Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Set's Plea and Aria's Dilemma
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"You're quite late."
"I'm a busy man with a ton of work on my plate."
I shrugged off Set's grumbling like it was nothing, and he frowned before changing the subject.
"...That's a gauntlet I haven't seen before. A gift from the Philador royal family?"
"Something like that."
"...Hmph. A martial artist wandering around without his own weapon. Pathetic."
"As you can see, I'm pretty capable even without one. Anyway."
I opened the door and said to Set,
"Don't just stand there—have a seat and let's talk. This is going to take a while."
"...Fine."
I pushed the door open, expecting an empty room, but there sat someone I never anticipated.
A woman gracefully sipping tea with impeccable poise.
"You're awfully late. I've been waiting quite a while."
It was Aria von Wendinel.
"...Isn't this my room?"
"It is. No one was here, so I let myself in. Sorry for the intrusion."
No, normally you don't just enter if no one's home.
While I was stunned by Aria's unconventional thought process, Set spoke up to her.
"Aria von Wendinel. Mind giving us the room? I need to talk to Jerome von Carviot."
"Oh my, what a coincidence. I came here to talk to Lord Jerome myself."
"......"
"......"
The brief silence was thick with tension, making it hard to breathe.
"...Ahem! If it's just chit-chat, yield to me a bit. This concerns the Vulcan Marquis House—no, the entire Osiris Kingdom."
Set's mentor apparently had influence over the whole Osiris Kingdom.
'This isn't just some casual teacher talk.'
But Aria didn't back down.
"Oh dear. I'm here to discuss something that could affect not just Duke Wendinel's house, but the Fran Kingdom—no, the entire alliance."
I could guess what she wanted to say.
'It's about the great magic armor, huh.'
Before heading to Philador Kingdom, Aria's father, Duke Wendinel, had said this about her reluctance to develop the great magic armor:
-So teach her. The despair when magic becomes useless.
...Or something like that.
It seemed the sudden appearance of the Turbid Stream Black Lion, Vladimir, and the battle that followed had given her some realization.
Both sides had their own weighty—truly important—issues.
"...Looks like both are things I need to hear. Why not do it together? It's not like it's a secret just among us anyway."
At my words, Set and Aria turned to me in unison.
I pointed at Set first.
"Set's story comes first. You arrived earlier and asked nicely, so let's hear yours."
"It's awkward with an outsider here, but... fine, whatever."
Set let out a small sigh and spoke.
"As I said, our family's mentor is in a bit of trouble."
He fiddled with his cup, then gripped it and channeled his Heterogenous Power, warming the tea instantly.
"That's your Extreme Yang, isn't it, Lord Set."
The Osiris Kingdom, unlike the continent's general trend, embraced Heterogenous Powers openly.
So they had no qualms displaying them.
"Right. As you know, Heterogenous Powers are typically awakened by Black Lions in those with potential. Do you know what they call the ones who can draw out that potential to its maximum?"
Of course I did. Karma, who awakened me, was one of them.
"You're talking about the Great Three Sages."
Set looked slightly surprised at my response.
"...You know about the Great Three Sages? Unexpected. Isn't Ikenia Kingdom one that rejects Heterogenous Powers?"
I shrugged at Set's question.
"That was the old days. Things have shifted a bit now. Anyway, one of the Great Three Sages is your mentor?"
Set nodded in affirmation.
"Yes. Ishvar, one of the Great Three Sages."
'Ishvar. Another heavyweight enters the picture.'
The top of the Great Three Sages was undoubtedly Azure Wing Karma, who also held the Three Wings.
No one on the continent could deny that.
But if you asked who produced the most Black Lions among them, every Black Lion would pick Ishvar without hesitation.
If Karma was the godfather of Black Lions, Ishvar was their mother.
"Another name I never expected. But how could I possibly solve Ishvar's problem? Osiris Kingdom is a powerhouse like ours, holding the alliance's eastern front. You must have talent to spare."
Of course, I had a rough idea why. Why Osiris couldn't step in.
Set bit his lip, hesitating, then gave the answer I expected.
"...I have my reasons for asking you, Lord Jerome. Our kingdom is in a situation like Philador's right now. No, far worse."
'As I thought.'
Set didn't go into details, but I knew.
The Osiris Kingdom rebellion.
It was an event from before my return, one reason the alliance crumbled so easily to the Empire.
"Osiris is split between Clear Stream and Turbid Stream factions in sharp conflict. Factional strife among Black Lions is nothing new. But lately, it's a powder keg ready to blow."
Set said it all started when Ishvar, who had kept things stable, began to falter.
