Category: The Master of Language

That day, the mansion was turned upside down.

Fabre is a young master who rarely leaves his room. He coughed up blood in front of me, who had been in the wild for two weeks.

Although we’re both mages and don’t catch common illnesses, the people in the mansion didn’t know that. Fabre found it bothersome, but the people wouldn’t leave the count’s only heir alone.

Hours of bathing, calling for doctors, and isolating him in his room.

Count Furst knew Fabre was a mage, so he wasn’t too worried.

He just pretended to go along with Butler Clark’s fuss.

After about three days, Butler Clark politely said to me,

“I apologize for the inconvenience. Starting today, the Count would like you to join us for meals.”

“It’s alright. It was necessary for safety. Should I go to the dining room now?”

“The Count will come here.”

“Personally?”

When I asked again, Butler Clark nodded slightly and left.

He probably wanted to have a quiet conversation.

As I waited for him to arrive, I closed my eyes and recalled what I had seen three days ago.

Merlin, half-transformed into a bird.

Was it because his familiar had died?

Or was he preparing some dangerous magic?

Whatever it was, he wouldn’t let this go.

I need to prepare.

I need to prepare thoroughly.

At that moment, maids came in from outside. They prepared the dining table, and soon the count entered.

“Everyone, leave.”

The maids bowed politely and left.

I got up from the bed and sat across from him.

“How’s your recovery? Going well?”

“Yes, I’m fine. How about Fabre? Is he doing well?”

“He’s usually cooped up in his room anyway, so he doesn’t seem to mind much.”

As the count naturally started eating his soup, I began my meal as well.

The meal continued in silence.

The count seemed to be contemplating how to start the conversation.

I smiled gently and spoke first.

“You mentioned the Second Princess of Franche, right? She’s coming this morning.”

The count glanced at me, then continued eating and asked,

“Is she also a target of your revenge?”

“Not really. But I suppose I’ll be the target of her revenge. She won’t sit idle while I’m going to kill her father, will she?”

The count was silent for a moment, then said,

“Who knows.”

It’s a short answer, but it holds many meanings.

I continued eating and asked,

“How did you end up joining hands?”

“She contacted me first. Seems she heard that I had drowned the Crown Prince’s army. So she must have been confident she could draw me into her faction.”

“Well, it’s certain that you’ve crossed a point of no return with the Crown Prince of Franche.”

The count put down his utensils slightly.

“I thought you were dead. I regret things turning out this way.”

I shook my head.

“It’s okay. But there’s one thing I’d like you to promise.”

“What is it?”

“To not get involved in anything between the Princess and me.”

“……”

“Will you promise?”

Count Furst looked at me with calm eyes.

“The most important thing to me is the New Continent Trading Company. I won’t interfere beyond that.”

He had no choice.

Strictly speaking, even when Count Furst bought me and took me to Master Avana, it was to get magical help from Master Avana.

I smiled.

“Alright. Now tell me.”

“What?”

“You came to ask for my advice, didn’t you?”

Count Furst chuckled as if in disbelief.

“Right. That’s correct. By the way, do you want this broccoli?”

I picked up the plate in front of me and placed it in front of him.

He grabbed several pieces of broccoli at once and dipped them in the soup before eating.

The count chewed on the broccoli, lost in thought.

Then he spoke up.

“I’ve been thinking about the conversation we had in the carriage three days ago. About the possibility that Legless Monkey and Duke Balkan might have joined hands.”

If I remember correctly, Hansis the priest appeared and interrupted our conversation at that time.

“Right. It seemed most likely that they had joined hands midway.”

The count’s eyes flashed sharply.

“I’ve thought about that. There’s a contradiction. It’s a 40-day journey by sea. It’s impossible to make decisions and exchange messages so quickly over that distance.”

“What about the Franche warships? They arrived earlier than expected after Franche was heavily defeated in the Manya Plains, right? Doesn’t that mean there’s some way to communicate across the sea?”

The count frowned.

“That could be possible.”

I suggested another possibility.

“Count. You had a mysterious treasure that allowed you to fly, right? Wouldn’t others have such treasures too? Especially someone like Duke Balkan, who had the mage Merlin?”

The count stroked his chin.

“A contact person?”

I immediately mentioned the person that came to mind.

“Is there anyone besides Governor Crom?”

The count smiled slightly.

“No. My attack on the Franche warships with pirates was a secret known only to him and me. Moreover, Legless Monkey left without killing him. Yes, that’s right. There was absolutely no reason to keep him alive! The reason must be that he was Duke Balkan’s contact person.”

I chuckled.

“You really killed him at the right time, Count. Governor Crom. He must have had a treasure that could communicate with Duke Balkan.”

The count met my eyes and stroked his chin.

Before expressing his thoughts, the count repeatedly moves his hand or mouth.

I wonder if that helps him organize his thoughts.

The count stroked around his chin a few more times, then stopped as if he had finished thinking.

“If that’s the case, Legless Monkey and Duke Balkan can’t contact each other now.”

“That’s why she kindly looked into ship schedules for us. Retrieving the children is very important to her, even to gain the trust of her tribe members. Since she can’t contact Duke Balkan, you’re the only one she can trust, right?”

The count nodded.

“Hmm, yes. I can’t be certain, but that feeling seems right, Ran. But it’s all speculation.”

I crossed my legs.

And looked down at my fingers.

The ring Psyche gave me was there.

“I’ll check if that speculation is correct or not.”

The count looked at me with wide eyes.

***

The Franche princess had already arrived at Sangria port and was expected to reach the mansion around evening.

There was quite some time left until then.

I remained alone in the room, looking at the ring on my left hand.

“She said it could communicate over long distances depending on the level. Is it possible even across an ocean?”

The purple flower encircling my fourth finger emitted a faint, translucent light.

I infused magic into the ring.

But it didn’t accept the magic.

“What?”

I tried again, but the result was the same.

Nothing happened.

The magic came back out as much as it went in.

“No. It’s slightly, just slightly insufficient. It definitely absorbed some magic.”

I concentrated again and tried to infuse magic. Then, although it was an extremely small amount, I could feel the ring absorbing magic.

It was as if the ring was whispering to me.

Gently.

Continuously.

“This isn’t simply activated by strong magic. It needs effort and sincerity.”

I closed my eyes. I tried to control the magic within me as much as possible and slowly injected it into the ring in its gentlest form.

Then it absorbed several times more magic compared to before. It responded better to weaker magic.

Of course, it was still just a tiny amount.

I continued to infuse magic like that.

For over an hour.

“How much more do I need to put in? Will it work today?”

Somehow, I’m getting stubborn about this.

But if I hastily put in too much magic, the magic already inside would leak out.

More gently.

More continuously.

I had to focus all my nerves, heart, and thoughts on the ring.

I decided to forget about time.

I decided to forget about space.

I devoted myself completely to that task, pouring my everything into it.

[Ran?]

I opened my eyes wide.

The ring was still there.

“Psyche?”

After I asked, there was no sound for a long time.

Just as I was about to give up, Psyche’s voice echoed in my head.

[Yes.]

“Wow! This actually works!”

I waited for Psyche’s response, but again.

It was awkwardly silent.

Don’t tell me I have to keep infusing magic?

I don’t think I can do any more.

[Why did you contact me only now?]

Fortunately, it seems once activated, communication remains possible.

But there was a different problem.

She sounds angry.

Psyche’s voice was as impassive as usual, but I could tell.

Maybe because I can only hear her voice now, even the slightest change in tone was noticeable.

Clearly, Psyche was angry.

At times like this, the best thing to do is to change the subject.

Trying to appease her anger would be like fanning the flames.

“I almost died.”

[What?]

“I almost died. I met a mage of a higher level than me.”

Psyche paused a little before speaking.

[Are, are you okay? What happened?]

The effect is just right.

Now I can’t sense any anger in Psyche’s voice.

I threw myself onto the bed and started talking.

“So, what happened was, there’s this Duke Balkan, you know? He’s really famous in Bariton…”

On and on.

I told her everything that had happened since I arrived on the continent of Yura, without missing a single detail.

Psyche responded occasionally, listening to everything I said until the end.

“…Anyway, that’s why I’m resting now.”

[It’s too dangerous. Come back immediately.]

The sudden voice of Master Avana.

She must have been listening alongside Psyche while I was talking.

I wonder how she did it when my voice would only be heard as a mental image on their side?

Anyway.

“Is that you, Master? It’s been a while.”

[Ran. Listen carefully. A mage who has lost their familiar is very dangerous. The will, no, the intelligence that was constantly bestowed upon the familiar returns, causing an overload of magic.]

“Then isn’t it okay for now since he needs to recover? It’s been about 20 days and nothing has happened.”

[Of course, at first, he would struggle to recover. But what if he fails to recover? What do you think he would do if he realizes he can never go back? What do you think someone facing death will do?]

I could understand what Master was saying.

“He would come to kill me.”

Master spoke in a calm voice.

[Ran. The most threatening mage is one who has nothing to lose. If he comes after you with everything he has, you can’t hope for luck.]

Magic becomes stronger the more you’re willing to pay.

So, the magic used by a mage with nothing to lose, betting everything, is far superior to their usual level.

“Hearing that, I almost wish he would recover. But… somehow, I don’t think that will happen.”

The scene of him half-transformed into a bird flashes before my eyes.

Master Avana let out a deep sigh.

[Futures involving life and death are particularly easy to sense. He will come for you soon. So come back before it’s too late.]

Hearing those words, anxiety suddenly gripped me again.

But I swallowed hard and steeled myself.

“I can’t run away. That action and decision will affect my magic in the future.”

[Ran. My beloved disciple. You can’t win every fight. Even the greatest mages have never gone undefeated, and there are even fewer who have never fled.]

I shook my head.

“Master Avana. Thank you for your words. But I didn’t run away from Keren either, and that’s why I was able to defeat him, gaining a high level of dignity. A dignity strong enough not to be overshadowed even by Merlin, a true mage.”

[That was an extremely low probability. It was barely achieved with numerous conditions being met. It’s something that almost never happens.]

“Master.”

[I’m listening. Speak.]

I closed my eyes and spoke softly.

“Isn’t that the essence of magic?”

Silence fell.

I opened my mouth again.

“What are the chances of rain falling from a clear sky? But you, Master, fulfilled the necessary conditions and made it rain, breaking through that small probability. Isn’t that magic?”

[It is.]

“Exactly.”

Silence fell again.

That silence held many meanings.

Soon, Master Avana spoke.

[If that’s truly your will, I won’t stop you anymore. But never be arrogant. Use whatever you can use. Fulfill every condition you can think of. Diligently! And thoroughly! That is humility.]

“I understand, Master. I won’t be arrogant.”

[Good. I’ll look into whether that communication medium you mentioned actually exists. Since it would contain magic, it should be quite easy to find.]

“Please do, Master. You should focus on searching around Governor Crom’s residence.”

[Alright.]

There were no other words after that.

Because of this, as I was about to withdraw my magic from the ring, Psyche’s words suddenly came through.

[Come to think of it, why did you contact us only now when so many things happened?]

Fortunately, there was no ‘anger’ in her tone.

However, I didn’t miss it. The ‘readiness to get angry’ hidden deep within her calm tone.

That ‘anger’ would be fired at the slightest trigger.

It’s still not easy.

It’s time to be a bit more assertive.

“What about you? Why didn’t you?”

Another silence followed.

At the end of that silence, she left her final words.

[You do it.]

A world of complete darkness.

There was an enormous red sun that had completely engulfed one side.

No.

It was a great red eye.

The red eye looked at me and spoke.

[Isn’t it strange?]

It was a voice that gently awakened my hazy consciousness.

[What?]

The eye moved to the side. Due to its massive size, it sounded as if the world was vibrating.

Where the eye was looking, there stood a dead horse.

[That horse. Why did it accept your death magic?]

[What?]

[Think about it. Those you’ve killed hold grudges against you. That’s why it’s difficult to control them with death magic.]

[That’s right. Master Avana said the same thing.]

[But why did that horse listen to you?]

[Huh?]

[Why did that horse accept your death magic? Even though you killed it.]

I looked at the dead horse.

The dead horse was staring at me intently with its lifeless eyes.

There wasn’t even a hint of resentment in them.

The horse slightly opened its mouth.

“Neigh!”

A sudden sense of reality.

The scorching sunlight forced my eyes open involuntarily.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around.

My vision was strangely high up.

“You, you?”

I was on top of a horse.

The horse’s neck was completely broken, with its head barely attached by flesh.

It’s the horse I revived with death magic.

“Neigh!”

The horse moved its lips again.

Perhaps out of habit from when it was breathing, it’s still breathing even though it’s dead.

But since the dead body has no use for that air, it just goes back and forth.

As my vision gradually recovered, I could tell where I was.

“Count Furst’s mansion? You. Did you bring me here?”

The horse moved its lips again as if in response.

“Neigh!”

The last thing I remember is shattering Merlin’s familiar that had turned to ice.

Suddenly, a feeling like my heart dropped.

The familiar’s egg!

I quickly reached into my robe. I could feel the egg Speria had given me.

“Thank goodness. I must have kept it safe even unconsciously.”

Just then, my body tilted.

The horse was slowly falling sideways, but it was trying its best not to let me get hurt.

After I got off, the horse collapsed sideways with a thud.

