Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Eagle Spirit
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“Why? Is that guy’s bodily fluid poisonous too?”
“I’m not sure exactly what kind of poison it is, but all the plants growing in the contaminated soil have withered and died.”
Really? That place is the empire’s largest granary region?
“Already more than thirty percent of the surrounding farmland has been contaminated. Not only next year’s harvest, but what happens after that is impossible to predict. Thanks to that, it’s hard to even assess the current damage.”
“Won’t the Detoxification Elixir work somehow? Like sprinkling the Growth Elixir on the Berit territory?”
“You mean pouring the Detoxification Elixir onto the land? …I’m no expert, but that sounds like it would cost a fortune. For now, I’ll set aside all the money recovered from the Magic Tower and put it toward restoration efforts.”
“I’m counting on you. This is normally something the imperial government should handle, but they’re not in their right minds at the moment.”
The current imperial government is feverishly preparing for the war that will happen in ten months.
Replenishing the losses in the knight orders and army, plus large-scale field training and stockpiling supplies—it’s putting a massive strain on both finances and administrative capacity.
“Understood. That concludes my report.”
Kyle bowed his head and took his seat. I turned my gaze to Priest Trimum, who was seated across the table.
“Trimum? What about the information gathering I asked for?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Unfortunately, nothing yet.”
Trimum rose from his seat and shook his head.
“From yesterday morning until this afternoon, all the escort priests including myself, and every priest who knows about the ‘Library’s’ existence, have been mobilized to search through the books, but we haven’t found anything so far.”
Hmm, that’s disappointing.
Thanks to the mysterious device inside Zectbaya’s body, I was able to cross over to the Saik dimension and land a blow on those bastards.
I must have killed around ten thousand Saik who were in the arena, right?
Honestly, I have no idea how big a loss that really is. If the Saik dimension’s population is around a billion, it’s just a drop in the bucket.
But even so.
I can’t ignore this thrilling possibility that we’ve discovered for the first time.
A counterattack.
For the first time, our empire—no, our world—has struck back at their world!
The problem is, I don’t know how to open the dimensional gate again. It’s ridiculous to hope another disaster like Zectbaya will show up.
So as soon as I returned to the mansion, I ordered the escort priests.
‘Dimension’, ‘dimensional travel’, ‘Saik’, ‘Saik dimension’, ‘gate’.
Anything related to those keywords—find it. It’s the secret underground library of the Grand Temple, after all. If we comb through it thoroughly, we might uncover something.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. The number of priests who can enter the library is so limited… Searching for anything dimension-related takes a lot of time. It’s regrettable that we can’t respond flexibly in this crisis, but the Grand Temple’s rules are extremely strict.”
“It’s fine. We still have time, so no need to rush.”
I brushed it off lightly to reassure Trimum.
“It’s only been two days since I asked, right? If we keep digging for a few more days, something will turn up.”
“I apologize deeply. Myself and all the escort priests will stay up all night if needed to focus on the task.”
“Don’t push yourselves too hard.”
“Hmm… Dimensions, huh.”
At that moment, I heard Tolari mutter softly. Has she been eating a lot of cores lately? My hearing’s gotten sharper—it’s a real problem. I can’t just let something like that slide.
“Tolari? Got any thoughts on it?”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
Tolari’s eyes went wide as she shot back. Then she suddenly turned to Rune sitting beside her and changed the subject.
“Right. Rune’s mana has shot up a ton lately, hasn’t it, Rune?”
“Yes. It’s increased a lot. This is all thanks to…”
Even in that moment, Rune proudly lifted the large blue orb cradled in her arms.
“It seems to be because of the Ice Core Your Highness gave me. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Good to hear it’s working well. But Tolari…”
“Oh, right, Your Highness. You said after the meeting, we’re going to get the Ancient Eagle core?”
“Yeah. The eagle core.”
I’d originally planned to head there right after dealing with Bya. Things got complicated because Bya turned into Zectbaya, so I came back to the mansion first.
“But I’m not sure I can get it just by going.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know how to get on their good side? Like how bear cubs love honey—I don’t know what they like. Still, since I’ve eaten a lot of cores, they probably won’t slam the door in my face.”
My familiar affinity has risen to B- rank now. Tolari just smiled faintly and nodded.
“Got it, Your Highness. Have a safe trip. If you get a bunch of cores, save one for me, okay?”
“We’ll see.”
I pretended to let it slide…
But Tolari.
She’s trying to dodge it slyly by changing the subject. She can’t fool my eyes.
Something she’s hiding, right? Should I use the Sovereign’s Eye to peek at what emotions she’s concealing?
Hmm…
A bit of regret. Probably related to the cores.
And pride? Is she proud of me? What is this, like she’s beaming at her little brother’s growth…? Geez.
Then restraint and patience? What’s that about? Does she want to tell me something but is holding back?
And finally… embarrassment?
Hey! Are you embarrassed of me?
Ah… No. Not that. The emotion’s directed at herself.
So she’s embarrassed of herself. But why? What unspeakable thing is she holding back that makes her feel ashamed of herself?
* * *
Before leaving the mansion, I secretly summoned Didi to a secluded forest.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. To make you wait—such a grave sin.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t been here long.”
About thirty minutes? She was late past the appointed time, so I was wondering if something happened.
“Actually, since Your Highness called me to the forest, I thought you’d also summoned Regal.”
