Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Chapter 17: The Stage of Harmony (5)
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It was only natural, but I still got scolded by Sien.
On top of that, Armand, Paolo, and Solen stepped in as well.
At least I had taken Christian along at the last minute, and I revealed that there was no pain at all even after applying the dragon blood, so it ended there.
If I had fought alone?
If I had complained of pain from the dragon blood?
I couldn't even dare to imagine what would have happened to me afterward.
"The young lord's actions were completely unexpected, but in the end, everything was handled well. The barrier has been safely restored, and we can now go to the World Tree as we please."
Bartez, the grand elder of Altair Village, expressed his formal gratitude toward Martin.
"Thank you so much for your help, young lord. The elves of Altair Village will never forget this favor."
"It's not a favor—please don't think of it that way. I stepped in purely for the reward, after all."
"Instead of the market, you asked us to allow entry into the dungeon. And not only that—you saved the World Tree. If you hadn't resolved this, that wyvern would have become a horrific disaster."
"Well, that's..."
Martin couldn't bring himself to deny it.
In fact, before his regression, the wyvern had absorbed all the mana from the World Tree and used that power to ravage the entire north.
"Armand."
At Bartez's call, Armand nodded.
He then lightly shook his right hand, opening a subspace.
From the rift in space emerged a single set of pure white uniform, which Armand politely handed to Martin.
"What is this?"
"It's called Grape. It's clothing made by elven artisans using leaves and sap from the World Tree. It generates a barrier at the point of impact to protect the body, with defensive power comparable to dwarven armor. Plus, it can change form according to the wearer's will."
"No matter what, how could it compare to the armor we make?"
"Dwarven armor is the best on the continent!"
At Armand's words, Alessandro, the grand elder of Lannis Village, grumbled.
Several dwarves nodded in agreement.
And rightly so—they took great pride in their craftsmanship.
But neither Martin nor Armand paid any attention to their reactions.
"If we're talking swords, it's on par with a holy sword."
"You've got it exactly right. Watching your fight closely, I saw you focus on predicting and dodging attacks. But you can't dodge every single one, can you? So I figured this would come in handy."
"Thank you. I'll make good use of it."
Good equipment is always helpful.
Martin accepted the Grape from Armand and stored it in his subspace.
He couldn't very well change into it right there in front of these high-ranking members of the two races.
Then they returned to the main topic.
"Before opening the shop, I'd like to install warp magic circles leading to Brehayn City first. I'll provide the coordinates. Of course, we'll need one in Lannis Village too."
"Warp magic circles are essential for dungeon access. However, young lord, there's something we need to discuss regarding the market."
"Go ahead."
As Alessandro opened his mouth, Martin immediately turned to him.
"Separate from trusting your sincerity, we still find it hard to trust humans. So we'd like to sell our goods only to members of the Adalbert family. What you do with them afterward is up to your discretion."
"I understand your reluctance to show yourselves to the human world. But I oppose completely hiding away."
"And why is that?"
"To enter the dungeon, you need to register as adventurers, and that process will reveal everything anyway. Frequent dungeon trips mean inevitably encountering various humans.
"If we're revealing ourselves to the world anyway, you want us to do it more thoroughly?"
"You've got it spot on. I'll open two branches in Brehayn City. We'll display the goods you sell to the Adalbert family there, so please dispatch at least one person to guard each branch."
"You've thought this through. By showing dwarves and elves in person, you'll prove the goods are authentic."
"I don't think it's bad for you either. Everyone will want to buy elven and dwarven products. To do that, they'll try to show you their best side, and naturally, their attitudes will improve."
"What if someone tries to pull a fast one?"
"I promise you right here: anyone who does will be punished in the name of the Adalbert family."
Martin replied with a grin.
Monopolizing goods made by elves and dwarves.
No faction in Krasian continent history had ever achieved it.
Before the empire's founding, there was no monopoly, and after, they couldn't sell on a large scale.
If the branches actually opened, immense wealth would pour in.
It would all stack up neatly in the Adalbert family's warehouses, a huge boon for the coming chaos.
And beyond that, arming Adalbert knights, mages, and soldiers with their equipment would strengthen their forces.
Murmur murmur.
The gathered elves and dwarves discussed among themselves and finally reached a decision.
"Very well, young lord. We'll go along with your plan."
"I agree."
"Thank you for accepting."
As Bartez and Alessandro gave their firm approval, the smile on Martin's lips deepened.
'I finally did it.'
To prepare for the chaos, he had devised the grand plan of northern unification.
The first step was his northern tour, purging families hostile to the Adalbert family and lords unhelpful to the north in the long term.
The second was tidying up the branch families that defied him.
The final third was allying with the non-humans.
With all steps complete, no force in the north could oppose the Adalbert family.
The main family's own strength hadn't fully recovered yet, but given time, they could hope to return to their peak.