I took out my staff and sent psychic power to examine the horse’s condition.

There was hardly any magical power left that I had injected, and the corpse’s inherent thoughts were extremely faint.

“You. You said your last wish was to run, right? But why did you bring me here while I was unconscious?”

The horse rolled its eyes to look at me.

They were so cloudy that I couldn’t tell what emotions they held.

The horse finally closed its eyes.

I looked down at the horse for a moment.

This horse deserves a proper funeral.

I have an obligation to give it a funeral.

I raised my staff and pointed to a spot a little away from where the horse lay.

Then I used psychokinesis to create a hole slightly larger than the horse’s form.

After putting the horse in and covering it with dirt, I said softly:

“Rest in peace.”

I turned around and walked towards the entrance of the mansion.

The first person I encountered was the mansion’s butler.

“M-Mage!”

“Hello. What was your name again?”

“Clark. It’s Clark.”

His eyes were as wide as the full moon.

As if someone who couldn’t return had come back.

I said to him:

“The Count is here, right?”

“Yes. Y-yes.”

He seemed unable to shake off the shock, which was unusual for his age.

Given how surprised he was…

“How long has it been? Since Count Furst met Duke Balkan?”

“A-about half a month?”

As I thought.

In that amount of time, Count Furst must have been certain of my death.

I smiled brightly.

“May I see the Count?”

Butler Clark nodded repeatedly, still looking dumbfounded.

The butler first guided me to an empty room. I lay down on the bed without even washing up, as my body was quite exhausted.

Not long after, Count Furst flung open the door.

Bang!

Although he didn’t kick it open with his foot like before, it had no less impact.

“Ran! You’re alive!”

I turned my head towards him.

“Yes, somehow.”

“We searched the entire area. We combed through all the burnt forests here and there. But we couldn’t find you.”

“Really? Did I get swept away by the river? Hmm. I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean you’re not sure? Where on earth have you been and what have you been doing?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I don’t know, really. When I came to my senses, I was in front of the mansion. I don’t remember anything in between.”

“What? It’s been nearly a month! You’re saying you don’t remember anything for almost two weeks?”

“I think I was unconscious on a horse. Don’t look at me like that. Mages are different from ordinary people, we can survive for quite a long time without eating or sleeping. Don’t ask too much about the details. A mage’s affairs are not to be inquired about lightly, Count.”

“……”

The Count seemed very curious, but he only opened and closed his mouth silently.

He knew very well how dangerous magic was, and how much more dangerous it was to get involved in it.

I asked nonchalantly:

“Anyway, how is the current situation?”

Count Furst took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

He brought a chair from the side and sat down by my bedside.

“Everyone sold their company shares. Since I knew in advance, I was able to buy them all, but all the support I was receiving from other nobles has been cut off. Both materially and politically.”

“So has it become difficult to run the company?”

“The important thing is that we need to recruit soldiers, but we can’t. If we try to recruit regular troops, Duke Balkan interferes, and if we try to hire mercenaries, we don’t have the money.”

He must have spent it all buying shares.

“But you’re not the type to just sit idle for two weeks, are you, Count?”

Count Furst reluctantly nodded. He cautiously glanced at me and spoke carefully.

“I came up with one clever move.”

“What is it?”

“I requested help from Franche.”

“Pardon?”

“The princess of Franche herself has agreed to come. She should arrive within three days.”

I knew he was a smart person.

But I didn’t know he was this bold.

To the point of being dumbfounding.

“You mean you’re trying to receive support from a foreign country? Is that even possible?”

“Of course not. The entire family would be exterminated for treason.”

“Then?”

“If it’s the princess’s private army rather than support from the Franche state, there’s no legal issue. It’s just a transaction between companies after all.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Moreover, since I alone hold all the shares, it’s not even a public company. I’ve converted it to a privately held company.”

The Count spoke as if it were no big deal.

But he’s walking a very thin tightrope.

“Come to think of it, Count, didn’t you use pirates to sink Franche’s regular troops? Is that okay?”

The Count explained in a low voice.

“Franche is a very large country. There are various interests within it. The Second Princess who has agreed to join hands with me is a heavyweight that even the King or Crown Prince can’t handle easily, and she’s even eyeing the throne. The Franche regular troops I sank were the Crown Prince’s forces.”

“So the enemy of my enemy is my friend, is that it?”

“That’s right.”

It may sound like a clever move at first, but it’s clearly a decision made after being pushed to the edge of a cliff.

One wrong move and he could be abandoned by both sides.

“Are you sure about this? At this point, wouldn’t it be better to just submit to Duke Balkan rather than go this far?”

Count Furst gave a faint smile.

“I heard that Mage Merlin fell off his horse in front of the nobles that day. He hasn’t shown himself in public since then. Rumors are that he died.”

There’s no way a mage like Merlin would just fall off his horse.

The moment I killed his familiar, he must have received a considerable shock and at least lost consciousness.

Judging by Count Furst’s satisfied expression, he seems to think I killed him directly.

It’s similar, but not quite.

“So?”

“So Duke Balkan is in a situation where he can’t exert much power either. He usually overestimates the power of his mage and has made too many enemies.”

“I suppose. Come to think of it, he treated the other nobles like servants at the Dragon Ranch.”

“Dragon Ranch? What’s that?”

The Count seemed completely unaware.

Ah, I forgot that they lost their memory after leaving it.

But since he remembers meeting the Duke, it seems he only lost the memory of that specific place.

There’s no point in explaining since he wouldn’t understand anyway, so I just continued.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, so you’re saying you won’t submit to Duke Balkan?”

“If I marry the Duke’s daughter, all of his numerous enemies could become my enemies too, and…”

He trailed off, but I knew what he was going to say.

“Don’t worry. I was planning to go out tomorrow anyway. I’ll definitely find out who was responsible for the unfortunate incident with your wife, Count. Even if I can’t find out exactly, I’ll at least be able to confirm whether it was Duke Balkan or not.”

“Alright, I trust you. I’ll leave that matter entirely to you. Not only do I have company affairs, but there are also many internal matters in the domain. There are important issues that Butler Clark can’t decide on his own.”

“Since you’ve been away for so long, it must be even more so. The approval documents must have piled up.”

Count Furst nodded slightly and said:

“Butler Clark is truly an indispensable person.”

After saying that, he just sits there quietly.

Normally, he would have jumped up to get back to work, but now he’s feeling apologetic.

It was inevitable.

The Franche royal family is my sworn enemy.

They are the ones who killed my innocent mother.

The Count must have reached out to them as a last resort, thinking I was dead.

“I want to rest for now. Let’s talk about the rest later.”

The Count, unable to meet my eyes, mumbled:

“I understand. I’ll come again.”

There was still a hint of apology in his back as he opened the door and left.

Once his footsteps had completely faded away, I whispered softly:

“It’s okay. You can come in.”

No sooner had those words fallen than the sound of rapid footsteps was heard from outside.

Soon the door opened slightly, and Fabre poked his head in.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Fabre smiled brightly and quickly came inside.

“Mage! Hehe. I knew you’d be alive!”

He’s always so pure, no matter when I see him.

I raised myself slightly to sit up against the headboard.

“Did you?”

“Yes! Jangsir told me!”

He stretched out both hands upwards, and on them was the two-horned fire-winged unicorn beetle I had seen before.

A strange magical power could be felt from the two horns of that beetle.

It felt more intense and refined than what I had felt before.

Fabre’s words can’t be dismissed as mere child’s talk.

He is a mage too, after all.

“How did Jangsir tell you?”

Fabre smiled broadly again, climbed onto the bed, crossed his legs to sit, and brought Jangsir close to my nose.

“This little one can see far away. That’s how I knew. It showed me you unconscious on that strange horse.”

Since he says he saw me unconscious on the strange horse, it’s not an illusion.

Then the magical power of the beetle Jangsir must be clairvoyance.

I wonder if he unconsciously used this little beetle’s power to discover the assassins who infiltrated the mansion in the past.

I need to confirm.

“Can I see too?”

“Hmm. It should be possible. After all, it was you, Mage Ran, who taught me how to put psychic power into beetles.”

“I told you to call me senior.”

“Hehe.”

Fabre just laughed cheerfully without responding.

I’ve told him several times, but since he doesn’t follow, he must have his own reasons.

I don’t intend to force him.

I asked:

“Then may I try?”

“Yes. Jangsir likes you too, Mage Ran, so it should be fine.”

I took out my staff from inside my robe. It’s very difficult to put psychic power into a beetle without a staff.

The fact that Fabre does this easily is probably due to innate reasons.

“Wow.”

Fabre’s eyes sparkled as he looked at my staff.

I brought the staff close to the beetle’s two horns. The moment the tip of the staff touched those horns, an amazing sight entered my vision.

A huge nest full of feathers.

Inside, Merlin was curled up, clutching a dark red jewel.

Snow-white hair and beard, and a gray robe barely covered that frail body.

No.

It’s not hair or beard or robe.

They were all feathers that had grown from his body.

His hands had become wings, and his lips had become a beak.

Just then, Merlin suddenly raised his head.

Eyes filled with deep murderous intent pierced through me.

“Kuhup.”

At that moment, a sharp pain shot through me, and a bitter lump rose up my throat.

In an instant, everything before my eyes was dyed completely red.

The eagle’s two eyes were identical to Merlin’s eyes that I had seen earlier.

It began to descend, slightly folding its wings.

“It won’t be targeting the Count. Since Duke Balkan spared him, his mage wouldn’t target the Count.”

“Then?”

It must be me.

Partly to reduce Count Furst’s forces.

Partly to teach a lesson to the rude junior who deflected his Psychic power.

It seems Merlin himself isn’t here, given that I can’t sense him. He must have sent only his familiar.

I spoke to the coachman.

“I need to borrow a horse.”

I took out my staff. Then, using psychokinesis, I untied the reins of one horse and brought it in front of me.

“Go ahead. I’ll catch up after shaking it off.”

I leapt onto the horse. While stroking its mane, I used psychokinesis more gently.

Although my horseback riding experience was limited to childhood lessons, controlling the horse was easy with psychokinesis.

“Ran!”

Through the open door, I glimpsed Count Furst’s surprised expression.

I gave a slight smile and rode the horse away from the carriage.

There was nothing around but dense forest.

Glancing back, I saw the eagle had already descended more than halfway.

As expected, it was following me.

Whoosh!

Two flames blossomed at the tips of the eagle’s wings.

Fire magic.

I looked around.

As expected, trees everywhere.

The environment was smiling upon fire magic.

I want to use fire magic too, but I have no spark.

Kalasta’s spark was extinguished in the sea, and Keren’s spark was used up entirely by Speria.

Environment is crucial in magic.

Keren’s defeat was partly due to the lack of a familiar, but the coastal environment was also a significant factor.

Magic can lead to defeat even against a lower-level opponent if the environment isn’t favorable, and right now, the environment favors Merlin.

I must escape at all costs.

With my thighs tightly gripping the horse, I held my staff and magic book in each hand.

I quickly used water magic to locate the nearest river.

“West! Two kilometers!”

Just then, a sound like a massive curtain flapping echoed from behind.

When I looked back, the eagle was already near.

The fireball on the eagle’s wings was three or four times larger than Keren’s, but it seemed to have a lower temperature.

“At that level…”

I brushed the horse’s mane once with my staff. Understanding my intent completely, the horse began galloping at full speed towards the river.

But because of this, the horse ran in a straight line.

When I glanced back slightly, the corners of the eagle’s eyes lifted a bit.

A sneer.

Then the eagle suddenly swept both wings forward.

The fireballs at the tips of its wings flew toward me.

‘Fine. I’ll give it back. I burned the energy of the original owner of this robe, so I can use it if I want. It’s resistant to fire; it was quite troublesome.’

I swung my staff. Keren’s robe that enveloped my body billowed in the wind, rising to cover me and the horse like a roof.

Whoosh-!

Fwoosh!

The two fireballs fell onto Keren’s robe, immediately setting fire to all the surrounding trees.

But not a single thread of Keren’s robe was burned.

Given that it resisted even Speria’s fire, this result was perhaps expected.

As I lowered my staff, Keren’s robe also came down to wrap around my body.

The eagle was no longer in sight.

It had flapped its wings forward to launch the fireballs, so the recoil seemed to have increased the distance.

As I began to feel relieved, a red line traced the sky in the distance as Merlin’s eagle soared into the sky.

Its speed was on a completely different level from what it had shown so far.

Its entire body was burning red, leaving a yellow fire trail in the sky as it passed.

It began approaching me at a speed twice as fast as before.

The burning eagle opened its beak slightly.

[My familiar is the eternally burning phoenix. Did you think a mere apprentice could escape! I’ll reduce you to ashes while you’re still alive!]

A Phoenix.

Even among firebirds, there’s a clear difference.

As it folded its wings, its flight speed increased dramatically. Transformed into a beam of light, it quickly caught up with my horse.

It spread its right foot, as large as my head, extending its hook-like talons towards me.

It felt like someone had brought a large torch in front of my face, making it burn.

It seems I’ll be burned even before the claws touch me.

I quickly ducked my head, even using psychokinesis to move faster.

Swoosh-!

The eagle passed instantly above my head, continuing forward before spreading its wings once more to turn back.

As a bonus, two fireballs formed on both of its wings and were shot.

