I say ‘did you eat them’ in cases like this?”
Her speech had shifted to curt informal.
‘…….’
The Grand Duchess tallied inwardly.
If she killed him now. How would Master Schwarts's fury manifest?
What losses would she bear, what preparations were needed?
But then.
Fortune or misfortune?
Knock knock.
Someone had come to Aster's lodgings.
Creeeak—
“Hic, wizard, sir, hic, care for a drink with me...? Uh...? Huh?”
Flen, stinking of booze, bottle in one hand, two glasses in the other. Spotting the Grand Duchess, he jolted back in alarm.
“Uh, d-did I interrupt something?”
Normally he'd shut the door and leave, but deep in his cups, Flen didn't release the knob.
“Sh-should I... give you two some space?”
Even knowing he'd intruded, his resolve to share a drink with Aster burned.
Even facing the "Grand Duchess," his shamelessness knew no bounds.
A determination only the drunk could muster.
“I... hic, gonna go? Hic, leaving?”
Regret flickered in Flen's eyes as the Grand Duchess spoke.
“Commander, this is not the misunderstanding you imagine.”
“……Ah-ha!”
Flen's face lit up instantly.
“But... if you value your life, forget even that you thought it was one.”
“Ah-ha......”
So plastered he scarcely grasped the words.
Brushing past Flen, the Grand Duchess glanced at Aster.
“I shall await your thoughts on the priest's proposal.”
“......Sure.”
“And... the priest would do well to consider carefully. Much time remains before the great undertaking.”
With a promise for later, the Grand Duchess withdrew.
Creeeak, click.
‘Wizard sir, is it okay? I just can’t drink alone today, you see. Hic.’
The drunkard's voice drifted from beyond the door.
After a few steps, she paused and turned.
‘......Decullan?’
The name dropped so casually. Decullan Family. Even as a Ramburg citizen, one untouchable—the eastern continent's premier prestigious magic house.
‘To utter that name without hesitation...’
Was it truly the bearer of the New Moon Emblem? No, such words couldn't be dismissed so simply.
A roundabout refusal, then? ......No.
- Then how about I recommend one? There’s this pack of utter bastards called the Decullan Family...
That look in his eyes. That vibe. He hadn't said it outright, but the atmosphere screamed it.
If she struck Decullan... he'd jump in without hesitation to lend a hand.
An utterly unfathomable man.
But one thing was clear.
‘......I cannot take him in.’
Unspoken, but she already had her target "prestigious magic house" to topple.
Their aims diverged.
Still.
No real regret.
For through this exchange, the Grand Duchess had gained one insight.
‘......A madman.’
Face unknown, name unknown, but the existence of a "mad wizard" was quite the harvest from her perspective.
[Person of Interest]
Name: ???
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Traits: Gray hair / Rude as hell
Grating way of speaking / Fire mana(?) / Perpetually bored eyes / Short stature
Soon to be added to the Ramburg Principality's "Person of Interest Registry."
Threat level...
Threat Level: ★★★★★
Five out of five stars.
* * *
Good fortune breeds calamity. Even fine things face endless interference, demanding trials to come to pass?
‘Damn......’
Creeeak, click.
After the Grand Duchess left, I swallowed a curse at the new uninvited guest.
“Wizard sir, is it okay? I just can’t drink alone today, you see. Hic.”
No good fortune in sight, just endless annoyances piling up.
Nothing I even wanted to realize, yet these storms kept crashing one after another.
“Wizard sir, truly...... yes? Truly, thank you. Thanks to you, our Victima brothers...... yes?”
Usually so composed, but booze turns him into a dog.
Plopping down uninvited, he set glasses on the table...... and chugged straight from the bottle.
“Gulp...... Wizard sir, have a drink, yes? Hic.”
If he was just gonna blow his own horn, why bring glasses?
At least he was a dog who played well alone. No need for me to chat; he muttered to himself just fine.
“Truly...... truly! Thank you. Sob sob, our Harlig Chief was a trash human, an utter bastard not worth associating with...... but still...... he wasn’t the sort to go out like that......”
Seems he had a lot bottled up. Tears streamed as he emptied the bottle......
Seeing him like that, even I felt a pang.
That’s why ‘Were we that close?’ nearly slipped out but stayed down.
Anyway.
‘Grand Duchess...... if you’re gonna go mad, at least do it gracefully.’
Prestigious magic house? Hell, their insides are crystal clear without looking. Trying to use whom as hunting dogs?
And...
‘My body’s wrecked, but my senses aren’t dulled.’
She thought she’d hidden her killing intent, but she couldn’t fool mine.
Daring to, hm? Pull tricks in front of the sky-high grand archmage...... well, half-baked. No, a quarter at best.
Still, a grand archmage.
A bit disappointing, though.
‘The Archduchy versus Decullan would’ve been a sight.’
The Principality, that is. A notch below a kingdom, but undeniably a recognized nation.
Honestly, I was curious.
Decullan Family. I know they’re tough, but how well could they hold against a principality?
‘Spectating a fight like that is entertainment in itself.’
But from her vibe...... not looking promising for my hopes.
A deflating encounter, you might say?
Anyway.
I decided to put my thoughts on the Grand Duchess meeting to rest here.
Seemed unlikely we'd tangle again soon, and she wouldn't pester more.
Just one immediate problem: this guy.
“And, hic. There was this guy named Kasen. Total trash. But even so, not the type to go out like that......”
Starting with "Harlig Chief," Flen rattled off Second Base Camp mercenaries one by one.
Even without me listening, he kept going.
The gist was always the same. Names changed, but "was trash" started it, "not the sort to go out like that" ended it.
‘You...... don’t remember your members at all, do you?’ nearly burst out but stayed my secret.
But.
‘What to do with this mutt.’
I stared at the dogged man.
Leave him be, and he'd list every unknown Second Base Camp member, insulting them himself.
Too pathetic to chase out, though.
No matter how much, I didn’t want to beat a wounded man and boot him. Not my job to heal him; if spewing healed him...
But.
‘Were we...... that close?’—the doubt surging to my lips was unavoidable.
And...... I overlooked something here.
“So wizard sir, I...... urp, urp—!”
“Y-you dog......!”
Something else was surging to his lips—not just mine.
Good fortune breeds calamity. A cursed day where only demons appeared.
The problem...
‘These damn mercenaries.’
The sun had just begun to set.
Hamern Great Forest's nights fell faster than elsewhere. Current time: barely past 5...... early evening's early evening.
Anyway.
“Mmph, mmph!”
Lightning-fast hands. First, seal that yap, then pat his belly.
Thud, thud.
Two to the solar plexus.
Thwap.
One to the nape.
Slump.
Luckily, Flen swallowed it down without spewing. I gently propped the limp corpse(?) outside the door.
Like an animal marking territory.
—Mess with me and end up like this.
A totem, say.
......But why?
No effect whatsoever. Worse, maybe backfiring?
“Ha-ha-ha! Nights like this call for drinks, eh? I’ll show you Aviot’s brew!”
The "real" uninvited rush began after I set up the totem.