Chapter 115
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Guardians and the Underground Tomb (3)
Operation Monster Sweep.
It ended successfully.
At least, that's how it seemed to me.
How could I be so sure?
I could tell from the expressions of the three observers who had joined us.
All three of them looked utterly shocked.
'All that hard work with magic paid off.'
The green knot spell, which I rarely used.
Why had I bothered with it?
To show off that I could wield not just plant magic, but all sorts of different spells.
Fortunately, Randolph and Matilda seemed to get the point.
And the benefits I gained from this operation went beyond just impressing those two mages.
Swoosh.
After confirming the kills on the monster-man and the beast,
Gilbert handed something over to me.
It was red gems.
Five of them.
He'd collected them from the monster's body.
'Five is a nice haul.'
That brought my total red gems to eleven.
Excluding the one without any mana, I now had ten.
They weren't useful for much yet besides making familiars, but I figured they'd come in handy someday.
With that thought, I turned away.
We were done here.
"Alright, let's head back."
I said, looking toward the observers.
"What did you think of Heros?"
Count Dustin summoned the three observers the moment they returned to the castle and asked them point-blank.
Randolph answered without hesitation.
"He is an exceptionally skilled mage."
Count Dustin's eyes gleamed as he pressed further.
"Randolph, better than you?"
"Far superior. He is in a league beyond comparison."
"That impressive?"
Count Dustin tilted his head.
It was rare for Randolph, who had a sharp eye for talent, to praise someone so highly.
To cross-check, he turned to Matilda.
"Matilda, is your opinion the same?"
Matilda had been standing there dazed when the sudden question made her jolt in surprise, but she quickly collected herself and replied.
"Yes! I've never seen anyone wield magic as powerful as Heros's. His fire magic is truly the best!"
"Hmm..."
Randolph and Matilda.
These two weren't green amateurs pretending to be mages.
They were battle-hardened experts forged in the harsh north.
If they agreed, it meant Heros was likely the real deal.
Count Dustin couldn't ignore their assessment.
"Tell me everything that happened in detail."
In the end, Count Dustin decided to hear the full story.
And what he heard was hard to believe.
"He can use five different types of magic?"
"Yes. He didn't reveal his full arsenal during the sweep, so he's probably proficient in even more fields."
Randolph explained just how exceptional Heros's magical talent was.
"And the power of his spells is that great?"
"Yes! It's among the highest-tier fire magic. Look at the basilisk head he gave us—there were scorch marks on it. He must have taken it down with that spell."
Matilda described the sheer force of Heros's magic.
'He's even bigger a deal than I thought.'
Count Dustin had no choice but to admit that Heros was a far greater mage than he'd imagined.
Which only made it harder to understand.
How could a boy who didn't even look like he'd reached adulthood possess such skill?
"Could he be hiding his age?"
Count Dustin voiced his doubt.
But Randolph and Matilda shot it down.
"No signs of transformation or illusion magic. His appearance is genuine."
"Right. If he could alter his age or looks, he'd have gone with middle-aged or elderly to avoid being dismissed as a kid."
Their logic was sound.
Count Dustin let go of his suspicions.
Sensing his shift, Randolph spoke up again.
"Didn't Your Lordship hear the whispers of genius when you first took up the sword? Your swordsmanship improved faster than any peer. It's the same. Talent is inherently unfair."
Talent.
Count Dustin knew better than most how crucial it was.
He was a beneficiary himself.
Finally, he could truly acknowledge Heros as a prodigy mage.
"Then Heros must be quite the gentlemanly mage. Someone with that much talent and skill could afford to be arrogant, don't you think?"
Count Dustin asked.
The three observers nodded.
They'd seen with their own eyes how accommodating Heros's personality was.
He was generous with recognition.
"He's passed the test, so we should reward him accordingly. What do you think would suit him best?"
A mage's heart was best understood by another mage, he figured.
Count Dustin looked to Randolph and Matilda.
Randolph spoke first.
"The castle has a few grimoires in storage. Someone like Heros, who's mastered such a wide range, wouldn't hesitate to learn new spells. Offering a couple as a passing reward would surely satisfy him."
"Two should do it? One's too few, three too many, right?"
"Yes, that strikes the right balance."