I tried to use Keren’s robe again, but the fireballs flew not towards me, but in front of the direction I was running.

It’s aiming to make me fall by exploding the surroundings. But that also makes it easier to dodge.

As I conveyed my intent through psychokinesis, the horse neighed and suddenly reduced its speed while changing direction. Trusting the horse, I lowered my head completely.

The two fiercely burning fireballs passed us narrowly, once to the right and once to the left.

Boom!

Kaboom!

The two exploding fireballs caused trees to break and grass to ignite. But the horse nimbly escaped the explosions.

Where is the eagle?

As I slightly raised my head, it was as if a burning sun was right in front of my eyes.

That sun had split into three, revealing sharp claws in the gaps.

A mistake.

There wasn’t even time to duck and avoid it.

At that moment, the horse suddenly stumbled forward.

Simultaneously, my body sank downwards and was flung off.

Although I spun dozens of times in the air, at least I avoided the disaster of having my face pierced.

Thud!

Crashing into the middle of a tree, I felt pain resonating through all my bones as I fell downwards. Fortunately, I didn’t lose my staff, so I could use Psychic power.

Tap.

Landing relatively safely, I quickly raised my head to look at the horse.

The horse, collapsed on one side of a rock, had its head twisted, unable to escape death.

Behind, a path made of fire stretched out, but the eagle was nowhere to be seen.

I quickly walked to the horse.

Could it be that it deliberately fell to save me?

No way.

How much could this horse care about me?

Probably, I unconsciously used psychokinesis feeling the threat to my life, causing the horse to stop.

I looked around again.

Indeed, no magical power could be felt anywhere in the sky.

Merlin is definitely not around.

If he had been hiding until now, there’s no reason he wouldn’t appear to kill me.

“A familiar may feel alive, but in reality, it’s you giving it intelligence through Psychic power.”

Was the magic consumption too high due to the distance?

If so, the eagle must have returned to Merlin.

“Why didn’t Merlin come himself and only sent his familiar?”

The last time I saw him, he disappeared leading the nobles along with Duke Balkan.

By now, he should be slowly riding towards Count Stocke’s castle with the nobles.

In that situation, Merlin wouldn’t be able to leave his post. The other nobles would think Duke Balkan ordered Merlin to harm Count Furst.

But Duke Balkan wants Count Furst under his feet.

If that happens, I, who am under the Count, would naturally become his power, so there’s no reason to harm me.

Then this is…

“Merlin’s doing it on his own. What’s his motive? What’s driving him?”

White eyebrows.

The eyes burning with killing intent beneath them.

Merlin was punished by Duke Balkan for the Count and I coming on horseback.

In front of everyone.

It must have been frustrating to lose a psychokinesis battle to a lower-level mage, an apprentice at that, and then to lose face in front of ordinary people.

Humiliation.

Defeat.

All of these affect magical power.

So it won’t end with just this. Didn’t he declare he’d reduce me to ashes himself?

He’ll send his familiar again. He’ll definitely do so to kill me for certain.

I looked around again.

His fire magic is too powerful in this forest-surrounded area. If I’m preoccupied with blocking the fire with Keren’s robe, eventually my head will be torn off by those large talons.

I need to reach the river before the familiar finds me again.

I started to take out my staff towards the dead horse but stopped.

Didn’t I kill this horse?

If so, death magic wouldn’t work.

Let’s try anyway.

“Nameless horse. What is your wish? If you accept my death magic, I’ll grant your wish.”

The transparent pages of the magic book fluttered on their own and stopped at the page with death magic.

I quickly read the incantation and cast the death magic.

The dead horse neighed once, then slowly stood up.

It worked.

I don’t know the exact reason, but there’s no time to ponder.

As I mounted it, the dead horse slowly moved its feet, then began to run quickly at the same speed as before.

We soon reached the river.

A width of about 100m.

A depth reaching about the knees.

It’s far less than the sea, but it’s much more advantageous than fighting in the forest.

I dismounted and looked into the horse’s eyes.

The horse spoke to me through its eyes.

Its wish was to run endlessly one last time.

“Alright. I’ll leave some magical power for you, so run to your heart’s content.”

The horse soon turned its head and began to run off in one direction.

“Ugh.”

I touched below my nose with my hand, and blood was flowing steadily.

My field of vision had narrowed by more than half.

My temples and the back of my neck throbbed.

I’m drained of magic power.

I gritted my teeth and entered the river water. Slowly wading through the water, I stood at about the center.

“Huff. Huff.”

Taking deep breaths, I steadied my breath. Then I slowly raised my staff and dipped it into the river.

I opened the page in the magic book where water magic was inscribed. And slowly began to read the water magic spell. I made my body and mind familiar with water.

After reading it about three times, I felt a powerful magical force from the distant sky.

Looking back, there was indeed a burning eagle.

It possessed even stronger magical power than when I first saw it.

Merlin must have made a firm resolution.

The burning eagle folded its wings. And becoming a streak of comet, it flew towards me at lightning speed.

Phoenix.

I had seen a real phoenix before.

If the flames that Speria’s phoenix emitted then were the sun, the fire enveloping this burning eagle now is merely a campfire.

“Eternal fire, huh? The Phoenix was the embodiment of fire itself. That thing is just wrapped in flames on the outside. It’s a fake phoenix.”

I closed my eyes. And recalled Master Avana’s water magic in my mind.

That powerful stream of water from the lake near the cabin had extinguished the flames of the Phoenix completely before.

‘No matter the situation, never lose your composure, Ran. And keep your shoulders straight.’

I took a deep breath and strengthen my posture.

The magical power inside my body filled the staff.

I raised it high, then struck the water surface.

Intense ripples spread across the water surface, and immediately a stream of water gushed out from inside to outside.

Swoosh-!

The circular water stream twisted like a snake swirling as it rose towards the sky. And in an instant, it engulfed the approaching eagle.

The beak of the burning eagle opened slightly.

[Did you think you could extinguish a phoenix’s fire with mere river water!]

Merlin’s shout pierced through the water and shook my mind.

“Ugh.”

My nose bled again.

The burning eagle continued to advance, completely unaffected by the water stream that engulfed it. The fireball enveloping the eagle didn’t extinguish at all.

Rather, the water slowly began to boil, creating bubbles, and soon steam started to rise in all directions.

I looked at my feet.

The river had already revealed its bottom, with no more water to mobilize.

The eagle extended its claws. It was aiming precisely at my head.

If I stay like this, my head will fly off.

‘That’s why I left a treasure in the robe.’

I brought the tip of my staff to the inside of Keren’s robe.

And I took out the egg that Speria had given me and threw it forward.

“If water doesn’t work, then freezing will.”

The sharp claws touched the ice-attribute egg.

Crack-!

It was instantaneous.

With a sharp crackling sound, the ice rapidly spread from the claws that touched the egg, consuming the eagle’s body.

The burning eagle turned into an ice statue.

Not only that. The steam surrounding the eagle also froze entirely, transforming into a massive ice sculpture.

However, since the momentum didn’t disappear, the frozen eagle still flew towards me.

I swung my staff.

Crash!

Like snow.

Or perhaps like dust.

Merlin’s familiar shattered into pieces and scattered across the surroundings.

“Thank you for your kind words. However, three years ago when my wife met with a mysterious accident, I swore on my family name and honour that I would not give my heart to any woman until I brought the one responsible to justice.”

“…”

Count Furst urged his horse forward slightly. He moved closer to Duke Balkan and continued speaking.

“So it seems I cannot be with the Duke’s daughter until I find and punish the culprit.”

As soon as Count Furst finished speaking, Duke Balkan’s face hardened.

At the same time, Merlin’s hand gripping his staff tightened.

I raised both my hands.

Clap clap clap.

At the sound of my applause, all eyes shifted from Count Furst to me.

Only Duke Balkan continued to stare at Count Furst without wavering in the slightest.

As I lowered my hands, I made eye contact with Merlin.

Beneath the gentlest of white eyebrows were two eyes filled with intense killing intent.

A chilling fear crept over me, but that was all.

I had already tasted far greater terror.

My experience of defeating Keren, who was superior to Merlin, drove away that fear.

Having fought and won against a lion, why should I cower before a wolf?

Merlin’s eyes widened slightly, but then the killing intent in them only deepened.

At that moment, Duke Balkan spoke.

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve coldly rejected the advances of so many women all this time? Why didn’t you say something sooner? If I had known about your vow, I could have helped you find the culprit by now.”

“It was a personal matter. I didn’t want to seek help from others.”

“But it’s already been three years. If you haven’t been able to find them on your own in that time, doesn’t that mean you likely won’t be able to find them alone going forward either?”

“It’s a family matter. It’s fine.”

Duke Balkan smiled gently.

Surprisingly, Duke Balkan’s expression now looked kinder than anyone else I had met so far.

“No, no. Listen to what I’m saying. Didn’t you make a promise to your beloved wife? You even swore on your family name and honour. In that case, shouldn’t that take precedence over everything else? Don’t you agree?”

“…”

“Whether it’s your stubbornness, pride, or even your honour and values, if they hinder you from fulfilling that promise, it would be right to cast them all aside.”

“Do you think I’m just being childish now, Duke?”

Duke Balkan looked at the Count with an expression of pity that anyone could see was fake.

“Oh dear, don’t misunderstand me. I simply meant that if you were to marry into our family, it would become a family matter for us as well, so I could help you directly.”

The Count’s brow furrowed intensely.

“Surely you’ve made such arrangements as well. Or is our family not to your liking?”

He’s certainly not one to be underestimated.

I suddenly recalled the words of the jester.

He had said that one of the season pass holders had been targeting Count Furst for three years, and that this person was quite influential.

While it can’t be said for certain that it’s Duke Balkan, if it is him, he has some nerve.

Count Furst pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Now that I hear you out, what you’re saying does seem to make sense.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Such a reaction when the Count agrees so readily.

This old man is impossible to predict.

Duke Balkan’s eyes sparkled as he looked Count Furst up and down.

Count Furst said:

“However, I still don’t think I can be with the Duke’s daughter. I want a wife who can guide my son well as a mother. The Duke’s daughter is too young and inexperienced to be a mother.”

“Isn’t it the wet nurse who raises the child, not the wife?”

“Fabre’s birth mother raised him herself without using a wet nurse.”

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

Duke Balkan simply clicked his tongue, saying nothing more. As a result, Count Furst couldn’t respond either.

A brief silence fell, then Duke Balkan opened his mouth.

“I understand your thoughts on my daughter well.”

He erased the regret from his expression as he continued.

“Then let’s get to the main point. The New Continent Company. I’m selling all my shares.”

Count Furst narrowed his eyes for a moment.

“Pardon?”

“It’s not just me. All the nobles here have decided to sell their shares. They’re probably only worth a penny now that the company is nearly bankrupt, but that doesn’t matter. We’ll put it all on the market. Buy it if you want.”

Count Furst turned his head to look at me. I was just as confused.

From the beginning, we had thought Duke Balkan would buy up others’ shares to become the majority shareholder.

But saying he’ll sell everything now means he’s willing to take a massive loss.

I glanced at the nobles standing behind. As expected, they all had sour expressions, but they kept their mouths shut.

Count Furst said to Duke Balkan:

“If you sell your shares now, it’s like losing all the money you initially invested. Even if the company grows significantly later, you won’t have any stake in it.”

“Do you think I don’t know that, Count Furst? There’s no need to tell me something even a child would understand.”

“Duke Balkan, what are you…”

“This is boring.”

The Duke’s words cut off the Count mid-sentence, resulting in an awkward silence.

As Count Furst tried to speak again, Duke Balkan turned his head away.

“I’m getting tired of looking at this place too. Shall we go back?”

Merlin bowed his head slightly, then rode ahead on his horse.

As Duke Balkan moved, all the other nobles began to follow behind him.

It looked like servants and maids following in the footsteps of a king.

Count Furst closed his mouth and silently watched them leave.

“We should go too. Who knows what might happen if we stay here.”

Count Furst remained still for a long while even after hearing my words.

Eventually, he urged his horse forward and said:

“It seems they’re determined to bring down the company.”

I kept pace beside him and replied:

“Unless you want to marry the Duke’s daughter.”

Count Furst shook his head.

“I can’t become family with the one who killed my wife, Ran.”

I looked back at Count Furst.

His eyes were filled with certainty.

If he had known this all along, he wouldn’t have spoken neutrally about Duke Balkan in the carriage. He would have considered him an enemy that must be killed at all costs.

In other words, the Count became convinced that he was the culprit during this meeting.

“Why do you think Duke Balkan did it?”

Count Furst’s eyes narrowed halfway.

“Duke Balkan let his guard down. He probably thought it would be fine since three years had passed. So he revealed his true intentions, which he had never shown before. But I haven’t forgotten what happened that day. I can’t forget.”

It was somewhat disjointed, so I asked directly to be sure.

“You think Duke Balkan assassinated your wife in order to marry his daughter to you?”

“Yes, Ran. That’s what I think.”

His words were filled with indescribable anger.

I hesitated a bit, but I still couldn’t tell him about the jester incident.

If I were to bring up the subscription service, I would have no choice but to talk about Fabre, who had thwarted numerous assassination attempts, and I had promised not to speak of that.

Moreover, even if I did tell him.

