Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Pioneer
“Uwaaaack!”
The black-haired old man clutched his abdomen and screamed.
Startled, the bandaged man, Freddy, rushed over and grabbed the old man’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“Kuhk… That… Damn brat!”
“Damn brat? You mean Berddin?”
The black-haired old man shot him a sharp glare of displeasure and slapped his hand away.
Smack.
“Yeah, that blasted youngest of the Strange Family!”
Freddy let out a deep sigh, stood up, and shrugged.
“Don’t tell me the plan failed?”
“……”
“Ha! I trusted you because you were so confident, and you couldn’t even handle something that simple.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Getting beaten by a kid and taking it out on innocent bystanders.”
“I didn’t get beaten by him.”
“Then?”
The black-haired old man jumped to his feet and unrolled a large sheet of drawing paper on the floor as he answered.
Shrrrrk!
“Veratir.”
Freddy snorted in disbelief, his face a picture of absurdity.
“Veratir? That crazy old geezer?”
“Rumor has it his powers were sealed in the tower. He was hiding his strength.”
“Really? Last year when I saw him, he could barely walk. Stumbling around drunk.”
“All of it was a lie. He was strong enough that the Strange Family’s power didn’t work on him.”
“…I didn’t see it myself, so I can’t say, but it sounds like you’re overestimating him.”
The black-haired old man infused his brush with aura and began painting on the paper with a shout.
“Bullshit! I’ve lived more than twice as long as you. You think I’d overestimate the enemy?”
“Why are you getting mad? Right, Boni?”
A skinny woman with purple hair and dolls on both hands replied.
“Leave him be. The old man’s finally lost it. Win’s a win, loss is a loss. Excuses, tsk tsk!”
Crack!
The brush snapped while painting. The black-haired old man glared at Boni, veins bulging on his forehead.
“Watch your mouth, Boni. You’re only here thanks to Monestier, without even a Guardian Spirit.”
Boni made the dolls on her hands flap their mouths with ventriloquism, putting on a little show.
“Guardian Spirit this and that!”
“Monestier this and that!”
Silence fell.
Even after the exchange ended, an invisible battle of wills continued. The black-haired old man and Boni glared at each other.
Freddy, unable to stand it, smacked his forehead and spoke to them.
“Enough. So what now?”
The black-haired old man answered.
“What do you mean? We have no choice but to go kill Roys first.”
“Think you can?”
“What’s stopping us? He can’t even move properly, from what I hear.”
“Don’t underestimate Roys. You know that best, having crossed swords with him.”
“…That’s why we’re hurrying. If he recovers, not only does the plan fail, we all end up like Monestier.”
Step, step, step.
The black-haired old man lightly sat on one point of the spell circle drawn on the floor—a pentagram evoking the shape of stars in the night sky—and spoke to Freddy and Boni.
“Enough chit-chat. Let’s go catch Roys.”
Freddy nodded and took position on another point of the pentagram.
“We’re still missing one. With Monestier out, we need four.”
“Ah, he said he’d be a bit late. He’s been to the 40th floor with Roys before, so he can make it up here alone.”
“Really? I had no idea he climbed the tower with Roys.”
“Of course not. They moved in secret to keep the tower conquest method from the Glazer Family.”
“…Got it. Then let’s go. Hey, Boni, hurry up.”
Boni nodded one doll up and down, shook the other side to side, and sat opposite the black-haired old man and Freddy.
“Wait! Before we go, let’s make one thing clear. Who gets the southern lands if Roys dies?”
The black-haired old man and Freddy pointed at Boni simultaneously.
“You take it.”
“It’s yours.”
Boni snorted in satisfaction and thrust both arms up high.
“Great! Let’s go!”
She clapped the dolls’ mouths together.
Clap!
Light burst from the barrier.
Shiiiik—
Flash!
The three who had been in the room vanished.
Along with the pentagram on the floor. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “So your father is in mortal danger from some unknown force right now?”
Instructor Veratir was as sharp as ever.
I’d only given a brief rundown of events, but he grasped the situation instantly—the world outside the academy, not just the rift between Strange and Glazer, but even Father’s strained ties with the Imperial Army.
“Yes.”