“Regal?”
“Yes. I searched for a while, but Regal didn’t show up. That’s why I was late. I’m truly sorry. It’s rare for Regal to disappear like that—very strange.”
“That’s because I sent him on another errand.”
Ah, so that’s how we missed each other.
“Did you assign Regal a separate task?”
“I sent him to the dwarf outpost just a bit ago. Had a message to deliver. According to Regal, the dwarves hold the Ancient Wolf in pretty high regard. So they should be open to talking.”
“I had no idea…”
“And I have a favor to ask of you too.”
I stood on tiptoe to meet Didi’s eyes. She’s shot up even more? Was she always meant to be this tall genetically? Maybe she just didn’t grow because of poor nutrition before?
“Please give me your command, Your Highness.”
Didi quickly dropped to one knee and bowed her head. I lowered my heel and let out a light sigh.
“Phew, well… Protect Tolari.”
“…”
Didi looked up with a baffled expression.
“How could I protect Lady Tolari? Someone like me—she could toy with me using just one finger.”
I know that. But this is a tricky situation.
“To be precise, it’s protection and surveillance.”
“Surveillance?”
Didi glanced toward the distant mansion.
“Has something happened? Do you no longer trust Lady Tolari?”
“No, no, I trust Tolari. It’s not like I think she’ll betray us and that’s why I want her watched.”
“…”
Didi let out a sigh so faint it was barely audible.
I get why she’s flustered. If Tolari decided to go on a rampage, there’s almost no one in the world who could stop her.
“The sponsor might come looking for Tolari again.”
“…!”
“Number one sponsor’s dead by my hand, but a new number two’s started stirring things up. Zectbaya was that guy’s handiwork.”
“I heard about the fused Arch Wizard monster.”
“The key point is, the sponsor can only touch humanity’s traitors.”
“What are humanity’s traitors?”
“People who’ve made contact and had wishes granted. Zect and Bya were exactly that.”
“By that logic… Lady Tolari would be a traitor to humanity too.”
Didi’s eyes narrowed for a moment. I cleared my throat and shook my head.
“No, I keep telling you, Tolari’s fine. But the sponsor won’t see it that way, so he might approach her anytime and force something on her.”
“Is the sponsor stronger than Lady Tolari?”
“Probably. He’s so fast that mages can’t even react—they’d be done for.”
“…True. Lady Tolari can’t even catch a cup she accidentally drops with her foot.”
I don’t think I could do that either? Maybe with all these cores, it’s possible now?
“Understood. That’s why you said protection and surveillance—to watch if the sponsor appears around Lady Tolari.”
“Patrol around her room as often as possible. You don’t have to barge in, but if something happens inside, you can sense it, right?”
“Yes. My other senses may be weak, but that one’s sharp.”
“If anything feels off, rush in and protect Tolari. The sponsor can’t touch anyone else, so don’t worry about counterattacks.”
“You mentioned before that the sponsor seems bound by some kind of rules. That must be it.”
“Just handle it for a few days. Regal will be back soon, then we’ll rotate.”
“I’ll obey your command. Maybe that’s why you sent Regal to the dwarf outpost too.”
Oh, she gets it right away. This kid’s instincts are sharp as hell.
“The dwarf lord Gelido’s a contact who wished to the sponsor too. He seems content with his lifelong wish fulfilled… but.”
The sponsor might see it differently. After Zectbaya, I can’t take it lightly.
“But didn’t you say Regal will return soon?”
Yeah. I’d like to keep him glued to the dwarf lord for a while, but he refused. The dwarf outpost is too close to the Eternal Forest.
“The Ancient Wolves live in the Eternal Forest, so for Regal, just going nearby takes a ton of courage.”
“Exactly. Even though I’ve been steadily feeding him the Growth Elixir and his scent’s mostly gone now.”
The days when he was the black wolf of the sewers are long gone. Not only has his fur turned white, but he barely smells like anything anymore.
“While Your Highness is away, I’ll do my utmost to protect Lady Tolari.”
“Take good care of her. You know how Tolari’s amazing at magic but hopeless at daily life…”
“She’s clumsy, yes. Understood.”
Didi replied with a faint smile. I was about to mention she might be hiding something else…
Eh, whatever. It’s probably fine.
Whatever it is, she’s agonizing over telling me. She’ll probably confess eventually after mulling it over.
* * *
Arrowhead Peak, habitat of the Ancient Eagle.
Located at the northernmost tip of the Jairut Mountains, this place is a natural wonder even among the rugged range, home to its tallest peaks.
“A bit further and it should come into view…”
Across all nine of my regressions combined, I’ve never once been to Arrowhead Peak.
I’d only heard there were ferocious eagle familiars nesting here, but figured it wouldn’t be useful, so I never bothered.
Wonder what effect the eagle core has?
Whatever it is, as long as it extends the queen’s possession time even a little, it’ll be great. That’s how we’ll gain the upper hand in the fight against the Saik dimension.
The possession by the Fire Spirit Queen was overwhelmingly powerful.
It wasn’t just raw physical strength.
It passively emitted heat that could incinerate surroundings, while a transparent aura like flame-exclusive Protection Magic enveloped the body.
Definitely immune to all fire-related spells, right?
On top of that, reflexes, judgment, even computational ability—all far beyond human limits. For that brief moment, it felt like becoming the world’s greatest genius.