Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Hung Up On
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"What the hell? This bastard?"
I stared blankly at the severed communication artifact, and Luna smirked at me.
"Got royally chewed out."
If she hadn't hidden her wings, I would've seen them trembling from her stifled laughter.
"Shut up. It's embarrassing enough."
I'd contacted them so confidently, never expecting to get dismissed like that.
Is this what passes for "let's grab a meal" on this continent's mage etiquette?
I was too dumbfounded for anger—just a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Whatever. If they won't do it, we'll ask somewhere else."
I'm not begging for investment here. Just a routine check on a teleport gate activation.
It was common practice in areas where gates were discovered.
Of course, such discoveries were exceedingly rare, but not impossible.
Rumor had it that about a decade ago, one had turned up in some remote wilderness.
The key point was that this mage named Galian—or rather, the Gaifen Mage Tower—had told me to contact them first, only to cut me off with a curt "no nonsense."
"Ha... ha! Unbelievable."
"Pfft."
One of the knights guarding me couldn't hold back his laugh, glanced at me, and quickly bowed his head.
The others seemed to be in the same boat.
"Funny?"
"N-No...! Young Master!"
"Yeah, hilarious, right?"
I approached the young knight who'd cracked, shoving my face close and glaring.
His body froze stiff.
"No, sir!"
"Shouldn't be funny, though? This shouldn't be a laughing matter, right?"
Tssst...
An aura blade sparked from my hand, leaving a sinister scorch mark on the ground.
"S-Sorry!!! Please spare me, Young Master!!"
The knight paled and screamed in terror, at which point Luna tugged my arm.
"Don't take it out on the irrelevant. I'll remember the repercussions."
I stared down at her, and she stared right back up at me.
Now that I looked, she seemed a bit taller.
When we first met, she was late 140s cm—barely an adult woman's petite frame. Now, she felt solidly mid-150s.
"Weird. Growth plates not closed yet?"
"What?"
"You seem taller. Weren't you under 150 before?"
The angels I'd glimpsed in the Hall of Sages were all fully grown adults, so who knows. But I'd never heard of adult angels growing more.
To my question, she replied with a faintly bitter expression.
"Returning to my original form."
I didn't pry why that made her look unhappy.
"We can check the gate's waves directly."
"Directly? Go see it ourselves?"
"I'll take you."
I nodded vaguely at her words.
No sooner said than she slowly floated up, hooked her arms under my armpits, and lifted me.
"Young Master?"
"I'll be right back. Get things sorted."
"Understood."
Leaving the knights behind, Luna and I shot into the high skies.
"How fast can you go?"
"Anywhere but Bata Kingdom, right?"
"Precisely, anywhere but Baekdel Territory, where we'd lose out on building our own gate."
"Just find a spot nearby with faint teleport gate traces."
With that, she rocketed off at a speed incomparable to before.
Right after Leon left, the knights guarding the completed teleport gate noticed the communication artifact beside it ringing furiously.
The head maid, Misha, who had been silently watching, picked it up.
Leon had entrusted it to her before departing, so she was to handle calls in his absence.
"This is Misha, head maid of Cascadia County."
-Ah, Maid Misha. Good to hear from you again. But this isn't Young Master Leon's personal artifact?
"Apologies, but the Young Master is currently away."
-Oh no... too late, then. I rushed here upon hearing he'd contacted us...
"You're already a step behind. Moreover, he was quite displeased with the Gaifen Mage Tower's response."
Misha's expression wasn't bright as she said this.
"Fifth-circle mage of Berhem. As a mere head maid, I don't fully grasp this impropriety..."
-Heavens, I have no defense even with ten mouths... The fool managing the artifact made a grave error...
"Most regrettable. The Young Master has already left to connect the gate to another territory."
-Teleport gate? What do you—
"Then I'll end the call. Understand that if such rudeness repeats, even I, attending the Young Master, cannot let it slide."
-W-Wait! Maid Misha! Calm down and hold on! That wasn't my intent! Just calm— Ah, right. An important figure insists on meeting the Young Master...
Beep!!
