Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Pomera
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Pomera
"The royal palace? What do you mean..."
"The war with the monsters is over, so there will be a report ceremony and festival at the palace. Your father must have attended every year. Don't you know?"
"Ah!"
"Looks like you remember now. It was supposed to be held around this time, but it was postponed because we were retaking the Northern Wall. They'll set a new date and contact you soon."
Duke Ropel's words jogged my memory.
After the war with the monsters ended, the king would invite the lords to receive their reports, and then a grand festival would be held in the capital.
During the festival, a party for royalty and high-ranking nobles would be held at the palace, and knights or civil officials who had demonstrated outstanding abilities throughout the year would also be invited.
The duke was certain I would be summoned to that party.
"You will most certainly be attending the palace party."
"I doubt it. And even if I were to go, I think it would be a bit burdensome."
"My dear man! Burdensome? It's an honor! His Majesty the King himself will acknowledge your god-like abilities. He might even bestow a great gift upon you."
I had more than enough money, and with Agnes, I didn't particularly need anything I might receive. An honor, he said. To them, the king might be like the heavens, but to me, who had lived in the modern world, a king was just another person.
"Your Grace. There is something I must report regarding the gate repairs."
The duke's adjutant, who had been by the gate, cautiously approached.
"Hmm, I'm sorry, but I must be going. I've already contacted them, so someone from the Magic Tower should be here soon."
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Don't thank me. I should be the one thanking you. I'll see you at the palace later."
Duke Ropel waved and headed toward the gate with his adjutant.
"Well, then..."
I looked around and went to find the priest who had been with me today.
"Hello."
"Sir Yuren. You've worked very hard."
The priest was tending to the injured, but he greeted me with a smile when I approached.
"You're the one who worked hard. You're still working right now."
"Haha, still, those who fight on the front lines have it the hardest."
Just as you'd expect from a priest, his every word melted my heart.
"I'm just asking, but do you happen to feel any evil energy around here?"
"You mean, here?"
"Yes."
The priest closed his eyes and began to mutter something, as if to concentrate.
"I don't feel anything in this vicinity."
After a moment, the priest opened his eyes and spoke with a gentle smile.
"Can priests detect evil spirits or monsters hiding nearby?"
"We can sense low-level evil spirits or monsters that are releasing their power from a distance, but high-level ones concealing their power are not easy to detect."
"I see."
At that very moment, Pomera was floating about ten meters away from the priest. It seemed he hadn't been detected, likely because he was in his spectral form, concealing his power as much as possible.
"Unlike an inexperienced priest like myself, high-ranking priests or those with keen senses would be able to detect even high-level evil spirits."
"I see."
"You asked because you were worried a dark magician might be hiding, didn't you? Your determination to see things through to the very end without letting your guard down is admirable."
"Ah, no, it's not that."
Perhaps because he had spent the day with me, this priest showed immense trust in me. It felt like he would believe anything I said.
The priest gave a pure, untainted smile and returned to tending to the patients.
In any case, I was relieved to hear that Pomera's identity wouldn't be revealed unless a high-ranking priest used their divine power.
It seemed I could proceed with my plan to use Pomera as my personal magician.
After finishing my conversation with the priest, I approached Arin, who had been staring at me the whole time.
"Anything happen?"
"How could anything happen when the Grand Prince wiped out the undead and went after the dark magician all by himself?"
Arin spoke a bit bluntly. It seemed she was unhappy she hadn't gotten a proper fight.
"Haha, sorry. But I didn't touch the ones you were fighting."
"That's not it. I'm well aware that the Grand Prince is so strong that I'm no match for you, but I wish you wouldn't push yourself so hard. To go to the dark magician's lair alone... It was too dangerous."
Arin wasn't upset because she couldn't fight; she was angry that I had gone after the dark magician alone.
"Ah..."
I knew Arin had changed, but this was the first time she had shown her emotions so openly.
"I apologize. I believe I've overstepped my bounds."
"No, it's fine. Thank you for worrying about me."
"Th-then..."
After saying that, Arin moved away. It seemed she was finally feeling embarrassed.
"I got scolded, but it doesn't feel bad."
How could I feel bad when someone was genuinely worried about me?
"What's that guy up to?"
Collin was perched on a rock by the castle wall, staring intently at his sword.
"So? Was it worth coming?"
"It's better than swinging a sword alone at home, but with you taking care of everything by yourself, what was there for me to do? However..."
Collin was saying something similar to Arin. But his tone was much calmer than hers.
"Just realizing the gap in skill between us was more than enough to make it worthwhile. You toyed with me with a sword at the knight academy, but I see now that the sword isn't your main weapon."
Collin spoke, his eyes on the daggers at my waist.
"That's right. These are my real partners."
I drew one of the daggers and showed it to Collin.
"Your perfect aim with the daggers was surprising, but your mysterious movement technique that let you move freely across the battlefield was even more shocking."
Collin was referring to my movement technique. The same technique Arin had called embarrassing had now become an art that even Collin found mysterious.
"I've realized there's a truly immense gap between us. And so..."
Collin, who had been sitting on the rock, stood up and met my eyes.