'Less than a month until the new year.'
The market issue remained, but leaving it to Kurt and the staff would handle it smoothly.
'I wonder what will happen next year.'
By changing everything he knew, predicting the future had become difficult.
Still, one thing was certain.
Compared to what would happen next year, this year's commotion was child's play.
* * *
By the time all discussions ended, it was already deep into the night.
Yet Sien was still waiting for Martin without going to sleep.
"You could have gone to bed."
"Quit talking nonsense. What kind of escort knight goes to sleep first while their lord is working?"
"You're really reliable. Looks like getting scolded earlier was worth it, since you're not mad anymore."
"It only stopped there because others stepped in. If it had been just me... you know, right?"
Sien smiled.
Seeing it, Martin involuntarily shuddered.
But only for a moment—he opened his subspace.
Out came the wyvern's heart and a single World Tree leaf he had managed to grab.
He held them out to Sien.
"A gift for you, Sien."
"You're something else, Martin. When did you even snag that?"
Sien took it with a laugh of disbelief.
Martin replied with a matter-of-fact expression.
"Opportunities to meet dragonkin don't come often, do they? Plus, absorbing the World Tree's mana made it even more special. No way I'll see another one, so I grabbed everything worth taking. Right?"
"You're not wrong, but you need it more than..."
"Yeah. My mana increases on its own anyway. So it's way more effective for you to take it."
"Then I won't hold back."
Sien accepted, but having never done this before, she had to ask Martin again.
"But how do I absorb the power? Why'd you bring the World Tree leaf?"
"First, wrap the heart with the leaf. Then connect your mana and absorb it."
"Got it."
Following Martin's instructions, Sien wrapped the wyvern heart with the World Tree leaf.
Then she drew mana from her abdominal and head mana cores, directing it straight to the heart.
Flash!
Bright silver light burst from the leaf and heart.
It meant her mana had properly connected, and she immediately began pulling in the mana.
'It really doesn't hurt.'
Just as applying dragon blood caused pain, absorbing mana from a heart came with agony.
Dragonkin mana was so alien in nature that this was unavoidable.
But not this time.
As if it had always been one, the heart's mana flowed into her body and settled in place.
'Then...'
Sien directed all the mana to her head mana core.
To turn the two rings there into three.
If successful, combined with her three circles in the abdomen, she would reach six circles total.
She was determined to make it happen.
'I can't be a burden to Martin.'
Martin had suppressed the dragon's curse to some degree and was now unleashing his genius fully.
It was great news, but not enough to ease her worries.
The Alteria Empire could erupt into civil war at any moment, and if it did, Martin would face enemies far stronger than any he'd met so far.
To avoid holding him back, she needed at least six circles.
Grooooar!
As all the wyvern's mana surged to her head, a terrifying aura poured from Sien's entire body.
"Hmm."
Realizing her intent, Martin looked troubled.
Expanding circles with sheer mana volume was possible.
But highly inefficient and dangerous.
Even for an Egret family member with insane physical prowess, survival odds were high but not advisable.
'It's better to advance naturally through enlightenment.'
But since she had already started, there was no stopping her from outside.
Better to trust and cheer her on than worry needlessly.
He'd intervene only if real danger arose.
While Martin worried, Sien recalled how he wielded his unique ability.
'Genius is genius, huh.'
Interfering in another lineage with a specific one is inefficient.
Mana consumption is extreme, while power drops sharply.
Yet Martin could do it for a simple reason.
The dragon's curse gave him mana reserves incomparable to most.
In fact, he'd overcome both issues by pouring out mana like mad.
Plus, his overwhelming genius kept his control from lagging far behind native lineage users.
It was almost miraculous.
The dragon's curse that blocked his unique ability was now helping him in another way.
'But I'm not Martin.'
Versatile abilities require finesse, which was far from her strength.
'What I need to do is simple: crush Martin's enemies.'
Smashing and shattering things.
That was what Egret family members did best.
Her unique ability 'Spatial Repulsion' was specialized for destruction.
So, how to destroy targets more effectively.
Through Martin, she found the answer.
'Compressing power. That's the key.'
Shiver!
The thought hit her, and Sien felt a powerful thrill.
Her body shook violently, and radiant silver light rose, enveloping her.
The changes didn't end there.
Crack!
Her head mana core's vessel shattered and expanded in an instant.
A new ring formed immediately after.
The light surrounding her grew brighter, and finally, her consciousness returned to the real world.
"It worked. How do you feel?"
"Absolutely amazing."
At Martin's question, Sien beamed.
The moment she successfully reached the six-circle realm.
"Remember this, Martin. No matter how you fight, you'll have to take me along."
"Might have to. Anyway, congratulations."
To her, who had shortened her original timeline to six circles by three years, Martin offered unstinting praise.