Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Magic Genius with Korean Patch
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Lucian von Eldraon.
He was the Fifth Prince of the Empire, but he was regarded as the man who had inherited the Emperor's blood most purely.
If he had been the Second Prince instead of the fifth, or at least the third...
It was said that it would have caused a massive upheaval in the Empire's succession structure.
And now.
Such a Lucian was holding a private meeting with a mere commoner.
And Jeon, the chosen commoner, found his current position more uncomfortable than ever.
'Ugh, this is killing me.'
It had been somewhat better with Lena or Risar by his side.
But being alone with someone as high-ranking as the Fifth Prince...
Jeon felt queasy even though he wasn't eating anything.
"In your opinion, what do you think of the golden eyes that we imperial family members possess?"
On top of that, Lucian suddenly threw a question at him.
Jeon pondered for a moment, not grasping the meaning behind the question, then decided to answer in the most positive way possible.
"Hmm... They give off a mysterious vibe. They feel like a symbol of the imperial family."
"A symbol of the imperial family, eh? That's spot on. Golden hair is fairly common, like yours, but golden eyes are unique to us imperials."
As he said, there were many people in this world with golden hair.
Jeon himself had golden hair, after all.
But those with such golden eyes were only from the imperial family.
That made those golden eyes the symbol and proof of their bloodline.
"But do you know why we were born with these golden eyes?"
Was this a question about genetics?
For a moment, Jeon debated whether to base his answer on what he'd learned in his previous life about dominant and recessive genes.
But fortunately, before Jeon could respond, the answer slipped from Lucian's lips first.
"They say the founding Emperor, who established this empire, awakened his golden eyes during the final war to found the Empire."
"...So you're saying it was an acquired ability?"
"Exactly. The Empire's first Emperor ascended to the realm of Transcendence—something only two people in history have ever achieved—and awakened his golden eyes in the process."
Unlike the calmly speaking Lucian, Jeon's face was filled with all sorts of doubts as he listened.
'An acquired ability that becomes hereditary?'
Jeon had paid pretty close attention to science classes in his previous life, if nothing else.
To him, what Lucian was saying sounded like utter nonsense.
'Well, magic isn't exactly normal anyway.'
But thinking about it again, this was a world where supernatural phenomena like magic existed.
The Silvermont family that had hired him as a translator even had people with fox ears—beastkin races that he'd never seen in his previous life.
If reaching the Transcendent realm could even affect genetic information, maybe it wasn't impossible. Jeon decided to rationalize it that way and move on.
"Of course, while imperial family members are born with golden eyes, none of us can wield abilities like the founding Emperor's. His golden eyes could read all the mana in the world, they say."
The ability to read all the mana in the world.
'Similar to my Korean Patch that reads all letters and languages...?'
Hearing it described, it sounded similar to his own Korean Patch ability.
Jeon felt a slight twinge of empathy for the founding Emperor's power.
"Still, those with golden eyes in the imperial family are quite sensitive to mana. That's why, whether wielding a sword or learning magic, we master it much faster than ordinary people."
Whether becoming a knight or a mage.
To advance in those realms, one had to know how to handle mana in some form.
In that regard, the imperial family had a tremendous advantage from birth.
'But why is he telling me all this?'
Jeon wasn't uninterested in Lucian's words.
Whether it was about acquired abilities becoming hereditary or the imperials' sensitivity to mana.
They were intriguing stories from a listener's perspective.
But they weren't stories he needed to hear.
As if sensing Jeon's thoughts, Lucian continued.
"Among them, I've often been told that I inherited the golden eyes most purely. Not to the extent of the founding Emperor, of course, but my eyes can read mana to some degree."
As he spoke, Lucian's golden eyes fixed quietly on Jeon, emanating a subtle glow.
It wasn't an overt flash of light from his eyes.
But facing those now much more intense golden eyes, Jeon realized what Lucian wanted to say.
"...So you know I'm a mage."
"Indeed. And not just any mage, either. No mage carries a silver fox made of mana in their bosom."
