Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Land of the Retired Knights (4)
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“Oscar Edel feldt?”
“Yeah, he’ll be the first Edel feldt you run into.”
Before heading northwest, I’d heard about Oscar Edel feldt from Helena.
“Greta Edel feldt’s youngest daughter. In other words, Johan Edel feldt’s youngest granddaughter. Doesn’t that remind you of someone?”
“Someone like me?”
“Exactly. Even the part about being the family’s prized prodigy is similar.”
Helena spoke in a slightly mocking tone.
“To put it another way, he’s the Edel feldt version of ‘Sion Aleyas.’ Seems like he’s been patrolling around Baltburg with his own direct subordinates, keeping the peace.”
“How strong is he?”
“Who knows, nothing exact. But if the Edel feldt family is backing him, he’s got to have some real skill.”
After saying that, Helena shot me a sidelong glance.
“What’s the point of knowing that? He’s weaker than you, so it doesn’t matter.”
“He could be stronger than me.”
“Oh, come on, that’s hilarious.”
Helena looked genuinely annoyed.
* * *
‘So this is the Oscar Edel feldt that Helena mentioned.’
I observed Oscar while recalling what she’d told me.
His flashy clothes hid it well, but he had a solid build and balanced posture.
He gave off a vibe similar to Kain or Robel.
[Hmm, not bad.]
‘How good?’
[He has 5-star mana.]
‘5-star?’
That was higher than I’d expected.
Kain, who was twenty-one this year, and Robel, who was twenty, were still at 4-star.
Sena, at twenty-five, had only just reached 5-star, and Oscar here looked like he was still in his late teens?
‘Is he really that talented, or…’
Elias Edel feldt was said to have 9-star mana too… The Edel feldts were boosting their heirs’ mana levels fast.
There had to be something to it.
“Nice to meet you, Oscar Edel feldt.”
I shook the hand he offered, keeping my thoughts hidden.
“I’m sorry about the scuffle with your men. Hope you can let it slide.”
“No worries. No one got seriously hurt, from what I saw.”
Oscar smiled as he said it.
“I should apologize too—my guys didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for you.”
“That’s nothing to worry about. I wasn’t expecting a warm reception anyway.”
“Really? I was hoping to give you one.”
“By the way, what did you say earlier?”
“My mother wants to meet you.”
Oscar’s mother would be Greta Edel feldt.
“She ordered me to bring you to her once you arrived at Baltburg.”
“Sorry, but that might be tough.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’m on a mission.”
“Oh, right, you mentioned hunting down that bandit gang? I’ve already heard about it.”
Oscar shrugged.
“My knights already tracked them down and wiped them out. Your mission’s done, so no need to worry.”
* * *
“Wiped them out?”
“Yeah.”
“…….”
Oscar smiled as Sion fell silent.
‘How do you like that, Sion Aleyas?’
The Holy Knights had entered Edel feldt territory under the pretext of hunting bandits.
But Oscar had seen through the excuse from the start.
So he’d beaten them to the punch.
‘You were planning to poke around everywhere, stirring things up under the guise of searching for bandits. Not on my watch.’
It was partly because of his mother’s orders, but Oscar had his own interest in Sion too.
He’d heard the rumors of Sion’s exploits for a while now.
‘The youngest of the Aleyas family… Just like me, the youngest of the Edel feldts.’
Sion was the youngest grandson of Ianus Aleyas.
Oscar was the youngest granddaughter of Johan Edel feldt.
Two of a kind.
‘They say he’s already wielding sword aura? Looks like you’re ahead right now.’
Oscar was 5-star himself, so no sword aura yet.
But he didn’t feel inferior.
‘Fights aren’t decided by mana alone.’
There were endless ways for the mana-poor to beat the mana-rich.
Especially… if you could win without fighting.
‘How’s it feel, Sion? Got you good, didn’t I?’
Oscar felt a surge of pride watching Sion stand there speechless.
He’d seized the initiative against the Aleyas family’s youngest.
* * *
‘Idiots.’
I inwardly pitied Oscar.
I hadn’t expected him to claim he’d already wiped out the bandits, that was true.
But instead of using it as an excuse to kick us out, he was taking us straight to his mother?
That shortened my plans considerably.
‘He should’ve just told us to scram now that the bandits were gone.’
Telling us we had no business here and to leave would’ve made things messy.
I’d have to try other approaches.
‘This actually saves me the trouble.’
My original plan was to stir things up everywhere, provoking the Edel feldts.
That would draw out their higher-ups, and I’d find openings in the clashes.
But now they were handing me Greta Edel feldt on a platter?
This cut my timeline way down.
‘As long as I get to meet her, I’ve got plenty of cards to play.’
I had several options up my sleeve.
If I could just secure the meeting with Greta Edel feldt, I could exploit it endlessly.
