Chapter 29
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Border Count Succession
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"In the end, you saved my son. Honestly, it's an astonishing tale from my perspective. But tell me, are you a mage?"
"I'm studying it on the side."
"I'm no expert on magic myself, so I can't gauge just how impressive that is, but even so, that's some humility you've got there."
He fixed me with a steady gaze.
Then, he nodded shortly after.
"Well, prying like this isn't proper etiquette toward my benefactor. The rumors paint a different picture. Were you perhaps hiding your power all this time?"
"No. I've never hidden it."
"Or maybe some fateful encounter?"
"Something like that."
He continued with a stern expression.
"The grace of saving the third son of a ducal house is profound indeed. Is there anything you desire?"
At that question, I glanced sideways, taking Parell Berli into view.
The kid looked pleased about our meeting, wearing a cheerful smile.
"You seem to cherish your son a great deal."
"Among my children, there's no finger that doesn't ache."
"I see. I didn't do it expecting any reward, though."
"Then, whenever something comes to mind, feel free to speak up."
I nodded with a faint smile in response.
"In that case..."
Bam!! Braham!!!
Trumpets blared as knights made their appearance.
"His Majesty, King Oliad Riel Bata, arrives!!!"
No matter how weak the royal authority might be in this kingdom, the weight carried by the king's name alone was considerable.
Soon, an elderly man in ornate robes stepped forward, and all the nobles knelt on one knee to pay their respects.
Neither I nor the duke were exceptions.
"I thank you all for gracing this occasion today."
We had been quietly bowing our heads at his weary-voiced entrance.
[Hostile mana detected.]
At that message, I reflexively spread my necromantic mana thinly in all directions.
And I was a bit surprised.
The king?
The source of the necromantic mana was emanating from King Oliad Riel Bata.
However, since he was neither a mage nor an aura user, emitting this kind of necromantic mana was far from normal.
I hadn't met King Oliad in person before, but at least from my vantage, he looked utterly exhausted.
Ah.
Only then did I realize the true nature of that necromantic mana.
It was the type that lingered around him, using his body as a medium.
Necromantic mana could become life force or death energy depending on how it was handled, but dense death energy could also corrode a person's flesh.
I didn't know what the necromancers of this continent thought, but based on my analysis, the king's lifespan wasn't long.
It was a simple principle, easy enough to notice quickly.
Lifting the curse wouldn't be hard, but I had no interest in the political intrigues of the royal palace.
"Before we enjoy the banquet, there is a matter we must attend to first. Some of you may already know. Melissa Cascadia, Count Regent, step forward."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Having been informed in advance, Melissa approached him confidently without a hint of fluster and knelt on one knee.
At the same time, King Oliad received an ornate royal sword from a knight.
"Six months ago, we lost one of the kingdom's pillars."
No one was unaware that this pillar referred to her father, the Cascadia Border Count.
"It was a tragic accident. Even now, the thought fills me with sorrow."
He gripped the sword with both hands and moved with precise formality.
"But the time has come to accept the successor he left behind. Despite her young age of sixteen, she has fulfilled all the requirements for the Border Count title. In my name, Oliad Riel Bata, I appoint her as the next Cascadia Border Count."
She hadn't been officially certified as an Expert, preventing her from inheriting the countship, but in truth, she had resolved all the other complex and arduous issues as well.
"I humbly accept. I, Melissa Cascadia, swear to protect all citizens of Bata Kingdom from the perils of the Demon Realm, centered on the county seat."
After the formal exchange, the king completed the rite by placing the sword on her shoulder.
Now, Melissa was no longer just the Count Regent—she was the full Border Count.
Six months.
The position her father had left vacant upon his death, one she had desperately fought to reclaim at such a young age.
Her eyes were slightly reddened, moved by finally regaining the Border Count seat after all her hardships.
"I've heard of your struggles. You've grown splendidly, following in your father's footsteps. I'm sorry I couldn't aid you more."
"Thank you..."
Her voice trembled momentarily with emotion, but she forced a smile in reply.
The king nodded in satisfaction.
"I am weary and will take my leave first. Please enjoy the evening."
After conducting the succession ceremony, the king departed the banquet hall, looking fatigued.
Following that, the nobles dispersed individually or in groups, eating, dancing, and splitting into various factions.
Melissa remained busy meeting with various nobles afterward.
Meanwhile, I sat at a secluded table, focused entirely on my meal.
"Oh, this is delicious too. And that one over there."
[Would you like to analyze the recipe of this dish?]
'Can you do that?'
[With some time, it seems possible to replicate a similar recipe.]