Count Furst would surely try to capture that jester to find out who ordered his wife’s assassination.

No matter how rational he is, when it comes to his dead wife, he’s likely to act impulsively.

But the more you stir up the underworld, the stronger the stench it gives off, and the person doing the stirring ends up covered in all sorts of filth.

The best way is not to tell him and handle it myself behind the scenes.

“I’ll look into the incident from three years ago in my own way. If it turns out that Duke Balkan was indeed the one who ordered it, we can seek revenge then. It’s not too late.”

“No, it will be too late. Duke Balkan won’t wait until then. As soon as we leave here, there’s a narrow valley. His black knights might be lying in wait to take my head.”

I glanced at the Count.

His eyes were so full of anger that they had completely lost their usual intelligence.

I met his gaze and said:

“Duke Balkan is giving you a chance. He’s saying, ‘If you become my son-in-law, I’ll help you. But if you refuse, I’ll destroy your current position no matter what losses I suffer.’ Something like that.”

“I don’t know.”

“If he was going to act right away, there would have been no need to talk about selling shares. Why mention that if he’s just going to assassinate you in the valley? He could just kill you and take over the company.”

The Count’s mouth opened slightly.

He soon closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, then sighed and said:

“Hoo. Now that I hear it, you’re right. Once I got the idea that Duke Balkan killed my wife, hoo. I started seeing him only as an enemy. But not yet. Right. You’re right. It’s not to that extent yet. Because there’s no compelling evidence that he’s the culprit.”

There was still anger in his voice.

But it seemed to have changed colour.

From red to blue.

This should be good enough.

“I’ll take responsibility for looking into it. Leave that part to me, and for now, try to find a way to save the company. The fate of the Furst family is at stake, after all.”

Count Furst nodded slightly, agreeing with my words.

As we exited through the entrance we had come in, a loud voice was heard from one side.

“Count! You’ve come out! Are you alright? We were very worried that something might have happened to you.”

The knight commander, who quickly ran up to us, brightened upon seeing the Count.

He’s certainly a pure-hearted person.

Just incompetent.

“I’m fine. Did Duke Balkan do anything to you?”

“No. He didn’t do anything. The black knights also left quietly, escorting the nobles.”

“That’s good then. We’ll return to the mansion.”

“Yes. I’ll guide you to the carriage.”

Afterwards, we slowly moved to the point where the valley began.

The carriage and coachman were there, just as they had been before we left.

As he boarded the carriage, Count Furst said:

“You’re certainly right, Ran. It seems Duke Balkan is still watching me for now.”

He loosened the scarf around his neck and relaxed his body with a relieved expression.

I sat across from the Count and said:

“Is there anyone else you suspect?”

The Count shook his head tiredly.

“I’m not the type of person who makes enemies. While many may envy me, there shouldn’t be anyone who wants me dead.”

“Aren’t those the same thing?”

“They’re different.”

“Still, among the many nobles, there must be at least one or two. There are plenty of people with twisted minds.”

“For envy and jealousy, you just need to throw them suitable bait. Make it so that even if they distrust me, they can’t do without me. So it can’t be that.”

Giving those who envy you no justification to hate you.

How meticulous must one be in words and actions to achieve that?

“I see. Then I’ll look into Duke Balkan’s side for now. It probably won’t take long…”

Zzzzt.

At that moment, goosebumps rose all over my body, forcing me to stand up abruptly.

“Ran? What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off a certain direction.

“It’s approaching.”

“What is?”

“Powerful magical energy.”

Count Furst furrowed his brow.

“Could it be that the Duke’s mage is trying to attack us?”

“Yes, it seems so. But…”

“But?”

I flung open the carriage door. Then I leaned halfway out, focusing my eyes in the direction I sensed the magical energy.

There was a giant eagle soaring through the sky.

That eagle was also looking directly at me.

After passing the vast green plains, we entered a valley surrounded by high mountains on both sides.

There were traces of water left here and there, as if a large river had once flowed through this area.

Hansis continuously spoke to Count Furst as he guided the way. Count Furst responded to his words appropriately while silently driving the horses.

“From here on, the path is not good, so we will have to walk. If we’re not careful, there’s a risk of falling off the horses.”

Hansis said this and then got off his horse.

As the black knights dismounted in unison, a heavy echo filled the valley.

Thud!

Intimidated by this silent pressure, the Count’s knights also all got off their horses. However, Count Furst remained seated on his horse.

As everyone’s gaze turned to the Count, he scanned Hansis and the black knights, then said,

“I’m fine. Lead the way.”

Thereupon, the one who seemed to be the captain of the black knights stepped forward, looked straight up at him, and said,

“Count, you must get off the horse.”

The Count, looking down at him just as directly, replied,

“I will not get off. So lead the way.”

Even among nobles, there is a hierarchy, but there is no need for one noble to get off their horse when meeting another noble.

That is only required when a noble meets royalty or a commoner meets a noble.

Memories from my childhood are surfacing again.

The petty power struggles between nobles.

But it cannot be said that this is simply childish.

For nobles, dignity is synonymous with power.

Just as for a mage, dignity is synonymous with magical power.

The black knights’ commander took off his helmet. With a distorted expression, he approached Count Furst and soon growled,

“Count, get off at once. Otherwise, I will…Aaargh”

The commander’s body was lifted and thrown far away, crashing into the cliff.

Thud!

The black knights all drew their swords, exuding a menacing aura.

The Count looked at me with a blank expression, and I shrugged my shoulders.

“Since they were acting childishly, I guess I got a bit childish too. By the way, are we not going to draw our swords on our side?”

Only then did the Count’s knights and their commander slowly draw their swords, but the look in their eyes made it clear they would flee the moment a fight broke out.

I knew they were incompetent, but I didn’t know they also lacked loyalty.

This is quite surprising.

I wonder why Count Furst keeps such incompetent knights under his command.

Hansis raised his hands.

“Mage Ran, Duke Balkan also has a mage. He even has a disciple or two. It would be wise not to provoke him.”

I looked up at the narrowing valley.

There, I could not feel any magical power or majesty.

If it were someone like Kalasta, or even Master Avana, a sense of respect would have been noticeable.

But this is not an opponent I cannot handle.

“Hansis, my junior.”

“……”

I turned my head to look at him.

“I drowned a mage more skilled than me in the sea. And that was in the first magical battle I ever experienced. Do you know what that implies?”

“……”

Hansis quietly swallowed his saliva.

Whatever is experienced for the first time becomes the standard for all subsequent experiences.

In magic, this goes beyond just symbolic significance and has real meaning.

I swung my staff to pull the black knights’ commander out from the cliff and placed him in front of me.

He coughed up blood, barely regaining consciousness.

“If you want a fight, go and tell him to come. I’ll be waiting.”

Hansis quickly approached the black knights’ commander. The commander opened his eyes with difficulty and whispered something to him.

Hansis nodded once, then looked up at me and said,

“Very well. Then please continue to ride the horse. If any misfortune befalls you, you’ll have to blame yourself.”

Hansis gestured to the black knights. They all sheathed their weapons, and in response, the Count’s knights also disarmed with sighs of relief.

A black knight supported the commander, and Hansis began to walk ahead. Everyone followed him into the valley.

Only I and the Count were still on horseback.

How long had we walked? The gradually narrowing valley had become a V-shaped, confined path, looking like an entrance to another world.

“From here, the knights will have to wait.”

At Hansis’ words, I quickly replied,

“The black knights should wait as well.”

Hansis gestured to the black knights, and they stepped back towards the wall. The Count’s knights also moved to the opposite side.

Hansis said as he led the way,

“Shall we proceed?”

He entered first, followed by the Count, and then I.

The view suddenly opened up.

Kio! Karak!

Under the pouring sunlight, the vast fields and valleys proudly displayed the grandeur of nature. And soaring above them, a massive being with outstretched wings shattered any sense of reality.

“A, a dragon.”

The Count uttered those words and could not close his mouth.

If I were not a mage, I probably would have reacted the same way the Count did. I wouldn’t have noticed that it was just an illusion.

That’s when I felt a powerful magical presence on one side. And from there, a strong psychic force was rapidly approaching.

The psychic force was precisely targeting the horses that the Count and I were riding.

I tightly gripped my staff and quickly infused my own psychic force, faster than the incoming one.

Infusing psychic power into living beings is a study I have practiced extensively.

“You two shall know no fear.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the eyes of the two horses took on the serene composure of a old timer.

Moments later, the distant psychic force seeped into the horses. Their eyes briefly widened greatly. The incoming psychic force brought them unbearable terror.

But the horses were already immune to the sense of fear, thanks to my psychic force. They did not know what the fear was, and their eyes soon returned to normal.

Count Furst seemed to sense that something was amiss and called out to me.

“Ran?”

I looked back at the Count.

“Don’t worry. I will ensure you never have to dismount.”

Once again, another psychic force approached, more powerful and carrying a deeper terror than before.

It hit the horses like a storm.

But the horses’ eyes were only blinking dully.

Since they knew no fear, what did it matter how great the amount was?

“How, how is this possible?”

I looked down at the bewildered Hansis and said,

“Aren’t you going to lead the way?”

Hansis hardened his expression, then began to lead us towards the source of the powerful magical presence.

After walking a bit, we glimpsed a group of about ten people. They were nobles of various attires, and I even recognized some from the New Continental Company building.

Only two of them were on horseback.

One was an elderly noble in a red suit riding a glossy black horse.

The other nobles were all looking at us, but he alone was gazing straight ahead, as if our arrival didn’t matter to him at all.

The other rider was on a pure white stallion. I could instantly tell that the source of the intense magical power was him.

He had waist-length white hair and a white beard reaching down to his navel, wearing a thick gray robe. In his right hand, he held a staff taller than himself, made of Paulownia wood.

Even a child could tell at a glance that he was a mage, trying so hard to advertise his status.

As we approached them, the noble in the red suit turned to look at us.

His eyes were a deep violet, like a void swallowing everything.

I’m certain the blood-red suit was chosen to match those peculiar eye colors.

At that moment, a look of displeasure crossed his wrinkled face.

“So Count Furst managed to ride all the way here.”

He mentioned Count Furst, but his gaze was fixed on me. However, the person he addressed was his mage.

The gray-robed mage also carefully observed me as he spoke.

“The count’s mage possesses quite decent magical power.”

“More than you?”

The gray-robed mage did not respond.

Whether he couldn’t answer or didn’t deem it worth answering.

I’d like to confirm which one it is.

That’s when I felt Count Furst’s gaze.

He was speaking to me through his eyes, telling me to calm down.

Apparently, my expression and aura were easily read by everyone, just like with Hansis earlier.

As self-confidence grows, emotions seem to naturally emerge on my face.

An unexpected side effect, it seems.

Count Furst met the eyes of Duke Balkan, then quickly turned his gaze to a middle-aged nobleman behind them.

“I had no idea such a fantastical place existed within your territory, Count Stocke.”

Count Stocke did not respond, glancing nervously at Duke Balkan.

Duke Balkan raised his eyelids, and the violet eyes within moved slyly to look at Count Furst.

“Strictly speaking, this is not part of House Stocke territory, Count Furst.”

“Then where are we?”

“According to my dear mage, Merlin, this is an ‘Astral’ created by a great mage.”

“Astral?”

Merlin, the Duke Balkan’s mage, moved his horse slightly forward and continued.

“Astral refers to a separate space that exists within the world – described as the ‘other side’, ‘the shadow’, ‘the beyond’, and so on, Count Furst. The official name is the Dragon Ranch, but everything here, including the dragons, is an illusion. It has been a secret place passed down through the Stocke family for generations, which the Duke has now revealed to you.”

At those words, a strange darkness passed over Count Stocke’s expression. It seems he was compelled to do so.

Count Furst deliberately met his eyes and said,

“What an honor to have such a fantastical place within your territory, Count Stocke. Is it alright for others to know of this family secret?”

All the nobles’ gazes turned to Count Furst. He had asked the uncomfortable question so bluntly, yet maintained a composed expression.

Count Stocke reluctantly spoke.

“It’s fine. Once you leave this place, you will lose your memories of it.”

“Lose my memories of it?”

“Yes, that is the nature of this space.”

At that moment, Duke Balkan suddenly interjected.

“But what joy could be greater than this? I feel like I’m seeing this wondrous sight for the first time every time I come here. I often make excuses about fox hunting to visit annually. I’ve experienced most of the world’s pleasures, so there’s little that’s new for me anymore.”

Count Furst turned to look at him.

“Is that why you took in the five native children from the New Continent? For a new stimulus?”

The atmosphere froze instantly at the sudden remark.

Oh, that was rather reckless.

Count Furst spoke coldly.

“I heard you gave them as a gift to your daughter to celebrate her coming of age. How is she doing?”

Duke Balkan immediately retorted.

“Why? Is it hard to get through the night after losing your wife for over three years?”

Count Furst responded politely.

“It’s said there are many beauties to the west of Baritone. Sangria is undoubtedly the best among them. I have many at my estate, so you don’t need to worry about my bed.”

Duke Balkan let out a small laugh.

“Haha, playing with lowborn women is fun for a day or two. But eventually, you start longing for the touch of a noblewoman’s skin, don’t you? It’s fun to alternate between the two. Isn’t that right, Count Stocke?”