Things were going my way.
‘No, still… she’s the one who ordered me brought to her, so this guy didn’t really do anything wrong.’
Oscar had probably thought wiping out the bandits would catch me off guard.
The strategy was solid, but it ended up helping me, which was the pity.
“Thanks for handling the bandits.”
I said it calmly.
“Honestly, I wasn’t familiar with the area and was stumped on where to start looking. You’ve saved us a lot of work—appreciate it.”
“Y-You don’t need to thank me…”
Oscar looked a bit flustered when I bowed my head in gratitude.
“But… shouldn’t we verify they were properly taken out?”
“If the Edel feldts did it, it’s gotta be solid. Still, we need to file a report at Holy Knights HQ, so could we get some records?”
“Uh, yeah… I’ll get them ready quick.”
“Thanks.”
I glanced at Edwin and Lieselotte as I said it.
“Looks like the Edel feldts are inviting us over. Let’s go pay our respects.”
“Understood, Sion.”
“An honor.”
He might’ve tried taking just me, so I moved first.
“My men can come too, right?”
“Uh, well…”
“It’s only about twenty, even with everyone. Can’t just leave them here.”
“Fine.”
Oscar nodded reluctantly, oblivious to how tangled things were getting.
* * *
“I never thought we’d meet Greta Edel feldt this soon.”
“Neither did I.”
The next day, after agreeing to depart with Oscar, I talked with Dietrich back at the inn.
“What’s the plan when we meet Greta Edel feldt? Should I go around blowing up all the suspicious spots like we discussed last time?”
“Let’s hold off for now.”
Having a 9-star mage like Dietrich was a big advantage.
As he said, blasting suspicious places would uncover evidence of corruption.
“Dietrich, you remember Greta Edel feldt, right?”
“Of course. She was Est Aleyas’s ally.”
“Yeah. While I handled Est, you dealt with Greta a few times.”
I recalled the old days.
“She was a notch below Est, but still pretty strong.”
“Her speed matched Est’s back then—no one could touch her there.”
Greta Edel feldt’s style was blitzing foes with hyper-speed strikes.
“But speed was her only trick. Once I rained magic from range, she was helpless.”
“Her sword shots couldn’t counter your long-range barrage.”
“She even burst into tears from how one-sided it was. Awkward times.”
“Try forgetting that part.”
A 9-star mage unleashing merciless spells from afar? Despair was natural.
“But now she’s 9-star too, so it won’t be like before. She’s probably mastered sword styles by now.”
“9-star… If she tries to take out our lord, that could be a headache.”
“Doesn’t seem likely, but we’ll handle whatever comes.”
Unlike with Sapphire or Gavrius, Kurt wasn’t here now.
If Greta turned hostile, I’d have to face her myself.
* * *
Oscar led us to Olsburg, a city about a day’s ride from Baltburg.
Everyone we met there bowed deeply to Oscar.
Proof that Edel feldt control was stronger here than in Baltburg.
“This way.”
A massive mansion stood in the city center.
It was so grand it felt more like a palace than a house.
“We can’t bring your whole group inside from here. Sorry, but have them wait outside.”
“Mind if I bring one or two for security?”
“Hmm… Fine.”
With Oscar’s okay, I took only Edwin and Lieselotte inside.
The rest of the squad rested where he indicated.
‘Even the interior’s opulent.’
The mansion screamed luxury.
Oscar’s flashy attire wasn’t just his taste—it was the family style.
‘Living like this takes serious wealth.’
Wonder if it was all legit.
I followed Oscar, thinking it over.
“Where are we headed, exactly?”
“Mother’s usually in the garden.”
He guided us to the garden behind the mansion.
It was lavish too. No flowers now with winter nearing, but spring or summer would’ve been a riot of color.
“…….”
Even in bloom, I wouldn’t have felt like admiring it.
An ominous aura emanated from the garden’s maze-like center.
[Hey, this is no joke.]
‘Yeah, I know.’
A gazebo for tea sat in the middle.
Beneath the white roof, about ten people in formal wear chatted.
“Sion Aleyas has arrived, Mother.”
Oscar announced politely, and they stopped talking to look our way.
The middle-aged woman at the center was Greta Edel feldt.
“Nice to meet you, junior knight.”
Her voice was as elegant as ever.
But her presence was far more intense now—proof she’d reached 9-star.
What caught my eye, though, wasn’t her, but those around her.
‘Igzard, what do you think?’
[Hard to pin down exactly for some reason… But they’re all 6-star or higher. Specifically, five at 6-star. Two at 7-star, one at 8-star…]
Igzard reported from within me.
[And two at 9-star. Besides Greta Edel feldt, there’s another one.]
A white-haired young man in the corner stared silently our way.
He fixed me with a piercing gaze.