I thought it was totally useless, but it's more capable than I expected?
"Brother! Try this—it's a famous dish too. Oh, and drop the formal speech, please."
And right now, sitting beside me was the resurrected Parell Berli.
Melissa and Duke Berli had stepped away briefly at the emperor's summons—no, the king's—leaving me with Duke Berli's son, Parell Berli, by my side.
"Shouldn't you be meeting people with the duke? You're the young master of a ducal house."
"Haha. I tend to cause a lot of trouble, so Father probably feels uneasy taking me around. Besides, now that His Majesty has left, the kids hang with kids, and the adults with adults. You know."
There was no trace of worry in the boy, who just flashed an innocent smile.
Come to think of it, when I first met him, he was already dead.
It was a moment when I could understand the feelings of the ducal household.
The fact that the duke brought his third son to such a banquet despite the circumstances made it clear how much he cherished him.
"Well, thanks to that, I'm having a relaxed time. By the way, I had no idea you were the eldest son of the Cascadia Border Count. So, what brings you to the dungeon...?"
"I was in the capital anyway, so I figured I'd check out the famous dungeon."
As I answered nonchalantly while eating, I noticed four rings swirling around his heart.
"4th Circle?"
"Ah! As expected, you see it at a glance. I knew you'd spot it right away, Brother."
Four distinct energies rotated clearly in his heart.
A 4th Circle mage.
In a swordsman's terms, that was Expert level.
He wasn't a necromancer, but considering general mages were similar, he was undoubtedly talented.
"Well, in a sword family, I'm like a mutant mage."
"What does it matter? It's your life to live."
He clapped his hands at my casual remark.
"You're right. The Cascadia family is a famed sword house too, yet you're a grand mage."
"Grand mage? Hardly."
"What do you mean? Brother! Reviving the dead is a realm no ordinary mage could even dream of. This is incredible. At first, I thought some reclusive eccentric had de-aged himself or something."
He was a bit of a scatterbrain, but not someone I disliked.
Afterward, he kept sending signals that he wanted to get closer.
He went on about his theories on resurrection magic, the spells I'd used, or the shadow wolf spirit Muyoung, sharing his thoughts nonstop.
Like a mage losing his mind before a new spell.
That was when it happened.
"Count Bardal! Are you here?!"
A loud shout shattered the banquet's atmosphere, drawing all eyes.
At the same time, a man who had been conversing with nobles turned his head.
"Were you looking for me?"
"Forgive me for interrupting your enjoyment of the banquet, but..."
He whispered quietly into the ear of the man called Count Bardal.
His face paled instantly, and he nodded before hurrying away.
"That's Count Bardal, the court mage. I hear he's a 5th Circle mage."
I nodded at Parell's explanation.
Indeed, five rings—one more than Parell's—swirled in his heart.
At the man's request, Count Bardal quickly left the banquet hall.
The man then approached us swiftly.
"Parell Berli."
"Hm?"
"You're a 4th Circle mage, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
As Parell affirmed, the man whispered something in his ear. Parell's expression hardened.
"We need you to come at once. We require every mage we can get."
"...Understood."
He agreed immediately and clapped his hands.
"Right. Mages' assistance, huh? Then Brother can come along too..."
"Don't talk nonsense, Parell Berli."
At the sudden unfamiliar voice, all our gazes turned that way.
"Lord Goldson Vidar."
Goldson Vidar—the second son of the Vidar Marquis family, if I recalled correctly.
I'd incidentally learned about him through personnel records.
The second son of Vidar strode over, glanced at me, and spoke.
"You still haven't grasped how grave this is, it seems. Bringing a commoner who doesn't even know the 'm' in mage to such a critical situation? No matter that you're the Berli family's mutant, there are lines you mustn't cross."
"What nonsense. What do you know about Brother?"
Parell Berli shot back angrily, uncharacteristically furious.
"I know him. Leon Cascadia. The Cascadia family's dunce, half-wit. Am I wrong?"
"You're wrong! You have no idea how amazing Brother is. He..."
"I don't know, and I don't care to. Nor is there any reason to accept you dragging in connections during such an important moment."
I'd heard rumors, though I wasn't deeply familiar.
Some mages had an obsessive pride in their kind.
Parell was about to shout back at the offensive words when a necromantic mana signal reached me swiftly. I stopped him.
"Parell, go."
"Brother?"
"My little sister doesn't seem well. I should go check on her. Sounds like a garden full of tulips."
A report from the spirit Tibel Cascadia.
Melissa wasn't feeling great.