Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Chapter 17: Threshold Breakthrough
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Black wolf.
No, now a white wolf.
Thinking about it, all the Ancient Wolves I hunted in the past had white fur.
Of course, LeGal lived in the sewers for 50 years, so I should cut him some slack...
...Sigh.
Even now, when I close my eyes, I can still vividly see that image of the river water turning pitch black. Ugh, this might leave a trauma.
Anyway, after gently placing LeGal's core—who had become a white wolf—into the mouths of the Emperor and the Crown Prince (there was a bit of trouble with the Crown Prince, whose mind was shattered), I returned to the mansion and pondered the current issue.
The otherworldly monsters that had filled the sewers.
Even though the cause turned out to be Jess's poison, there were still many things that differed from my past experiences, even accounting for that.
It had only been a year since my regression.
It felt like I had already crossed some kind of threshold.
What was certain was that the faster I moved, the faster my enemies started moving too. And by enemies, I of course meant the otherworldly spies.
"If the spies move quickly, we'll have to respond just as fast..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
LeGal, who had been tearing into some meat beside me, lifted his head. The mansion's garden was quite spacious, but with him lying there, it looked like a tiny backyard.
"It's nothing. Just that I need to get stronger faster."
If enemies I can't handle suddenly pour in, that'll be a problem.
So I need to advance other tech trees more quickly. Excluding people or events related to the spies as much as possible.
The first thing that came to mind was spirit magic.
My original plan was still far off. After acquiring the rock spirit Rukkar, there was supposed to be a two-year gap before obtaining the next goal, the wood spirit.
The problem was that this wasn't something I could force ahead just because I wanted to.
To get the wood spirit, I needed to improve relations with the elves, who were in conflict with the empire.
But at this point, there was no opening with the elves.
So I had to target the dwarves, who were allied with the elves first, and to win over the dwarves, I needed a massive amount of barley.
And to secure that much barley, trade with the Lagran Continent to the east had to resume. This continent didn't produce barley properly.
Of course, I had cleared the first hurdle. Since I drove out the sea serpent blockading Yoton Bay, trade with the Lagran Continent would soon resume.
But I couldn't force all these processes just because I was in a hurry. So that meant I had to pull forward a different tech tree instead of spirit magic...
"Do you have a plan to get stronger?"
LeGal asked, crunching the meat in his mouth. The guy ate so deliciously. He'd already devoured about 200kg of lamb today.
"Yeah. This and that."
"You mean training? Like those guys over there?"
LeGal nodded toward the open field next to the mansion. I shook my head as I watched Dabi skillfully training the squad members.
"Knights aren't my specialty. I only do it reluctantly for health reasons."
"But you need to train your body. Though it's none of my business, of course."
LeGal started tearing into another large chunk of bird meat. Feeling the fresh blood scent wafting up, I held out the elixir vial I was carrying.
"Here, drink this and keep eating."
"Detoxification Elixir? I don't think I need to drink more."
Even after just one day's dose, the wild animal stench coming from LeGal's body had faded remarkably.
"Lania said that if you stop the elixir once you see some effect, it goes right back to how it was."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
The wolf reluctantly opened his mouth. I poured the entire 2-liter vial into his maw and smiled.
"You're like a money-eating hippo. This is equivalent to 30 people's worth in one go. And it's already expensive because the ingredients are so rare."
"No choice. I came out of the sewers trusting this stuff."
The wolf smacked his lips after finishing the elixir. I set the empty vial on the ground and gazed at my subordinates training in the distance.
Body training, huh.
In the past, I would've scoffed at it, but the situation was different now.
The Ancient Wolf's core.
Thanks to it, my physical condition had improved astonishingly.
If I devoted the remaining time to training from now on, I could probably even wear 'mid-grade magic armor,' which would have been impossible before.
But what would be the point?
Adding one moderately strong knight at this stage wouldn't help block the otherworldly attacks in the future.
It would be far more helpful to select a bunch of promising knight aspirants and raise them en masse.
But if I could aim higher, that would change things.
Me becoming a Knight Expert wouldn't mean much, but what if I could become a Knight Commander or Knight Master?
Looking at the wolf with blood staining his mouth, I asked,
"By any chance, do other magical beasts have cores too?"
"Yes."
This guy answered so quickly, like he was waiting for it.
"Any with 'Ancient' in their name can all produce cores. They're called magical beasts or ancient species. Of course, you need to be chieftain level, like me."
"Any races you know? The only magical beast I know is the Ancient Wolf."
"There are three more races that I know of."
"What are they?"
"First, there's the Ancient Bear. They live in a place called Dark Mountain, far to the northeast of the Eternal Forest."
"Dark Mountain, huh."
I've heard the name. It's a region beyond the reach of the empire or human influence.
No one knows what's beyond it. I never paid much attention to it either.
"It's a race with some exchange with the Ancient Wolves. But it won't be easy."
"Not easy, how?"
"You're thinking of further strengthening your body, right? By securing another magical beast's core?"
This guy has razor-sharp instincts.
"Obvious. No amount of normal training would cut it. To bring your frail body up to even a normal level. My core alone isn't nearly enough."
"I agree. It has improved for sure, but not enough to pursue the knight tech tree."
"Tech tree?"
"I mean, not to the point of developing abilities toward the knight path."
"Hmm."
"But if I consume another core, new possibilities might open up, right? Like each core strengthening something different? What do you think?"
"Hmm..."
LeGal flicked his tongue and licked his mouth. Then, with an indifferent expression, he explained.
