Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: A Request from the Wendinel Ducal Family
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-To the head of the esteemed Carviot Count Family, Bacchus von Carviot. From the Wendinel Ducal Family of the Fran Kingdom.
"...What is this?"
The letter looked like a hassle just from the outside. Instinctively, the question slipped out before I even took it.
Judging by your expression, you don't want to take it. But there's no helping it. This time, head to the Philador Kingdom on behalf of the Five Nations Alliance.
Ah. Already annoying.
As my face scrunched up, Father added one more thing.
"By the way, it's a Rank 2 mission. You have no right to refuse, so just give up and open it."
...Damn it.
A Rank 2 mission was the level issued when it could have significant internal or external impact on the family.
No one except the territory lord could refuse it.
Refusing it would be tantamount to denying one's affiliation with the Carviot Count Family.
Reluctantly, I took the letter and opened it.
Rustle!
-Dear Carviot Count, greetings. This is the Wendinel Duke of the Fran Kingdom.
...[Omitted]... Therefore, I request that the person in charge responding to the Philador Kingdom's request head to the capital together with my daughter, Aria von Wendinel.
"......?"
What did I just read?
I rubbed my eyes without thinking and read the letter's contents once more.
After all the flowery greetings, the final sentence came into view.
-...Head to the capital together with Aria von Wendinel.
No matter how many times I looked, the disappointing content hadn't changed.
"Father, what... is this?"
Whether my brain was refusing to accept it or not, no matter how many times I read it, I couldn't comprehend the sentence.
In the end, I had no choice but to ask the one who delivered it.
"As you can see, it's a request for cooperation. Given the family making the request, our family can't ignore it."
That makes sense.
This family held no small stake in the alliance, after all.
Naturally, a cooperation request from them warranted a Rank 2 mission.
Yeah, I could accept that.
But.
"No, why on earth would they request something like this from us?"
I shot back at Father out of frustration, but his response was cold.
"How should I know? They're our allies, so there must be some circumstances. Figuring that out is part of your mission too."
Father's mouth twitched oddly as he spoke curtly.
Ah, this guy.
He's enjoying this right now. Definitely.
"Well then, off you go."
"...The Wendinel Ducal Family."
Crackle!
Recalling the conversation with Father, my grip tightened on the firewood I was about to toss into the campfire.
A nostalgic name. How could I forget it?
There was no way I could.
The Fran Kingdom.
Just as the Sharon Kingdom was famous for slaves and the Dalton Kingdom for weapons, it was one of the Five Nations Alliance renowned for mass-produced goods.
Mass-produced goods might sound vague, but narrowing it down—it was the kingdom famous for 'magic artifacts'.
A land renowned for all sorts of magic and engineering.
Among them, the Wendinel Ducal Family was one of the top contenders in the Fran Kingdom—no, across the entire continent—in terms of magic.
A family whose prestige across the southern alliance was in no way inferior to ours.
'Why does this feel ominous?'
My unease stemmed from the fact that it was, of all people, the Wendinel Ducal Family.
It would be stranger if I didn't know such a prestigious and renowned family on par with ours.
But I knew of the ducal family for a slightly different reason.
A reason known only to me on this continent.
The mage of the Crimson Flame from the fallen kingdom who killed my past life's self, Viscount Wendinel, hailed from this family.
I pulled out the letter again and read it.
The name etched clearly at the end.
-...Head to the capital together with Aria von Wendinel.
"...What kind of twisted fate is this?"
Aria von Wendinel.
That was the full name of the Crimson Flame mage, Viscount Wendinel.
Due to the things I'd done, history was shifting bit by bit.
The connections and grudges from the past were gradually intertwining once more.
How should I take this?
'Well, this is normal, I suppose.'
I wasn't the only one who could think ahead.
The opponents I'd face were figures from the coming future: the empire's monstrous emperor, the demon pope.
How many stellar talents would surround those who reached the pinnacle of the empire?
It didn't make sense for such people to act exactly as they did in the past, no matter what I did.
This incident was the same.
The cultivation method I gave Marquis Midas. Thanks to it, he gained the power to make the Nile soar, and because of that, he was now on the verge of crisis.
'Does the marquis resent me, or does he welcome it?'
Thud!
Putting an end to such pointless thoughts, I tucked the letter into my bosom and tossed the firewood beside me into the campfire.
"Whether it's inevitable or coincidence, it doesn't matter."
If the future changed, I just had to walk my path steadfastly in line with the altered future.
With my resolve firm, I stared blankly at the flames while waiting for Miron.
Rustle!
A sound came from the bushes.