"After Mentor Ishvar fell ill, Clear and Turbid Streams clashed fiercely. We wanted to focus on treating him, but House Yulan insists on passing his Heterogenous Power—Nurturing—to the next generation."
Nurturing.
The unique power of Ishvar among the Great Three Sages, drawing out Black Lions' potential to the max.
'Right after Ishvar's death in a few years, the Turbid Stream led by House Yulan would spark the rebellion.'
Then, as the civil war dragged on for years, the Holy Empire would rise.
Stopping this would prevent Osiris's national power from weakening due to rebellion.
"If we move, we won't have enough to protect him. But Lord Jerome, I saw potential in how you handled this Philador crisis."
Snap!
That arrogant Set bowed his head to me again.
"Please, Lord Jerome. Use the resourcefulness and quick thinking that quelled Philador's rebellion to save our mentor."
If Ishvar stayed strong, House Yulan's rebellion and civil war could be averted.
'Plus, I could earn a debt from half of Osiris.'
It was tempting.
But.
"I appreciate the high regard, but... Ishvar is a Great Sage. Surely it's not just some simple trouble?"
I couldn't bite just yet. Even if Clear Stream couldn't move freely, they had to spare some for a heavyweight like Ishvar.
So it was one of two things.
Clear Stream secretly wanted Ishvar gone, or.
'Solving Ishvar's issue can't be done with half-measures.'
"......"
Set bit his lip as if reluctant, then sighed shortly.
"...He was poisoned by Black Wing's Mineral Toxin. We're holding it back with everything we've got, but it's three years at best, five at worst."
'Black Wing behind the Osiris rebellion?'
I'd thought it was just Turbid Stream's revolt. Black Wing pulling strings?
'...Need to dig deeper.'
There might be ties between Turbid Stream and the Holy Empire too.
"Black Wing's power isn't public, but his Mineral Toxin can't be cured normally. We can't even identify the components."
"...True. Mineral Toxin threatens even those on the throne."
Set nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Only one thing on this continent can cure it."
"...You're talking about paeonia?"
"Yes."
"You're insane. Do you even know where to find it?"
Paeonia.
A legendary herb said to have healed gods' wounds in myth.
It could surely handle Black Wing's toxin.
Set's judgment was sound, but the problem was.
"...It only grows in the Punish Archipelago."
The archipelago, one of the continent's forbidden zones, ruled by the pirate king who ascended the throne—never conquered in history's demon isle.
Paeonia grew only in small amounts at its heart.
Hence priceless, but money wasn't the issue.
"...You think that's possible?"
I shot back incredulously, and Set scratched his head sheepishly.
He knew it was absurd.
"...I'm not asking you to storm the islands now. With your resourcefulness, Lord Jerome, I figured you could snag some of the paeonia circulating on the continent."
That was the sane response.
Who'd demand harvesting wild paeonia from the islands? A madman.
But.
I was that madman with the solution.
I just wanted to squeeze more out of Set, so I piled on the pressure.
'Once I take over Olivia territory, I'll need the archipelago anyway. Their navigation skills are key to beating the Empire.'
Grabbing paeonia as a bonus was icing.
'One more reason to claim the archipelago.'
Hiding my thoughts, I feigned contemplation before nodding slowly.
"...Don't get your hopes too high. But if I manage it, I'll do my utmost to deliver it to House Vulcan."
Set's face lit up.
"Great! Thanks, Lord Jerome!"
A kid not even twenty, thrilled to borrow my hand.
'House Vulcan isn't weak. This shows how tough the fight with House Yulan is.'
Drowning men grasp at straws.
Wrapping up with Set, I turned to Aria.
"So, what do you need from me, Lady Aria?"
"Uh... well..."
Aria, having heard everything, wore a complicated expression.
"......?"
"Um, it's..."
She hesitated.
"What's wrong? It's about the great magic armor, right?"
I prodded to draw her out, but her face darkened further.
"Y-yes, but... During this journey, I realized magic isn't everything, so I thought we needed it and did some research. And..."
She kept trailing off. I put on a serious face.
"Is it impossible to make?"
Aria, a genius rivaling Princess Siera in magic, hesitating this much? Was developing an anti-magic weapon that hard?
Contrary to my guess, she shook her head.
"No, not that. After studying the runes, production seems feasible."
Good news. Then why the long face?
"But."
Her next words cleared it up.
"One key material is wyvern wing membrane."
"...Ah."
Wyvern wing membrane.
Wyvern.
The most aggressive, fearsome monster even in Dragon Mountains, and among the strongest.
Meaning.
Deep in the Dragon Mountains.
To get it, dive deep and hunt one.
"...What the fuck."
Why is this happening to me?