Count Stocke mumbled in response.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Whereupon, the expression of his wife beside him hardened considerably.

Duke Balkan turned to Count Furst and said,

“Since you seem so interested in my daughter, if you don’t mind, why don’t you arrange a marriage? I’d have no reason to refuse having a man of your integrity as my son-in-law. As for the dowry… Hmm. Let me see. Ah, yes! I’ll send you those five native children. How does that sound?”

I almost let out a hollow laugh inwardly.

So this was Duke Balkan’s intention all along.

It wasn’t just about asserting his position.

He wants him to come under him.

As a son-in-law.

As family.

I looked at Count Furst.

What answer would he give?

Eventually, his lips moved.

The beetles each possessed slightly different magical powers. Though I couldn’t identify each one specifically, I was able to determine that they had various different abilities.

I told Fabre to study them in more detail. Fabre cheerfully promised he would figure it all out before returning.

In the running carriage, I spent all night mentally organizing the two things I had learned.

First was the method of properly sending psychic energy to living creatures.

In particular, Fabre’s technique of gently guiding the beetle’s will without harming its mind gave me a great revelation.

The second was controlling multiple entities in a relationship similar to but inferior to a familiar.

This is impossible with fully intelligent beings like familiars, and only possible with creatures of extremely low intelligence like beetles. It’s similar to death magic, strengthening the bond by giving names.

But, corpses would originally have names, so is it okay to give them new names?

“Hm? What did you just say? What about corpses?”

Snapping back to attention, I saw the Count sitting across from me staring straight at me.

His left eye looked more than twice as large due to the monocle he wore.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought and misspoke.”

He gazed at me intently.

“So? What’s the result?”

“Pardon?”

“The result of your musings. You haven’t said a word for over three hours since we got in the carriage after breakfast. Such deep contemplation must have yielded some good results, no?”

We’ve already been traveling for three hours?

Looking out the window, I saw the scenery had changed quite a bit.

Realizing that, it occurred to me that I may have been quite rude up until now.

He probably tried speaking to me several times? While I remained completely silent.

“I’m sorry. I had something on my mind.”

“No need to apologize. It’s just that I’ve never seen you think this deeply before.”

“Really? I do it sometimes.”

“I know. But not to this extent. That’s why I’m even more curious. What topic could so thoroughly captivate you, who instinctively provides answers others would only reach after long deliberation?”

“It’s related to magic. You probably wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”

“I’m sure that’s true. That’s why I kept quiet until now.”

He lowered his gaze.

A small book was in his hand.

It seems he had been reading.

But he hadn’t turned a page for a long time.

“Count.”

“Yes?”

“Is something troubling you?”

Count Furst maintained a blank expression, then set the book down with a thud.

“I’m not sure if Duke Balkan and Legless Monkey have made some kind of agreement, or if these are independent events. I need to figure this out before meeting Duke Balkan so I don’t get outmaneuvered in our conversation.”

Well, we are heading there without knowing anything at the moment.

Duke Balkan might not even agree to meet us.

I crossed my legs.

“It’s going to take 8 days to reach Duke Balkan’s territory anyway, right? I’ll lend you my brain in the meantime.”

Count Furst glanced at me sidelong.

“Don’t you have your own matters to ponder? It’s fine.”

“Actually, thinking about your situation helps clear my head. It’s like light stretching for my mind.”

“……”

“So go ahead and tell me about it.”

The Count chuckled, seeming to take it as a joke.

But it was actually true.

Count Furst picked up his book again and said:

“First I need to organize my own thoughts a bit. I’ll ask you questions here and there during our journey.”

After that, he didn’t say another word. To the point where I almost wanted to speak up first.

But he was thinking so deeply that I hesitated to disturb him.

So I just studied magic on my own.

About two days passed like that.

Suddenly, he spoke up.

“What do you think Duke Balkan’s intentions are?”

I was in the middle of using psychokinesis to move some nearby insects, so I couldn’t answer his question right away.

But the Count waited patiently, apparently thinking I was considering it seriously.

What a kind man.

I withdrew my psychokinesis and answered.

“Isn’t he trying to establish your position?”

“Position?”

“You know, like ‘You’re beneath me.’ That sort of thing. After all, none of the shareholders returned. It’s a bit childish but…”

“……”

“So, in my opinion, if you beg, he might give you the five native children. If you bow low enough, saying, ‘I’m beneath you.’”

The Count furrowed his brow.

“So you’re saying he had Governor Crom kidnap native children just to make me aware of my position?”

“Probably not that far. The Duke’s daughter likely did genuinely want native children. But given how things turned out, he decided to use it as an opportunity to teach you a lesson… I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Count Furst seemed to be barely holding back his anger, gritting his teeth.

“You don’t think so?”

After a moment, he spoke.

“It’s purely intuition, but I keep thinking there must be some kind of deal between Legless Monkey and Duke Balkan.”

“You mean Duke Balkan set this up from the beginning?”

“Yes.”

I recalled the events from back then.

“I’m not so sure. Legless Monkey’s anger seemed genuine at the time.”

Count Furst closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“Do you think I’m overthinking things unnecessarily?”

“Would she have worked with Duke Balkan to the point of using children from her own tribe? For what purpose?”

He swallowed.

“I’m not exactly sure about that part.”

If that was all, he wouldn’t have voiced these thoughts out loud.

I asked him directly:

“So what makes you suspect they’re working together?”

The Count leaned forward and spoke quickly.

“Massacring the soldiers was too extreme. It could have easily gone wrong and led to war. And then it’s strange that they let me live despite that.”

I immediately shared the thought that came to mind upon hearing that.

“Maybe Legless Monkey also needed to show something to her tribe members. After all, this incident arose from interactions with people from the Yura continent.”

The Count immediately understood my point.

“You mean a message like ‘I haven’t bowed my head to the people of the Yura continent’?”

“Yes. That explains the motive for the excessive show of force.”

Count Furst nodded repeatedly.

“But then why didn’t they kill me?”

“Perhaps they were confident you would bring the children?”

“……”

He said nothing.

He doesn’t seem entirely satisfied.

Why did Legless Monkey spare the Count’s life?

This suspicion seems to have led him to think there must be some agreement between Duke Balkan and Legless Monkey.

After all, Duke Balkan wouldn’t want Count Furst dead.

I shrugged.

“In the end, there are only two possibilities, right? Either Legless Monkey and Duke Balkan are working together, or they’re not.”

“That’s right.”

“If neither feels quite right, let’s mix them together a bit.”

The Count tilted his head, then looked up at me.

“How?”

I grinned.

“They joined forces midway through.”

“……”

“Remember? When we arrived at the building, Legless Monkey was with Governor Crom.”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t you think some kind of conversation might have taken place before we arrived?”

The Count’s eyes widened like full moons.

Just then, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.

Thud!

Soon footsteps approached, and someone opened the carriage door.

“Count!”

It was the Knight Commander.

“What’s the matter? What’s going on?”

“Unknown knights are approaching, sir.”

The Knight Commander’s expression looked urgent.

Seeing him sweating and his eyes darting around, their numbers must be overwhelmingly greater.

“Unknown, you say?”

“They have no flags or emblems, sir.”

“I’ll go take a look. Ran.”

“Yes?”

“Can you protect me?”

I pulled out my staff from inside my robe. I was already holding my magic book in my left hand.

“I’ll do my best.”

The Count nodded once, as if trusting me, then went outside.

I feel my shoulders rising with pride for some reason.

I followed him out.

In the distance at the end of the road, black knights on horseback were charging towards us. As if they had emerged from a pool of lava, they were entirely black from head to toe.

I sent out a bit of psychic energy and detected a faint magical response. So they have a mage on their side too.

This could turn into quite an interesting battle.

Just then, a man in pristine white priestly robes appeared among the black knights. Surrounded by the dark knights, he really stood out.

His movements seem familiar.

“Isn’t that Priest Hansis?”

The Count turned to look at me.

“Priest Hansis?”

“Yes. Remember, we had lunch together before?”

The black knights soon took up positions half-surrounding us. Judging by the confidence in their gaze beneath their helmets, they seemed confident they could slaughter us at any moment.

Such arrogant looks that I want to utterly crush.

“Sir Ran! Do you remember me? I’m Hansis. Please don’t misunderstand. We haven’t come to fight.”

Ah, I must have unknowingly let my fighting spirit show on my face.

Priest Hansis slowly rode his horse up to us. He dismounted with difficulty, grunting.

He continued speaking in a polite tone.

“We were sent by Duke Balkan.”

“Duke Balkan?”

When Count Furst gazed at him with a strange look, Hansis nodded.

“This area has poor security, you see. He told us to escort you safely.”

At those words, the Knight Commander shouted loudly.

“The knights of the Count’s house are more than capable of protecting the Count!”

Even though he was terrified just moments ago.

The Count raised his hand to silence the knight commander, then spoke to the priest again.

“It would take at least 6 days from the Duke’s territory to here. Are you saying you’ll escort us that whole time? Do you even have enough supplies for today?”

Hansis waved both hands.

“Duke Balkan left his territory secretly. He enjoys hunting, you see, and wanted to hunt in this area. He’s staying just a couple hours away. In fact, he’s been here for quite some time now.”

“……”

“Shall we go together? I’ll guide the way, haha.”

The Count spoke in a calm voice.

“Very well. I’m grateful for Duke Balkan’s kindness.”

He turned without hesitation and entered the carriage, and I soon followed him inside.

Inside the carriage, he had his hands clasped at the bridge of his nose, wearing a terrifying expression.

After a short while, when the carriage started moving, he spoke in a low voice.

“He’s showing off. Trying to flaunt his power. This area should be House Stocke’s territory.”

I understand the mentality of nobles.

Operating your private knights and staying to hunt in another noble’s domain?

This shouldn’t be possible unless there’s an overwhelming difference in power.

“It just seems childish to me. Don’t worry too much about it, Count.”

The Count closed his eyes and grimaced.

“You’re right, Ran. He’s definitely telling me to bow my head. That’s why he’s gradually flaunting his power.”

His breathing started to become rougher.

I slowly looked him up and down.

People don’t often reveal their true nature unless faced with a crisis.

Count Furst.

I’ll be able to see what kind of person he really is at his core.

We traveled in silence for an hour like that.

The carriage stopped, and the time for the encounter finally arrived.

The coachman said:

“The road ahead is too rough for the carriage. You’ll have to ride on horseback from here.”

Count Furst raised his eyes to look at me.

“Ran.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“If something happens to me, don’t try to protect me. Focus on your own survival. And please take care of Fabre.”

“……”

“You’re a mage, so you should be able to guide Fabre well.”

We soon exited the carriage and mounted separate horses.

The jester tilted his head.

“What would you like?”

“Since you operate in the shadows, you must be well-informed, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“What about information related to other countries? Franche, for example.”

“I don’t have direct information, but I could obtain some through information exchange.”

I grinned.

“About a decade ago, the Prejean family was exterminated by the King of Franche. I’d like you to look into that. What exactly happened. The overall situation, that sort of thing.”

“The Prejean family, you say?”

“Yes. Prejean.”

His eyes changed slightly.

Has he caught on?

But if I don’t say anything, there’s no way for him to get information right away.

“Take care of it then.”

I entered the building.

Thud.

As the main door closed, I spread out both hands.

“By straightening my shoulders and back… did I gain dignity too?”

Strictly speaking, that was the very first thing I learned from Master Avana.

It seems to have become a kind of magic in itself.

“Magic really is interesting.”

I clenched my fist.

* * *

After finishing up company business, I returned to the mansion with Count Furst. Saying we couldn’t leave on the night road and should depart the next morning, he went to his room.

Since starting to study magic, my need for sleep had decreased significantly. I was sitting on the floor meditating.

In the dead of night.

Amidst the silence, I sensed a tiny thread of will coming from one of the walls. That will, which had pushed through between the wall and floor, crawled erratically until it reached me.

I opened my eyes. There was a beetle with two distinct red spots that caught my eye.

The beetle raised its front legs and rubbed them together. Those repetitive movements seemed to convey some meaning.

I scanned it with my psychic power.

“Ah, come in anytime.”

Then the door opened carefully.

Creeeeak.

Fabre poked his head in with wide eyes and looked at me.

“Ran the mage. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

“Not at all. And don’t call me ‘the mage’, just call me senior.”

“Senior?”

“In the magic world, we call anyone of equal or higher level ‘senior’.”

“Ah, I see.”

Fabre entered the room and carefully closed the door.

He quickly approached and reached out to the beetle in front of me. The beetle climbed onto Fabre’s hand and up to his shoulder.

“It’s Jangsir.”

“Huh?”

“This little one. Its name is Jangshir. You told me to keep communicating with these little ones, remember?”

Did I say that?

“Well, sure. And?”

“Then I suddenly thought, it’s too difficult to communicate with this friend because it doesn’t have a name. So I gave it a name. Once I gave it a name, we became friends!”

Giving a name.

It means making an individual special.

In other words, it becomes a familiar.

“Did you actually make that beetle your familiar?”

“Familiar? Ah, you mentioned that before. But what exactly is it?”

Not knowing about familiars.

This needs urgent teaching. He could get into big trouble if not careful.

I explained everything I knew about familiars slowly and in detail.

Fabre furrowed his brow.

“You can only have one at a time?”

