Chapter 310
Chapter 310
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 310
>Chapter Title: The Core Was Burning
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The banquet came to a successful close.
As Bellrose listened to her aides report on the nobles' reactions, she calmly pondered her next moves.
……This is just the beginning.
Power brought wealth, honor, and might in its wake, but sometimes wealth, honor, and might could summon power as well.
And the Council of 72 and Aster had provided Bellrose with more than enough might to secure that power.
Now, it was entirely up to her how to wield it.
"That's all for today. We'll discuss the rest tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Bellrose stepped out of the banquet hall's lounge and headed somewhere else.
She crossed the wide corridor to the private room where she had briefly slipped away earlier.
The banquet was over, but she still had unfinished business.
"You're here?"
Aster was lounging on the sofa just as before, crunching on peanuts.
Bellrose gazed at him for a moment before turning her eyes to the old man reading a book across from him.
"Sir Mysern, it's been a while."
"Hmm…… You recognized me?"
"Yes. Right here……"
Bellrose pointed to the back of her own hand, and Mysern's gaze fell to his own.
There was a half-moon scar on the back of Mysern's hand.
"Heh heh, well…… I should have been more careful. It's been since the late Emperor passed. I should have come to pay my respects sooner, but this fool was negligent."
"No, I'm grateful you helped in this way."
"Helped……"
Mysern gave a wry smile.
In truth, he was here because Aster had tricked him into it.
Even after learning it was the Third Princess's event, he had no intention of stepping forward.
So, receiving thanks felt awkward……
"Your senior came with me, so shouldn't you thank me instead?"
A brief silence.
"How have you been?"
"Yes, and you, Sir Mysern……"
As if by prior agreement, Bellrose and Mysern exchanged reunion greetings as though they couldn't hear Aster, then took their seats.
In truth, for Bellrose, this was the real tough part ahead.
Why?
The Council of 72.
This was the meeting to discuss the price for borrowing their power.
But before diving in, Bellrose had something to confirm.
"Aster, can you answer honestly?"
……?
"The Council of 72—I thought it was something you hastily put together. More like a front organization. But……"
Bellrose's gaze shifted to Mysern.
He sipped his tea without a flicker of reaction—a silent signal that the answer lay with Aster.
Bellrose understood and continued.
"The Council of 72—does it really exist? If it does, what's its scale…… No, does it have a leader?"
This was crucial for Bellrose.
If the Council of 72 truly existed and Aster was its fourth-in-command, that meant there were three others above him, equals or superiors.
Not just Aster, either.
If the 'Spirit Master of the Raging Wind' was eighth, what about the rest?
Perhaps……
Yes.
The Raging Moon.
The Bear-Eaten Moon.
It could mean backing from a group rivaling the empire's greatest mage corps in history.
Even just borrowing the name would vastly expand her range of action.
So, Bellrose couldn't help but hold out hope.
But.
"The Council of 72 doesn't exist."
……Ah.
"Senior Mysern just happened to join. Truth is, the Council of 72 is basically just me…… a parasite, and one mage."
"A parasite? A mage?"
"Yeah, those kinds exist."
"Hmm."
Bellrose mulled over Aster's words for a moment before asking again.
"Then, Aster. What's your exact level?"
"My level…… Hmm."
He pondered briefly.
He had shown some power taking down Earl Erzin, but admitting it himself was another matter.
But.
- A grand archmage who reached transcendence at fifteen. Spreading that around might be fine too.
Recalling Shain's words, Aster stated the fact plainly.
"Transcendence."
……Transcendence?
"I only just reached it, and I'm still unskilled, but it's definitely transcendence."
"Ah……"
This sigh held a different meaning from before.
When she learned the Council of 72 was fake, it was disappointment.
Now, it was the thrill of expectations met.
Aster's voice rang in her ears right then.
"But…… is that okay with you?"
……?
"The Council of 72 aside, now you know my true level for sure. Doesn't that change the initial calculations?"
What did that mean?
His price had gone up.
Realizing it late, Bellrose let out an 'ah' of realization.
Honestly, she had steeled herself for it.
If Aster was transcendent, she would pay the fitting price—whatever it was, she was prepared.
A grand archmage wasn't the type to haggle over costs anyway.
But now that she knew he was one, her mind went blank.
And for good reason—the background she'd glimpsed on Aster was as mysterious as his power.
Why not?