"You've already absorbed my core. From that, you've gained three permanent effects."
"Three?"
"That's a feature of Ancient Wolves. First, increased stamina. We can run any distance without tiring."
"I definitely feel the stamina boost. Though part of it is just returning from rock-bottom to normal."
"Second is joint flexibility and elasticity. We don't get hurt easily even jumping at full speed or landing from high places."
"I've confirmed that too. My shoulder didn't tear or dislocate when lifting Didi."
"What does that mean?"
"It's too gruesome to explain in detail, so skip it. Then the last one?"
"The last is immunity to most poisons. Plus, your saliva gains detoxification and healing effects."
"Saliva? Spit? Pass on that. I'm not licking anyone to heal them. I can use holy magic anyway."
"Is that so? Anyway, that's it. And while not perfect, I know some of the effects from an Ancient Bear's core too."
"Oh, what effects does that one give?"
"First, muscle strength."
Boom!
LeGal slammed his front paw into the ground hard and said,
"Power increases dramatically. Very powerfully."
"Like bear strength surging up?"
"Strength is the Ancient Bear's greatest feature. And durability increases. Bones don't break and muscles don't tear from ordinary impacts."
"That's good too. Bears are such tough beasts."
"Perfect abilities for a frail human like you. There might be other effects, but I don't know them. The chieftain would."
"Chieftain?"
"My twin."
LeGal gazed at the northern sky with a wistful look.
"Ancient Wolves and Ancient Bears have a custom where chieftains exchange cores."
"Ah, so that's why..."
Hunting the Ancient Wolf chieftain had been tough!
The guy had tanked multiple punches from the rock spirit Rukkar without flinching.
And I couldn't just blast it with magic recklessly, since damaging the corpse would prevent treating the Emperor's poison.
Of course, now that I didn't need to catch that one, it was moot.
"So that's why? What are you getting at?"
"No, nothing. But can you forcibly take a core? Like hunting and dissecting to extract it from the body?"
"You're talking like a monster. Of course not."
LeGal narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Well, if it were possible that way, something would've been found during dissections in the past.
"The core inside the body has no substance. It only takes form when the owner consciously expels it outward."
"Of course they wouldn't give it up easily. So how? I can't expect another special case like you. Like a bear living in some other sewer?"
"You have to go to Dark Mountain and ask directly. Of course, they're as human-hating as us, so just showing up will obviously start a fight."
"I see?"
"Yeah."
That's how it is, huh? But what if I send Didi ahead, with her A+ monster affinity?
Well, technically potential ability at that level, but she's already B+ now, so she could probably talk peacefully with most magical beasts.
"What if I put Didi out front?"
"Didi? Why?"
"Didn't you feel something familiar when you first saw Didi?"
"I felt that, but I can't be sure others will. But..."
LeGal quietly watched Didi training in the distance.
"It's possible. And if talk works, the rest might resolve surprisingly easily. They're very greedy."
"Greedy? For what?"
"They're insanely greedy for food. I don't know all their tastes, but they definitely love honey."
"Then later, should I bring a ton of honey and make a request?"
"No amount will do unless it's at least house-sized barrels."
He nodded toward the Lunenbreath mansion behind him. I glanced back at the mansion and snorted.
"You're not seriously talking about our house, right? Anyway, it's just a figure of speech for that much?"
"It's not a figure of speech."
"It's not?"
LeGal nodded with a serious face.
For real? They really need that much?
"You can't compare an Ancient Bear to the normal bears you know. I'm not the same size as regular wolves either, right?"
"No... even so, where am I supposed to get that much honey?"
Enough to fill a whole mansion? Does that even exist in the world?
"I just told you the method. If it's impossible, oh well."
LeGal lay flat on the ground and yawned lazily. This pisses me off? Saying it like I couldn't do it?
"..."
No, I probably can't.
Where would I even get that much honey in the first place, and if I did, how would I transport it all the way to that distant Dark Mountain?
"In the end, money..."
"Hmm? What?"
LeGal perked up his ears. I sighed and curled my fingers into a circle.
"I think I need a ton of money. A really enormous amount."
* * *
Four days after feeding the Ancient Wolf's core.
The Emperor, who had awakened from years of coma, immediately summoned his ministers and entered the throne room.
"First, I commend the immense merits of all the high and low ministers who supported and led the empire in my absence."
The Emperor on the jade throne bowed his head to the ministers. Each one floundered, unsure where to put themselves, and bent at ninety degrees.
"We are overwhelmed!"
"We are overwhelmed, Your Majesty!"
"I've heard from the palace servants about what happened in my absence. You all did well, but especially you, Valbeni—the Minister of the Interior—your hardships stood out. You truly performed a great service."
"No, Your Majesty. I truly did nothing."
Valbeni Count, the Minister of the Interior, dropped to his knees right there.
"All the credit belongs solely to Prince Claude. It was Prince Claude who resolved the empire's crisis in Your Majesty's absence, and it is thanks to Prince Claude that Your Majesty has risen again."
"Yes. Our Claude, indeed. Rise, Claude."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I slowly stood, head bowed. Whew, my legs were numb from kneeling since before the Emperor entered.
But there was no choice. It was protocol for summoned royals to wait before the throne in this posture until the Emperor called their name.
"I called you ahead of time, so you must have waited long. Sorry, Claude."
"Your words overwhelm me. Seeing Your Majesty seated on the throne again fills my heart with nothing but pride."
"Claude... You've really grown up in that time."
The Emperor's voice cracked badly. Was it from emotion? Or aftereffects of the long coma?