“That’s right. Because you only have one soul. A familiar connects to your soul.”

“That’s strange then.”

“What’s that?”

“I have more than just Jangshir. Others I’ve named.”

As I tilted my head, Fabre turned his head to one side. Then several beetles appeared from between the wall and floor, gathering around Fabre.

They were all the beetles he couldn’t make into his collection, so he had just placed them on his desk.

Fabre pointed to each one with his finger as he explained.

“This is Jangshim. This is Jangshib. This is Jangshik. This is Jangshihu…”

“W-wait. Wait a minute. You named all of these?”

“Yes! Is that not okay?”

“Your soul will be torn apart. Into as many pieces as the number of familiars you have. Hmm, but you… seem fine.”

Fabre looked up at me with anxious eyes.

His clear gaze certainly didn’t look like that of someone with a torn soul.

Could Master Avana have lied about familiars?

No. That can’t be.

Kalasta also told me to choose a fire attribute familiar over a water attribute one.

It wasn’t just about attributes or characteristics; there was a sense of urgency. It felt like once you chose, there was no turning back.

If you think about it that way, a familiar must be unique to a mage.

This might be a phenomenon even they don’t understand.

“I’m okay, right, Senior Ran?”

“You seem fine for now. Um… hmm. Can you send these little ones to the other side?”

“The other side?”

I stretched out my left hand. Then I summoned my magic book. A completely transparent magic book appeared above my hand.

Fabre’s eyes widened as if he sensed its presence.

“Wow!”

“Like this. Things connected to my soul can be kept on the other side, and I can summon them anytime. It’s the same for familiars. You can keep your familiar on the other side and summon it at will. That’s the advantage of a familiar.”

“Really?”

“Can you do it?”

Fabre frowned for a moment, then shook his head.

“I’m not sure.”

He can’t be unsure.

The moment my magic book connected to my soul, I instinctively understood how to summon and dismiss it.

It should be the same with familiars – you’d understand naturally.

“Then they’re not familiars. You’ve named them and you control them, but we can’t call them your familiars.”

“Oh no. I-it’s okay, right?”

Fabre looked like he might burst into tears at any moment.

I smiled gently and patted his head.

“Yes, it’s okay. Let’s first figure out how this happened.”

“Okay!”

And so, Fabre and I studied beetles until the sun rose the next day.

The beetles each possessed slightly different magical powers. Though I couldn’t identify each one specifically, I was able to determine that they had various different abilities.

I told Fabre to study them in more detail. Fabre cheerfully promised he would figure it all out before returning.

In the running carriage, I spent all night mentally organizing the two things I had learned.

First was the method of properly sending psychic energy to living creatures.

In particular, Fabre’s technique of gently guiding the beetle’s will without harming its mind gave me a great revelation.

The second was controlling multiple entities in a relationship similar to but inferior to a familiar.

This is impossible with fully intelligent beings like familiars, and only possible with creatures of extremely low intelligence like beetles. It’s similar to death magic, strengthening the bond by giving names.

But, corpses would originally have names, so is it okay to give them new names?

“Hm? What did you just say? What about corpses?”

Snapping back to attention, I saw the Count sitting across from me staring straight at me.

His left eye looked more than twice as large due to the monocle he wore.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought and misspoke.”

He gazed at me intently.

“So? What’s the result?”

“Pardon?”

“The result of your musings. You haven’t said a word for over three hours since we got in the carriage after breakfast. Such deep contemplation must have yielded some good results, no?”

We’ve already been traveling for three hours?

Looking out the window, I saw the scenery had changed quite a bit.

Realizing that, it occurred to me that I may have been quite rude up until now.

He probably tried speaking to me several times? While I remained completely silent.

“I’m sorry. I had something on my mind.”

“No need to apologize. It’s just that I’ve never seen you think this deeply before.”

“Really? I do it sometimes.”

“I know. But not to this extent. That’s why I’m even more curious. What topic could so thoroughly captivate you, who instinctively provides answers others would only reach after long deliberation?”

“It’s related to magic. You probably wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”

“I’m sure that’s true. That’s why I kept quiet until now.”

He lowered his gaze.

A small book was in his hand.

It seems he had been reading.

But he hadn’t turned a page for a long time.

“Count.”

“Yes?”

“Is something troubling you?”

Count Furst maintained a blank expression, then set the book down with a thud.

“I’m not sure if Duke Balkan and Legless Monkey have made some kind of agreement, or if these are independent events. I need to figure this out before meeting Duke Balkan so I don’t get outmaneuvered in our conversation.”

Well, we are heading there without knowing anything at the moment.

Duke Balkan might not even agree to meet us.

I crossed my legs.

“It’s going to take 8 days to reach Duke Balkan’s territory anyway, right? I’ll lend you my brain in the meantime.”

Count Furst glanced at me sidelong.

“Don’t you have your own matters to ponder? It’s fine.”

“Actually, thinking about your situation helps clear my head. It’s like light stretching for my mind.”

“……”

“So go ahead and tell me about it.”

The Count chuckled, seeming to take it as a joke.

But it was actually true.

Count Furst picked up his book again and said:

“First I need to organize my own thoughts a bit. I’ll ask you questions here and there during our journey.”

After that, he didn’t say another word. To the point where I almost wanted to speak up first.

But he was thinking so deeply that I hesitated to disturb him.

So I just studied magic on my own.

About two days passed like that.

Suddenly, he spoke up.

“What do you think Duke Balkan’s intentions are?”

I was in the middle of using psychokinesis to move some nearby insects, so I couldn’t answer his question right away.

But the Count waited patiently, apparently thinking I was considering it seriously.

What a kind man.

I withdrew my psychokinesis and answered.

“Isn’t he trying to establish your position?”

“Position?”

“You know, like ‘You’re beneath me.’ That sort of thing. After all, none of the shareholders returned. It’s a bit childish but…”

“……”

“So, in my opinion, if you beg, he might give you the five native children. If you bow low enough, saying, ‘I’m beneath you.’”

The Count furrowed his brow.

“So you’re saying he had Governor Crom kidnap native children just to make me aware of my position?”

“Probably not that far. The Duke’s daughter likely did genuinely want native children. But given how things turned out, he decided to use it as an opportunity to teach you a lesson… I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.”

Count Furst seemed to be barely holding back his anger, gritting his teeth.

“You don’t think so?”

After a moment, he spoke.

“It’s purely intuition, but I keep thinking there must be some kind of deal between Legless Monkey and Duke Balkan.”

“You mean Duke Balkan set this up from the beginning?”

“Yes.”

I recalled the events from back then.

“I’m not so sure. Legless Monkey’s anger seemed genuine at the time.”

Count Furst closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“Do you think I’m overthinking things unnecessarily?”

“Would she have worked with Duke Balkan to the point of using children from her own tribe? For what purpose?”

He swallowed.

“I’m not exactly sure about that part.”

If that was all, he wouldn’t have voiced these thoughts out loud.

I asked him directly:

“So what makes you suspect they’re working together?”

The Count leaned forward and spoke quickly.

“Massacring the soldiers was too extreme. It could have easily gone wrong and led to war. And then it’s strange that they let me live despite that.”

I immediately shared the thought that came to mind upon hearing that.

“Maybe Legless Monkey also needed to show something to her tribe members. After all, this incident arose from interactions with people from the Yura continent.”

The Count immediately understood my point.

“You mean a message like ‘I haven’t bowed my head to the people of the Yura continent’?”

“Yes. That explains the motive for the excessive show of force.”

Count Furst nodded repeatedly.

“But then why didn’t they kill me?”

“Perhaps they were confident you would bring the children?”

“……”

Franche-style meals take longer than Baritone-style ones.

When I entered the conference room belatedly, there was only one person. Naturally, it was Count Furst.

He was standing by the window looking outside, so I could only see his back.

“We’re ruined,” he said, resting his chin on his right hand and cradling his elbow with his left.

“Indeed, we are.”

It’s a relief that his voice doesn’t sound as dejected as one would expect from a ruined person.

I was about to mention the Hansis priest first but held back.

It would be fine to gather enough information and tell him later.

I went and sat in one of the many chairs in the conference room.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“I’m the major shareholder, so I’m fine for now. However, if Duke Balkan buys the shares of others, he could surpass me. Then the New Continent Company would become his.”

The empty conference room seems to speak volumes about his situation.

Well, it’s understandable to lose trust after losing an entire, most important branch.

“Legless Monkey really caused a lot of damage.”

The Count spoke in a dull voice.

“Hmm. Could there have been some sort of agreement between Duke Balkan and Legless Monkey? Did Duke Balkan team up with Legless Monkey to take over the company? Without planning this from the beginning, there’s no way we could have been caught so off guard.”

Come to think of it, the Hansis priest also tried to openly persuade me. Why would he say such things as soon as we met, risking me going to the Count and tattling?

It feels like trying to remove a small seed of misfortune while already holding a certain victory.

“Anyway, it seems everyone is on Duke Balkan’s side now. Do you have any grudges against him?”

“Not at all. Even if there were, Duke Balkan isn’t the type to prioritize personal feelings at his own expense. He also invested heavily in the company during its early days. He’s thoroughly calculating.”

“Then, simply put, isn’t he trying to keep you in check? You know, you said before that you’ve been reaping what your grandfather sowed. He sees your power growing, so he’s nipping it in the bud before becoming second-in-command.”

“If that were the case, he would have just killed me.”

“Then even simpler, could it be that Duke Balkan wants to swallow this company whole? You know how greed is endless. Even those who have everything want more.”

“Even then, if I die, he naturally becomes the major shareholder. My son isn’t an adult, so even if he inherits the stocks, he can’t exercise rights. Killing me would have been the fastest way.”

“There was an assassin yesterday, wasn’t there? Maybe he wanted to kill you but couldn’t.”

“No, if he had wanted to kill me, I’d have been dead long ago. That’s not it.”

What an incredibly high evaluation.

I couldn’t help but ask more.

“In your view, what kind of person is Duke Balkan?”

The Count took a deep breath for a moment.

Then he began to speak softly.

“Duke Balkan oversees the Baritone colony in the Afrin region. During exploration, he’s the bravest general; during maintenance, he’s the wisest administrator; and during tax collection, he’s the most ruthless ruler.”

“He must be very smart.”

“Moreover, he has His Majesty’s full trust, and more than half of the nobles follow him. He’s the power among powers in Baritone. There’s no place in Baritone where his influence doesn’t reach.”

Just hearing about him paints a clear picture in my mind.

“So you’ve made an enemy of such a person now?”

“I never intended to make an enemy of him. He made the first move. I really can’t understand it. The New Continent business would have brought him great profits too.”

“Then that’s for certain. He didn’t cause all this complicated trouble just to get five native children.”

“……”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Why don’t you eat something? It seems you haven’t had lunch either.”

“Eating slows down my thinking.”

“Then at least have some coffee. I think my previous master said that coffee helps the brain work better.”

“Coffee? Hmm. Well, I haven’t had any since being in the New Continent.”

He got up and went outside.

A moment later, he came back holding two cups himself.

It’s surprising how modest he can be at times like this.

He put a coffee in front of me and returned to his seat.

His face was still dark.

A situation without an answer.

“Let’s go meet him.”

“Who? Duke Balkan?”

“I think we should meet him directly. He won’t kill you, right? You said if he wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already. So don’t worry and let’s go face him.”

I spoke leisurely and took a sip of coffee.

What is this? Why is it so bitter?

“Are you alright, Ran?”

My expression must have been telling.

Damn.

I just looked cool for a moment, and now it’s all ruined.

“Why do people even drink this… Ahem. Anyway, let’s meet him and talk.”

Count Furst turned his gaze to the side. Then he slowly drank his coffee.

Wow, drinking that bitter stuff without changing his expression at all.

He put down his coffee cup leisurely and spoke softly.

“To make contact, travel to Duke Balkan’s territory… to arrange an official meeting would take at least two weeks.”

“Let’s just go. He’s probably waiting for you there anyway, right?”

“……”

“Come to me, Count Furst! Come and bow your head! It feels like he planned this whole thing with that kind of attitude. So we might as well go, right?”

Afterwards, Count Furst silently drank his coffee. Soon, he finished his thoughts and said,

“Let’s leave as soon as we return to the mansion, Ran. I need to eat something first and wrap up company affairs. In the meantime, you do what you need to do. Just be back before sunset.”

I stood up.

“Then I’ll go look around the city a bit. I couldn’t properly see it when I was a slave.”

I opened the door and went out.

There stood the knight commander I had seen earlier at the mansion, along with two or three knights.

Our eyes met, but neither of us spoke first.

He probably has a lot to say, but since I’m a mage, he’s holding back.

I gave him a bright smile, and he scrunched up his face.

That expression is one of insult.

That means he’s definitely one of the Count’s people.

Someone in cahoots with the enemy wouldn’t feel insulted at the mention of an intruder.

They would either fear being found out or force anger to hide it.

So, this place should be safe for now.

I went outside the building.

“Well then. Where should I start? There’s got to be at least one place related to magic in this big city, right?”

I slowly wandered around the famous spots of Sangria Port. All the while, I kept looking for places imbued with magical power.

But it was all in vain.

There’s no way there isn’t a single place related to magic in this vast port.

“Is it hidden?”