His personal might already surpassed transcendence, he was close to the young heir of the renowned Blandoga family, connected to the 'Spirit Master of the Raging Wind.' And that was just the start—the principal Schubertz of the Raging Moon…… and likely even Grand Duke Muspellun.
What could someone like that possibly want?
"Has…… the price changed from before?"
Bellrose asked tensely.
"Probably couldn't stay the same, right?"
"Then…… can you tell me what it is?"
"Sure, that's easy."
Aster casually named two things.
First.
"Block the Second Prince. I got involved to help you because of him at your inauguration. I want you to be the bulwark against the Second Prince."
"But…… couldn't you borrow Grand Duke Muspellun's power for that……"
"Testing me?"
Aster chuckled lightly and answered straightforwardly.
No reason to hide it from Bellrose.
"Senior Muspellun is tied up elsewhere and can't spare the effort. He's blocking the Second Black-White Slums and more. Anyway, first condition—got it?"
……Yes, I understand.
Truthfully, there was no need to understand or not—it was something she had to do anyway, now that she'd allied with Aster.
The problem was the second.
"Second…… Hmm."
Aster trailed off, lost in thought.
He seemed torn on whether to say it, but his mouth opened soon enough.
"Pick one of the two."
"One of two?"
"Yeah."
Truth be told, the second condition was a fresh idea he'd just come up with.
'Honestly…… I had a lot to think about.'
The Third Princess more than earned her keep just blocking the Second Prince. Leveraging imperial influence was extra profit.
But settling for that felt like bad business.
'Taking goods would be too stingy.'
Then, it hit him.
A way to get everything without taking anything.
And that was this.
"One, join the Council of 72."
"Council of 72……?"
Bellrose tilted her head.
Didn't you say it was fake?
But Aster wasn't done.
"Two, join the Magic Tower."
"Magic Tower…… what's that?"
Aster explained.
"It's the tower I'm building—basically the parent body of the Council of 72. Oh, and keep this to yourself. Got it?"
"Yes, I got it, but……"
Join one of the two?
"But aren't you the head of both groups anyway, Aster?"
"Right."
……Ah.
Bellrose sighed.
And then she recalled that filthy balance game the academy kids gossiped about……
Shit stew or stew shit.
……What was that look?
"No…… nothing."
Bellrose shook her head, her voice drooping like a dog out for a walk in the sweltering heat.
"So, which one will you join?"
……Sir Mysern isn't part of the Council of 72, right?
Aster thought for a moment, then replied.
"I'll put you in the Council of 72 starting today, sure."
……Junior, who said you decide?
"Just the name, just the name."
Mysern looked deeply displeased but held back harsh words in front of the Third Princess.
Anyway.
"So, what'll it be?"
……The Council of 72 it is.
At those words, Mysern sighed deeply with a defeated look.
Bellrose had looked half-dead from the start.
But only one person.
Aster alone bloomed with a smile.
"Then, think of a number you like."
"Could that be……"
"Yeah, that's your rank. By the way, nothing above '4.' Wait, no—1, 2, 3 are taken, so not above but below? Anyway."
Bellrose murmured.
"X-pal."
……Huh? Did you just curse……?
"No, I like 18th."
……Yeah, figured.
"Yes, that's it."
Aster accepted Bellrose's answer readily.
And so.
'Third Princess, Council of 72, captured.'
……Success.
The moment the Council of 72 took in imperial blood.
* * *
Time flew by once more.
The academy students dove into finals prep right after midterms, and the weather gradually cooled.
Trees thick with green donned vibrant fall colors, and the sky grew higher, bluer.
But amid the flow of time, it wasn't just the seasons that changed.
- Hey, you hear? About Her Highness the Third Princess……
- Council of 72, right? They say it's her blade…… Even a grand archmage is only fourth.
Day by day, Bellrose's stature rose.
Her forces swelled beyond compare.
Meanwhile, the Second Black-White Slums, now under Grand Duke Muspellun's domain, developed daily with imperial support—no longer resembling the slums at all.
Unbelievable change in so short a time.
Damian's magic skills rose steadily too. ……While Chenbi and Evelyn still flirted with death via exams.
And so, in this peaceful stretch.
News arrived—good tidings for some, ill for others.
- The war between Lortel and Decullan draws to a close.
The clash of the two great houses, begun in the bitter winter, was finally ending.
When word spread across the empire.
……
Aster gazed up at the clear blue sky.
Even in peace, the core was burning.