"Ah, Miron. You're back sooner than I thought... Huh?"
I responded assuming it was Miron returning, but the silhouette that appeared was that of a perfectly normal-sized person, unlike Miron's massive shadow.
Turning my head toward the direction of the shadow, there stood a man much smaller than Miron.
"Wa... Wa..."
The gaunt man let out a strangled gasp and...
Thud!
...collapsed on the spot, unconscious.
"Whew, thanks to you, I survived."
A short while after the man collapsed.
Miron returned with a large wild boar slung over his shoulder and slowly poured the water he'd fetched into the man's mouth.
As his mouth filled with cool water, the man's eyes snapped open. He came to his senses and immediately started chattering away shamelessly.
Swipe-
Of course, he slyly reached for the boar meat as a bonus.
Well, there was plenty of meat, so sharing some didn't matter.
"No hind legs."
But I wouldn't yield the legs.
"...Ahaha, my bad. My apologies."
The man awkwardly withdrew his hand for a moment before aiming for the front leg.
Seeing us pause briefly but say nothing, he took it as silent permission, tore off a large chunk of the front leg, and devoured it like a man possessed.
Chomp chomp chomp! "Whoa! Your grilling skills are no joke. This is heavenly. Haha, my mouth is in for a real treat thanks to you!"
Miron nodded slightly, inwardly pleased by the man's exaggerated praise, while I held the hind leg and casually asked,
"Take your time; there's plenty. But what brings you wandering alone in these deep woods in the dead of night?"
His haggard, emaciated appearance, drenched in sweat, had hidden it, but beneath the beggar-like exterior lurked quite a handsome face.
At least a noble, or someone of significant status.
For such an extraordinary figure to be roaming a forest path rarely traversed by people at this hour of the night—it defied common sense.
In response to my question, the man scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin.
"Haha, well, you see. Some big preparations I was working on went completely bust—not just failed, but totally bankrupt—so I barely escaped with my life. Haha."
A lie.
No one who went through something that massive could stay so composed.
"Oh my. What kind of preparations were worth risking your life for?"
I probed a bit further.
"Hahaha, that's a bit hard to share. Haha."
The man pressed a greasy finger to his lips with a playful 'Shh!', but his tone carried an unmistakable firmness—he wouldn't talk.
'...No dangerous vibes coming through.'
Something felt slightly off about him.
"Well, fine. It's fate we met. I'll make you a spot to rest; sleep and go on your way."
"Whoa! In these harsh times, you're a rare good Samaritan. Then, if you don't mind."
Ignoring any notion of refusal, the man flopped onto the simple grass bed Miron had made and soon fell into a deep sleep.
"...Sleeps well, doesn't he."
"...Yeah, he sure does."
Miron muttered incredulously at the man snoring shamelessly on his grass bed, but not wanting to wrestle a sleeping person, he grumbled and headed back into the woods.
Probably to make another simple grass bed.
I stared fixedly at the back of the man's head as he slept soundly, ignoring the departing Miron.
'...Strange. He feels oddly familiar.'
Clearly a stranger, yet an inexplicable sense of familiarity emanated from him.
The next morning, even after Miron and I woke, the man slept on obliviously.
"Young master, what should we do? Wake him?"
"...No, leave him. There are no beasts or bandits in these woods anyway, so no danger. He'll manage on his own."
Why was that?
Even if there were bandits or monsters, I didn't think this man would be in any peril.
"Let's go. We have much to do."
"Yes, young master."
Now wasn't the time to fuss over some random bumpkin.
The spot where Jerome and Miron had left.
The man who had failed to snag the boar hind leg the night before and fallen asleep was gazing at the sky.
Arms pillowed behind his head, legs crossed—a perfect picture of a loafer—but the empty forest amplified his eerie aura.
"Hmm, didn't notice? A bit disappointing. Below expectations."
Pop- The man rose from the grass bed, dusting off his rear.
"No, it's only been a little over three years since Master took him as a disciple. Maybe it's impressive talent instead?"
Hmm- The man crossed his arms, pondering.
Ordinary folk would feel an inexplicable pressure from his presence.
"Grrrrr..."
But to the mountain beasts—especially the pack of starving wolves—he was just a tempting lunchbox.
"Oh dear, wolves? Scary."
The man's face showed not a hint of fear despite his words.
Roar!
"Eek."
As the charging wolf pack lunged, the man extended his hand.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Greatswords erupted from the ground, skewering every wolf's torso.
It happened so fast that the wolves charging at him hadn't even realized their own deaths.
"Tch, messy."
The man waved his hand casually, and the greatswords piercing the wolves vanished without a trace.