Sitting on a fountain’s edge, I let out a sigh.

How am I supposed to find materials to make a staff?

Would the Hansis priest be able to get them?

The sunset was sinking behind the western sea in the distance.

Should I go back?

At that moment, someone sat down next to me.

It was a young jester wearing a pointed hat and shoes.

“Why so worried, noble sir? Would you like to see my skills? It will make all your worries disappear.”

Being in the city center, even begging is done in a unique way.

I shook my head.

“I don’t have time now. No money either.”

“That’s alright. It’s free.”

The jester jumped up from his seat and stood in front of me.

Then he slightly extended both hands forward.

A dagger came out of his sleeve and floated vertically between his two hands.

It was spinning round and round, looking like it might shoot towards my face at any moment.

“A mage?”

At my question, the jester shook his head.

“Oh my. Calling someone like me, who has given up, a mage? Senior, you are too generous.”

“……”

“Of course, there was a time when I had a staff and a familiar. But when I gave up the path of magic, it all disappeared like a dream. Now, I can barely manage something as simple as spinning a dagger.”

Giving up the path of magic.

That’s no different from recognizing oneself as an ordinary human.

And that belief becomes its own kind of magic, turning a mage into an ordinary person.

The so-called ‘resignation magic’.

I folded my arms and said,

“I’ve been looking around carefully, but you spotted me well.”

“Ah, Ran. Your movements were flawless. But I happened to overhear your conversation with Hansis and knew you were a mage, that’s all.”

The jester smiled, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

“So. What business do you have with me?”

The jester waved his hand.

This time, the dagger multiplied into two.

“I run a big business. I’ve pushed out all the competitors and monopolized this entire area. But there’s a hitch. A very troublesome issue.”

Judging by his expression, he looks like he’s about to burst into tears.

“I’m out of time. I need to go now.”

“Oh, then you can listen as we walk.”

The jester put one leg back, bowed at the waist, and then exaggeratedly twirled one arm before pointing somewhere with his palm.

On top of his hand, the building of the company was placed far away.

Did he calculate the angle?

I started walking, and the jester stuck close to my side.

“So, to continue what I was saying earlier, the most fundamental reason my business was able to push out the competition was that my business item was very, very innovative. Would you like to hear about it?”

“No.”

“Originally, you see, this industry had a very inefficient system where a client would come with a request, we’d complete it, and then receive payment. Having been in the industry myself at the time, I felt firsthand how unreasonable that system was.”

I turned down a side street, and the jester stuck even closer.

“Meanwhile, there was a circus I used to frequent. Due to the nature of my job, I often stayed up all night and couldn’t sleep well. So when I was lying awake at night, I’d often go there. Even though it was the same performance, it was fun to watch every time. Then one day, the circus master suggested to me, ‘How about buying a season pass?’”

“A season pass?”

“Yes, a season pass. He said if I bought one, I could come and watch the performance anytime. And the moment I heard that! An business idea just popped into my head. What if I brought this season pass system to the industry I was in… That thought suddenly struck me.”

It’s certainly an interesting idea. I turned my head to look at the jester.

The jester was still smiling from ear to ear.

Doesn’t his face hurt staying like that?

“And then?”

“I built up my influence based on this season pass. It was a huge hit, of course. The great thing about a season pass is that it creates trust between both parties. In our industry, clients and businesses can’t trust each other. But with a season pass, we keep working together, and it’s so good, isn’t it? Plus, as we grew, we could preemptively block our clients from becoming targets.”

I stood still on the spot.

The jester who had been following me swiftly came in front of me and looked me straight in the eye.

I also looked directly into his eyes and said,

“I understand what you’re saying. You’re the one who’s been targeting Count Furst for three years.”

The corners of the jester’s mouth rose up so much that even his clenched teeth were revealed.

Isn’t that going to tear his mouth at this rate?

The jester’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I heard from the maid this morning that you met my son yesterday.”

Count Furst’s words were calm after taking the first bite of his breakfast. But a small expectation was hidden within them.

“Yes.”

The count briefly glanced up at me, then pulled a distant soup bowl closer and ate from it.

“What… did he say?”

“Not much. He saw the cane and magic book I was carrying and asked if I was a mage.”

“And?”

“So I told him I was.”

“……”

Count Furst moved his lips several times. But in the end, he didn’t speak.

Since I had also spoken with Fabre, I pretended not to know and asked.

“The maid yesterday, and now everyone else. Why are you all acting like this?”

The count nodded slightly.

“My son has never spoken a single word until now. I’ve never heard his voice in my entire life. So isn’t it sufficiently surprising to hear that you had a conversation with my son?”

“……”

“It’s going to be a long day today. Even if you don’t feel like eating, you should eat well.”

The count stood up and reached across the table to grab food, eating as he did so.

This was contrary to his usual strict adherence to etiquette.

Is it because he is at home?

Or is his heart fluttering at the news that his son spoke for the first time?

Anyway, I should fill my stomach too.

Since we’re going to the New Continent Trading Company.

I took a chicken dish in front of me and started cutting it.

“There was an intruder yesterday.”

“……”

“……”

The dining room suddenly fell silent, as if frozen.

I put a piece of meat in my mouth and chewed slowly while looking at Count Furst.

As expected, there wasn’t a flicker of emotion on his face.

“I heard from the maid. But Ran, wasn’t that your imagination?”

He turned his head to look to one side.

There stood a man with a stern expression.

It was Count Furst’s knight commander.

He was wearing full plate armor like other knights, but it seemed to be of the highest quality and strong enough to deflect musket bullets.

These days, you can’t really be a knight without special bulletproof armor.

He answered in a loud voice.

“That’s right. The mage must have imagined it. An intruder? That’s impossible. If someone had intruded, we would have known, Count.”

Count Furst turned his eyes back to me.

“Since the maid was with you, you didn’t see it directly. On what basis do you say there was an intruder?”

“It’s simple. I heard the sound of death and smelled it too, yesterday. Someone died. In the mansion.”

“……”

And I even saw the corpse that had turned to bare bones.

“But I couldn’t find the body. It just disappeared, poof! Anyway, something like that. So I think some protective magic on this mansion might have activated. Do you know anything about that?”

“This mansion was built by my grandfather to stand for hundreds of years without collapsing. There are many secrets hidden that even I don’t know. It could be one of those.”

I thought he would just ignore it, but seeing him think seriously, he seems to know something.

I calmly continued my lie.

“I wanted to investigate more, but it disappeared without a trace. Besides, I don’t know much about that kind of thing. My magic, as you saw then, is about moving natural elements…”

The knight commander cut off my words with a strong tone.

“Count! I guarantee. No one has ever intruded into the castle.”

He must have felt insulted. My ears were about to burst.

The count looked back and forth between me and the knight commander, then said monotonously.

“Alright. So how do you plan to resolve this?”

“Resolve?”

“Ran. Didn’t you cross the sea with me to protect me?”

Oh, so he’s playing it tough now?

I flashed a bright smile.

“You asked me to protect your safety, and my master agreed. That’s not an obligation for me.”

“…..”

“But I’ll do my best as far as I can.”

The count glared at me for a while before turning his gaze back to the food.

“Fine. I’d like you to let me know as soon as you find out anything. Whether it’s an assassin, or protective magic on the mansion, or whatever.”

Once again, I feel that the count is a man who knows his limits well.

“Alright.”

* * *

After breakfast, we prepared separately and then boarded a luxurious carriage.

It took two hours by carriage from Sangria Port to the New Continent Trading Company building.

The distance wasn’t far, but we were considerably delayed passing through the city.

Getting off the carriage, I looked at the New Continent Trading Company building. It was slightly smaller than the one at Marshal Harbor.

“You really put a lot of effort into Marshal Harbor, Count.”

“I did. Originally, I had no intention of returning for nearly 10 years. Let’s go in, Ran.”

I wonder if Legless Monkey ruined that.

Anyone would be angry if a 10-year plan was ruined. Especially someone who lives as meticulously as the count.

Legless Monkey will probably gradually become systematically unhappy.

I followed the count inside.

Inside, countless people were working. They looked no different from what I had seen in Marshal Harbor.

“Ah! You’re here! Count!”

“The shareholders?”

“They’re all gathered.”

He nodded and quickly climbed the stairs.

We soon arrived at a large conference room.

As we approached the door, all kinds of curses could be heard from inside.

Well, given the severe losses, it’s actually fortunate if they’re just cursing.

Bang!

When Count Furst opened the door, all sounds disappeared and silence fell.

About twenty diverse characters were sitting inside. They all seemed tense, but only one among them caught my attention.

That man in his mid-forties, wearing loose-fitting priest’s robes, was glaring at me in return.

A mage.

And he also noticed that I was a mage.

Interesting.

“Come now! Shareholders! Count Furst, who sponsors the New Continent Trading Company, has arrived. He will personally speak about the unfortunate incident that occurred.”

Count Furst stood in the center and slowly began his speech.

It naturally reminded me of the time on Monta Island where the pirates had gathered.

He first declared that Governor Crom had made a mistake in relations with the natives, resulting in the loss of dispatched soldiers, and that they couldn’t return without retrieving the children kidnapped from the natives.

Naturally, the shareholders rebelled.

“Count! Weren’t you there yourself? How can you blame Governor Crom for the company’s ruin?”

“No matter how much it was his fault, as long as you were there, Count, you can’t escape responsibility!”

“Compensate us! Compensate for this incident! It’s shameful to suffer such a crushing defeat to mere natives!”

As the conference room grew noisier, Count Furst slammed both hands on the podium.

Everyone was startled by the loud sound, and the count growled.

“The one who invested the most in this venture is me! If you don’t invest more here, this company that has grown so far will go bankrupt! Then your shares will become worthless! I am putting everything on the line. Everything to resolve this! So trust me and help me with this. I came back because we lost soldiers. And we can always replace soldiers. And if we just find those children, we can restore our relationship with the natives!”

The meeting continued to go back and forth several times after that. It was a bit fun at first, but soon became boring, and I struggled to hold back yawns throughout the meeting.

By the way, why does that priest keep glancing at me like that?

When lunchtime came, everyone agreed to take a break and left the conference room.

They agreed to meet again in an hour, but I wonder how many will actually show up? I hope the count won’t be disappointed.

Yawn.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have just studied magic at the mansion.

At that moment, the priest who had been glancing at me earlier approached.

“Hello, I’m Hansis.”

Hansis’s two eyes, which were smiling brightly, clearly held a faint but definite magical power.

“Ah, yes. I’m Ran.”

I answered halfheartedly.

He smiled again and spoke.

“It seems you’ve studied magic… Haha. Is that right, Mr. Ran?”

“So what?”

“Um, if you have time, would you like to have a meal together?”

I was about to refuse.

But from afar, Count Furst gave me a look.

He wants me to go along.

I guess he can’t afford to lose even one person in this situation.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Oh? Then I’ll guide you to a nearby place.”

The priest bowed slightly and extended his arm.

We came to a restaurant next to the trading company. One specializing in Franche cuisine.

“It’s been a while since I had Franche food.”

“Huh? Is that so? Well, they do make good food here.”

“So? What’s this about?”

Hansis smiled slightly and said.

“It seems you’re helping Count Furst, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Since you’re studying magic, I’m sure you’re not doing it for money or anything like that, haha. I guess you’ve been promised some kind of treasure?”

I put my hand inside Keren’s robe and slightly showed the staff.

At that moment, the priest’s eyes widened a bit.

Good.

Let’s see where this goes.

“This is just a basic one. Just carved from wood. Now I want to make a proper dedicated staff, so I’m looking for a suitable treasure. Count Furst said he would give it to me.”

It’s a blatant lie, but Hansis seemed to believe my words completely.

“Ah, I see. Well, it seems I’ve met quite an extraordinary person. You have a robe, and a staff. Ho, do you have a magic book too?”

“Well, I do have one.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. Really. I’m so envious. I… ahem, embarrassingly, I don’t have any of the three properly yet.”

There was sincerity in the priest’s words.

As the waiter set down the food, I naturally ate while speaking.

“So. What business did you have in wanting to see me?”

The priest rubbed his hands together and said.

“Well, I was wondering if I could ask what treasure Count Furst promised you.”

“Why?”

“Haha. Well, I was thinking maybe we could offer you something even better.”

Interesting.

Is he trying to persuade me?

I should find out who’s backing him first.

“Who does the priest serve?”

“Duke Balkan.”

I’ve heard that name before.

“Ah, Duke Balkan. The one who smuggled the native children, right?”

“Sm-smuggled?! Haha. That’s a dangerous thing to say.”

“…..”

I smiled slightly and continued eating. He soon spoke again.

“Actually, I felt very uncomfortable in that conference room earlier. To slander the person I serve like that. Count Furst is such a good person, it’s really strange. It seems he hasn’t been able to properly collect himself due to some recent trouble. Seeing him speak like that in front of me, well, I don’t know how to react.”

I put down my fork with a clack.

“Get to the point.”

“Pardon?”

“The point. Just tell me the point.”

At that moment, the priest’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The impression that had been only kind suddenly became quite sharp.

Now this person’s true nature will come out.

“Please tell me what treasure Count Furst promised you. Duke Balkan will prepare something even better. So, if you serve Duke Balkan…”

“Alright.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said alright. The jewel I want is a transparent jewel imbued with magical power. So transparent that even a mage would think it’s invisible.”

