Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Noble Duty (6)
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All monsters possessed a mana stone within their bodies, which could essentially be considered their heart.
The sole exception was the dragonkin, who had a separate heart in addition to their mana stone.
That said, the mana stone fundamentally retained its spherical shape regardless of the monster's species.
Of course, there were differences.
The more mana a monster had, the larger its mana stone—and vice versa.
The color also varied depending on the individual's traits, but it never strayed far from the colors of the rainbow.
Yet the one from the manticore was utterly different from any ordinary mana stone.
It was pitch black.
Just like the core from the Monster Wave spawned by the Basilisk King.
"Doesn't that look just like the one from the Basilisk King last time?"
"I'd say it's not just similar—it's identical."
Sien and Adel voiced the exact same suspicion.
Martin extended his left hand.
The manticore's mana stone on the ground floated into the air and settled into his palm.
"Judging by this alone, it really does seem like last year's Monster Wave all over again... It looks exactly like something influenced by a Monster Wave core, doesn't it?"
"It might look that way, but we can't say for sure it's the same. Only the manticore was berserk."
"That's the problem. Why was this one the only one affected?"
"How should I know?"
Adel shook her head at Sien's question.
She then turned to Martin.
"What do you think, Young Lord?"
"We can't tell if this is a Monster Wave core right now. The one from the Basilisk King is gone."
To be precise, it had been absorbed by Kaizen.
The others believed it had simply been destroyed.
Either way, they couldn't make a clear judgment at the moment.
There simply wasn't enough information.
"We'll have to check the status of other dungeons once we're back on the surface. If the same thing happened there, we can assume it's a precursor to last year's Monster Wave."
"That makes sense. But, Young Lord."
"Yeah."
"If this only happened in this dungeon, how should we interpret it?"
"I don't know how they did it, but... we'd have to assume someone tampered with it. One of the people who destroyed a Monster Wave core."
He couldn't say for certain.
Suspicion without solid evidence would only complicate matters without solving anything.
But then—
Flash!
A brilliant light erupted from the holy sword Kaizen in his right hand, reaching out to envelop the mana stone in his left.
In response, black energy poured from the mana stone, as if resisting the light.
But it meant little.
'Is this the same as last time...?'
Martin instinctively moved to react, but recalling when Kaizen had devoured the Basilisk core, he held back.
The light swiftly suppressed the black energy and enveloped the entire mana stone.
Light then burst from the mana stone itself, and like the Monster Wave core before it, it vanished.
No—absorbed into Kaizen was the more accurate description.
"You okay, Martin?! Nothing went wrong, right?"
"I'm fine, Sien, so don't worry. If anything, I feel power surging through me."
It wasn't just words to reassure Sien.
Immense power had indeed flowed from Kaizen into his body, filling him with vitality.
"Whew. Good. But what the hell was that? The sword absorbed the mana stone's power, didn't it?"
"Less the mana stone's power and more the core's, I'd say. The Young Lord has slain countless monsters, but he's never absorbed a mana stone's power before."
"True... Wait. Does that mean it really was a Monster Wave core?"
"Who knows. I doubt it's the exact same. If it were real, we'd be seeing a full Monster Wave like last year, but only the manticore went berserk."
Adel shared her thoughts while glancing at Martin.
He nodded lightly in agreement.
"Adel's right. The chances it's genuine are slim to none."
"Then?"
"We should assume this mana stone was corrupted by a Monster Wave core."
"You're saying... someone artificially caused this? Like what Adel mentioned earlier?"
"It's just a hypothesis, but yeah, that's what I'm thinking."
"That leaves three suspects. First Prince Richard Alteria and the heads of the other three great noble houses."
All three were known to have destroyed a core and resolved a Monster Wave, just like Martin.
In Richard's case, it had firmly established him as ahead of his two younger brothers in the minds of those in the western region.
"And destroying the core means they were closest to it. They could've easily pocketed a fragment or two."
"Hmm. Those three are more than capable of something like that. Thanks to you, Martin, Barhain City and the north took minimal damage last time. It wouldn't be strange if they tried to hit us now to even the score."
Adel nodded at Sien's reasoning.
"I agree with you both. Without hard evidence, we can't confront them, but if we find out who..."
"Find out who?"
"I'll make them pay back every bit of this—with interest."
A ferocious smile curled Martin's lips.
The two women nodded in unison.
They had no intention of letting this slide either.
'Still, it's a relief. We caught it early and stopped it, and Kaizen got stronger too.'
Kaizen hadn't evolved from holy sword to divine sword.
The power within the mana stone had been far too insufficient for that.
Still, absorbing it had paid off.
Previously, Kaizen had only amplified his own power, but now it gained a new ability.
It could directly channel that power to enhance his physical capabilities.
It was no exaggeration to call it the greatest achievement of this dungeon delve.