He'd even pierced right through Silver's presence in Jeon's bosom.
Jeon felt chills at the power of Lucian's golden eyes.
But after saying that, Lucian closed his eyes and pressed firmly between his nose and brow.
"The problem is, I can't use it often. If I could, I would've detected this terrorist attack in advance."
He hadn't even used it long, but he seemed quite fatigued. Only after pressing a few more times could Lucian open his eyes again.
"Right after the first explosion, I used these golden eyes to figure out what was happening... and that's when you caught my eye. Ever since, I've wanted to have a private chat with you like this."
In other words, he knew full well that Jeon was the one who had stopped the explosion.
Hearing that, Jeon felt his mind growing terribly complicated.
The other party knew he was a mage.
And not just any mage, but one who handled special entities like Silver.
'How should I play this?'
Could he brush it off as secret magic, like he'd told Lena?
But was it okay to lie in front of the Empire's Fifth Prince, of all people?
Then again, was spilling every little detail the right move?
While Jeon pondered briefly...
"Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to pry or interrogate you. If anything, I'm in a position to thank you and repay the favor."
"...Thank you for thinking that way."
As if reading Jeon's worries, Lucian spoke those words. Jeon, who had been mulling it over, bowed his head in gratitude for now.
"Do you happen to know the current state of the Empire's politics?"
"I'm just a commoner, so... I don't know the details."
"Well, I suppose so."
Nodding as if he'd expected that, Lucian continued right away.
"Currently, due to His Majesty the Emperor—my father's—advancing age, the battle for the Empire's succession is heating up intensely. Between the First and Second Princes, my two eldest brothers, a fierce political struggle is unfolding."
It was a time of great chaos, literally.
"I'm not particularly interested, but... someday, a moment of decision might come for me too."
Of course, as the Fifth Prince, Lucian wouldn't directly vie for the throne himself.
But there was plenty of room for him to side with one faction or another.
"That's why I quite like discovering talent."
At those words, Jeon's stomach dropped.
'He definitely seems to have a favorable impression...'
It was practically equivalent to Jeon saving his life.
So it was natural for Lucian to feel goodwill toward him.
But that didn't mean Jeon wanted to get tangled up with imperial family members.
Even getting involved with ordinary nobles had brought him no end of headaches.
Getting involved with royalty?
'That'd be a whole other level of exhausting.'
Especially in a situation where a succession war might break out.
Associating with royalty could drag him from mere annoyance into matters of life and death.
'I have zero intention of getting swept up in that.'
Jeon had no desire to get deeply involved with Lucian.
"Of course, I'm not going to force you to join me or anything. You must have your reasons for staying out of the spotlight all this time."
"...Thank you for understanding."
"And the way I recruit talent isn't through coercion anyway."
With that, Lucian reached into his bosom.
And pulled out a round golden medallion-like object.
"What is... that?"
"It's a kind of token I give to those I truly deem talented."
At the center of the medallion he'd produced was an emblem of the Eldraon Empire: three golden swords crossed.
It looked extraordinarily valuable at a glance, so even as Lucian offered it to Jeon, he hesitated to take it.
"Its official name is the Imperial Guardian Merit Golden Medal... but people just call it the Guardian Medal for short."
"A medal?"
An imperial medal, no less.
Knowing it must be immensely valuable, Jeon felt even less inclined to accept it.
"No need to be so surprised. It's the lowest rank among the Empire's medals. Otherwise, how could a mere Fifth Prince like me give them out freely?"
"Even so, it doesn't seem like something I should receive."
"How modest."
Watching Jeon refuse, Lucian smiled as if he quite liked it.
"Do you know the conditions for receiving this medal?"
"Not really."
"It's given only to those who aid an imperial family member in a crisis that threatens great harm. And you fulfilled those conditions perfectly."
As Lucian said.
Jeon more than met the criteria for receiving the medal.
But he didn't want to accept it and end up under Lucian, getting deeply entangled with the imperial family.
"So there's no need to worry that much. Unlike other medals, this one is more of a gift of gratitude from the imperial family."