Eerie.
"Ugh, blood stench. Ruined my appetite."
Frowning at the wolves' blood smell, the man muttered while glancing toward one side of the forest.
"So, what do you think?"
Shoooo...
As the man posed his cryptic question to the air, a black shadow coalesced before him.
-Even now... dispose of him...
A chilling voice emanated from the shadow, matching its ghostly aura.
At those words, the man standing before the shadow furrowed his brow.
"Tch, what kind of horrific talk is that about my cute little junior disciple we just met?"
-But... considering his origins... and his actions thus far... he is clearly of the pure faction.... Before he becomes a troublesome foe...
The shadow persisted despite the man's words.
"...A troublesome foe, huh. Crow."
A voice as cold as a cavern's depths echoed.
"In your eyes, do you think my little junior disciple could possibly stand against me?"
His smiling face mirrored the one eyeing the boar hind leg under Jerome's watch, but the aura was incomparable.
-...My apologies.... I overstepped... my station... Please forgive me...
As the shadow hurriedly knelt, the man waved it off.
"Sheesh, can't even joke around. You're no fun at all."
Grumbling at the shadow's reaction, displeased, the man lifted his shirt.
His body was toned and balanced, but...
Bulge! Writher!
Veins riddled across his body writhed grotesquely on their own.
"Look at this. Even if it's my easygoing little junior, with my body like this, how could I dispose of him? I might die in the process."
Unlike his playful grumbling, the wounds on his body were gravely serious.
Near his heart, the origin of the root-like bulging veins, a crystal resembling a plant seed was embedded, pulsing and constantly suppressing his power.
"Ugh, that damn old coot. Even with causality constraints limiting his power, who knew he'd hide a move like this? Hiding the seed of Yggdrasil, that sly geezer."
Speaking nonchalantly of his massive injury as if it were someone else's, the shadow cautiously asked,
-Is... treatment of the wound... possible?
"This? Of course. My ability is a perfect counter to that old fart's. Given time, I can remove it anytime. Though 'time' here isn't a day or two."
Casual words, but the thing embedded in him was no ordinary object.
The seed of Yggdrasil. The seed of the world tree upholding the continent. Possessing nature's holiest life force beyond anything in the mortal realm, it was the world's deadliest poison to him.
A critical wound requiring years of rest without exertion. The fact he lived bearing it was remarkable.
The shadow couldn't help but admire the man—even as an enemy—for inflicting such damage despite wielding a power perfectly disadvantageous to himself.
-We... are still tracking him.... We will capture... and execute him soon...
"Pfft!"
The man burst into unintended laughter at the shadow's words.
Against that old man, who could so casually utter 'dispose'? Even bound by causality constraints, no one could guarantee victory without a surprise attack—a monster among monsters.
Well, that blind loyalty was why the shadow, Crow, was trustworthy.
"Enough, enough. That old man aside, have you forgotten who's beside him? Just confirm his location and leave him be for now. You lot couldn't handle her anyway."
-......
The shadow fell silent, pride bruised, but soon bowed its head.
Indeed, that woman was beyond even him.
-As you command.... But...
"Hm?"
-If you're not disposing of the Shield Family's third son... why not attempt... to recruit him to our side...?
Unable to shake off its lingering attachment, the shadow offered its opinion once more.
The man's brow arched briefly at the shadow's attitude, but soon relaxed.
He knew it stemmed from sincere loyalty toward him.
"...Tch! Crow, that's your problem too. I just wanted to check out what kind of guy my cute little junior was, and you take it that far.... Sigh, fine. If you insist, try making contact. If he comes over, great. If he wavers, just come back. We'll take time to persuade him slowly."
-If... there's no room for persuasion... and he firmly refuses... siding with Azure Wing... what then...?
"What do you mean?"
Stretching his arms with a yawn at the shadow's question, the man's lips curved up.
"Kill him. It'd be wonderful if my cute little junior joins the family so commendably. But if he's that resolute, what can you do? Easier to just eliminate him."
With the man's permission finally granted, the shadow knelt and bowed deeply.
-All as... Black Wing wills...
"Yeah, yeah. Go on. Oh, wait."
As Black Wing Veras gave permission and the shadow began to withdraw, it halted and turned at his call.
-Any... further orders...?
"Ah, nothing much."
Veras scratched his head sheepishly.
"If he gets hostile and throws a tantrum, killing him is fine, but leave the front leg. No, the right arm at least."
He nudged the boar front leg bone he'd eaten and discarded last night.
"He's the pinnacle of the Black Lions, after all. Only fair I show some mercy for the meat he owes me, right?"