Chapter 341
Chapter 341
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 341
>Chapter Title: ……That's Not Wrong, Is It?
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“We’ll meet again.”
As if to prove that what I’d said before wasn’t a lie, my farewell with Damian was straightforward.
“Friend.”
“Yeah.”
“Take care. We’ll see each other soon.”
A short greeting, and one handshake.
Damian then exchanged greetings with Evelyn before departing with the Blandoga retainers.
‘I’m not sure if we’ll see each other soon or not, but…’
I didn’t bother tacking on any qualifiers.
I was looking forward to the reunion just as much as he was.
As I watched Damian receding into the distance, Evelyn came up beside me and asked a question.
“When do we leave?”
“Soon.”
Where to?
Our destination was Arapurugin land.
I’d pondered what to tackle first after graduation, and right now, Arapurugin land was the top priority.
‘I need to secure a base camp site too.’
But before setting out, I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.
‘Did I forget anything?’
For starters, I’d said goodbye to the principal senior. And to Teheman senior as well.
I hadn’t bothered seeing Muspellun senior, but I’d exchanged farewells with Obern instead.
‘Senior, senior,’ while his eyes welled up with tears…
‘…He really can’t adapt.’
Part of me wanted to slip away quietly, but I dreaded Muspellun senior’s fallout.
For all his broad-mindedness, that man turns narrow when it comes to his disciple.
‘And see you later…’
For reference, Professors Parun and Pelina had agreed to join us in Arapurugin later.
They had academy business to wrap up, plus lab equipment and all sorts of preparations—not just one or two things.
‘And Hickster said he’d join us in Arapurugin too?’
Something about family matters.
In any case, I’d handled everything that needed doing at the academy. I double-checked just in case, but nothing was overlooked.
Which meant all that was left was to depart.
On a sudden whim, I glanced around.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nah, it’s nothing.”
Leaving didn’t feel regrettable.
Not regrettable, and yet…
The academy grounds were packed with graduating students and their families, a sea of people.
Taking in the sight, one realization hit me.
“We’re the only ones nobody came to see off.”
The words slipped out unbidden.
Evelyn let out a small chuckle.
“It’s fine. We’ve got the Magic Tower.”
Just a throwaway line, but for some reason.
It stung my heart.
Yeah, we’ve got the Magic Tower.
That should be enough.
‘But…’
“…We?”
“Yes?”
“No, I mean, it’s not ‘we,’ is it? The Magic Tower’s mine.”
“…”
Evelyn went quiet.
“…”
So did I.
A chill silence descended between ‘us.’ The sole pocket of quiet amid the boisterous surroundings.
Within that silent space, Evelyn and I silently drank each other in with our eyes.
I was the first to speak.
“…That’s not wrong, is it.”
There was no reply.
In any case.
‘Let’s go.’
To the promised land flowing with milk and honey—Arapurugin!
* * *
Arapurugin.
With the Hamern Great Forest now stabilized, attention on it had plummeted, but the land’s value remained unchanged.
So, how much value?
“At least three-tenths of the magic materials flooding the market.”
“…Three-tenths?”
“Yes. That’s the expert analysis—it can produce around three-tenths of the supply.”
“Damn.”
Inside the carriage heading toward the Arapurugin development site.
I let out a sigh.
“They can pull that much?”
“Yes. Though it’s just statistical estimates, so who knows how it’ll play out in reality… That’s the current assessment.”
That raised a question.
“Is that figure for the entire Arapurugin Mountains?”
“Yes.”
“Then, how much can our section yield?”
“Ours… let’s see.”
Evelyn rifled through the stack of documents before finding what she wanted and speaking up.
“Roughly one-tenth?”
“One-tenth?”
“Yes, it says close to one-tenth. Again, just stats, so not exact. As I mentioned earlier, the surveys…”
“Got it, they’re a pain?”
“Yes.”
What made them a pain?
The flying monsters inhabiting Arapurugin.
To gauge its potential value, mages had to scan the whole area from the air, but those monsters threw a wrench in it.
As a result, they could only observe limited zones and extrapolate averages—which was why the data was unreliable.
In other words, really…
‘Whether it’s three-tenths or one-tenth, nobody actually knows.’
The trap of averages.
If the scanned spots happened to be resource-rich and everywhere else barren, yields would fall way short of expectations…
‘But the reverse, and it’s a goldmine.’
Still, setting aside the imprecision, one-tenth wasn’t chump change.
However.
“…”
Mid-conversation, I stared straight at Evelyn.
Inside the carriage.
Just the two of us passengers.
A wyvern slumbered at my side. For the record, Rayleigh was at the reins.
But the lineup wasn’t the issue.
Evelyn was.
“Uh… still mad?”
“Pardon? Why would I be mad?”
“Well…”
If she wasn’t mad, then what was with never meeting my eyes even once?
It had been days since leaving Hazen, and throughout, Evelyn had thoroughly ignored me.
But she wasn’t mad?
Look at her now. She answered, but her gaze angled off at forty-five degrees. Like she was talking to someone else.
“For real?”