Misha pressed the power button with a chilling glare.
The artifact sparked and shattered under overwhelming force.
"Oh dear. I gripped too hard."
The knights gulped at the sight. She looked delicate, but her aura was downright murderous—like touching her meant no bones left.
Her actions might seem overreach, but the Mage Tower had been rude first, making her response mild by comparison.
Since Leon hadn't complained further, neither did she.
"Um... Head Maid."
"Yes?"
"You're... not really a maid, are you?"
"Just a head maid."
"Ah, someone of great importance, disguised as a maid for a mission..."
"No, just a maid."
Her firm denial silenced the knights.
Her strength had grown, and so had her flight speed.
"You getting stronger bit by bit?"
"Still just dust. I'm useless."
"You talk a big game."
She pouted.
We flew on against the biting wind for a good while.
Leon looked up at her with a bored expression.
Then she called to him.
"Leon."
"Yeah?"
"Since we're out, I want something to eat."
"Buy it for you?"
She probably had far more wealth, but her treasures were literal artifacts, not spendable coin. And for some reason, she loved mooching off me.
"Yeah. Let's eat while we're at it. What do you want?"
"Saw it on a map. On the way here, there's a dish where pork is threaded on strings and slow-roasted."
"Oh, that? Tasty stuff."
"We're going now. You pay, Leon."
She clearly had little interest in the teleport gate.
"How's that illusion artifact you were tinkering with?"
"Similar principle. Not hard."
She said it flatly but refused to show me if I asked.
"Fine. Let's goof off then."
The gate wasn't urgent anyway.
Getting the teleport gate's pattern and waves was quick.
Gate managers profit from more routes, as long as no issues arise.
No competition means mutual benefit.
Still, handing it over without probing deeper felt lax, even if I hadn't mentioned building one.
Of course, safety checks would prevent immediate use, and I'd refine issues in the meantime.
"Gaifen Mage Tower called."
"Ignore them."
Misha bowed at my response.
"No formal complaint?"
"Why bother? They said contact them as courtesy, and the idiot who didn't get that is the fool."
"Well..."
"Doesn't matter either way, right?"
I wasn't thrilled regardless, but stirring it up would just tire me out.
With nothing more to say, I pushed on with gate adjustments.
It guzzled materials and coin, but I ignored the cost.
"Hmm... Activation looks fine. Let's monitor the flow for a bit."
The gate operated smoothly, thankfully. But for safety certainty, I'd leave it active and idle for now.
No sane person would hop through uninvited.
We'd controlled the area adequately and watched for days.
I was chatting with Melissa, who'd gone to Pascalia to meet a friend.
-No issues?
"None. You know the Demon Realm fortress has been quiet."
More like dead silent since the watchmen flipped out over the illusion artifacts I'd supplied.
-Actually... Can I gift one of your artifacts to my friend?
"Artifact? Sure. Gave 'em to you to do with as you please."
-She was shocked. Asked how it's possible. Didn't know what to say, so I mumbled you made it.
That was the normal reaction. Melissa, no mage, had no clue how absurd it was.
"Leon."
Right then.
Luna, pulling fruit from the personal fridge Melissa bought her, asked me.
That thing weighed a ton, yet she dragged it around on wheels.
I reinforced my body with aura; she didn't. Pure physical prowess at that level.
"Fruit juice?"
"Where's the juice?"
She grabbed a cup from the fridge side, set it down, and crushed a pineapple barehanded.
Whoa...
I gawked at her in disbelief.
That pineapple was several times tougher than normal.
"Hands washed?"
"Want me to squeeze you?"
"Nah, I'll take it."
I chugged the fresh juice she made. Tasty.
-What's that?
Melissa, clueless, was curious.
"She's hand-pressing red pineapples for fresh juice."
-Whoa... How strong is she now?
She echoed my thoughts.
How strong? I'd seen her pulverize a boulder barehanded once.
"Anyway, when you coming back?"
Her reply to my question was a tad delayed.
-...Might be later than planned. There's a banquet, and I might stay till the wedding.
"What, you their mom or something?"