"I've decided not to be impatient. I will set you as my goal and strive to catch up."
Collin gave a slight bow and walked over to where the other knights were gathered.
"To change that much... I guess it's not for nothing that he inherited the Sword Emperor's legacy."
It was as if another soul had entered Collin's body, just as I had entered Yuren's.
"Is it because of me? Everyone is changing."
Not long after, magicians arrived, and we warped back to the marquisate. The first thing I did was arrange treatment for the injured, then I went straight to see the Marquis.
"Yuren! You've done a great service!"
The Marquis welcomed me with a pleased smile. His reaction was so friendly it was almost burdensome, and I stood still, unsure how to respond.
"Duke Ropel was praising you to the high heavens. For him of all people to speak so highly of you, you must have done something truly extraordinary."
Duke Ropel had said he was busy, but it seemed he had already found time to contact the Marquis via communication magic. The smile never left the Marquis's lips.
"Nobles are usually stingy with praise. Especially for those of a lower rank; they don't even pay them any mind. But Duke Ropel spoke of nothing but you from beginning to end. He must have taken a real liking to you."
The Marquis was so overjoyed to hear Duke Ropel's praise for me that he couldn't contain his emotions.
"Haha..."
"First Marquis Marcus, and now even the Duke is praising you... I feel so proud..."
At this rate, it seemed the Marquis's chatter would never end, so I calmed him down and began my report.
"The reclamation of the Northern Wall was a success. We have fifteen injured on our side, but fortunately, all are minor cases. I've arranged for their treatment and ordered the rest of the personnel to rest."
"Yes. Well done. I should go see the injured myself."
Seeing that he intended to visit the injured immediately, it was clear the Marquis was a leader who knew how to care for his people.
"Ah, before I forget, there's a place you and I will be going to soon."
"Are we going to the royal palace?"
"So you already knew."
The Marquis's smile deepened, as if he was delighted by the thought of going to the palace with me.
"Has the date been set already?"
"The date hasn't been set yet, but the request to bring you has been here for some time."
"What?"
"It seems the names of the monsters you've slainthe Orc Champion, the Sharkrai King, the Sea Serpenthave reached the capital. His Majesty the King has expressed a strong desire to see you."
"Ah..."
"On top of that, Duke Ropel seems to be spreading the news of this recent affair everywhere, so if I don't bring you, I might get kicked out. Huhu."
The Marquis chuckled as he spoke of being kicked out. He seemed incredibly pleased that I was receiving praise and attention.
"Understood."
"Good. I'll let you know as soon as the date is set."
"Then, I will take my leave."
After bidding the Marquis farewell, I headed straight for my room.
"First, should I summon that guy?"
I took Pomera's soul orb from my magic pouch.
Master.
The moment I took out the soul orb, Pomera's stiff voice echoed in my ear.
"I've arrived home, so come here."
Understood.
As soon as I finished speaking, gray dust began to gather in a corner. A moment later, a small skeleton magician wearing a purple robe and holding a wooden staff emerged from the cloud of dust.
"Is this the master's house?"
"Heh. That form isn't bad. You don't look like a lich at all."
The cute-looking skeleton magician was Pomera. He couldn't take the form of a lich in the house, so Pomera appeared before me in a form even smaller than yesterday's.
"I've been called crazy a few times myself, but not as much as you, Master. The son of a marquis threatening a lich into servitude... What kind of scheme are you plotting?"
"What scheme?"
It wasn't a scheme, but I did have an interesting idea in mind. A plan to strike back at the ones who corrupted Pomera into a lich.
"What is it that you truly want, Master?"
"I already told you. I'm going to use you as my personal magician. I'll be working you hard, so be prepared."
"You're truly insane."
Pomera tilted his small head, still finding it hard to believe.
"But why is your speech so stiff? You spoke fine earlier. You even put on an act, so what's with this?"
"I believe it's because of my current form."
I was going to let Pomera speak informally since it was a bother, but after turning into a small skeleton, his way of speaking had become strange.
"I have one question."
"What is it?"
"Can your ability eliminate even the souls of the undead?"
"You know it well."
"What on earth is that ability?"
Pomera's curiosity must have grown, as the blue flames in his eye sockets began to burn fiercely.
"Of course, I can't tell you. But if you want to test it, you're welcome anytime. I'm curious myself what would happen if I used my power on a lich whose soul is contained in a soul orb."
"Ugh..."
Pomera seemed frightened, his teeth chattering as he avoided my gaze and looked at the floor.
"Speaking of which, if you had drawn just a little more mana from that black orb, I would have killed you on the spot."
"Master, do you know what that orb is?"
"I do."
Startled by my words, Pomera, who had been sitting on the floor, suddenly rushed toward me.
"Two years ago, when you returned to your quarters, you were holding an orb and a book that you couldn't even remember buying, receiving, or finding, weren't you?"
"H-how did you..."
"You were used."
I gave a bitter smile as I looked at Pomera, who had shed his human guise and now had blue flames burning in his empty eye sockets.
"That orb is both a curse and a seal. A seal that will be broken once it devours your corrupted soul."