"A gift... meaning?"
"It doesn't impose any obligations. You can simply enjoy the medal's privileges. It's essentially a one-time gift that lets you borrow the imperial family's power."
Borrow the imperial family's power?
Not quite grasping it, Jeon looked at Lucian with puzzled eyes, and he explained further.
"First off, if you commit a crime or cause significant harm to the Empire, this medal grants immunity within certain limits."
"Immunity...?"
"For example, if you killed a noble for some reason—as long as it's not a top-tier one—you could receive immunity for that incident."
Hearing the benefits, Jeon unwittingly opened his mouth in shock.
Immunity that could let a commoner like him off the hook once for killing a noble.
Of course, that was just an example, but it amounted to being able to get away with most crimes once.
"You can use it for other benefits too. Most notably, you could call on up to five Imperial Guardian Knights for help. Whether someone's threatening your life or you're undertaking a commission."
Imperial Guardian Knights.
The ones Jeon had seen around the castle during his guided tour—at least on par with Risar.
Being able to receive help from such people was an enormous benefit.
"Of course, as I said earlier, there are no obligations in return. It's practically a reward for saving an imperial life."
"Even so... are you sure you can give something like this to me?"
"I told you, I really hate forcing talent to join me. I prefer showing them what I—what I can do for them, and letting them come to me of their own accord."
In short, this was essentially a gift to win Jeon's favor.
Lucian had both the ability and the generosity to offer such repayment.
Take it and like it? Join him. Don't? Take it and ghost—no problem.
'This is... royalty?'
What magnanimity, Jeon thought with brief admiration as he watched Lucian casually offer such a grand gift.
"Besides, as I've said repeatedly, this is repayment for saving my life. So, I'd really appreciate it if you accepted."
"Then... I'll gratefully accept it."
With Lucian insisting that much, it was hard to refuse further, so Jeon took the Guardian Medal and tucked it into his bosom.
"Thank you for accepting. I felt indebted for my life, but now it feels a bit resolved—lighter, somehow."
"I'm the one grateful for such an amazing gift."
"Oh right, speaking of which, I've kept a Silvermont retainer here too long."
With that, they exchanged final gratitudes.
"Then, I hope we meet again. Jeon."
The brief private meeting between a commoner and a prince came to an end.
Lucian's office, after Jeon had left.
Once the private meeting ended, a knight entered the office and cautiously spoke to Lucian.
"Your Highness. If I may overstep, I'm worried you might be overestimating that commoner mage."
"Is that how it seems to you, Captain Clark?"
"I acknowledge that mage's remarkable role in thwarting the terrorism. But even so, awarding him the Guardian Medal feels a bit excessive, which is why I'm concerned."
Lucian nodded slightly in agreement with Clark, the captain of the Fifth Guardian Knight Order who protected him.
Most of what Lucian had told Jeon was true, but there were certainly parts about the medal he hadn't mentioned.
"Wasting one of our limited medals... That's a fair way to see it."
No matter how much of a prince he was, the number of Guardian Medals he could award was few.
Clark found it hard to accept using one of those rare instances on a commoner mage.
"But Clark, as you know, I value what I've seen with my own eyes above all else."
"Meaning...?"
"The magic he deployed was definitely different from ordinary magic. Even if it was just that one time out of many, I would have awarded him the medal."
When the terrorism occurred.
Lucian had used his golden eyes to thoroughly scan the surroundings.
And at that time, Lucian hadn't just learned that Jeon was the owner of a silver fox.
'He made the falling debris from the ceiling vanish with a single word.'
A bizarre magic whose exact mechanism and trigger even Lucian's eyes couldn't fully read.
He had witnessed it.
"I don't know in detail why he avoids the spotlight... but people like that tend to show utmost loyalty once you've won their heart."
"...You value him that highly?"
"Of course. This is the first time I've hoped so much for someone to choose me."
As he said that, Lucian smiled as if in a good mood.
And through that smile.
His golden eyes seemed to sparkle a bit more than usual.