Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Fourth
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The next morning. While we were having breakfast, Bricks, the steward of the mansion, came with some news. Thorval would arrive around lunchtime, bringing the reward.
Bricks delivered the message with a brief greeting before vanishing from sight.
"I thought we'd get to meet the king."
I muttered while slicing into a hunk of meat. Durel, sitting across from me, replied.
"Meeting a nation's king isn't easy, even for someone who's accomplished something great like you, Master."
In short, my feats weren't quite enough to warrant an audience with the king. I nodded, chewing thoughtfully. It seemed the other world of my imagination differed from the real one. I'd apparently been taking the existence of a king far too lightly.
"Still, I'm really looking forward to it. What do you think the reward will be, Master?"
"Who knows..."
I trailed off at Shimo's question, closing my eyes. Last night, Bricks had given me a brief rundown. Wyverns were what they raised by pouring most of the national defense budget into them. I'd neutralized two of those beasts. One of them pulverized into dust, leaving no body to recover.
They said wyvern meat was worth more than an equal weight in gold. A live wyvern? The price would be beyond imagination. Having slain one, the reward might end up considerably reduced.
'Better not get my hopes up.'
Time flew by. As lunchtime approached, Thorval arrived right on schedule.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Had to go through some tedious administrative procedures... Anyway, I hope everyone rested well?"
"We did, thanks to you."
I answered on behalf of the group, eyeing the people behind him. He hadn't come alone. Three dwarves accompanied him, but the one who stood out most was the dwarf in an ornate rust-red robe.
'A mage.'
It was the dwarf mage I'd briefly sensed yesterday. Had he come to hash out what happened then? I had my own side to argue, though. They'd peeked first.
Contrary to my expectation that he'd confront me right away, the dwarf mage hung back, silently observing.
"I'm no good at beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to it. I've brought the reward we promised. I hope it's to your liking."
With that, Thorval gestured to the dwarves waiting behind him. They stepped forward and opened the small boxes they carried. Inside were twenty platinum coins etched with intricate patterns and a forearm bracer that gleamed with a deep, dark blue sheen.
"Twenty platinum coins minted by the royal palace and a forearm bracer made from wyvern hide... Karadun Kingdom platinum is exchangeable anywhere in Azgal Rock for ten times the value of standard gold coins. If you'd prefer gold, just say the word. I'll fetch some."
"Oh, no. This is actually more convenient to carry around. Thank you."
I didn't know what my two disciples thought, but this was far more than I'd expected. The platinum coins were one thing, but that bracer looked incredibly valuable. It was wyvern hide that hadn't been scratched even after taking hundreds of consecutive magic missiles.
It had to be worth more than those twenty platinum coins, at least.
I took the box and gave the wyvern bracer a rough once-over. I'd hoped it might fit my arm, but it was far too large for me.
'Guess it'll go to Shimo.'
Perfect timing—I'd promised to make him a magic tool anyway. Engraving some suitable runes on it and adding a few functions would surely make him thrilled.
"Thorval. Are we done here?"
The mood was warm and pleasant as the reward changed hands. That's when the dwarf mage, who'd been quietly watching, stepped forward with a flourish of his robe. Thorval startled as if just remembering him and nodded.
"Ah, right. You're here. Urgent business is taken care of."
"In that case..."
The dwarf mage stared at me intently for a long moment. There wasn't any particular emotion in his gaze.
"Are you... perhaps an elf?"
The dwarf mage's question caught me off guard, leaving my mouth hanging open. Thorval chuckled lightly beside him.
"Haha—what are you saying? Elves have long, pointed ears, don't they?"
"Be quiet."
"Well, now..."
Thorval stepped back at the dwarf mage's utterly serious demeanor. It didn't seem like a joke. I shook my head in response.
"No, I'm human. But you are...?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't caught his name. A mage who'd spied on me from afar using runes inside the palace. He was no ordinary figure.
"Forgive my late introduction. I'm Grenil Steel fury, court mage of Karadun Palace."
"Lumia of the Infinite Archive School. From the Ber Kingdom."
"Truly, truly human? It's honestly hard to believe. What you showed us yesterday..."
Grenil's words began to stretch out. Thorval, who'd been gauging the mood, clapped his hands to draw attention.
Clap!
"Looks like this conversation's going to drag on. Why don't we have lunch together instead? It's about that time anyway."
"Sounds good."
I nodded. Thorval had come at lunchtime on purpose. I'd taken it as an invitation to share a meal, so we hadn't eaten yet.
The table was prepared in no time.
The meal didn't pass quietly. Questions flew at me constantly, mostly about magic.
"How did you do that? It was clearly a one-way rune transmission..."
"Even one-way runes are connected, aren't they? Reverse-engineer the spell, tweak the internals a bit, and eventually..."
"You mean... that's possible? Truly? Astonishing... simply astonishing..."
The longer the conversation went, the deeper Grenil's awe and suspicion grew. His speech shifted subtly from casual to polite honorifics. He seemed convinced I was no ordinary human.
"How did you even spot the runes' positions?"
"I have a special detection spell."
"Wha... incredible... no, truly impressive..."
He looked oddly delighted. His long beard twitched with every quirk of his lips. While he probed me, I was probing him right back.
I hadn't noticed earlier, but up close now, I could faintly glimpse his inner world. The robe he wore was the issue. The mystery enveloping his entire body blurred his information.
'Annoying...'
I could see the outline of what I wanted to view, but it was frustratingly hazy. If only that robe weren't there—or if I could touch his hand—I'd learn so much more.
Mages who'd reached a certain level were usually like this. They wrapped themselves in strange mysteries to hide their details. Even activating Arcana didn't pierce it. That was the limit of the magic I'd created when I was new to it all.
Our friendly chat continued, but invisible probes darted across the table. Grenil was trying to scan me with detection spells too. Pointless, of course.
A second Mana Circle's concealment was flawless. It hid one's presence and deceived the foe. That was surely why Grenil was so certain I wasn't human.
'No way around it, then...'
I let out a deep sigh and deactivated the second Mana Circle's power. The veil that had deceived the world lifted, and mana poured out from my body in a swirling blue torrent.
Shaaa—
"Wha—what is this...?"
Grenil panicked as his detection spell shot straight toward me. It rode the mana flow, blending in naturally. At the same moment, my vision was sucked into one spot.
It felt like yesterday, when our runes had connected. But this was closer. My gaze plunged swiftly through Grenil's inner world, then pushed further.
Fwoosh—!
'This is...'
Grenil's inner world connected to the massive sphere I'd seen yesterday. One-way, like it was latched on. He'd forcibly linked it to siphon the mana the sphere absorbed.
But that let me reach it.
I stared blankly at the enormous sphere.
It was an organ innate to beings born with mystery. Like breathing mana through the heart. But it was incomplete. Most functions had failed, leaving only faint traces.
'Comprehended...'
Insight hit the moment I saw it. I snagged one of the vivid mysteries lingering in the organ with inspiration. The fourth mystery my heart would hold. Realization dawned, and my mind snapped back.
"Urk... blegh...!"
Back in reality, Grenil was slumped over, dry-heaving. What had he seen in me? I gazed at him impassively and activated all my Mana Circle powers.
"Grenil! You alright? Did the food not sit right?"
Grenil shoved off the frantic Thorval clinging to him. Panting heavily, he looked up at me.
"What did you see?"
"Countless... worlds... in a glimpse..."
Fear of the unknown. That was the emotion in Grenil's eyes.