Randolph didn't stop there.
"And at the handover, formally commission him. Ask him to clean out the underground tomb."
"The underground tomb..."
"Even with the monster-men and beasts demanding our focus, a huge chunk of our forces is tied up there. Without that issue, we could've swept the monster-men with our own strength."
"Handing that task to an outsider makes me uneasy. What if we recruit him as a vassal first, then ask?"
Count Dustin asked with hope.
A mage of Heros's caliber joining the castle would make repelling the monster-men raids far easier.
But Randolph dashed his hopes instantly.
"Heros received a fief from Count Chester yet still came north. That means he doesn't serve under anyone. He's likely the type who can't stomach being under others, so recruiting him as a vassal won't work."
"Shame."
Count Dustin muttered.
Randolph nodded in agreement and laid out his thoughts—as was his role as the lord's advisor.
"For the tomb cleanup reward, promise support. He came here for guards, supplies, and gear from Your Lordship anyway. He won't refuse."
"Funds and food are fine. But gear worries me. His group has nine knights. Equipping them properly means nine chainmail sets—that's a hefty cost."
"Use what his party brought."
"Ah, the basilisk byproducts?"
"Yes. Bones, hide, scales—they gathered it all. Custom armor from those would please him."
"Good. Let's go with that."
Count Dustin sighed deeply before continuing.
"Honestly, I still don't get it. How does a single mage travel with nine top-tier knights? He doesn't seem wealthy, asking us for support and all."
Randolph, who always had quick answers, fell silent this time.
The day after the successful monster sweep,
I was summoned by Count Dustin.
And in the same hall where we'd first met, we reunited.
"Heros, you have proven your skill by passing the test. Thus, I shall grant you a fitting reward."
Count Dustin finished speaking and fell silent.
Then Randolph, waiting below the dais, approached with two grimoires in hand.
He set them before me and returned to his spot.
I'd been hoping for this deep down.
Why else bring grimoires to a reward ceremony?
'Came to the right place with Count Dustin.'
I'd sensed it back at Chester Castle, but true high nobility like a count operated on another level.
Seeing him so readily dispense rewards, I was confident he'd approve my requests easily.
Just then, Count Dustin spoke.
"Mage Heros, I have long awaited a talent like yours. Here and now, I formally commission you. Please unravel the mystery of the underground tomb."
Unravel the underground tomb's mystery?
What could that mean?
As the question crossed my mind, he continued.
"Do so, and I will support your goals in the north to the best of my ability."
"Leave it to me."
I replied without hesitation.
It was a chance to legally extract funds from a noble.
After the audience with Count Dustin,
I met Randolph separately.
He'd called for me.
Probably to brief me on the count's assignment.
My guess was spot on.
"There's a tomb beneath Dustin Castle. It holds the Dustin family and their loyal vassals."
"Why build it underground?"
"When the Dustins first settled here, monsters roamed everywhere. Burying on the surface meant they'd dig up graves and desecrate the bodies, so they started using the underground to avoid that."
"Oh..."
"Over time, it expanded repeatedly and grew massive. Hundreds are interred there. Then the problem arose."
"The mystery manifested."
"Exactly. One of the buried had a grimoire as a grave good, and it happened to contain necromancy."
A necromancy grimoire.
I could guess what mystery had emerged.
"The corpses in the tomb came back to life?"
"Right. It's been a year since the mystery awakened."
A year was plenty of time to resolve it.
But they hadn't?
That meant it was serious.
"Are the undead from the tomb strong?"
"Very. The Dustins revere martial prowess; everyone learns the sword young. Many in the family rival or surpass knights, and their vassals include plenty of knights too."
"Ah."
If knights or their equivalents had revived, they'd be far stronger than average undead.
And after centuries underground, their numbers must be staggering.
Now I understood why Count Dustin had let it fester.
"Don't worry. I'll clean up the tomb's mystery spotless. But before tackling the commission, there's something I want to handle first."
"What?"
"These two grimoires I just got. I want to read them. We'll hit the tomb after."
Randolph frowned at my words.
"You know how long it takes to read a grimoire. You can't be serious."
"I'm not joking. Give me one day. I'll finish both today and enter the tomb tomorrow. I promise."
I said confidently.