“Hmm… Roys and the Emperor haven’t been on great terms for years, but not to the point of going for each other’s throats. No, even if he’s strong, how could a knight like him aim for the Emperor’s head without cause?”
He was right.
No matter how strong Father was, drawing a sword on the Emperor was impossible. Even the Glazers, a mage clan worshiping different gods, wouldn’t cross that line. How could a knight?
They weren’t bandits, after all.
“Even with cause, no one takes the Emperor’s head.”
“True, but as you know, the Emperor’s on his last legs anyway.”
“I’ve heard the rumors, but I don’t know if they’re true.”
“They are. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Saw what?”
“An old man doped up and babbling. Word is he lost his mind a few years back—sometimes even eats people like a monster.”
I feigned ignorance despite knowing everything, listening intently.
Was there any difference from my past life? No, it matched perfectly.
‘But.’
The Emperor wasn’t due to die yet.
He’d survive another two years with those bizarre rumors.
He’d lose his head to his own son the year I turned ten.
‘If things are the same as then.’
I wasn’t at the palace when he died, so I couldn’t confirm, but rumors said one of his vassals rebelled—the Emperor’s most trusted loyalist, they said, stabbing him in the back.
‘Should’ve paid more attention back then.’
It hadn’t concerned me at all. Emperor changes or not, my position stayed the same. Their life or death brought no gain or loss. My only tie to the Imperial Army was giving and taking commissions—why dig deeper?
I kept my expression neutral as I replied.
“Eating people? Unbelievable.”
“Probably a curse.”
“You think so?”
“Don’t you?”
“No. No one in the palace would dare use a curse. Even chanting one would get your head chopped off.”
“…Fair point.”
Veratir scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
“Speaking of, seems Philip already fled the academy. Looks like someone put him up to it…”
That confirmed Philip’s involvement. Interrogating his contacts would solve it easily.
‘Valentine sis could handle this in a snap.’
Should I contact her? She said to tell her if there’s trouble, and this involves Father.
‘…No.’
Honestly, she still felt too distant, even as my sister.
Such requests could wait until we were closer.
I could handle this alone.
“Had that Instructor Philip been here long?”
“Before I arrived. No idea exactly, but at least six years—longer than me.”
I knew he’d been at the academy ten years.
Six years since Veratir arrived—close enough.
“Oh, and Tony.”
“Ah, yes. Brother Tony.”
“Word is he woke up. Said he was the monkey wrecking Philip’s lab, beating himself up over it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Remembers everything. Said rage boiled up uncontrollably, forcing him to attack us. Who knows if it’s true.”
Didn’t know whose power, but if so, it could erode minds but not fully control.
‘Still, that level means big restrictions to activate.’
Difficulty scales with power.
Veratir eyed me up and down slowly, then grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.
“Go rest now. You’re staying till tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll talk later. Recharge first. I’ll have my academy guards hunt Philip till then.”
“Thank you. If we don’t find him, we’re in real trouble.”
“Don’t worry. You know me? Back then, I was stronger than Roys.”
I knew.
He was number one at arm wrestling.
I gave a light smile and nodded.
“Thanks.” ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back in my room, I lay on the bed.
No major battles draining stamina, but all the thinking had fatigued my mind—I fell asleep instantly.
Sleep wasn’t deep; I heard my own snoring a few times, then an unfamiliar voice whispered in my ear.
“It’s been a while, Berddin.”
A woman’s voice, soft as to feel sweet.
“I spent so long in the chaos just to meet you.”
Familiar, yet I couldn’t place it.
“Afraid I’d forget your name, I wrote it down every single day.”
No memory, but my chest ached.
I tried turning to see the owner, but my head was fixed, body unresponsive.
“I won’t forget you, so don’t forget me.”
‘Who are you to tell me not to forget? Tell me so I can remember!’
I shouted inwardly, knowing I couldn’t reach.
“My name is Cynthia.”
Cynthia?
No, this voice was nothing like the Cynthia I knew.
“I am your…”
‘Your…?’
With that, light flashed before my eyes.
Slap!
Someone struck my cheek, jolting me awake.
“Wake up, Berddin. If you don’t open your eyes now, you die.”