In that sense, he'd foiled whoever was behind this.
Not only had he thwarted their plot against Barhain City, but he'd also compensated for one of his weaknesses.
'Of course, it's not enough.'
Just as he'd vowed to the two women.
Whoever it was, they'd regret this.
* * *
After the battle with the manticore, the adventurers returned to the surface first.
To spread word of how Martin had resolved the crisis.
Once the news spread, the adventurers and knights gathered at the dungeon breathed a true sigh of relief.
The citizens of Barhain City, who had feared the worst, rejoiced wholeheartedly.
And so they assembled once more to cheer for the city's lord.
The knights at the front waved the Adalbert banners without cease, while the orchestra musicians poured their souls into their instruments.
Even the chill winter air couldn't dampen their spirits—no one showed a hint of fatigue.
That was when—
"The Young Lord is coming out!"
Branch Chief Bayren called out in a booming voice.
Martin stepped out from the Adventurers' Guild in time with the announcement.
With each step, the hem of the grape-colored robes gifted by the elves fluttered like something out of a painting.
Sien and Adel following behind him drew just as many admiring gazes.
"He's here! The Young Lord is here!"
"Waaaaah!"
Members of the Adalbert house and citizens of Barhain City erupted in cheers.
"To the true guardian of our city, our respects!"
"Glory to the great hero!"
Martin had racked up so many feats by now that counting them felt pointless.
And now he'd slain yet another aberrantly empowered monster, averting disaster for the city.
The citizens gazed at their young lord with genuine fervor.
"Long live House Adalbert! Long live!"
"Elevate the Young Lord to patriarch!"
Thump-thump.
Martin's chest swelled.
He'd felt it many times before, but it never got old.
'That said, I can't become patriarch just yet.'
An 8th Circle mage couldn't shoulder the role of one of the three great noble houses.
Barring rare cases like his father, the norm was to become patriarch at 9th Circle and reach 10th thereafter.
With that thought, Martin approached Branch Chief Bayren.
Martin took his place, and Bayren promptly dropped to his right knee.
He held up an adventurer's license marked S-Rank with both hands.
"The Young Lord descended to the 40th floor. Normally, that wouldn't qualify as an S-Rank promotion. However, you felled the Monster Lord on the 50th—the manticore—even after it was abnormally empowered. This is tantamount to clearing the 50th floor. Therefore, the Adventurers' Guild recognizes the Young Lord as an S-Rank adventurer!"
"Woooow!"
The citizens roared the instant Bayren finished.
Martin raised his left hand, and like magic, the cheers died down.
"I'll gladly accept this S-Rank adventurer's license."
"I believe the Young Lord will one day claim an even higher rank!"
"Hope so."
Martin smiled at Bayren's words.
He accepted the S-Rank adventurer's license.
He'd received one before his regression too, but getting it in front of the citizens felt entirely different.
"Sien Egret."
"Yes."
"You've reached the 6th Circle and aided the Young Lord in defeating the manticore. This is a monumental feat, so the Guild recognizes you as a B-Rank adventurer."
Bayren, now standing, offered the B-Rank license.
Sien took it with a confident smile.
At that moment—
"Well done, my daughter!"
A thunderous voice shook the air.
No need to ask who—it was obvious, and Sien's expression wavered badly.
"Your splendid display brings tears to my eyes!"
Ignoring his daughter's reaction, Vincent von Egret bellowed on.
Martin shot wry glances at Captain Lucas and Captain Philip beside him.
Catching their lord's intent, the two captains forcibly seated Vincent.
Only then did Sien accept her license, flashing Martin a grin.
"Congrats, Sien."
"Thanks, Martin. It's all thanks to you."
"Nah. I've owed you far more."
Martin meant every word.
Her devotion—even sacrificing her life for him—remained vivid in his memory.
"I'll celebrate, but I'll catch up to you as fast as I can."
"Not if I hit 7th Circle first."
Adel and Sien embraced lightly while whispering to each other.
Martin shook his head at their exchange.
Regardless, the crowd unleashed cheers that made one wonder if their throats could take it.
Thus, Martin successfully fulfilled his first duty as Young Lord.
'I need a good long rest.'
The Founding Festival would soon take him to the capital, Raize.
He resolved to rest as much as possible until then.
* * *
Unfortunately, Martin didn't get the rest he'd hoped for.
"Thanks for accepting my sparring request, Young Lord."
It was because of Adel's late-night challenge.
Seeing the fire blazing in her eyes, Martin gave a wry smile.
'Lately, things have been piling up too much.'
She'd improved greatly, but she was still technically a patient—wasn't this overdoing it?
What could he do, though?
He couldn't ignore someone begging for his help to grow stronger.
"I'm going all out, so no regrets?"
"No regrets here. Don't worry."
Adel vowed as she leveled her rapier.
'I'll definitely catch up to Sien.'