“Yes, for real.”
“Tch.”
I smacked my lips at Evelyn’s response.
“Why would I be mad? It’s not like there was anything to get mad about. And… how could I possibly get mad? At the Magic Tower Lord?”
“Ah, yeah?”
Right, that eased my mind a bit.
“I thought you were pissed.”
These past few days had left me uneasy, but if she wasn’t mad, relief.
In any case.
“Hmm, so what I need to handle when we get there…”
“The top priority is securing the base camp site. Where and how we set it up will decide if we hit that full one-tenth or not. And…”
“And?”
“Nothing big.”
Evelyn continued, her gaze still angled at forty-five degrees.
“The investors sent representatives.”
I cocked my head.
“Representatives?”
“Yes.”
Investors weren’t just one or two.
The Third Princess Bellrose, Archduke Muspellun, the Blandoga patriarch and Lortel the young patriarch, the Gale Moon spirit user, Jenion Academy’s principal and Rapiter’s librarian, plus Storm Wings and Kalia Mercenaries, and the Hamern Great Forest mercenaries.
So which of them sent reps?
Not the mercenaries, probably.
‘They’re stationed in Arapurugin anyway. No need to send reps.’
Their investment wasn’t huge either.
I started eliminating options when Evelyn added,
“Four in total.”
“Four…”
“The Third Princess, the Archduke, and Lortel’s young patriarch.”
“Hmm.”
Meaning the heavy hitters had dispatched reps. But not the Blandoga patriarch?
He trusted me that mu—
Evelyn’s voice cut in right then.
“Oh, and the Blandoga patriarch will send his soon.”
“Hmm. Gotcha.”
Yeah, figures.
Among the four big investors, he was the one who trusted me the least.
But.
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Looks like you’ll need to pay some attention to them, Aster. The Archduke’s rep… ah, you’ve met him a few times? That Gale Moon mage who’s been helping me out.”
“Yeah.”
The guy who’d spin yarns about his son and grandkids.
He was the one effectively spearheading the Arapurugin development right now, filling in for Evelyn’s absence.
“He’s friendly to our side, but the other two… no, three, I’m not sure about. The Third Princess’s side… well, you know how crafty nobles can be.”
“Yeah.”
Relations between Bellrose and me aside, any noble she sent as rep could harbor ulterior motives.
“And Lortel’s young patriarch…”
“Sent a personal pick, so hard to say. You get in touch with Lortel’s young patriarch?”
“Nope, haven’t.”
“Blandoga side’s a mystery too?”
“Yeah. Can’t exactly ask Damian.”
And I had zero desire to contact Patriarch Leodis.
Anyway, I could tell what Evelyn was getting at.
“Want me to straighten them out?”
“Yes.”
Exactly.
“As investor reps, they need to sign off on any major funding moves.”
In short, they could nitpick over nothing and stall the project.
‘They’re not idiots, so they won’t go too far, but…’
You know how it is.
Need to lay down the law.
Worst case, they might scrap among themselves over turf.
Either way, it’d drag down Arapurugin development.
“Straightening ’em out won’t be hard.”
I had justice on my side.
“And…”
“And?”
“Nothing. I’ll check things out on-site and let you know.”
“…?”
Something was up.
The thought flickered, but I let it go. If Evelyn wasn’t saying, she had her reasons.
In any case.
‘Base camp site and sorting out the reps. Two big tasks.’
Not bad.
Securing the site just meant pounding monsters.
Sorting reps was similar.
Only difference: monsters or people.
And after that…
‘Lie back and watch the money roll in.’
A grin crept onto my face.
Felt good.
That aside.
I quietly took in the sleeping wyvern.
‘How long is this guy gonna sleep?’
Curled up tight, snoring away—it hadn’t stirred once in days.
I’d tried waking it out of worry, but no dice.
Vitals seemed fine, so I’d been keeping watch, but by now, concern was inevitable.
Especially since.
Grind… crick.
The mana flow visible inside it was bizarre too.
‘…Tch, seems no real issue.’
Guess I’d have to monitor it a while longer.
Putting the wyvern issue aside, I sank back into thoughts of Arapurugin land.
“Hope it all goes smooth.”
Ideally, our development zone would hit the jackpot.
That way, investors would pour in more cash, scale up big.
And that bigger scale would shield the Magic Tower.
That’s when.
Rattle, rattle… clunk.
“…”
The carriage began slowing.
As I tilted my head, Rayleigh’s voice came from the driver’s seat.
“Uh, Aster sir?”
“Yeah?”
“Somethin’ seems off, yeah?”
“Off?”
That’s when it hit.
A thunderous voice boomed from outside… no, a seriously thunderous one.
“Intruders, hear this! Lay down your arms and surrender peacefully!”
…Intruders? Surrender?
“What the hell is this?”
This was an ownerless plain en route to the Arapurugin Mountains. If it had an owner, the emperor maybe.
And intruders?
It was so absurd I scowled. Evelyn let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
“Probably… the Drmusi Viscount House.”
“Drmusi?”
“Yes.”
Evelyn seemed to know something.