“…..”

“Bring that to me. Then I’ll do as Duke Balkan wishes.”

I flashed a bright smile and resumed eating.

Having this meal reminded me of my mother’s cooking.

Glancing over, I saw Hansis’s eyes wavering.

His mind must be quite complicated right now.

The boy’s thick eyelashes fluttered with each blink. His long hair touched the floor as he crouched down.

Though there were hints of masculine features here and there, one would have to look closely to notice.

At a glance, he could easily be mistaken for a girl.

The child was huddled in a corner of the hallway, intently watching the floor.

To be more precise, he was watching a crack in the marble.

Even more precisely, he was observing the insects moving in and out of that crack.

Various kinds of beetles.

“Oh my! Young Master Fabre!”

The maid who had followed behind me approached the child and sat down next to him.

The child called Young Master Fabre didn’t react at all and continued to silently observe the insects.

The maid moved closer to him.

“Young Master, you should be in your room. You shouldn’t be out in the hallway.”

Despite her continued words, Fabre showed no reaction.

But the maid seemed accustomed to this and kept talking to him.

He must be either deaf or mentally ill, one of the two.

“Are you watching the insects again? We can bring them into your room for you. So, will you go back to your room?”

At those words, Fabre suddenly stood up.

Then he turned and looked at me. His gaze focused on the staff I was holding.

“Are you a mage?”

Thud.

At that moment, the maid fell on her backside.

Her face had turned pale.

“Y-Young Master! Did you just… speak?”

Fabre looked at the maid with indifferent eyes.

As if she had seen a ghost, the maid’s face turned completely white.

She covered her mouth, took a few steps back, and then ran away down the hallway.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Well, something like that.”

As an apprentice, I’m somewhere in between.

At those words, Fabre’s eyes widened.

And suddenly he came over to me. He reached out his hand towards the staff, then glanced at me.

“Can I touch it once?”

“Oh, sure.”

If it were a magic book, I wouldn’t have allowed it.

The child swallowed once, took a deep breath, and then, as if resolved, gently stroked the staff.

“I’ve never seen a mage before. It’s amazing…”

His eyes were sparkling so brightly that it seemed tears might fall at any moment.

“It’s amazing for me too. Since you’re seeing me for the first time, you probably don’t have a master, but I can sense magic. Quite refined magic at that.”

“I do have a master. The beetles taught me.”

“Is that so?”

I guess he naturally learned while playing with the beetles.

Fabre reluctantly took his hand off the staff. Then he looked up at me, hesitated for a moment, and spoke.

“Would you like to come into my room?”

If there’s the oldest law in this world, it’s the custom of hospitality. The absolute rule that guests and hosts do not harm each other.

As an ancient tradition, it carries powerful magic, and even the most powerful mages cannot ignore it.

“Alright. I’ll be your guest.”

As if light had filled him, Fabre’s face brightened.

At the same time, the beetles he had been watching began to move in a single file along one side of the hallway.

It was as if they were making a path.

Grab.

Fabre took my left hand and led the way.

How should I put it, there was a cute roughness in his touch.

“You seem to like beetles, don’t you?”

“‘Like’ isn’t enough to describe it.”

“Love?”

“That too, a little. Because I don’t want to live in a world without beetles.”

After walking a few steps, he opened a door on one side.

No sunlight entered the room at all, and only dozens of candles dimly lit the interior.

I followed Fabre inside. And at that moment, I felt as if I was entering a new world.

Because everything was made up entirely of beetles.

Not only the walls, but also the ceiling and floor, every direction was made of glass, and inside were hundreds of thousands of different beetles.

As if they were preserved.

But I couldn’t sense any thoughts from them.

“They’re all alive, aren’t they?”

Fabre stopped walking and turned to look at me.

“As expected, you noticed right away. Most people think they’re all dead.”

“Well, they’re being held by your psychokinesis.”

“Psychokinesis?”

“It’s a physical force created by your will. You’re probably using it unconsciously.”

Fabre furrowed his brows for a moment and then made a sad face.

“Then, am I forcibly holding these children against their will? I thought they were all here because they wanted to be…”

As if there are any insects that stay still because they want to.

But there’s no need to shatter his innocence and fantasies. After all, it’s directly connected to magic power.

“There’s no difference.”

“What?”

I looked at the sad Fabre with a faint smile.

“There’s no difference between you forcibly holding them with psychokinesis and making them stay still because they want to.”

Fabre made a strange expression and then nodded once.

“I see.”

He understood this in one go?

A child who looks about eight years old?

Fabre walked to the center of the room. There was a desk large enough to sleep on, and on top of it were about twenty more beetles.

They were all lying still on their backs, but if you looked closely, you could see their legs trembling slightly.

“Mr. Mage. Come over here and take a look. These are new ones. But for some reason, I’m having trouble adding them to my collection.”

“Trouble adding them to your collection?”

“Ah, yes, that thing you just mentioned. Um, psychokinesis? It’s not working well. Even if I put them in the glass, they escape after a day or two.”

“…”

“Can you help me? You’re a mage, after all.”

Seeing his expression full of pure expectation, I felt an overwhelming desire to help him right away.

It was the same feeling I had with Psyche and Speria. The power to move hearts with just a word. It’s a characteristic of mages who can transmit their will to the outside world.

Hmm.

I wonder if my words carry such energy too?

“I haven’t studied much about living things, so I can’t promise anything, but I’ll take a look.”

I went to the chair and sat down. Fabre scurried over to my side and looked back and forth between me and the beetles with even more expectant eyes.

This is suddenly becoming too much pressure.

I scanned the beetles on the desk.

And I tried sending out some psychokinesis.

Sending psychokinesis to the beetles felt different from sending it to natural objects or corpses.

It felt like injecting my will while breaking their individual wills and intentions, despite them having their own.

It’s difficult to do just by thinking about it for the first time.

I took out the staff I was holding in my right hand and brought it close to the beetles.

Then, one by one, the beetles who were lying on their backs flipped over with a tap.

“Wow! As expected!”

Fabre clasped his hands together in satisfaction.

I turned my gaze to scan the beetles fixed behind the glass walls.

The beetles on the desk certainly had a much stronger will.

“They possess magic.”

“Pardon?”

“The beetles that you can’t add to your collection possess magic. They’re not ordinary beetles.”

At those words, Fabre’s eyes widened like full moons once again.

“Really?”

“Just as there are mages like me among humans, there are also extremely rare beetles with magic.”

“S-so that’s why!”

The child scurried off to one side.

Then he came back, struggling to carry a book almost as big as himself, and opened it on the floor right next to me.

350,000 species of beetles.

He frantically flipped through the pages, then pointed to one side.

“Look here. This one. It’s a Unicorn Beetle with fire wings! But this one!”

He jumped up from his seat and pointed to a beetle on the desk.

“This one has two horns. No matter how much I search the book, there’s no species like this. And there’s no other species with horns growing vertically in pairs like this.”

Now that he mentions it, I can sense particularly strong magic from the horns.

“Hmm, I can’t say for certain, but it’s not a different species. An extra horn probably grew due to magic. It must have some mysterious power, right? That’s what magic is.”

I leaned down to meet his eye level.

He looked up at me with round eyes.

I guess it’s okay to ask now.

“I’ve kindly answered your questions, so I’d like you to kindly answer mine too. What do you say?”

“…”

Fabre made a strange expression.

I raised my hand and patted his head.

“The humans you killed. Where are they?”

“……”

Fabre’s expression stiffened slightly.

Now he’s not acting like a child.

“If you don’t want to show me, at least tell me why. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to tell your father.”

Fabre’s eyes suddenly turned fierce.

He looks just like his father.

“Don’t tell him.”

“Why?”

“Humans don’t need to know, right? What’s the point of telling them about this?”

Humans?

What an unusual way of thinking.

“So that’s why you didn’t say anything? Because they’re ordinary humans?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I just didn’t like it. Getting involved.”

Judging by his hesitant expression, he seems to realize that his thinking is a bit strange.

As I remained silent, Fabre couldn’t hold back and asked:

“Am I thinking wrongly?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“That’s the rule you’ve lived by all your life, so it will affect you magically in some way. It’s certainly not normal, but breaking it now wouldn’t be good.”

His face brightened.

“Right?”

“So? The corpses?”

Fabre’s face darkened again.

His lips protruded forward and he made an expression as if he was about to cry.

Anyone seeing this would think he had secretly stolen some candy.

“Don’t worry. I’m a mage too. Tell me what happened. Then I won’t tell anyone.”

Fabre’s lips twitched several times before he finally spoke in a low voice.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

Having said that, he stood up.

Then he walked to one side.

There was a black curtain hanging from the ceiling, and he grabbed one side and looked back at me.

“They’re here. Shall I show you?”

“Yes.”

The child slightly pulled the curtain aside.

Dozens of stacked skeletons were revealed.

That’s when I started to feel the remnants of their thoughts.

This is Fabre’s castle, so everything happens according to Fabre’s will.

But how should I put it, they’re so clean they look like decorations.

Even the corpse that seems to be the most recent is just bones, so he must have cleanly removed everything except the bones.

How he removed them… never mind. I don’t want to think about it anymore.

“Hmm, that’s quite a lot of corpses?”

“They came often. I don’t know who, but they kept coming.”

“Ah, so it’s not just today?”

Fabre nodded.

“About three years ago? They seem to have been coming since then.”

“Hmm.”

I slowly walked over to the skeletons and examined them closely.

Judging by the remaining thoughts, they did seem to be skeletons that had accumulated one by one since three years ago.

However, among them, there was one that strangely had strong remaining thoughts despite being old.

I used psychokinesis to look at it. I could feel the deeply hidden thoughts within the corpse.

It was enormous.

Even if I gathered all the thoughts left in the other corpses, they would not compare to a fraction of this one.

Strange.

After death, thoughts should scatter more as time passes.

Why has that one become even more intense?

And why is it hiding?

I want to research it right away.

I want to take out my magic book and use death magic right now.

But death magic should never be shown to anyone.

Even if it’s an eight-year-old young mage.

Caution.

That’s the most important thing Master Avana taught me.

“Now that I’ve shown you, you won’t tell Father, right?”

Fabre’s eyes looked as anxious as his tone.

“Yes. I won’t tell. So you’ve been protecting your father all this time.”

“Yes.”

Hmm.

It’s certainly a contradiction.

I looked straight at Fabre and asked.

“If you don’t even talk to humans, why protect them?”

Fabre crumpled one side of his lip, then spoke with a pout.

“Three years ago, when these people came to the mansion, I didn’t care much. But that day, my mother died.”

For a moment, I doubted my ears, his expression and tone were so indifferent.

“Suddenly, I started to care. It’s not something I should care much about… I’m busy making my beetle collection, but I kept getting annoyed thinking about my mother. So I thought it would be more troublesome if Father died too.”

Looking at his face, it doesn’t seem that way at all.

“Actually, it was Father who gave me this room and made these glass walls. I’m just protecting him in return, I guess.”

I suddenly remembered something Master Avana said in passing.

Those who awaken to magic on their own.

They have extremely unstable and imperfect magical power, and their mental state is the same.

Born with the awareness that they are mages, everything seems trivial to them. Then they often end up destroying themselves before long.

Magic is too dangerous to self-study.

“I’ll introduce you to my master. She’ll guide your magic well.”

Fabre shook his head.

“I don’t want a master. I just wanted an answer. I got it, so it’s fine now. Beetles have magic too. It’s an answer I never imagined.”

“If you have a proper magic book, staff, and familiar, you’ll be able to fully control those children and even more powerful individuals. You’ll be able to meet not just 350,000 species, but incomparably more beetles.”

“…..”

“Think about it carefully, Fabre. Don’t you want to become friends with all the beetles in the world?”

I put my hand on his head and stroked it.

However, my gaze naturally fell on that corpse with the powerful lingering thoughts.

If there are mages among humans.

And if there are beetles imbued with magic.

Who’s to say there can’t be among corpses?

Then Fabre muttered.

“I still don’t want to be someone’s disciple. Instead…”

“Instead?”

Fabre looked at me with a bright smile.

“I’d like the mage to become my friend!”

I felt a chill run down my spine for a moment.

Is he thinking of preserving me too?

“F-friend?”

“Yes! Let’s be friends! Hehe!”

Fabre stretched out both arms and hugged me.

In my embrace, he was just a child.

But why?

Why do I feel like all the numerous beetles around us are looking at me?

Fabre’s eyes filled with curiosity. He clenched his fists and asked, trembling:

“Mysterious power? W-what is it?”

“Figuring that out, researching, discovering, and applying it – that’s probably what you should do as a mage.”

“Pardon?”

“You like beetles, don’t you? Don’t you want to research and classify beetles?”

Fabre shook his head vigorously.

“No!”

“Then?”

“I want to become friends with all the beetles in the world!”

“Friends?”

“Yes! Friends!”

Hmm, kids these days keep their friends fixed in rooms, I see.

But I can’t point that out. He’s already unstable with his magic, having no master.

“I see. Be good to your friends then.”

“Of course! I’m already so good to them! Look how I’m protecting all of them!”

Fabre spread his arms and spoke cheerfully, seeming sincere.

How creepy.

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TL : Nah this kid, weird as fuck